Gloom Forests

Gloom Forests are forests populated entirely--or almost entirely--out of Gloomflora, fungi, and Gloomfungi. Typically a patch of Gloomflora is recognized as a Forest when it covers a significant area and has species of a size comparable to trees.

Gloom Forests are only found in locations with little to no access to sunlight or moonlight. They are most commonly found within the shadows of large floating islands and inside caves. Rarely, a Gloom Forest might exist within a normal forest, taking up the shadowy spaces beneath the canopy.

Their rarity and unusual appearance lend them a mystical reputation. They are said to be portals to other realities, such as the afterlife or the homes of gods.

Appearance

All Gloom Forests are isolated and therefore unique from one another. Even still, convergent evolution has given them a typical appearance.

The "trees" of Gloom Forests are shorter on average than normal trees. Instead of leaves, they have needles or fleshy nodes. Some Gloomtrees are actually the massive fruiting bodies of fungi. Fungal Gloomtrees are often wider than they are tall. Some fungal Gloomtrees have only one giant cap, while others branch off into many smaller caps.

The most iconic feature of a Gloom Forest is its glow. Despite their name, Gloom Forests are not dark. Instead, many of its species glow faintly green. Their bioluminescence is a side effect of the Gloom energy they use to survive. It sets them apart from Glowflora, which can only glow in hues of red, yellow, blue, or violet.

The dim, green light gives Gloom Forests an eerie cast. Optical illusions dance in the dark, sparking myths of ghosts and monsters. Other colors are rare and washed out. Lighting a fire inside a Gloom Forest will reveal the true color of the trees to be uncannily similar to pale flesh.

Alternative Names

Shadow Forest, Anti-Forest, Dark Forest

Rarity

Rare

Related Materials

Gloom

Related Locations

Oasis Gloom Forest