Hector's Wood
Hector’s Wood sprawls across the valley surrounding Skygarde, an ancient and storied forest steeped in both history and legend. Named after Highking Hector Skytracer, the wood carries the weight of tradition and royal superstition, its towering trees and shadowed glades whispering secrets to those who tread its paths. The heart of the forest is marked by the Swaying Sycamore, a colossal tree whose branches shift as though alive, even in still air. Its scarred bark bears the carved crests of kings and hunters from ages past, a testament to the forest’s role as a sacred hunting ground for the rulers of the Gaulan Plains.
The forest is home to the Kingbearer Elk, a creature of striking majesty and deep symbolic importance. These massive beasts are known for their endurance and strength, but their most remarkable feature is the vibrant purple fur that crowns their necks. To sight a Kingbearer on a royal hunt is said to bring fortune and favour to a monarch, but to kill one is a grave taboo believed to curse the hunter’s reign.
Among the darker legends of Hector’s Wood is the story of the Lord of the Grays, a mysterious figure who roams the forest with a pack of wolves said to be larger and more cunning than any natural breed. Some claim he is a spirit of the wood itself, protecting its sanctity from those who would harm it, while others whisper that he is a rogue noble who abandoned the court to live in the wild. His wolves are known for their piercing, otherworldly eyes, and travelers speak of their howls echoing through the forest, an eerie warning to those who might stray from the safety of well-trodden paths.
Beneath the canopy of ancient oaks and pines, Hector’s Wood teems with life. Foxes dart through the underbrush, owls silently watch from high branches, and wild boars root among the leaves. Yet the forest holds more than just animals; rumours persist of hidden shrines and forgotten ruins, remnants of a time before Highking Hector’s name graced the wood. These secrets, guarded by the forest’s ever-shifting paths, draw adventurers seeking knowledge or treasure, though few find anything beyond the forest’s quiet, watchful embrace.
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