Setting
The Wood itself is massive, and may very well go on forever. Don't bother trying to find your way out of it - you won't succeed, and you'll probably just get lost and then dead.
Most of the forest itself is made up of pine and fir trees, though it's possible to find almost any species of tree that will grow in a northern continental climate - including some kinds of trees not found on Earth. It is very dense, the trees so close together in some places that it's impossible to see the sky through the branches. The effect is one of near-perpetual twilight, except in those places where clearings or buildings allow the sun to break through.
Even setting aside the trees, the landscape is not featureless. While there's plenty of relatively flat ground, there are also hills, valleys and caves throughout the Wood. Be careful about poking your head into any of those caves, though - they may already be occupied, and if they are, better hope it's a wild animal, because the other possibilities are worse.
The weather is volatile, and doesn't follow any reasonable pattern of seasons - it can go from snow to clear skies and sun to violent thunderstorms in the course of a few days. This is not the way things were meant to be, but the Wood's been out of balance for some time now, and you may as well get used to it.
Locations
the barracks. A sort of medieval fort, built all of wood, surrounded by high stone walls. Calling it the barracks might be a bit of an understatement, as it's less a set of barracks and more of a creepy, abandoned town. Most buildings are damaged to some extent - doors and windows won't close right, there are cracks and chinks in walls, some ceilings may be falling in - and almost all are full of dust and vermin. It will provide more shelter and safety than staying out in the open forest, but it probably won't be terribly comfortable at first. And now look! A map!
It's very old fashioned, and looks almost like a ghost town in the middle of the Wood. There's a general store (now empty and abandoned- the shelves are covered in nothing but dust and broken jars- it's pretty useless as anything right now, because there's no way to stock it), a pub (with a few mysterious bottles of liquor still tucked away in the back - drink if you dare- but also empty and dilapidated), a forge (one of the few things that can be made functional with a little work), and a few other unrecognizable buildings that have fallen into such disrepair they're more creepy than useful.
And, of course, there's the barracks, themselves - a seemingly endless set of small cabins that have old-fashioned wood-burning stoves (think colonial times) and very little in the way of comfortable amenities. There are beds, a table, and a few chairs and each one can house three people comfortably. Most have braziers as well, standing or hanging, though not all--they've vanished or been taken to pieces in the interim since the buildings were inhabited. There seems to be no limit to how many cabins there are, even though they don't seem to take up much space. There's also a storehouse that is the only thing that seems to still be operational, as you will find a supply of meat and fresh harvested vegetables in there every month. However, it doesn't get replenished until the end of the month, so make sure to ration the food wisely or you'll find yourself having to go into the Wood to hunt and gather until it fills up again - and you'll never know exactly who is providing the food even if you stake the place out. You'll always fall asleep at the most inopportune time.
The centerpiece is a very small library-ish building, which has been completely destroyed inside, its shelves upturned and broken - you'll find all of the books have the endings torn out of them (you'll also notice that no books about the Wood itself seem to be present - in fact, they're all classic stories from Earth and various other worlds - chances are if your culture has a famous story or two, a copy of it exists in the library and is damaged beyond repair, unless it's your story). The library also has a mural of a large group of people standing together in front of the library back when it was still new. That mural is the only clue you have to the people who once lived in this town. There's no indication of what happened to them anywhere.
The only tree inside the walls is tucked behind the library, an ancient oak tree with healthy, bright green leaves, in sharp contrast to the general dilapidation of the rest of the complex.
the castle. It seems to be the only place, aside from the barracks, that's remotely hospitable to newcomers; a detailed description and not-so-detailed map can be found here.
the giving tree. The only tree inside the walls of the barracks. An ancient oak, vibrant and healthy. Some might find, tucked away in its roots, articles from home that they thought lost. They could be as significant as a magical power source or as mundane as a favorite pair of socks - whatever the article is, however, it has an odd habit of appearing only after a good deed is done, and even then only at a certain time of month. If someone else tries to take said item, the roots of the Giving Tree will close up around it until the proper owner appears.
the church crypt. In a building that was once a church before being nearly destroyed, behind a stone door hidden in the back wall, there's a stairway down into the earth that's lit by nothing you can see. At its base is a stone foyer, the walls made of jagged rock and the floor polished smooth. The door at the opposite end is deteriorating, showing signs of wear and possible termite infestation and the hinges are rusted nearly through. Should you open it - and not run at the floodtide of death-scent and insects - you'll find a crypt beyond. Once organized, it's now a nightmare scene of stacked skeletons in rotting clothes. The bodies inside have no identifications. But many have broken necks.
the hanging tree. About a mile east of the barracks is a clearing in the wood with a huge gnarled and dead old tree. The grass around the tree is dead and barren, even though everything outside a twenty foot radius is flourishing fine. When you step into the patch of dead grass around it, you'll feel the air get a little bit colder. Something bad happened here. Maybe several something bads, and if the chill didn't scare you - the sight of the frayed and rotting noose dangling from one of the high branches will.
There's also a series of hatch marks carved carelessly into the side of the tree, growing steadily deeper and more hastily carved the longer they go. There's at least twenty marks there. Beyond being creepy, the tree really isn't that interesting, but it might be a clue to something bigger.
the amaranth stream. Just outside of the barracks' southern wall, almost snugged against the wall itself, a lively spring surges out of a small, dark cluster of stones. It's surrounded on all sides by heavy, perpetually-blooming maroon flowers. The stream is always cold and clean. Along the bottom of the stream, there's a multitude of random objects, from buttons to bars of gold. Those who dive in trying to reach them will find the stream far, far deeper than it looks--and getting deeper the longer they swim downward. The spring's guardian is somewhat possessive of her trinkets.
the dark woods. The entire Wood is dangerous in its own way, but if you wander into the darker parts of the Wood where the sun never touches, you're inviting your own end. Here, the monsters roam freely, and some of the most feral Fae prey indiscriminately on anyone who dares enter. Here you'll find criers' webs with rotting half-eaten carcasses of dead animals still stuck tight, caves where you could be faced with your worst nightmares if you try to take sanctuary in them, and the Magpie's nest - a long section of dark woods filled with nothing but cages of petrified creatures, their bodies arched and contorted in throes of ecstasy for all eternity. Be wary when you wander the dark woods, as you might become the next victim to these creatures.
the dreaming trees. A grove of white-barked trees deep in the Wood, far older than anything else here. Some of the biggest trees are twenty feet around and hundreds of feet high, and the grove is often shrouded in mist. To all outward appearances, it's a peaceful place, often completely silent, giving the air of a temple... or a tomb.
To anyone with psychic abilities, though, it's not so quiet. To psychic senses, there is a constant soft whispering all around, coming from the trees themselves. It's possible to pick out a few words or phrases sometimes, though whether or not you can make sense of it is another matter.
the arch. A simple free-standing arch built of strange, white stone, nestled among the Dreaming Trees. Once, this was the place where people entered the Wood, and where they returned to their own universes. Today, the arch is broken - it's still standing, but there's a big crack through the top of it, and nothing anyone does can make it work the way it's supposed to. Inscribed in the stones, from one end of the arch to the other, there is a poem. It may or may not mean anything important.
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Most of the forest itself is made up of pine and fir trees, though it's possible to find almost any species of tree that will grow in a northern continental climate - including some kinds of trees not found on Earth. It is very dense, the trees so close together in some places that it's impossible to see the sky through the branches. The effect is one of near-perpetual twilight, except in those places where clearings or buildings allow the sun to break through.
Even setting aside the trees, the landscape is not featureless. While there's plenty of relatively flat ground, there are also hills, valleys and caves throughout the Wood. Be careful about poking your head into any of those caves, though - they may already be occupied, and if they are, better hope it's a wild animal, because the other possibilities are worse.
The weather is volatile, and doesn't follow any reasonable pattern of seasons - it can go from snow to clear skies and sun to violent thunderstorms in the course of a few days. This is not the way things were meant to be, but the Wood's been out of balance for some time now, and you may as well get used to it.
Locations
the barracks. A sort of medieval fort, built all of wood, surrounded by high stone walls. Calling it the barracks might be a bit of an understatement, as it's less a set of barracks and more of a creepy, abandoned town. Most buildings are damaged to some extent - doors and windows won't close right, there are cracks and chinks in walls, some ceilings may be falling in - and almost all are full of dust and vermin. It will provide more shelter and safety than staying out in the open forest, but it probably won't be terribly comfortable at first. And now look! A map!
It's very old fashioned, and looks almost like a ghost town in the middle of the Wood. There's a general store (now empty and abandoned- the shelves are covered in nothing but dust and broken jars- it's pretty useless as anything right now, because there's no way to stock it), a pub (with a few mysterious bottles of liquor still tucked away in the back - drink if you dare- but also empty and dilapidated), a forge (one of the few things that can be made functional with a little work), and a few other unrecognizable buildings that have fallen into such disrepair they're more creepy than useful.
And, of course, there's the barracks, themselves - a seemingly endless set of small cabins that have old-fashioned wood-burning stoves (think colonial times) and very little in the way of comfortable amenities. There are beds, a table, and a few chairs and each one can house three people comfortably. Most have braziers as well, standing or hanging, though not all--they've vanished or been taken to pieces in the interim since the buildings were inhabited. There seems to be no limit to how many cabins there are, even though they don't seem to take up much space. There's also a storehouse that is the only thing that seems to still be operational, as you will find a supply of meat and fresh harvested vegetables in there every month. However, it doesn't get replenished until the end of the month, so make sure to ration the food wisely or you'll find yourself having to go into the Wood to hunt and gather until it fills up again - and you'll never know exactly who is providing the food even if you stake the place out. You'll always fall asleep at the most inopportune time.
The centerpiece is a very small library-ish building, which has been completely destroyed inside, its shelves upturned and broken - you'll find all of the books have the endings torn out of them (you'll also notice that no books about the Wood itself seem to be present - in fact, they're all classic stories from Earth and various other worlds - chances are if your culture has a famous story or two, a copy of it exists in the library and is damaged beyond repair, unless it's your story). The library also has a mural of a large group of people standing together in front of the library back when it was still new. That mural is the only clue you have to the people who once lived in this town. There's no indication of what happened to them anywhere.
The only tree inside the walls is tucked behind the library, an ancient oak tree with healthy, bright green leaves, in sharp contrast to the general dilapidation of the rest of the complex.
the castle. It seems to be the only place, aside from the barracks, that's remotely hospitable to newcomers; a detailed description and not-so-detailed map can be found here.
the giving tree. The only tree inside the walls of the barracks. An ancient oak, vibrant and healthy. Some might find, tucked away in its roots, articles from home that they thought lost. They could be as significant as a magical power source or as mundane as a favorite pair of socks - whatever the article is, however, it has an odd habit of appearing only after a good deed is done, and even then only at a certain time of month. If someone else tries to take said item, the roots of the Giving Tree will close up around it until the proper owner appears.
the church crypt. In a building that was once a church before being nearly destroyed, behind a stone door hidden in the back wall, there's a stairway down into the earth that's lit by nothing you can see. At its base is a stone foyer, the walls made of jagged rock and the floor polished smooth. The door at the opposite end is deteriorating, showing signs of wear and possible termite infestation and the hinges are rusted nearly through. Should you open it - and not run at the floodtide of death-scent and insects - you'll find a crypt beyond. Once organized, it's now a nightmare scene of stacked skeletons in rotting clothes. The bodies inside have no identifications. But many have broken necks.
the hanging tree. About a mile east of the barracks is a clearing in the wood with a huge gnarled and dead old tree. The grass around the tree is dead and barren, even though everything outside a twenty foot radius is flourishing fine. When you step into the patch of dead grass around it, you'll feel the air get a little bit colder. Something bad happened here. Maybe several something bads, and if the chill didn't scare you - the sight of the frayed and rotting noose dangling from one of the high branches will.
There's also a series of hatch marks carved carelessly into the side of the tree, growing steadily deeper and more hastily carved the longer they go. There's at least twenty marks there. Beyond being creepy, the tree really isn't that interesting, but it might be a clue to something bigger.
the amaranth stream. Just outside of the barracks' southern wall, almost snugged against the wall itself, a lively spring surges out of a small, dark cluster of stones. It's surrounded on all sides by heavy, perpetually-blooming maroon flowers. The stream is always cold and clean. Along the bottom of the stream, there's a multitude of random objects, from buttons to bars of gold. Those who dive in trying to reach them will find the stream far, far deeper than it looks--and getting deeper the longer they swim downward. The spring's guardian is somewhat possessive of her trinkets.
the dark woods. The entire Wood is dangerous in its own way, but if you wander into the darker parts of the Wood where the sun never touches, you're inviting your own end. Here, the monsters roam freely, and some of the most feral Fae prey indiscriminately on anyone who dares enter. Here you'll find criers' webs with rotting half-eaten carcasses of dead animals still stuck tight, caves where you could be faced with your worst nightmares if you try to take sanctuary in them, and the Magpie's nest - a long section of dark woods filled with nothing but cages of petrified creatures, their bodies arched and contorted in throes of ecstasy for all eternity. Be wary when you wander the dark woods, as you might become the next victim to these creatures.
the dreaming trees. A grove of white-barked trees deep in the Wood, far older than anything else here. Some of the biggest trees are twenty feet around and hundreds of feet high, and the grove is often shrouded in mist. To all outward appearances, it's a peaceful place, often completely silent, giving the air of a temple... or a tomb.
To anyone with psychic abilities, though, it's not so quiet. To psychic senses, there is a constant soft whispering all around, coming from the trees themselves. It's possible to pick out a few words or phrases sometimes, though whether or not you can make sense of it is another matter.
the arch. A simple free-standing arch built of strange, white stone, nestled among the Dreaming Trees. Once, this was the place where people entered the Wood, and where they returned to their own universes. Today, the arch is broken - it's still standing, but there's a big crack through the top of it, and nothing anyone does can make it work the way it's supposed to. Inscribed in the stones, from one end of the arch to the other, there is a poem. It may or may not mean anything important.
back to navigation