Elderwood

Overview

The Elderwood is a primeval forest older than recorded history, sprawling across the northern wilds beyond the Wall. It is a place where the wild itself is alive, where shadows move with intent and trees whisper in forgotten tongues. At its center stands the Verdant Heart, a mountain-sized tree spirit worshipped by the wood elves as a god. The Heart despises humanity, whispering through dreams to unite elves, beasts, and spirits in defense of its domain.

The Verdant Heart

  • Nature – A colossal tree spirit whose roots spread for miles, branches scraping the heavens. It is both tree and deity, its eyes burning green fire.

  • Role – Source of Elderwood’s magic and vitality. The Heart sustains elves, spawns fey, and binds beasts and plants into its will.

  • Hatred of Humanity – Dreams and whispers rally the forest against human intrusion, branding mankind as parasites.

  • Divinity – Worshipped by the wood elves as the embodiment of natural order unbroken since the fall of the Dragon Lords.

Inhabitants of Elderwood

Wood Elves

  • Tall, green-skinned, steeped in magic, living in canopy strongholds.

  • Guided by the Heart, they vow to kill any human who dares enter the forest.

Feral Beasts

  • Wolves, stags, manticores, and bears twisted by magic into monstrous predators.

  • Some fight alone, others bound in service to elven warbands.

Cursed Flora

  • - Trees with strangling roots, flowers that exhale maddening spores, vines that drink blood.

  • - The deeper one goes, the more plants act with cunning malice.

The Old Men of the Forest

  • - Towering 20-foot guardians resembling ancient, horned men of bark and moss.

  • - Act as the Verdant Heart’s sentinels and executioners.

Feyborn of Elderwood

  • - Spirits and fae-like creatures spawned by the Heart’s dense magical aura.

  • - Tricksters, predators, and alien beings that reflect the will of the Heart:

  • - Fairy – Tiny fey that lure mortals astray, leading them into traps or cursed groves.

  • - Briarmaids – Beautiful, vine-wreathed spirits who charm intruders before feeding on their life force.

  • - Hollow Knights – Fey-possessed suits of bark and vine armor, remnants of ancient warriors animated by the forest.

  • - Willow Wraiths – Spirits bound to trees, manifesting as pale figures weeping sap like blood, driving mortals to madness with their cries.

Role in the World

  • - Barrier Against Humanity – The Elderwood blocks expansion, slaughtering Crimson Standard expeditions.

  • - Font of Magic – Its aura is so dense that it births fey creatures spontaneously. The Mage Guild covets this power but cannot breach it.

  • - Elven Sanctuary – For wood elves, Elderwood is not only homeland but holy temple.

Relations with others

  • - Humans of Thalossa – Declared enemies; intrusions are met with immediate slaughter.

  • - Crimson Standard – Their roads and camps near Elderwood are often destroyed overnight.

  • - Order of Last Light – Avoid Elderwood entirely, fearing its soul-hunger.

  • - Mage Guild – Fascinated by Elderwood’s fey phenomena, but all expeditions vanish.

  • - Twilight Elves – Regarded warily but not attacked outright, for their ancient bond to the last Dragon Lord marks them as kin.

Myths & Secrets

  • - Fey Spawning Grounds – Some claim the Verdant Heart dreams new creatures into existence, each one an embodiment of its will.

  • - The Root Network – Elves whisper the Heart’s roots run beneath half the continent, and that it can whisper through them to distant woods.

  • - The Heart’s Wrath – Legends say if the Verdant Heart is ever harmed, the entire forest — elves, beasts, and fey alike — will rise as one.