"Before the first kingdom, before the first spell, there was the forest." — Inscription at the World Oak
The Emerald Expanse is the largest and oldest forest in Eyr, stretching across the southeastern reaches of the realm. Its ancient oaks, towering pines, crystal rivers, and hidden valleys have remained untouched for thousands of years. To most, it is simply a vast wilderness.
To those who understand its history, it is the beating heart of Eyr itself.
The forest is not merely alive—it is aware.
Every tree, stream, and creature is connected by an ancient magical force known as The Green Song, an invisible current of life that binds the entire forest together.
Long before the Witch Mother, before Blackhat, and before the First Civilization reached its height, the Emerald Expanse covered nearly all of southern Eyr.
Ancient spirits, treants, dragons, and powerful fey ruled beneath its branches. It was a place where the boundary between the mortal world and the Fey Realm was thin, allowing magical beings to wander freely.
When the First Civilization arose, they chose not to conquer the forest. Instead, they entered into a sacred pact with its guardians. They promised never to exploit its magic, and in return the forest allowed them to build hidden sanctuaries within its borders.
Those sanctuaries would eventually become the foundations of Aetherion, the hidden realm of the Deep Elves.
At the center of the Emerald Expanse grows the World Oak, the oldest living tree in Eyr.
Its trunk is wider than a castle, and its highest branches disappear into the clouds. Its roots are said to reach every corner of the realm, touching ancient places such as Eldermoor, Grimstone, Mirrormere, the Obsidian Spire, and even the depths beneath the Obsidian Citadel.
The Deep Elves believe the World Oak channels the life force of Eyr. As long as it lives, the land will continue to flourish.
Should it ever fall, forests would wither, rivers would dry, and magic itself would begin to fade.
Every living thing within the Emerald Expanse contributes to the Green Song.
Treants hear it as music.
Dryads hear it as whispered voices.
Animals instinctively follow its guidance.
Druids enter deep trances to commune with it.
Most ordinary travelers never notice it, though many describe an overwhelming feeling of peace while walking beneath the ancient trees.
When the Green Song grows quiet, the forest knows that darkness is near.
After the Four Sisters parted ways, Thistle made the Emerald Expanse her home.
Rather than building a castle or a city, she created a hidden sanctuary woven into the forest itself. Her dwelling changes with the seasons and can only be found by those the forest accepts.
Treants, great beasts, druids, and forest spirits regard Thistle as their protector. She does not rule the Emerald Expanse—she serves it.
Whenever corruption spreads through the land, the forest whispers to Thistle long before anyone else senses the danger.
The hidden city of Aetherion lies within the Emerald Expanse, concealed behind powerful illusion magic and protected by the Emerald Wardens.
For thousands of years, the Deep Elves have acted as guardians of the forest, preserving its balance and protecting sacred sites from those who would exploit them.
Their greatest responsibility is ensuring that the World Oak remains unharmed.
In recent years, small patches of the Emerald Expanse have begun to change.
Trees blacken from within.
Animals become unnaturally aggressive.
The Green Song grows silent.
Thistle believes the corruption is connected to the Witch Mother's growing power and her search for the Demon Amulet. Ancient Deep Elf texts suggest something even older is stirring beneath the roots of the World Oak.
Beneath the roots of the World Oak lies The Seed of Creation, a crystal of living emerald light left behind when the world was formed.
According to the oldest records of the First Civilization, it is one of the three primal forces that sustain Eyr:
The Seed of Creation — source of all life.
The Arcane Heart beneath Aetherion — source of all magic.
The Four Great Seals — prison of the First Darkness.
If the Seed were ever corrupted, every forest, meadow, and living creature in Eyr would slowly decay.
The Witch Mother believes the Demon Amulet will allow her to command death.
She does not yet understand that death cannot truly conquer life while the World Oak still stands.
Deep within the World Oak is carved an ancient prophecy known only to Thistle and the High Council of Aetherion:
"When the Green Song falls silent...
When root and stone are broken...
When shadow drinks the light...
The Heart of the Forest shall choose its final guardian."
No one knows who that guardian will be.
Some believe it will be Thistle.
Others believe the forest is waiting for a hero who has not yet begun their journey.