Deepwoods

Much of this forest is unknown. Few people have traveled through it, and many of those who have gone inside have not been seen again. What's known is that it is magical and dangerous.

Geography

Deepwoods is a ginormous forest. It stretches over a large area of land, a corner of it climbing up the side of a mountain chain. Many kingdoms border the forest, but none dare to stake claim to any large portion of it.
Rivers from the mountains run through it. They are normal freshwater rivers when they exit, though it is believed that they are not entirely the same as their roots in the mountains. Some have tried to travel by these rivers, but they just end up at the start, outside again.
Those "crazy" explorers that have explored small parts of the Deepwoods say that they've seen things change in front of their eyes. One of them, Graysee Jenkert, wrote in their journal:

I had walked straight into the Deepwoods, or at least as straight as I thought I could, for about twenty minutes. Navigating by the sun that stood high in the sky I went southward from Orristan right into the heart of the woods. When I stopped to take a break and some more extensive notes on the terrain, I saw it. I saw the trees move around me, shifting. I quickly looked up to the sky to see the sun had changed its position as well, now showing south as the way I came. And then, when I looked back down, the foliage around me had shifted completely! Maybe I needed to drink after the long hike, but I knew that the forest was playing tricks with me.

Localized Phenomena

For many hundreds, maybe thousands, of years the Deepwoods has been a magical epicenter. Those connected to the magic flowing through the land have always felt a stronger flow when in the forest's proximity. Some experienced a stream of endless essence, while others were flooded with uncontrollable, wild magic, causing them to either burn out or explode. It is common knowledge among mages all over not to toy with the magical tap that is the Deepwoods.

Fauna & Flora

The outer rims of the forest are the places most well documented, and the most "normal". Most life in those areas are commonly found in other smaller woods. Animals like bears and wolves, deer and badgers, beetles and worms are common. The trees in the forest are varied, more conifers up the mountain side. Foliage in different shapes and sizes cover the ground.
The deeper you go, the more differences you notice. The animals might not be like you think from the first time you spot them; certain parts have grown bigger or their colors have changed. Maybe some growls grow louder as some may not even leave a print where they've tread. The vines may reach for your limbs as you pass. The fern can blow spores on you that are itchy or cool to the touch. Nature is unpredictable and not safe for most.

Natural Resources

Even though this forest is gigantic, few dare to use its resources. Only trees at the very edge of the Deepwoods are used as lumber. Some say those trees bare the properties of the forest, and are therefore unsafe to use as material for building anything of importance.
Water from the rivers are more of a necessity, so the consensus is that it must be used. But, the water is still treated with respect and goes through a checkup before it is sent out to the settlement.

History

The Deepwoods has almost always been a "no-go" zone for the common folk. The forest is too big and too unpredictable to make any sane person want to venture in it. Though, this is not how it always had been like.
Few records are saved, and also trusted, about the old Deepwoods. Some old elves have spoken about a time long ago when folk were more respectable and careful to nature and its resources. That was when the Deepwoods weren't such a dangerous place. "As long as you behave yourself, the forest will not hurt you."

Type

Forest