The village of Hayvn, surrounded by various ecosystems with just as much variety in fauna and flora, sits a bit off-center of the heart of the forest.
Towards the East rests a lake about a football field in length and at its deepest is around 50 meters(162 feet). A rather deep lake to be sure, and houses plenty of water-life from docile to the ferocious monsters of the shallow and the deep. It drops off at around twenty feet in and is crystal clear --which adds to the illusion of the depth of the lake and when the drop off actually starts. The sun(s) of Daratan keep the body of water warm at all times of the day, until the seasons change of course. This lake is but one of six scattered about the entire forest: each one as pristine and beautiful as the next. Not quite as well-defended, however, but still a formidable task to undertake if one were to attack Hayvn from that direction.
The North holds dense forest and the caves of the Malk's, with the homes of other predator/prey animals. Not a lot of people traverse these wilds, for obvious reasons. As such, these natural defenses help keep Hayvn secure from attack from that direction. Unfortunately, Hayvn's Burial Tombs lie there and though the fabrics of Daratan and the Shared is thin there to help ward off predators and potential tomb raiders, people still run the risk of meeting such dangers.
The West holds home to swampy area. The plants here are more poisonous than not and the creatures are just as potent with their venom. A few dozen scattered sandpits litter this direction and the bigger predators and big game have adapted to this and are a dangerous threat to even the most experienced hunter. Even if the animals don't kill you, the flora might try to find a way.
The South is drier and more grassland than forest, though the black, metallic trees are still present. The grass is a healthier shade of green, though the blades of grass seem to cut into the flesh like small razor-blades. Thick roots stick out from the ground, concealed by the tall grass. Small rodents dominate this particular area with snakes and birds of prey, said predators known to attack people as readily as they attack their natural prey.
The houses of Hayvn are simply made, though the materials said houses are made from range from a variety of materials, dependent on the makers choice.
Within Hayvn, there are two smithies; a tannery; a bakery; a store, though it mainly sells items to help with the Joining and enchanting items. In the center of the village, there is a longhouse that feeds the entire village, while also having spare rooms for visitors and the like. The longhouse serves as a general hub of the village; it also serves five meals a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner with a small meal between lunch and dinner and another after dinner, for the Long Watch just coming home and those going out.
The Long Watch is the military group that patrols the borders of Hayvn at all times of the day, on rotating intervals. Every member of the village is, or has been, apart of the Watch. While Hayvn is mostly peaceful, there has been a few occasions they have had to prepare themselves for war. That being said, they have made a name for themselves as fierce and skilled fighters, as individuals and as groups, in the previous wars they've been dragged into. But those were the times when the people of Hayvn were strong in the Shared and not what they are now, though with the accumulated knowledge and experience that their ancestors have instilled into the Shared give the current users a small advantage.
The seasons in Hayvn are rather mild, save for the winter, when the black snow comes and ravages the lands of Hayvn and its inhabitants. There is a raining season between spring and summer and fall and winter.
