Everwood

Geography

Located in Western Aerlyn, the Everwood bars access to the Hidden Pass, the only route through the The Impassable Mountains. The Everwood is as beautiful as it is deadly. The massive trees tower over the landscape, concealing all manner of unnaturally large creatures. None are magical, or have special powers, but they are all inherently dangerous due to their size. Everwolves are especially nasty, hunting the giant deer that flourish in this oversized biome, but also unafraid to gobble up a few juicy humans for a snack. The Everwood is also home to multiple rivers created by snow runoff from the mountains. These continue to flow east into Patora and the Valley of Aerlyn City.

Ecosystem

The towering Evertrees filter out a lot of light, so many of the creatures in the Everwood are good at camouflaging themselves and using other senses to detect prey. The food chain stays relatively intact. Larger plants make for larger primary consumers, which in turn leads to larger secondary consumers (Everwolves). Few logging operations have ever been attempted in the Everwood proper because of the massive wolves, and lingering superstitions about curses that come to those who dare touch the Wood. However, fringe operations have managed to obtain a small supply of wood that sells for a hefty sum to the elites of Aerlyn.

Localized Phenomena

Everything in the Everwood is larger. Trees tower into the sky, deer are six feet tall at the shoulder, and wolves are bigger than humans. Even stranger things are rumored to have been seen in the swampy areas of the forest that occur west of the Impassable Mountains, but no one from Aerlyn has traveled that way in over two hundred years.

Fauna & Flora

Everwolves

Natural Resources

Lumber, but no one will ever use it.

History

Legend has it that centuries ago, a Heart Magician (see Heart Magic) had the ability to increase the size of objects around her. This ability has not been seen recently, so it is assumed to either have been a myth or died out. However, the legend goes that she loved to take walks with her beloved in the woods. One day as they were walking, he took ill and died (possibly of a heart attack). Grief-stricken, the Heart Magician released her power into the woods, causing everything to grow, and fell into a coma. If she is ever found, and wakes up, her power will return and the Everwood will go back to normal. However, this story is highly unlikely, given that a comatose magician cannot even do magic, not to mention the fact that the longest sustained magical connection in history (aside from The First Brother's) lasted a mere day. It is more likely that a combination of a fantastic growth environment and the absence of humanity allowed this deadly paradise to flourish.

Tourism

None to speak of, any who venture into the Everwood are unlikely to make it home.

Type

Forest

Owning Organization

Aerlyn