Fire Hollow
Too many sprites were buried in Fire Hollow, and their spirits consumed it. It is the one place in the woods you should never travel.
Fire Hollow may contain link to the First World, but is is guarded by tricksters who wish to ensure no one will ever return.
The destruction brought to Fire Hollow could only have come from the technology used to travel to and from this planet. This is where we will find the link to the Homeworld.Fire Hollow, also known as Spirit Hollow, is an area in the woods of central Nefrale where no life is said to live. Many groups have stories about the hollow and how it came to be, and it is a popular place for tourism.
Geography
You'll know you're there when everything disappears--the trees, the grass, even the songs of birds.Fire Hollow is an area about the size of a large house where the growth in the forest suddenly comes to an end. On either side of the narrow path into the hollow is thick growth, but once one enters the circle of trees that surround the hollow, there is no growth but a fine carpet of moss. People who venture to Fire Hollow often say that they do not even see signs of animal life. Mosquitos and other biting insects do not plague people in the space, and one cannot even hear birdsong, though some have claimed to find red, yellow, and blue feathers. Despite this evidence that some birds visit the hollow, the only known animals to go there aside from humans are Flicker Cats. It is unclear if the stillness in the hollow is a natural occurrence or if someone created and maintains the space.
Magical Occurrences
Fire Hollow gets its name from the unusual flame-like lights that can sometimes be seen in the vicinity. Though they have only been seen from afar, these lights certainly appear to come from Fire Hollow, but thus far no one is known who can confirm this suspicion, though many have tried. There is no pattern to the lights (the do not align with certain seasonal or celestial events), making confirmation even more difficult.Variations on the Myth
The stillness of the area and the unusual lights that have been seen in the forest have led to a variety of myths about the location.Sprites
As Sprites tend to bury their dead in forests, most sprites believe that either too many people were buried in this area or that someone particularly evil was buried in this area, and their spirit(s) have chased away the forest's growth. It is considered an evil and haunted place and taboo to venture towards it.Mermish
The Mermish, holding that there is a balance to everything in the world, believe that something severely upset the balance of the area, causing it to become devoid of life. Some believe fear the place and worry the lack of balance may spread, while others believe the right rituals can set it right again. Thus far, no such rituals have been successful.Xurugwi
Some Xuruguwi say that Fire Hollow is where the people first arrived when brought here from the First World, and thus, it is the path back. However, tricksters hide there, guarding the door, in order to keep people from returning. This explains the feathers that are sometimes found in the area. Thus, traveling there could yield a return to the first world, but it could also result in further entrapment by tricksters. Other Xurugwi say the entire hollow itself is a grand trick to lure people and trap them.Astromythologists
Astromythologists believe the growth in the area was destroyed by advanced technology from the Homeworld. Many believe that the people from the Homeworld still travel to and from Nideon in secret, and this is the place they do it from. They attribute the strange fires to the engines of their vehicles and many have stayed overnight in the hollow in the hope of proving seeing such vehicles. Concrete evidence of such vehicles has yet to be found.Calistian
by Iswanto Arif
Many followers of the Calistian gods believe that there is a gateway to the Calistian realm in this area, and the reason for the lack of growth is either due to the gods keeping it that way, in order to ease travel, or the plants and animals of the forest paying deference to the gods. Another claim is that the gateway is invisible, but blocks the growth of plants somehow. Though many Calistian believers have gone in search of this gateway, no concrete evidence has been found.
Tourism
In the last century, the stories and mystery of Fire Hollow have spread, bringing in tourists who travel to Fire Hollow in the hope of seeing ghosts, or finding the secret of the location. Some spend the night there to prove their courage. This has brought increases of money in to the country, as well as helped improve the Khahma business breeding and raising Flicker Cats, which tour guides will keep to accompany visitors to the area. Nevertheless, the Khahma seem to dislike the tourism, as do the sprites, who are upset about so many feet tramping through their forests.Somewhere in Fire Hollow is the stair that leads to the Calistian plain.
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