The Verdant Wilds: Primal Heart of Dream
The First Forest – The World That Was Before Civilization
Before the first mortal carved stone into walls, before kings laid claim to land, before even the gods shaped the heavens, there was the First Forest. It was the world unbroken, a vast, untamed expanse where life flourished freely, where trees stretched toward an eternal sky and rivers ran unchallenged by bridges or borders. The First Forest is not merely a place within the Emerald Dream—it is the heart of it, the primal foundation upon which all other lands were shaped.
Time does not flow in the First Forest as it does in Faerûn. There are trees here that were ancient before the gods learned their names, glades where the past and present exist side by side, and places where one can walk between moments of history as easily as stepping from shadow to sunlight. The First Forest does not forget—it remembers every beast that has ever walked its paths, every whisper carried on the wind, every battle that has stained its roots with blood.
Some scholars of the Arcane Citadel argue that all forests are fragments of the First Forest, echoes of the primal world that once was. Some druids claim that in places where nature remains strong, where trees grow unshaped by mortal hands, the boundary between Faerûn and the First Forest weakens. They speak of sacred glades where one may step forward and find themselves not in their own time, but in a world before history—where the air hums with ancient magic and the land has never known a master.
To enter the First Forest is to walk in a place untouched by the passage of ages, where civilization is meaningless and only those who respect the wild may survive.
The Great Beasts and Their Ageless Wisdom
There are beings in the First Forest that have no names in mortal tongues, creatures that walk the line between beast and god, whose spirits are bound to the fabric of the Emerald Dream itself. These are the Great Beasts, ageless titans who have watched the world grow and change, who have seen empires rise and fall, only to be reclaimed by the wilds once more.
Each Great Beast is a manifestation of nature’s will, embodying aspects of the world in ways that mortals can barely comprehend. They are neither fully benevolent nor malevolent, for they do not think as mortals do. They are wisdom given shape, forces of growth, destruction, renewal, and balance. Some are revered as gods, while others are feared as predators too vast for mortal understanding.
Among the most well-known are:
- Tuarok, the Verdant Stag – The ancient guardian of growth and renewal, whose antlers stretch like the boughs of the world tree. His hooves leave forests in their wake, and wherever he walks, life flourishes. He is worshiped by druids as the eternal father of the wild, though he has no interest in being called a god.
- Baelgorr, the Slumbering Behemoth – A bear the size of mountains, his breath the wind through the trees, his sleep the rhythm of the seasons. It is said that when Baelgorr stirs, the world itself trembles, and when he rises, an age will end.
- Veshara, the Dream Serpent – A colossal serpent woven from the threads of the Emerald Dream itself, who whispers the secrets of the wild to those who listen. Some claim she sees all futures and all pasts, coiled around the roots of the First Forest, her scales glistening with the echoes of what was and what will be.
- Ultharax, the Ashen Wyrm – The destroyer, the purifier, the fire that burns so the forest may regrow. Though feared by many, Ultharax is not evil—he is simply necessary. Without destruction, there is no renewal. Without fire, the land grows stagnant.
The Great Beasts do not rule as kings do. They do not command armies, nor do they demand worship. They simply exist, watching, waiting, ensuring that the balance is kept. Those who seek their wisdom must do so with respect, for they are not kind, nor cruel—they are nature itself, and nature does not suffer fools.
Sacred Glades and Eternal Groves – Places of Power
Throughout the First Forest lie places where the very fabric of the Emerald Dream is woven thick with power—sacred glades, eternal groves, and hidden sanctuaries where the boundaries between worlds blur. These places are older than gods, older than magic, older than the stars themselves.
Some are places of healing, where time slows and wounds knit shut as if the land itself breathes life into the weary. Others are places of prophecy, where whispers drift through the leaves, carrying echoes of futures yet to be written. Some are places of trials, where those who seek enlightenment must face the wild and prove themselves worthy.
Among the most revered are:
- The Everbloom Glade – A grove where no leaf has ever fallen, where flowers never wither, and where those who enter feel their burdens lifted, their minds clear. It is said that this is where the first druids learned to speak with the land, where the language of trees and rivers was first understood.
- The Hollow of Echoes – A vast cavern beneath the roots of an ancient tree, where the voices of those long dead still linger. Here, the spirits of ancient druids whisper their wisdom to those who will listen—but they ask for something in return.
- The Bloodwood – A cursed thicket where the past refuses to die. Here, the trees remember every battle fought upon their roots, and the ghosts of warriors long fallen still walk, locked in endless combat.
These places are not easily found, and even those who know their locations may only find them if the wild wills it. They are hidden, guarded, waiting—for only those who are meant to step into their power may do so.
The Druidic Orders and Their Role as Dream-Wardens
The druids of the Emerald Dream are more than caretakers of nature—they are wardens of the Dream itself, protectors of the primal balance that sustains both the wilds and the world. They do not worship the gods; their loyalty is to the land itself, to the cycles of life, death, and rebirth that shape all things.
Many druidic orders trace their origins back to the First Forest, where the first of their kind walked beside the Great Beasts, learning the ways of the wild. Over time, these ancient druids formed pacts, binding themselves to the will of nature in exchange for its power.
Among the most renowned orders are:
- The Circle of the Verdant Pact – Guardians of growth and renewal, they ensure that nature flourishes, guiding the cycle of life without interference. They are healers, protectors, and wardens of the First Forest.
- The Ashen Circle – Keepers of fire and destruction, they are misunderstood by many but vital to the cycle. They burn so that new life may rise, ensuring that stagnation does not take root.
- The Dreamstalkers – Those who walk between the Dream and the waking world, ensuring that mortals do not abuse the power of the wilds. They hunt those who would corrupt the Emerald Dream, striking from the shadows before vanishing like whispers in the wind.
To be a druid is to serve something greater than oneself—to walk the path of the wild, knowing that it is not kind, nor cruel, but simply eternal.
The Wyld Pact – The Binding of Ancient Blood to Nature’s Will
There are those who go beyond druidry, who do not simply serve nature but become one with it. The Wyld Pact is an ancient, sacred bond, where a mortal’s blood is entwined with the very essence of the wild, making them something more than human.
Some become shapeshifters, others speak with beasts as easily as men. Some are blessed with immortality, living as part of the land itself. But all who swear the Wyld Pact give up something in return—for nature grants nothing without cost.
And for those who break the pact?
The wild always takes its due.
The Beasts That Were Once Gods – Primordial Shapeshifters and Their Feral Worshippers
Long before the rise of the gods and the establishment of the divine order, the world was ruled by Primordial Shapeshifters—beasts of immense power and primal nature who could change form at will. These ancient beings, once revered as gods, were the living embodiment of nature’s most raw and untamed forces. From towering, majestic lions with the power to command storms, to serpents whose coils spanned the earth’s vast reaches, these creatures roamed the realms freely, shaping reality with their whims. In their true form, they were beyond mortal comprehension—part beast, part god, and all-consuming force. However, as the divine order rose and the gods assumed their positions of power, these once-great beings were cast down, their power diminished or trapped within the depths of the Elemental Expanse.
Yet, their legacy lives on in their feral worshippers—tribes and followers who revere the shapeshifters as the lost gods they once were. These worshippers live on the fringes of civilization, in deep jungles, desolate deserts, or the storm-tossed seas, seeking to awaken their gods and restore the primal balance that was lost. The worshippers have learned to channel the ferocity of their former deities, transforming into beastly avatars themselves, often losing their humanity in the process. Their rites and rituals are wild, drenched in blood and sweat, and filled with the raw energy of the Expanse itself. For those brave or foolish enough to encounter these cults, it is clear that the Beasts That Were Once Gods still hold sway over their followers—and perhaps, in the deepest shadows of the Expanse, they are waiting to reclaim their throne.
