Nightmare Pines

Myth and speculation

In the past, they were thought to be ghosts that haunted the coniferous forest at the south of the Sea of Rock. After the first expeditions, not many wanted to go back, and there are several confirmed cases of people who lost their mind or made an extreme change in their lives as a result of the visions induced by "something" in the forest. Others weren't so affected.
It took a long time for them to find out that it wasn't the doing of ghosts or dark magic used by someone from the Black Smoke city that didn't like visitors.
Eventually, they decided it was an insect species that lived in the pines: the black needles they had thought were simply covered by soot. A few thought it was a kind of mold growing in the trees and causing the hallucinations.

Rediscovery and proper clasification

Nobody had been in that forest in a very long time until a team from the Community tried to figure out the mystery of the preserved paths. They didn't figure that out, but a few of them that didn't experience any hallucinations had the chance to observe the phenomena carefully.
The study of the trees was a long process complicated because they would temporary lost their minds when they tried to get samples, when they were to loud and sometimes for unknown reasons. But after several visits and consulting a couple of percipients they could say for sure that the black needles are indeed the source of the condition, but they are part of the trees and work as a defense mechanism.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

This species is native from the Forest of Nightmares
Years after their discovery, some would appear in other forests in Ogha, and some are still there, even when there was a time when people would get rid of them at any cost.
While at the time it seemed random (or a curse, according to the superstitious), historians believe that the dates of those events are consistent with the documented expeditions to their home area and their grow rate.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

It's hard to know if they actually read people's memories and emotions, or if they trigger the illusions without actually control them.

Lifespan

200 years

Conservation Status

Rare

Average Height

74 m

Sentient?

Yes

Intelligent?

Unknown

Location

Forest of Nightmares

Other names

Black Needles
Forest's Angry Spirits