The Faithwild

Dense, sprawling and untamed, the Faithwild served as the final challenge to those travelling the Pilgrim's Path. Protected from any form of logging, collection, or other forms of use, the forest has been allowed to run rampant. Travelling through it is a dark and foreboding experience, with the sounds of various animals echoing through its reaches. Once into the heart of the Faithwild, however, the scenery changes. Trees become dead or rotting trunks, devoid of leaves. The bare, knotted skeletons of bushes and shrubs dot the ground as decaying creepers of ivy hang from the branches, swaying in the breeze. Total silence interrupted only by the crunching of snow, ice, and dead plant matter underfoot greets those who come to the heart.

Geography

Sprawling across much of the land to the east, the Faithwild appears as a green smear gouged through with brown. The region of land it exists on is the elevation towards the coastal cliffs, and from afar the forest can be seen in stark contrast to the surrounding white. With the slope it rests upon, drifts can develop that obstruct movement by blocking off possible paths through the trees. Collapse of these drifts is common, and the area to the south of the trees is commonly avoided during heavy storms as a result.

Fauna & Flora

Rich with trees and bushes of various species, there are even some forms of creeper and vine that survive within the forest, using the trees for support and sustenance. Though the animal life within is old knowledge, from before the Cataclysm, it was a common sight to encounter bears and great beasts within the trees. Rimefrost Owlbears were even reported, though searches never found any trace of them within the woods.

Natural Resources

Though none collect from the forest, the trees provide a source of lumber for those who would use it. With berries and nuts able to be gathered and animals able to be trapped and killed still present, it's possible that should someone ever travel to the Faithwild they will be able to survive with ease.

History

Pilgrim's Path leads through the heart and depths of the forest, and it forms the final obstacle on this journey. The scale of the forest and the path through it are known for the dangers involved; such a test was considered the final assessment of those travelling the way. Survival was dependent upon the influence of the Deity in question: those who had offended or were not worthy of rejoining the ranks were left to the whims of the forest's denizens.
Post Cataclysm, the forest has been slowly but surely dying off. At first, the odd trees were noticed to be turning brown, the leaves falling away and revealing the trunk below. More of the forest has since died off, steadily spreading out from the centre. With no signs of disease and the trees following such a strict pattern, it's assumed that something more sinister is occurring. But with no dangers coming from the forest and its distance from any inhabited locations, the forest has been left to its fate.

Type

Forest, Boreal (Coniferous)

Location under

Aesmaril