Setting

Copypasted from the docs, unedited. Contents TBA

First doc

Jackdaw’s Peak

Wow, a mountain! Named for the jackdaws occasionally spotted at the highest altitudes—an oddity, considering they’re usually found elsewhere. The hills boast abundant resources even throughout winter, making it a scenic shelter to many a passerby and the occasional pack.

Cougar’s Maw

“Locals call it Cougar’s Maw,” they said of the cavern, “for two simple reasons. First,” and here they pointed their snout to the pointed stone dripping from the roof, “it looks an awful lot like fangs. And second—”

“Cougar,” Andesite said, already several steps ahead with her nose to the ground. “Stale.”

[Talak] grimace-grinned, teeth flashing. “Yes, one lived here. Walking in would quite literally put a wolf in its mouth.”

A cavern on the mountain’s northeastern front, accessible mainly from a thin path curling around the cliffside. Named for the mighty beast that once lived within, marking the area off-limits to all but the bravest canine explorers (and/or their most foolhardy pups). But when Diorite, Andesite, and Talak arrived, it’d been abandoned for quite some time; they claimed it for their fledgling pack.

The cavern is large enough to comfortably support about ten adult wolves & bountiful herb and food caches. (Any more adults, however, and things start feeling cramped.) It serves largely as a pit stop to the ever-active members of Jackdaw’s Peak; storage is in the back, the nursing and/or young in the midsection, and healthy adults sleep closer to the entry.

Quartzen Trench

Elsewhere along the cliffsides hides a treacherous scar in the rocks. Steep ground makes it difficult to navigate even for a seasoned adult, let alone a wayward pup like Taru—whose body was found here, circled by jackdaws, marking the pack’s first death. Gruesome as the sight was, it would be outmatched later that season by Flint’s death to bears, and retroactively took on a sort of spiritual significance: the mountain giveth and taketh, the birds are always watching, something like that.

The bodies of other pups were, aherm, placed down here. The antagonistic descent at least protects the area from other predators; only the jackdaws know of it, and so they feast.

other biomes

At the start of Y3 Spring, Andesite and Glaucous’ combined efforts have scouted the entire world of Wolvden. Diorite, however, has limited his travels, and thoroughly explores biomes (with copious travel between already-explored areas) well before venturing into new ones.

As of Y3 Summer:

• The Mountains, specifically one called Jackdaw’s Peak, were the pack’s first home and namesake. Beavers are abundant, as are traveling wolves and other packs. However, the pack made bad relations with the neighbors between stray pup ventures and Diorite’s aggression; while the pack was never driven out as they feared, rising tensions (and northern intrigue) eventually led them to leave.
• The Grasslands were briefly visited throughout Y1–2 but have proven less beneficial than other biomes. The rolling hills were home to the lepus trio (Leveret, Drove, and Jackrabbit), and a pack here was first to get into a serious fight with Diorite during his ventures.
• The start of Y2 saw Diorite’s first ventures into three biomes:
  • The Prairie was briefly visited as Diorite hoped to catch up with his son Bone, who’d recently left the pack, but his search was fruitless. Other than Wickfen’s origin pack living among the grassy flatlands, Diorite finds little noteworthy about it.
  • The Coniferous Forest is home to many a bear, and thus is Diorite’s go-to biome for ursidae-slaying quests. Little else sticks out, though it’s technically the pack’s (temporary) home biome after the move; lore-wise they stick to the mountains.
  • The Desert seems to be Glaucous’ favorite biome, as she spent a whole season scouting it in the midst of illness. At her recommendation, Diorite visits frequently in search of hummingbirds, who gather around nectar-laden flowers for quick healing.
• The Tundra and Glacier thus far seem similar, with the Glacier being the Tundra but extreme: greater boons, greater risks. Diorite had a flash of deja vu atop the glacier’s ice, and has subsequently set his sights on moving there. (Taiga has been more or less skipped for no real reason, but the pack will move there once it’s through with the Coniferous Forest.)

Second doc

As of Year 4 Spring, Jackdaw’s Flight is nomadic; they’d like to establish a long-term territory again, but their search has been hampered by injury restricting travel, as well as conflict with the dominating Boreas wolves. Fortunately, as of Y4 Summer, much of the pack is fit to travel again.

Cougar’s Prowl

An informal name for the small area claimed by a lone juvenile cougar—or so it was until the Jackdaws arrived. They chased the cougar out on arrival and, as Diorite took this random encounter as a sign, subsequently settled down. Still, they kept their territory to a minimum, and made a home closer to the foot of the mountains than either the peaks or the neighboring coniferous forest.

The Prowl boasts bountiful prey and a nearby herb source, the latter of which delighted Micah when a kind stranger showed him to it. However, the Jackdaws weren’t the only wolves with their eyes on the land: another pack in the coniferous forest, [who currently lacks a name], consider themselves allies to all of felidae and vice versa. It later turned out that Micah’s friend was a spy for this pack; late into winter, they and the cougar returned and drove the Jackdaws out.

biomes

By now, Andesite and Glaucous have collectively scouted the entire world of Wolvden. Diorite’s ventures, however, have been more limited.

• Mountains: Former homeland. Abundant territory, countless travelers, potentially-hostile neighbors. Much as the pack worried about being driven out, such hostility never came to pass—although Diorite is well aware some wolves are less than fond of his exploits.
• Grasslands: Birthplace of Leveret, Drove, and Jackdaw. Diorite got in his first serious fight here, but otherwise finds the biome unremarkable and rarely visits.
• Prairie: Wickfen was born, raised, and found here. Years before, Diorite briefly visited while trying in vain to catch up with his son Bone. Otherwise unremarkable.
• Coniferous Forest: Technically the pack’s home biome for much of Y3, though they spent more time in the westward mountains than in the woods. As home to many a bear, it was (and is?) Diorite’s go-to place for ursidae-killing quests; however, after being driven out by a vengeful cougar and its wolven allies, the pack regards the land with caution.
• Desert: Glaucous’ apparent favorite; she recommended Diorite visit when he needs healing due to the nectar-laden flowers that rejuvenate wolves just as well as hummingbirds.
• Tundra & Glacier: Similar; the Glacier seems like a more extreme Tundra. Upon first setting paw in the Glacier, Diorite had a flash of deja vu, and has since set his sights here as an eventual home; he hopes moving here will shed some light on his and Andesite’s origin before the pack, for which they have no memory.
• Taiga: An inevitable stop on the pack’s move north, and slated to be their new home for Year 4. Diorite spent little time exploring here before, having preferred to move straight to the Tundra & Glacier; now that the pack has been forced to move, he’s regretting that.
  • Maybe he’d caught word of the Boreas wolves earlier, albeit in vague and unnamed terms, and just decided to sidestep the whole biome?
  • Anyway, they live here now, sorta. They’re wandering.