Margreave Forest
Geography
The Margreave is a sprawling, trackless forest of nearly 720,000 square miles. Mountains, hills, rivers, and swamps snake through a vast wild wood full of old growth and dense underbrush. The River Argent forms the Margreave's winding southern border, which separates the old wood from the city of Zobeck and the coast to the south. In the North, low mountains separate the Margreave from the Cliffgan Mountains. The Great Northern Road divides the Margreave fairly evenly down the middle. This wagon road, running north from Zobeck to the city of Khasiyya is the only reliably trail known through the woods.
The Great Northern Road
The Great Northern Road stretches for nearly 500 miles through the Margreave. High overhead, the branches of the trees cover the canopy, turning the road into a long tunnel in the dark wood. Some sun reaches the few travelers on the road, but night seems to fall early even in high summer. Though snowy and cold winters make the road hard and long, the way is traveled still. Merchants willing to travel despite the risk have settled along the road, and many small communities exist in the forest exist.Forest Features
Although traveling the Great Northern Road can be risky, only fools and heroes branch off into the wilderness. Beyond the unnatural creatures that lurk in the brush, natural hazards, and tough terrain are common. Razor thorns slice skin and leather and rocky outcroppings hide dire creature dens. Carnivorous plants lie in wait, and poisonous pollens send their mist into the world. Poor weather and terrible visibility exacerbate the terrain. Rain triggers mudslides and flooding, snow buries landmarks and signs, and lightning storms strike armor wearing travelers. Those who survive the dangers return with incredible tales, speaking of mountain trees that grow on each other, merging acre wide groves into single giant trees.Western Margreave
Here, the old growth trees and dense underbrush rule, with line of sight ranging from 60 to 90 feet on the forest floor. The canopy is unnaturally thick, and the environment on the forest floor is perpetually dim and dark. The terrain is fairly flat, with the exception of the hill that Castle Shadowcrag lays on and the edges where the Cliffgan Mountains begin. The Western Margreave is the oldest section of the forest, and the least inhabited. No known human communities exist west of the Northern Road, but less than a days journey west from it signs of destroyed settlements lay. Structures slowly weather and collapse, and vines cover stone arches. The Wester Margreave is wild and actively resists habitation.Eastern Margreave
The Eastern Margreave is the section of the forest that lies east of the Northern Road. It is the oldest part of the wood, with its trees only about 1000 years old. There is a grand openness to the Eastern Margreave, like walking through a palace of pillars. The underbrush is usually not dense enough to impede movement and not large enough to be used as landmarks. A handful of small freshwater lakes dot the area around the major rivers. Fewer wild animals make their homes here than the western side, however animals encounters are often devolved or dire, and are serious threats for travelers. Aberrations, undead, and other unnatural creatures also roam the eastern woods, but these denizens are also uncommon, with one more likely to die of thirst, hunger, or exposure than killed by a monster.Localized Phenomena
The forest is a beast to itself, with an intelligence and personality all it's own. Natives know the Margreave is quick to anger, slow to forgive, and will hold grudges that passes from generation to generation like a curse. The inhabitants of the Margreave learn quickly that their every move, actions, and word are witnessed by the forest itself. The Margreave's ancient and alien presence cares not for social niceness, and the standing of characters in other lands has no bearing in the woods. A characters status starts as 1d6+their Charisma modifier.
The following factors can change your status in the Margreave;
| Race of the Character | Status |
| Beastfolk | +1 |
| Races with ties to the Undead (Dhampir, Darakhul) | -4 |
| Elf | +1 |
| Races with mechanical ties (Gearforged, Android, Gnomes) | -4 |
| Goblinoids | -2 |
| Illuskan Human | +1 |
| Plant Races (Ghorans, etc) | +2 |
| Actions | Status |
| Damaging the Margreave | -1 to -4 |
| Break an Oath with a fey creature | -2 |
| Destroy a creature acting on behalf of the Margreave | -4 |
| Cast a spell that specifically harms plant creatures | -2 |
| An ancestor was an invader who harmed the Margreave | -1 to -4 |
| Cast an 8th Level spell | +1 |
| Cast a 9th Level spell | +1 |
| Save an agent of the Margreave | +1 |
| Defeat an intelligent enemy of the Margreave of at least CR 5 | +1 |
| Protect the Margreave from an imminent threat | +1 to +2 |
| Restore a portion of the Margreave that was damaged | +1 to +2 |
| Class of the Character | Status |
| Druid/Shaman | +2 |
| Ranger | +1 |
| Wizard | +1 |
| Cleric of a god with a natural domain | +1 |
| Sorcerer | +1 |
| Bard | +1 |
| Witch | +1 |
Effects of Status
A character's Status in the Margreave affects how the forest conducts itself in that character's presence. Refer to the table below;| Status of Character | Standing |
| 0 or Less | Invader of the Margreave: The Forest will periodically (at GM discretion) act to hinder you. The forest is hostile towards you. |
| 1 to 10 | Uninvited Guest to the Margreave: You are largely ignored as the forest monitors your deeds. The forest is indifferent to you and your presence. |
| 11 to 20 | Guest of the Margreave: You have proven to the forest that your actions will not hurt it. The forest is friendly to you. While you act on behalf of the Margreve, it might favor you in times of need. |
| 21 to 30 | Friend of the Margreve: Your actions benefit the Margreave, and it is friendly towards you. Once per week you can use an action to call on the forest for aid. Additionally, while you at on behalf of the Margreave, it may aid you of its own volition. |
| 30 or higher | Hero of the Margreave: You have shown time and time again that the forest is under your protection, and the Margreave will help you often. Once per day you can use an action to call on the forest for aid. Additionally, while you at on behalf of the Margreave, it may aid you of its own volition. |
Helping and Hindering
The tables below offer a few examples of how the Margreave might aid or hinder the character. You can roll on the table if you wish, or make up some other ways the Margreave might aid your players.| D8 | Positive Effects |
| 1 | You find ample trails, deer signs, and tracks around every corner. Once daily, a character can automatically succeed on a Survival check to hunt for game, and they can do it in half the time. |
| 2 | A stream, brook, or small pond seems to always be just nearby trail. Once daily, a character can automatically succeed on a Survival check to look for find clean, fresh water. |
| 3 | The inhabitants of the forest are uncharacteristically curious of you. Handle animal checks targeting animals in the woods are made with a +5 sacred bonus. |
| 4 | The flora and fauna of the forest reveal their secrets to you easily. All Knowledge (Nature) checks in the forest are made with a +4 sacred bonus. |
| 5 | The forest alters the path to aid you in the your journey. While traveling, your party can travel an additional 1 mile an hour. |
| 6 | The ground always seems to be clear wherever you travel. Difficult terrain that isn't magical doesn't slow you in the woods. |
| 7 | Your steps are muffled by the soft undergrowth and terrain. All Stealth checks made in the forest are made with a +5 sacred bonus. |
| 8 | The canopy of the forest extends over your every step. If you have any sort of Sunlight Sensitivity, you are somehow never in direct sunlight unless you go out of your way to be. |
| D8 | Negative Effects |
| 1 | The animals of the forest avoid you at all costs, knowing where you are at any time. You automatically fail all checks to hunt for game in the woods. |
| 2 | Sinkholes, quicksand, and brambles seem to get in your way constantly. While traveling, your party travelers at 1 mile less per hour. |
| 3 | When given the opportunity to flee or attack you, beasts will always choose to attack. |
| 4 | Difficult terrain is riddled with thorns and brambles, and every 5 feet you move in it deals 1 piercing damage to you. |
| 5 | Strange shadows and sounds are everywhere, confusing your senses. Perception checks are made at a -5 profane penalty. |
| 6 | Wind blows foliage and objects in the forest move away from you at inconvenient times. Stealth checks made in the forest get a -5 profane penalty. |
| 7 | A root always seems to be underfoot when you move quickly. When moving more than 30 feet in a single turn, you must make a DC 14 Reflex saving throw or fall prone and stop moving. |
| 8 | Biting insects plague the character, making it difficult to focus. Concentration and Knowledge checks in the woods are made with a -4 profane penalty. |
The Margreave's Power
The Margreave has a number of magical properties, most of them equivalent to or similar to spells, that affect how visitors interact with the forest.Aura of Rust
Iron and Iron Alloys rust quickly in the Margreave. Though the effect does not destroy blades overnight, the sharpening and replacement cost of rusted axes and saw mill blades make large scale logging unprofitable.Aura of Wildness
A mild aura of wildness permeates the Margreave. Bardic tales counsel travelers to abandon or kill animal companions that grow aggressive under the wood's canopy. Though exaggerated and romanticized, these song communicate the core truth that, in time, tamed beasts regress to feral states. And occasionally, devolved creatures do emerge from the forest.Reincarnation
The Margreave's power over its region enables it to control what energy flows, enabling it to spontaneously reincarnate fauna, sometimes in the bodies of dead humanoids. Disturbing stories of "the ferals" describe ordinary folk who wandering into the Margreave as people reemerged with the disposition of a rabid animal. In truth, while their souls have passed on, their bodies host the awakened soul of a badger, owl, or other animal.History
Despite great destruction and suffering, the Margreave survived the Calamity. Since the migration of the Illuskans, they are one of the most common people in the Margreave, although there are human natives, the Pineys. The Piney are rarely seen, emerging from the woods at roadside inns to trade for salt and other rare items. Except for these excursions, few outsiders have ever seen a Piney in person, for the forest folk come and go quickly and avoid others. Some inn owners describe Pineys as "disturbing to view" with their strange dress and language. Some say Pineys stare into your heart and never blink, some say piney's large eyes and awkward mannerisms come from living deep in the dark woods for generations, or possibly interbreeding with dark or fey powers. Perhaps they are just poor, inbred souls slow degenerating in form and function or perhaps something sinister does transpire in those hidden village.
In the expanding years, Calishite nobles settled Zobeck alongside Illuskan tribesman who had settled in the area for about a century. Despite it's location, Zobeck has very little to do with the Margreave, serving as a stopping point for adventurers traveling the Great Northern Road, or using rare materials from the Margreave in their everyday lives. The Empire of Calimshan seems to have decided that taming the Margreave was far too much work, and has instead acted passively towards it, keeping their distance.
Tourism
Along the Northern Road
The Ruined Griffon Tower - Between Old Mikhail's Inn and the Witch's Teat inn lies the burned ruins of an inn that no one remembers being active, and no one dares rebuild. It sits in an awkward spot along the road, for it rests midway between two inns, right where people would need to rest. The Eye of the Forest Inn - Right in the middle of the Northern Road, this inn is a hub of activity as wagons meet from both direction to trade and share news. Compared to the other inns, this one is very high quality. It is defended full time by veteran mercenaries and managed by natives of Zobeck.In the Western Margreave
Castle Shadowcrag - Perched on a hill in the center of the Western Margreave lie the ruins of Castle Shadowcrag. The dwarves of Clan Grimbold are staying at the castle recently, but certain unnamed wizards and cults have held the castle in their control for short periods. If fighters seek weapons made of shadows or starmetal, they often seek the Grimbold dwarves despite their steep weapons. Miner's Lament - In the Western Margreave, any magic, items, or rituals that divine the presence of gems or metals point to the Miner's Lament, a dry gulch in the southwest corner of the forest. The place is a treasure trove of raw ore. Bronze nuggests glow at sunset, and new rain exposes pockets of uncut opal and veins of gold. Many greed miners laid clam to the bounty, but as soon as their pick struck, the gulch spray blood, clay, and magic that buries it all and those who pick the ore. In truth, the gulch is a cesspool of unused magic. The forest is incapable of using the magical energy of some spells, like those who deal force, unholy, and holy damage, leaving trace amounts of unused magic behind. This magic flows to the Gulch and turns into the gems and ores used to lure the greedy. Armiger Wood - In the crook of a sub-forest called Grandfathers' Tears lies a stretch of trees where rusty armor girdles the trees, as if an army of warriors instantly turned into fully grown trees. Forest Goblins sometimes run through the woods beating on the breastplates like drums, usually before raiding settlements or inns. Crumbling Tomb - Covered in lichen and gripped by ivy, the Crumbling Tomb rests in the eternal darkness near the center of the forest. Behind the Mithral barred doors lies a mummified sage, guarded by sorcerous assassin vines. Shadow fey legends say that when the time comes, the corpse will be reanimated and take a side in a pivotal conflict in the Margreave. At dawn, vines pull the entrance to the tomb underground, making it inaccessible. At dusk, the tomb resurfaces at another random location in the Western Margreave.In the Eastern Margreave
Cave of Sorrow - At the edge of the Cliffgan Mountains in the northeast, a shallow cave forms what looks like an eye and tear from below. It is a sacred place for travelling Illuskans, who used the cave for their rituals of ancestor worship in years past. The caves properties reward sacrifices of personal possessions with one on one conversations with departed loved ones. Sleepwalker Hill - In the southeastern tip of the forest, atop a single forested hill, the souls of broken men search the underbrush for lost items or missing loved ones. Legend says that all who die in the forest who refused to move on after loss are trapped by the forest, their energy sustaining it until the spirit is destroyed or convinced to pass on.
Type
Forest, Temperate (Seasonal)
Location under
Contested By
