The Mirelit Wood

The Mirelit Wood

The Mirelit Wood is a thin coastal woodland on dark sand and peat. Cold wind and salt air keep the trees short and twisted. Life here survives in small groups because the land cannot support large settlements.

The coast still provides fish, kelp, and shell beds. Storms and rot destroy stores quickly, so hunger is constant. People live close together and defend what they have without mercy.

Land, Weather, and Travel

Fog rolls in often and limits sight to a few steps. Brush and salt grass hide sinkholes and foul pools that sicken those who drink from them. Storms from the sea hit hard and can wipe out months of work in a single night.

Paths stay narrow and controlled. Wide routes invite ambush. Travel markers are simple and practical, placed high enough to see through fog.

Survival and Control

Nothing here is shared freely. Groups decide who stays and who is sent away. Theft is treated as an attack, not a crime. Mistakes are punished fast because weakness spreads.

People use foul water only for work like curing fish or tanning hides. Drinking it risks sickness or death. Every family knows the difference.

Coastal Work

Fishing crews use light boats they can drag clear of storms. Kelp is dried and reused as food, rope, or packing. Smoke sheds fail often because damp air ruins meat.

Salt keeps food from spoiling and gives leverage in trade. Storms break nets, smash stores, and crack shelters. When that happens, hunger arrives within days.

Settlements

Homes are dug low into the ground and packed tight. Roofs are made from driftwood, cloth, and peat. Fire is kept small and controlled because fuel is rare and smoke draws attention.

Outsiders are watched, searched, and often turned away. Shelter is never given without reason. Anyone who cannot work or defend the group is a risk.

Stillsong Presence

The Stillsong Enclave keeps small crews along the coast. They do not rule the wood, but they control critical repairs and tools. Their work keeps settlements alive longer than they should last.

They demand payment in goods and access. Locals resent them but rely on them. When Stillsong leaves, settlements often fail soon after.

Old Elven Sites

Old elven stone sites lie buried under roots and peat. They mark old paths, borders, and sealed places. Most people cannot read them, but they recognize warning signs.

Some families keep these sites clear and avoid burning nearby. They do this out of fear. Everyone knows that disturbing old stone brings consequences.

Sea-Cults

Sea-cults gather in hidden coves and rock hollows. They trade in bone charms, salt, and relics pulled from wrecks. Publicly, they perform burial rites and storm prayers.

Privately, they control people. They feed the hungry during famine, hide debtors, and punish outsiders who take from their shores. Their leaders keep relic tools and enforce rank through violence.

Some rites weaken old protections. Those areas rarely recover.

Smugglers

Smugglers use shallow inlets and fog to move goods and people. They move medicine, water, and those fleeing judgment or hunger. Smuggling is both survival and exploitation.

Many smugglers charge in supplies, not coin. Payment is enforced through threat or force. Debts are remembered.

Wolves

Wolves are common after storms. They follow carcasses, fish waste, and smoke. They hunt the weak and the lost.

Dire wolves are rare but deadly. They grow large feeding on bodies washed inland. They learn patrol habits and strike during fog or guard changes. When hunger is severe, they ignore fire.

Orc Warbands

Orcs appear as raiders and displaced bands. They do not hold the coast. They strike, take supplies and captives, and vanish.

They know how to break a settlement fast. They target control points first. When those fail, resistance collapses.

Infernal Influence

Infernal presence is rare but dangerous. It appears when old protections are damaged and desperation is high. Broken stones and broken promises weaken what holds the land together.

Deals are made in secret. Hunger makes people agree to terms they do not understand.

Greater Threats

Some devils arrive through chains of small bargains. One group gains relief while another suffers loss. Officials respond with crackdowns and blame, which drives more people to bargain.

Larger infernal forces appear only when control collapses completely. When they do, settlements burn and whole stretches of coast are abandoned.

Daily Rule

Life here is strict because failure kills everyone. Curfews are common. Disputes end in exile or death. Holding prisoners costs too much.

People trust quick judgment over mercy. Survival leaves no room for delay.

Why the Coast Endures

The Mirelit coast still matters. It produces food, rope, oil, and salvage. It offers routes that avoid inland control.

Violence is constant, but people stay because leaving is worse.

Current State

The Mirelit Wood never stabilizes. Storms erase progress. Hunger pushes beasts and raiders closer. Cult activity and smuggling keep people alive and pull them toward ruin.

Stillsong crews delay collapse but deepen resentment. Old stones still hold something back. No one agrees on what happens when they finally fail.