The Preborian Forest is a huge primeval forest located almost dead center in Marcandria, bordering Rosella to the north and Sillvengo to the south. The forest is often called The Forbidden Forest in Marcandria, with its name being a derivative of how the same term was pronounced in Marcandrian centuries ago. The forest gets its name due to how extremely hostile some of its inhabitants are towards civilization and civilized beings, with any Marcandrian entering the forest being attacked, to be driven out if lucky, to be killed if unlucky. The forest today largely untouched, with the only traces of civilization once having it under their domain being a single ruined road build by the Concalians, alongside the old ruins of a Concalian town build along it. The Marcandrians have made numerous attempts to create a trade route though the forest, as the shortened travel time it would create between Marcandria's northern and southern provinces is considered to be of strategic importance both in terms of economics, security, and to increase cooperation and cohesion among Marcandria's provinces. Attempts to maintain a north-south route through the forest has so far (as of 1353AD) failed, though lumbering activities and the clearing of land to create new pastures and farmland have slowly been pushing back the forest's boundary over the centuries.
OLD:
"The Forbidden Forest" is a large forest located the north-central part of Sillavengo. While travelling through the forest is the shortest path between between Rosella and Sillavengo, many opt to take the paths around the mountains rather than going through the forest.
The forest is the domain of the Sisters of the Forest. The Sisters of the Forest are a group of dryads. They are fiercly protective of their forest, driving off or killing anyone who they believe threathens their home. They rarely enter direct confrontation, instead attacking from afar using poisoned arrows while using the forest itself to remain hidden. The Sisters of the Forest are lead by the Green Enchantress (who's a move powerful version of a Sister of the Forest).
People who seek the Sisters of the Forest's aid do so by bringing a large amount of tribute, oftenmost rare seeds, herbs, or flowers (in a condition where they can be planted) with them just past a few hundred feets into the forest. The tribute is presented, and the petitioner waits for one of the Sisters to hopefully reveal herself. This tribute is solely for the chance of getting an audience with a Sister of the Forest, meaning payment for the actual service, should they agree to provice it, comes in addition. One may not leave with the tribute, regardless of whether or not they got a response.
People who seek to travel through the forest are adviced to do so only if necessary. They are also often adviced to offer tribute to the Sisters of the Forest at the forest's border. Tribute often takes the form of rare flowers, herbs, or seeds, that should be in a state where they can be planted within the forest itself. Providing a tribute to the Sisters does by no means guarantee ones safety, yet the gesture may improve one's chances of being let through. Who is an who isn't allowed to travel through the forest is entirely based on the individual. A merchant may have traveled the route for 30 years without ever having a confrontation with the Sisters, while another may killed the first time he/she enters the forest. Druids, forest gnomes, wood elves, and people who's traveled through numerous times before without an incident normally have higher chances of being left alone. However, the Sisters of the Forest are unforgiving by nature, and a single misstep, regardless of circumstances, may have them forever bar ones entry to the forest. (While being forgiven is possible, it is extremely difficult). People traveling through the forest rarely know whether or not they are being watched unless they are attacked.
ENCOUNTER BUILDER: At start of CR 10
Regions:
- Fey/Dryad Groves
- Fetid Marshland/Swampland
- Vegepygmy Terrritory
- Troll territory
- Spriggan Territory - Near forest border
- Rivers and major lakes
- Concalian city ruin, and ruins of road going through the forest
- Webbed areas
Inhabitants:
- Beasts: Badgers, Bears (Brown), Beavers, Boars, Deer, Elk, Foxes, Frogs, Goats, Hares, Small Lizards, Lynx, Rats, Small Snakes, Poisonous Snakes, Spiders, Giant Spiders, Phase Spiders, Squirrels, Toads, Giant Toads, Weasel, Wolverines, Wolves
- Birds: Bats, Eagles, Hawks, Ravens, Owls, Giant Owls, Vultures
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- Dryad/Fey Groves
- In central and eastern parts
- Kalysra's/Amatheera?'s Grove - Largest
- 2-3 other dryad Groves
- Creatures:
- Dryads
- Pixies
- Awakened Shrubs?
- Sprites
- Satyrs - often try to woo the dryads and nymphs
- Nymphs - near ponds? Or perhaps no nymphs to not have overlap with dryads?
- Quicklings?
- More wild regions near some mountains - where wolves typically are.
- Decayed Marsh areas / hag area in west
- Creatures:
- Trolls - live in ramshackle “homes” - or rather pieces of wood arranged to make a roof and some walls, like a cone-shaped tent.
- Shambling Mounds - hunt from the marshes/wetlands. Step in a wet area and you may be stepping right into a shambling mound.
- Bagiennik's
- Aridni?
- Meenlocks?
- Redcaps?
- Quicklings?
- Catoblepas? - beast that makes their wetland habitat gloomy, tangled, and more fetid.
- Bullywugs?
- Vegepygmies?
- Carrion Crawlers?
- Froghemoths
- Plants: Gas Spores?
-
- Cursed portion?
- Where the fallen dryad once was? thus near border of forest in south?
- Concalian City Ruin?
- Probably somewhere near center - probably along the road that goes through the forest. This is a road from the Concalian time, that has decayed just like the city ruins have.
- Otherr:
- Korred communities near mountains, in caves in mountains?
Beasts etc:
- Magical beasts such as chorts and morvudds here as well?
- Non-mundane beasts:
- Giant Snails? Beyond the Witchlight
- Giant Fire Beetle
- Giant Centipede?
- Giant Lynx?
- Giant Dragonfly? Beyond the Witchlight
- Giant Toads?
- (Fey infused versions of beasts? Like runic bears etc as well? i.e. have giant versions of the animals come due to a reason, like being infused with the fey magic that flows through the forest.)
- Beasts: Badgers, Bears (Brown), Beavers, Boars, Deer, Elk, Foxes, Frogs, Goats, Hares, Small Lizards, Lynx, Rats, Small Snakes, Poisonous Snakes, Spiders, Giant Spiders, Phase Spiders, Squirrels, Toads, Giant Toads, Weasel, Wolverines, Wolves
- Birds: Bats, Eagles, Hawks, Ravens, Owls, Giant Owls, Vultures
- Plants:
- Monsters:
- Ankhegs, Basilisks, Bulettes,
- Owlbears, Perytons?
- Wyverns,
- Stirges - marshland areas?
- Cockatrice
- Manticores? Maybe not?
- Banderhobbs - servants of Hags, so in Hag/swamp area.
- Fey:
- Boggles born out of feelings of loneliness - near forest border where there are villages?
- Blink Dogs?
- Displacer Beasts?
- Darklings?
- Ettercaps? Parts of the forest entirely impassable due to their webs? Make this visible on map somehow?
- Doppelgangers/Changelings - like Te'Lik
- Korreds?
- Otherr:
- Mephits?
- Flaming Skulls in Conalian ruins, alongside ghosts etc?
- Black Puddings, Gray Oozes, Orche Jelly. Most common near ruins?
- Faerie Dragons?
- Ettins? Maybe not a good fit with the rest of the inhabitants. Perhaps only in the surrounding mountains, being pushed from the forest by tthe other inhabitants?
- Awakened Trees? Or have some of the trees in the forest on occasion decide to relocate themselves.
- Swarm of Maggots
- Nothic? Scouring Concalian Ruins? Conciri Magisterr from long back that went mad?
- Will-o-Wisps in ruins?
- Gricks? Maybe not?
- Treant Sapling? Witchlight. near dryad groves?
- Flail Snail?
- Cave Fisherr? In caves and dark areas of the forest?
- Wood Woad - either hag or dryads, of both, who have carved out the hearts of invaders, and placed in the trunk of a tree to create wood woads. Exist only to protect the woodland around where they were made. Dryads and hag have them in some areas near forest border to deter humanoids from entering the forest.
- Ropers? In caves?
- Cyclops? Since this is based on Italy, and to some degree Greece with Concalia. Perhaps this is where they best fit, orr maybe in the highlands?
- Corpse Flowers? Lore says the sprout from necromancer tombs. maybe have them exist in hag area?
- Hydra? Hag area or in big lakes?
- Treants? Super rare if so,
- Behirs? In mountains
- River Nymphs? Each river has one nymph?
- Spriggan - Dryad whose tree got cut down. have an area be its hunting ground. All animal life in that area is gone, it's killed everything. Probably near southern borderr.
Topology:
- East: Aside from the hilly landscape that exists throughout the forest, the eastern part of the forest also features a low-lying landscape with gentle depressions, flat terrain, and perhaps even some natural basins. This topographical feature allows water to collect and pool in the low areas, creating a landscape that's prone to waterlogging. As a result, the soil in the eastern part of the forest retains water for more extended periods, contributing to the formation of wetlands.