Humblewood

Description

In the northeast of Ellebore settled against the Carsano Range lies a vast forest, the Troraine Timberland. The heart and seed of this great wood is the Humblewood, an ancient and magical place that hums an endless song, sung to the Great Rhythm of life and death. The Wood, as it is known to its inhabitants, is not like any other forest. The trees are old and powerful, with rare specimens that reach as tall as small mountains. Here familiar beasts grow to unusual sizes, bearing markings and patterns unique to the Wood. This region is also home to two groups of animal-like humanoid races, the birdfolk and the humblefolk. Together they share the Wood and it’s bountiful resources.

The Birdfolk

The birdfolk races of Humblewood are as diverse and unique as the forest itself. Only the skillful survive the forest, and the birdfolk have become masters of both the forest floor and the canopies above, creating several settlements (known colloquially as “perches”) throughout the Wood. Despite regional differences and cultural peculiarities among the different kinds of birdfolk in the Wood, the birdfolk races nevertheless share much of their culture, language, history, and origin myths. This solidarity has allowed them to work together and prosper, creating a harmony in the Wood which has lasted for an age.

While a diverse group, adapted for a variety of environments within the Wood, birdfolk also share several physical traits which have allowed them to find common ground in the construction of their perches. Beyond the obvious physical similarities, all birdfolk possess arms covered in feathers, which extend into wing-like appendages. While incapable of true powered flight, the strong hollow bones and lightweight bodies of birdfolk allow them to easily use their feathered arms to glide, and unless severely encumbered, all birdfolk can recover gracefully from what would otherwise be a deadly fall. In some birdfolk races these wings have grown strong enough to bear their owners upwards in a mighty flap, while others instead developed talons which make for both deadly defensive weapons and useful tools for scaling tall trees.

The birdfolk have established themselves as a political force to be reckoned with in Humblewood. They shaped their mighty capital from the great tree Alderheart, and from this bastion of safety their ruling body, the Canopy Council, makes decisions which impact all of Humblewood. The birdfolk are well-defended from outside threats thanks to the Perch Guard, a force of soldiers trained in both aerial and ground combat, that keeps their cities and the denizens within safe. Alderheart has been a beacon of peace and harmony for many years, the Perch Guard forces are spread across the canopy cities.

The Humblefolk

Not all denizens of Humblewood are birdfolk. The term “humblefolk” is used throughout the Wood to refer to the non-birdfolk peoples who live a little closer to the forest floor. Unlike the birdfolk, whose shared language, histories, myths, and culture have allowed them to exist in harmony for most of Humblewood’s history, the humblefolk represent a disparate group of peoples, cultures, and ways of seeing the world, many of whom haven’t always seen eye to eye.

Ages ago, an accord was struck between the people of the forest floor to unite against roving bandits and quell the in-fighting that was wreaking havoc across the Wood. This accord was known as the “Humblefolk Treaty” and was witnessed by the birdfolk, who were just then beginning to shape the trunk of Alderheart. The birdfolk offered the humblefolk safety within their great city, and many accepted their offer. Over time, more and more humblefolk migrated to newly-established birdfolk perches, though many found birdfolk architecture to be restrictive for creatures without wings. In the same way, some groups of birdfolk, feeling too crowded within the booming perches, began to spread out and seek shelter within small woodland villages. Even today, the birdfolk who choose to live on the forest floor find themselves stigmatized, as a life in the canopy is considered proper in birdfolk society. After the establishment of the treaty, humblefolk began to live once again in small woodland villages beneath the trees, although now in more diverse communities alongside some ground-dwelling birdfolk. With the expansion of the Humblefolk Treaty to allow humblefolk to call upon Perch Guard garrisons in times of crisis, and the birdfolk militias keeping the roads safe for merchant caravans, the Wood truly entered a golden age.

Regional history

Not much is know about how these peoples came into being, but most records point to some in the early years after the War of the Undead. Records indicate that the birdfolk and humblefolk lived close to each other in small villages around the forest. As the other races spread out into the land, not all who met the humblefolk were kind. A group calling themselves the “Bandit Coalition”, an organization of brigands and marauders, began raiding. These isolated communities were especially vulnerable. To protect themselves from the Coalition, the birdfolk built fortified cities in the forest’s canopy. Joining forces with the humblefolk, the birdfolk army, known as the “Perch Guard”, drove back the bandits, bringing peace and security to the region.

Over time, birdfolk culture spread, and the capital city of Alderheart became the most politically influential place in the Wood. But the birdfolk and humblefolk kept to themselves and tried to remain aloof from the rest of the world. But then came the War of the Mad, which touched even here, thousands of miles away. They were never directly under the attention of Kelvern’s chaos, but refugees and the occasional scouting party began to stumble through the woods. Reactions were as mixed as the interactions. While the Perch Guard dealt with those who presented a threat, those who were non-threatening and just needed food and a safe place to sleep for the night often were able to find it. Few were allowed to remain however, gently pushed to find new homes in Caisia in the south.

Then came a new group at the very eastern edge of the Wood. A magic portal that opened of its own accord, brought elves with horses, other animals, and all their belongings. These brought word that the war was almost lost, but that Whyril had a plan to make sure any victory of Kelveren's was hollow. Just a few days after these Kaled’a’in settled into a camp, they all saw two smudges of light on the western horizon....even at this far distance the explosions were visible. Even worse were the shockwaves that followed.

First was the magical wave, knocking out all of the mages as well as the merely sensitive. Then came the physical storms; powerful winds, dark heavy clouds suffused with lightning, switching from rain to hail to twisting spouts that touched down and tore gouges in the earth. The lightning was so intense, it set the parts of the forest ablaze. Where these threatened both the Humblewood kinfolk and the Kaled’a’in, they worked tirelessly to keep the fire from their homes. Many of the Avium’s finest mages and the Dawnmother’s most devoted gave their lives to keep the flames away from the Heart of the Humblewood, as did so many of those living near the base of the great tree. The storms lasted for several seasons, devastating life all around the Humblewood, but began to reduce in intensity as time went on.

Even worse was learning that this cataclysm had melted and warped the very flows of magic itself, making it almost impossible to do so much as light a candle. The remaining wizards of the Avium reported that there was not any accessible mage energy to be had on the material plane. What little did remain was scattered and fragmented so badly it was like trying to grasp fog and fill a glass of water with it.

In the aftermath, while all were grieving over the terrible losses, the Kaled’a’in began to fight among themselves as to what to do next. It ended with half of them leaving for the plains. Those who remained spoke with the Canopy Council and promised their aid in healing the forest and cleansing the land. Shocked, for none of their magics were working the Council was glad to accept the help, although they remained confused as to how these elves could do that as their magics were disrupted as the Avium’s own. These elves, now calling themselves the Tayledras, with their impressive bird companions seemed to be honest and earnest. With that agreement, the clans of the elves spread themselves westward and with some form of wondrous magic began to revive the forest.

For the folk of the Humblewood magic was little more than a theory of what had once worked. For almost half a millennium, life in the Humblewood became harder, as magic couldn’t undo what had been done. Generations of folk never knew what it was to have tamed magic. Magic to them was a wild animal, best seen from a reasonably safe distance, if at all. Magic twisted the land and all who dwelt upon it, making monsters of beasts and mages into madpeople. The Perchguard had more than their talons full for many years, protecting the Alderheart and what of the Wood they could save.

The Avium continued to stand, taking those occasional few who showed signs of having the Talent and were willing to devote themselves to a life of fruitless study. For while, over the course of time there was magical energy returning, it was slow and spells cast often had unpredictable results….when anything happened at all. Some began to grow resentful of the Tayledras, who had seemed to regain their magics, but would not share the secret.

That was how things stood for over 400 years until the coming of the second great disaster, the Inferno. The sky was clear blue and it was a crisp fall morning. That is until a pillar of light rose up into the sky in the southwest in the early morning hours. As it did so there was a huge rush of air blowing towards the northeast, that shook the trees making branches creak ominously. The light only lasted for a minute or so but as it vanished a second rush of air pushed it’s way over the Wood headed back to fill the void.

In the wake of that second front, dark heavy storm clouds formed in the sky and began to hurl lightning down from heavens, lighting the forest ablaze. The birdfolk and other animalkin did what they could to control it, but without magic, they had little chance against the Inferno. Evacuating those who could get out and running for their lives, the Humblefolk gathered in at athe Alderwood, trying to plan for the worst. As if conjured by the silent plea for help, the Tayledras appeared and lent their magics to stem this destruction. But even the magic of the elves was not unlimited and at best they could control and quench only parts of the flames. The fires raged for the better part of a year before finally being fully extinguished. Taking stock in the aftermath the people found that more than a quarter of their population had been lost, the Jerdeen and Hedge having been hit particularly hard. A large swath of the forest was also destroyed, as were many of the animalkin villages.

The Tayledras offered to aid in the rebuilding and even to replant the forest, but the one thing they did not do was offer to use their magics. Grateful for all the aid they could get, the what was left of the Canopy Council and the Avium were still frustrated that the Tayledras would not share their magics. Nor would the elves explain what that pillar of light had been that triggered these terrible storms.

Current status

Within the last few seasons, however, things have changed. There had been fewer monsters in the woods, which meant fewer crops lost, which meant packed stores and full bellies in winter. That meant more and better-trained Perchguard, and fewer monsters still. Many have begun to breathe a little easier, and hope looms high on the horizon like the return of the Dawnmother. Last winter, news from The Avium came that a few spells had worked as intended, and perhaps the land was finally healing enough to make magic safe again. Come summer, that pre-eminent academy of magic in the Humblewood put forth the call, inviting the first new crop of students in nearly half a century.

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