Everwood

A History of Helias Compendium - Everwood

Located in the north most part of the Kingdom of Torja, near the borders with Salos and the Forsaken Lands, lies one of the biggest natural resources of the Torjans and one of the true secrets of their naval and economic power.

Two hundred years before King Seot united the city-states of Torja at the dusk of the Noctua Inquisition to better be able to compete against the emergent powers of Salos and Mizar, a huge pine forest was planted named Everwood, it has an area of ​​almost ten thousand acres covering much of the northwest and marked the beginning of the intensive monoculture plantation of maritime pine.

The pine forest was initially envisioned as a shared resource by Prince Donso of Avis. His grandson seeing the potential of the wood as a business opportunity for ship building would substantially enlarge it to its current dimensions.

Sowing was carried out in a large area along the northern plains, especially using maritime pine. Whenever trees were cut down, replanting followed immediately.
This way the pine forest remained intact.

Since at least the last 150 years the position of Forester-Major of the Kingdom's Everwood Forest became hereditary among families that constantly tended to the grounds and to the cyclical renovation of its resources. Chief among these are the Loso family and the Atarde's.

The pine forest of Everwood became very important for the rise of the Kingdom as the unrivalled naval and maritime power in Helias, as the wood from the pine trees was used to build ships, for trade and the bulk sale of pitch across the continent.

It would acquire great importance for the economic development and demographic growth of the newly founded Kingdom after the Noctua Inquisition, since it was one of the main drivers of industries such as shipbuilding, the glass industry, metallurgy and resinous product like the extraction of pine resins.

Today the grounds of Everwood have an almost sacred place among Torjans for its continuous historical and social contribution to the date of the Kingdom.[i]