Steelbark Pines

Deep in the permafrost and snowbanks of the north, rooted in the frozen soil and stretching up towards the sky. Haunting calls from animals can be heard echoing from within the pines, kept from sight by mist and trees. The branches of the trees break at times; if lucky, they're normal. If the branch was from a Steelbark tree, it instead becomes a deadly object more than capable of impaling whatever it falls upon; even a glancing blow with the needles has been known to shred flesh.

Geography

The forest is sparse, with the trees thinly spread out across the land. Visibility, however, is limited through consistent snowfall, chill mists which drift through the forest and the difficulty in determining distance: the terrain is white, and the trees are spread out enough that it's hard to use them as a range finder. Something moving through the mist could be anything from a few hundred feet to only dozen feet away.

Fauna & Flora

The pine trees and occasional parasitical growths are the only plants that survive in the forest. Animal life is confirmed to be present, though little evidence exists as to what in particular remains; tracks last too short to be followed completely, shapes appear as blurs in the mist and snow before fading away, or explorers simply vanish into the forest without sound or evidence.

Natural Resources

The Steelwood is a powerful resource for those who can successfully harvest and work with it: while many Druids can shape the material, the techniques to truly craft it were lost with the disappearance of the original Circle. Without their specific knowledge, the few modern creations that can be found are poor imitations, comparable to pig iron weapons that quenched steel.

History

The pines have been a long-present feature to the north, long considered a boundary between land which can be settled and the ocean to the north. The potential that its unique species of pine trees provides has led many to desire a means of collecting and harvesting the Steelwood, though it proved fruitless for millennia; traditional logging tools were destroyed by the Steelwood while techniques which could alter steel destroyed the wood in the process.
Eventually, with the establishment of Oclost the humans derived a method for harvesting the Steelwood and a peace with an unknown race of guardians within the woods, in return for ensuring that no other races would attempt to harvest or attack the Steelbark Pines.
After the Cataclysm, however, the druids who assisted Oclost vanished. Without them, the technique for harvesting growing Steelbark trees was lost; each tree destroyed is unable to be harvested, while the seeds of the trees fail to develop their Steelwood properties while maturing. Now, the remaining Steelbarks are the only trees of their kind left to the world.

Tourism

Those who remember of the Steelbarks, primarily the longer-lived species of the world, can recall the all too effective weaponry and armour created from the trees. Its scarcity relegated it to positions of honour, and many of the items which still exist were owned by powerful people. Travel to the Steelbark Pines is troublesome but remains an idea entertained by those with powerful ties to nature such as the Elves or Eladrin. Shamans and Druids, among others with strong connections to nature, seek the forest as well to commune; many hope to find the lost Circle, though all efforts have been for nought.

Type

Forest, Boreal (Coniferous)

Location under

Bukhisal