Northern Wildwood

Tucked away west of the Crestfallen Mountains, mighty oaks and elms provide for the residences of the untamed wilds. Aside from the lumber trade and resource-rich mines, the Northern Wildwood offers danger abound and remains sparsely populated and largely unexplored by civilized society. The deeper one travels into the Northern Wildwood, the more prominent the influence of the former ruler of its branches, the Mad Druid King.

Stretching from the shadows of the Crestfallen mountain to the Tonarian Ocean, the Northern Wildwood borders the Krovian Empire to the north and the Desolation to the south. Settlements in the region are found at the forest’s edge as residents are unwilling to travel deep into the boughs of a forest twisted by the deceased Druid King.
Life in the Northern Wildwood is difficult and often violently cut short by wondrous and frightening creatures as the law of the wild rules all. This respect for the wilderness has mostly replaced religion in the area. Nonetheless, lip service to numerous deities is common with tendencies for older faiths.
Whispers of ancient elf ruins reclaimed as vampiric cathedrals lost to time are a common campfire discussion. Adding fuel to the fire is the recent revelation that a prominent wereraven flock, skilled at blending into society, has grown in strength in the small city of Hestimus. Paranoia grips the region and distrust of strangers is common. This mistrust lingers until newcomers prove themselves untainted by the light of a full moon or show a large amount of coin.

History

Before the Great Sacrifice, the Ancient Elf kingdom, Xil'vari, called the Northern Wildwood home. Following Erenel's reawakening, the ancient kingdom seemingly vanished and in its place, a powerful Elatan known as the Druid King rose to power. With the aid of his druidic council, the Order of Five Roses, the Druid King expelled those deemed harmful to the wilds, closing the forest's borders and directly opposing any who sought to harvest its natural wonders.
Alone and unbeknownst to his druidic council, the Druid King was ill-prepared for the arrival of Sebastian Vaneras, the First Vampire, succumbing to the vampire's corrupting influence. Disgraced to nothing more than a vampiric pawn, the Druid King slipped into madness, twisting the Northern Wildwood in Vaneras's image. Watching the destruction of their home, the Order of Five Roses were forced to turn on their beloved king, allying with a human rebellion led by the charismatic Aglarion Bernick. After a short and bloody war won by the rebellion, Aglarion Bernick was crowned, forming the city that bears his name.

Broken Tusk Clan of Ka'Morak

Graaer Deathbrand was a legendary Orc. Once a war-priest, then a revered elder, his broken tusks were capped in amber and carved with the entire saga of Ka’Morak’s founding. His final years were spent half-awake, in and out of fevered trances, listening to what he called “the low drum under the roots.”
When death finally came, wrapped in mist and cold breath, the clan gathered around him to hear his final words, expecting a farewell, a blessing, perhaps a poem.
Instead, Graaer whispered a secret.

by Dean Spencer

“The Greenbeat is not the Pulse. It is its echo... twisted. Something beneath Ka’Morak wears the forest like a mask. And it is waking.”

— Graaer Deathbrand

With that, he passed with his eyes open, unfocused as if still watching something only the elder could see. Since then, the trees around Ka’Morak have grown restless. The sacred drum tree no longer sings. Hunting parties speak of shadows that move against the wind. The shamans of the Broken Tusk now wonder if their village sits atop a slumbering wound, or worse, something that feeds on the Pulse to mimic its rhythm.

Type

Forest

Included Locations

• Zeffari

Included Organizations

• Bernick Kingdom

Owning Organization

Bernick Kingdom

Related Ethnicities

• Krovashi

Characters in Location

• Whiskey John Metzen

Inhabiting Species

• Landwyrm

by Dean Spencer

Adventure Ideas

Adventurers in the Northern Wildwood could involve defeating the local threats or simply surviving the harsh environment.

The Orc berserker, Evisana Ragesmith, and her followers look to expand their territory. Pushing toward Bernick and the knights of the Five Roses is difficult, but moving south toward the ill-equipped Port Altran could benefit the berserker's war efforts.

Remnants of the first vampire remain as a tree of blight has risen from the wooden stake used to kill Sebastian Vaneras. As the decaying fruit falls from the tree of blight, corrupt thralls threaten the Aves of Zeffari.

Lumberjacks for Bernick's carpenter's guild have attracted the animosity of a woodland dryad intent on stopping the attack on her grove.

The Lovani gypsies led by Madam Esma have taken an interest in the Etherveil Lake outside Hestimus. Hestimus's residents believe it may have something to do with a wereraven wanderer found dead in the alley behind a prominent tavern.

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