The Vastwood
Sylvan and mysterious, the seemingly endless Vastwood forest covers the majority of the lands north of the city of Terra, on the continent of Terra Main. This forest embodies the dark woodlands found in the collective myths and legends borne from the primordial fears found in the subconsciousness of the Races of the world... deadly, wondrous, mystical, and even otherworldly. Even the Wood Elves who inhabit it know not to stray too far into it's heart, lest they never return.
Geography
Covering thousands of acres from Cliffport in the north, Sideswipe Tower to the East, the village of Greyhook to the west, and the crater mountains surrounding Terra in the south, the Vastwood easily earns its name. The forest is generally temperate, but is so large that slightly different biomes and species of trees exist within it. Towards the center of the forest, rolling hills and wooded glens can be found, along with truly massive and ancient trees, some rumored to have been transplanted from the Old World.
There are a few well-traveled roads and paths through the wood that travelers can make use of. These wind paths between Cliffport, Sideswipe Tower, Greyhook, the Orcrist River, Tredway and even one all the way to Seavale. Of course, travelers are well-warned to not stray from the paths... paths that, for some reason do not get overgrown, despite the density of the surrounding undergrowth or infrequency of boots or carts. It is rumored that some ancient Druids made some sort of pact with the powerful Fey and Sylvan of the wood to leave the paths be for outsiders' use, lest those outsiders carve their own.
It is believed that at the heart of the Vastwood, there is a portal directly to the Feywild, and the Vastwood is that realm bleeding over into the Prime Material Plane of New Genesis. This would go a long way towards explaining the forest's supernatural aspects and denizens... and why explorers sometimes never return, perhaps having ventured into another Plane of Existence, without even realizing it before it was too late.
Fauna & Flora
Sections of the Vastwood are idyllic, with a sun-dappled grassy forest floor, with nary even a stinging insect in sight. Other areas of the wood are dim, shadowy, and teeming with worgs, giant spiders, malicious Fey creatures... or worse. There are hardwooded areas, conifer areas, misty ferned areas, areas with massive redwoods, and even groves of naturally occurring fruit trees. If one spends enough time in the Vastwood, and is lucky enough, almost any sort of 'forest' biome can be found.
As mentioned, the wood is home to any and all sorts of forest creatures, from the mundane to the deific... herds of deer, bears, wolves, squirrels, birds of prey, rodents, etc can all be found here, as well as fairies, owlbears, at least one ancient Green Dragon, centaurs, blink dogs, displacer beasts, gnolls, orcs, Wood elves, goblins, satyrs, trolls, treants, were-creatures, unicorns, and even a village of legendary firbolgs are claimed to have been encountered here.
Natural Resources
Lumber, obviously, is available in limitless quantity, if you're willing to face the wrath of the Vastwood's denizens, such as Nymphs. Fruits, berries, roots, fungi, and other exotic natural materials can be found here in great abundance, with many living only here.
Game animals, as well, live in great numbers amongst the trees.
Alternative Name(s)
The Forest, The Darkwood
Type
Forest
Location under
Inhabiting Species
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