Fengrove

Rising out of the flat landscape of the Great Plains are a stand of towering hemlock trees, each rising over two hundred feet into the air, with a diameter of around twenty-five feet. There is no other forest or shrublands around them, just a perfectly circular copse of massive trees within a wet, grassy marsh that marks a low point in the wide plains. Legend has it that the trees were grown in a single night by a godess of nature whose name is now lost to the Collapse. The purpose of this grove, if there is one, has never been discerned. However the trees have been sustained over the years by some lingering infusion of divine magic. Despite thin trunks relative to their incredible height, the trees barely sway even in the harshest winds, and the quiet marsh around their trunks is lush and temperate throughout the year, even as snow falls outside the grove. For a long time, Fengrove served as a kind of oasis among the plains during the cold or dry months. Travelers could rest there secure in the knowledge that they would remain warm and sheltered from the elements, and would harvest the bountiful fruits and mushrooms that grow within the grove to refill their packs. 
Over time, more and travelers decided to simply...stay. The wet, mossy ground was not conducive to strong building foundations, and there were no trees besides the gargantuan hemlocks themselves to cut down for lumber. So instead, settlers carved into the trees themselves, hollowing out dwellings into the trunks of the great trees. Initially, these were small cubbies for a single person or family, as the people were wary of causing too much damage to the trees. Eventually, however, it became clear that divine magic would keep the trees alive no matter what, in addition to bolstering their structural integrity. As a result, development grew more bold. Homes expanded, others were layered on top, transforming each hemlock into a natural tower, with dozens, sometimes hundreds of people living inside. Rope bridges were strung between the trees, forming roadways. Wells were dug into the marshy soil. Crops of fruits and mushrooms were cultivated. A village formed, taking the same name as the oasis itself: Fengrove.
The population is highly mixed, as the founders tended to be travelers or outcasts. Some of the earliest settlers were Lazrian and Humans, though many halflings came to dwell here soon after, runaways from the Deoch Nomads, who felt out of place in that lifestyle and culture. The town has sustained itself for over nearly two hundred years now. It is not prosperous, but the people there live in reasonable comfort. Some of the mushrooms and plants they cultivate there have psychotropic properties, and have become moderately popular drugs in some parts of the continent, making for effective bartering with travelling merchants who pass through the region. The cultivation has never produced quantities sufficient for large-scale trade, and thereby has never been valuable enough to make Fengrove a target. But it is enough to ensure a modest living for the towns' residents.
There are stories, however, of more exotic plants and mushrooms that have begun to grow in Fengrove since it was settled. Specifically, strange mushrooms and flowers found among the barrows. The townsfolk have long buried their dead in crude barrows, hollowed out of the peaty soil among the roots of the hemlock trees. It has been their way of showing respect to the now-nameless goddess of the grove, feeding the trees with their dead. Around these sites alone, new blood-red fungi and tiny ashen plants have sprouted. The people of Fengrove leave these alone, out of respect. Although, even passing near them purportedly has a mild hallucinogenic effect, and so the areas have become popular sites of meditation for locals seeking visions or communion with the land.

Type

Town