Elk Rider's Grove
A once majestic beacon of the intimate power of the world, this location was a nexus of power and a testament to the irrefutable connection shared between the humans of Cairne, and the planet itself. Throughout generation, this relationship between the two was fostered here by The Elk Riders , radiating outward through their selfless and tireless efforts to defend the world they loved from any power or creature that might seek to upset the balance.
All that remains of that nexus is now so far removed from what it once was, that very few would stumble across it and make the connection. Gone is the verdant grove and swirling arcs of energy, the songs of life and sounds of abundant nature have now been replaced with eerie silence and the constant state of decay. The lands around the grove are considered to be cursed, and all that know of it avoid it at all costs. The place is said to pull the very life from the flesh of any foolish enough to trespass there, and those that do are rarely seen again, returning with tales of a horrific demon that tirelessly pursued them with a hunger that could not be sated.
Geography
The murky swamplands create a constantly wet and humid area that is always just chilly enough to be uncomfortable and just a little too warm to wear additional layers without sweating. The air is rich with the sweet stench of decay and rot, and the flora here is nothing more than fungus encrusted, crumbling husks of the formerly mighty trees that ringed the location. Entangled throughout the moist surfaces are several varieties of barbed brambles and stinging plants that irritate and tear at and skin they can find, leaving a multitude of small wounds open to the void tainted, brackish water beneath which they lie. There is a constant fog that hangs over the place, distorting sounds and obscuring vision, and while some of the tree carved remains of the Elk Riders homes can still be found, they are now the domains of multitudes of carrion feeding insects and biting flies.
Ecosystem
Very little lives here outside of mutated insectoid life and the occasional serpent or crustacean. The water's toxicity and lack of living vegetation paired with the presence of The Graz that haunts this location is more than ample danger to ward off most creatures. There is a thick coating of slime mold that covers nearly every visible surface, all of it irritating and some even toxic to the touch, and below the shallow water that covers the ground, stinging nettles and a tangle of briars and brambles lay concealed making the entire location almost impossible to navigate by foot.
Localized Phenomena
The nexus of power once used by The Elk Riders still remains, though the font of energy is now twisted and corrupt. The precise location has been lost to time, but to those that sstumble across it, there is no mistaking the effect it can have, generating bursts of mutation in the flora and fauna around it, and causing life forms to begin to "bleed" into one another if they come into contact physically. This effect is extreme and almost always detrimental, but on occasion has led to horrific amalgams of various life forms and morph and change rapidly, driving them into a rage of pain and fear as they tear through the Grove attacking anything they see in a rage until the systematic evolution of their bodies grows to a point so drastic it can no longer sustain them.
Many speculate that this same power is likely what led to the fate of Fontelle Graz .
Alternative Name(s)
Bog's Hollow, Death's Palm, Fontelle's Famine
Type
Grove
Location under
Included Organizations
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