Paelliwa

History
This entry uses two sources: History of the Deepwood and The Paelliwan Journal; and is divided into 4 sections: Prehistoric, Discovery/Second era, the Haellsvang/Third era, and the Paelliwan/Fourth era.

Prehistoric
This time takes place before the discovery of Eldham, and is shrouded in mystery. Some ruins which are believed to be from this era have been found on the East Bank. although there is some debate as too whether the ruins are from the second era. The ruins are of the style typically found in jungles, which leads many scholars to suggest that the landscape might have been dense jungle, similar to the one found across the river. Very little is known of this period as no written record survives. There is some speculation, as to whether the tribe of lizard people rumoured to live in the jungle once inhabited the land. If they did, we may never know.

Second Era
This era also known as the Discovery era, occurred around the time that settlers from Rathnir moved to Eldham. We don't know much about this era, but we do know more about it than the Prehistoric era, due to the fact that written record survives. The land at this time was a flat plain, with some oak trees growing. We can see these oak trees in the houses that were built on the East Bank. These houses are thought to belong to County Deirghan thanks to an old sign, discovered near the river. Although we can't be sure, it is widely accepted that Deirghan means river-fork, taking its name from the river that divides the landscape here. County Deirghan might be related to Deirghal, which is one of the first nations to inhibit this region. The ruins of Deirghan can still be found today, albiet modified by the next wave if settlers.

Third Era
This period of history is quite well documented. At some point a new wave of settlers came to the region. They founded the town of Haellsvang on the opposite bank and brought a new culture with them, which quickly absorbed that of the original settlers. We can see this shift in the etymology. Deirghan meaning river-fork, changed to Deerghan, and then changed to Deervang when new settlers moved in, because in the new language vang meant a bend/fork in the river. Deervang became Haervang, because the new accent corrupted the original sound. It then changed to Haellvang, and then Haellsvang. This change from Deerghan to to Haellsvang took place within a few generations.

Haellsvang was a town within the As'rian Commonwealth, and after the nation collapsed. Haellsvang was abandoned. The massive conifers introduced by Haellsvang easily took root in the fertile soil (which links back to the jungle theory) and within a few decades the town was overgrown, and hidden under the massive canopy. For many years Kyron lived in the Deepwood tending to its needs.

Fourth Era
The most distinct part of this era is the introduction of Pineism. Kyron and HickyHicBlock met while HickyHicBlock was preaching about Pineolwii. For a few weeks the Deepwood lurked in the back of his mind, while he worked as an architect in Ilothwii, Midjor (also known as Vidanmoor). After a bitter disagreement between HickyHicBlock and the council of Midjor, HickyHicBlock left for the Deepwood. He described it as a "Cold and rainy night" Paelliwa soon started to grow in size, and the population increase led the citizens to build a new settlement in the Oak Forest.

Again looking at the etymology, we can see how the name changed drastically due to the shifting demographics. Haellvan (a newer name for Haellsvang) became Paellwan, which was more easy on the Midjorisk tongue. Paellwan soon took on an identity of its own, becoming Paellwa, and then Paelliwa, as the name became more associated with Pineolwii.

One of the great things about the documentation of this era is The Paelliwan Journal, a document written by HickyHicBlock, describing his experiences in Paelliwa, and the construction of the new village. Due to this document we can pinpoint dates and specific events, that othetwise would've been lost to history.

Districts
Paelliwa is seperated into three distinct areas, all seperated by the river.

Haellsvang
This area compromises of the ruined town of Haellsvang which was part of the As'rian commonwealth. Haellsvang was abandoned, and the Deepwood slowly overtook it. The nordic halls are now overgrown with vines and vegetation, the towers overshadowed by the mighty pines.

East Bank
This part of Paelliwa is the most wild, the Deepwood is very dense here, and there's very little natural light reaching the forest floor. There are two main sections of the East Bank, the ruins of Deirghan, and the clearing.

The ruins of Deirghan are the second earliest discovered, the only things older were there before the discovery of Eldham. Some of the ruins were renovated by Haellsvang, but the rest remain untouched. This includes an ancient sign, which reads: Welcome to County Deirghan.

The clearing is where the residents of Paelliwa lived before moving to the oak forest. It was inhabited for very long by Kyron, the last resident of Haellsvang. He watched as the spruce trees introduced by the town, slowly took over the plains and became the Deepwood. HickyHicBlock later moved in and brought Pineism to the now sacred region. Eventually, the area became overcrowded, so the residents moved to the Oak Forest across the river.

Oak Forest
This area was originally a forest, but the land was cleared to make way for a huge terraformed hill, which was half completed. The residents of Paelliwa, then HickyHicBlock and Kyron, took ownership of the land, in exchange for the removal of, and the dirt in, the hill. The area was later restored, and after the clearing became too crowded, it became the living area for Paelliwa.