Elderwood

The Elderwood is a large forest located in the Headlands region of The Northern Reaches.

Geography

The forest covers the entirety of the westernmost peninsula of the Headlands. It wraps around the north shores of the Veiled Bay, and around the eastern shores of the bay north of the River Glåma. It stops at the western banks of the River Ørsin and its lake, and reaches as far north as the edge of the foothills leading toward Khaz-Mael and the Mistborne Mountains. The Elderwood, living up to its name, contains some of the largest and oldest trees in the Northern Reaches. There are three chains of small mountains and large hills within the borders of the forest, as well as a number of streams, creeks, and ponds. Portions of the western coastline are made up of tall cliffs.

Wildlife

Much of the wildlife that is found in the rest of the headlands can be found within the Elderwood. Elk, deer, rabbits, and foxes are a common sight within the forest, as are brown bears and wolves. The bears and wolves in particular are larger than most of their kind found in the rest of the Reaches, and the forest is the original natural habitat of Dire Wolves in Eruidór. The forest is home to a number of birds. The Reach's iconic ravens share the forest canopy with a number of different types of hawks, eagles, cranes, and owls. In the areas of the forest near the coast of the Veiled Sea or the Veiled Bay, seagulls, pelicans, ducks, geese, and number of other shorebirds and seabirds can be found.

Cultural and Spiritual Significance

The Elderwood exudes a powerful and mysterious presence, and latent magical energy in the forest can be felt by even novice magical practitioners. Many visitors to the forest, whether natives coming from elsewhere in the Reaches or travelers from across the sea, claim that the forest feels "alive", as if the trees around are reacting to their presence.

Among Reachmen

The native Reachmen have a special spiritual connection the forest, and they consider it to be sacred ground. Local myths claim that a portion of the gods' spirits slumber within the forest, and that the trees were blessed by the god Frey himself, granting them their great size and long life. It strictly forbidden to cut down trees from the forest, and even cutting off large branches is considered forbidden outside of dire survival circumstances. Those who cut down or otherwise cause the destruction of Elderwood trees are typically met with a death sentence. Taking small amounts of wood, such as from a branch of a tree, is typically allowed as part of religious or other spiritual rites and traditions. The Reachmen make an exception for trees that have already fallen due to natural causes, such storms or heavy snow and ice. As such, parties are formed to scout the forest for trees that have fallen, where wood is collected taken outside of the forest. Wood from fallen Elderwood trees is often used for carving figures of the gods or for religious ceremonies. The hunting of game animals within the Elderwood is typically allowed, so long as the hunter takes only what game is neccessary. Trophy hunting, while allowed elsewhere, is forbidden within the forest. Killing an animal when neccessary in self defense is allowed, of course, as is killing in the defense of others. Some orders of warriors and rangers enter the forest to undergo rites of honor or worth. Native warriors enter the forest with no armour heavier than leather, and armed only with a sword or axe, to test themselves against perhaps a mighty bear or dire wolf. The survivors honor the animals' ferocity and strength by adorning themselves with the pelts and claws of the beast and wearing it with their armor into battle. Berserkers take this further, and learn to channel the beast's spirit into a battle fury. Skilled rangers sometime venture into the forest seeking to tame and bond with a beast from the Elderwood. Rangers who can bond with a beast of the Elderwood are held in high esteem, and some even consider them to be blessed by the gods.

Ancestor Wisps

A supernatural phenomenon that takes place within the Elderwood are the sightings of Ancestor Wisps. The wisps appear as nebulous forms of white, blue, and silver color that float and flit amongs the trees, rocks, and underbrush of the forest. Closer views of the wisps reveal spherical blobs of energy. A number of witnesses report being able to see facial-like features within the spheres. The wisps are typically seen in groups, with some sightings only being reported as less than a dozen to sightings of over sixty. Reachmen myth holds that the forest is a place where the spirits of the ancestors can return to wander the world for a time. The native Reachmean believe that the wisps seen in the forest are those ancestors. In times of turmoil in the Northern Reaches, the presence of the wisps seems to intensify, and in the minds of the local Reachmen, this gives even more weight to the idea that the wisps are their ancestors in spirit form. Seeing wisps appear to float around a single individual is considered to be an omen a significance, while seeing a large group (near or more than a hundred) is seen as a omen of dark times for the entirety of the Northern Reaches.

Among Elves

The two elven tribes that have lived in the Northern Reaches for generations, the elves of Nen Hithoel and the Il'larian Tribe, have long held that the Elderwood was a place of significance, not just in the continent, but in the world. They believe, as the Reachmen do, that it is remnant of the ancient world, continuing to live and breathe in its own way. While they don't have the same spiritual connection to the forest as the native Reachmen do, they still hold a great reverance for the Elderwood, as piece of living history and as a place of great primal magical power. Their respect of the forest is so great that they are the only non- Reach folk the Reachmen have allowed to live in the forest, and to this day Nen Hithoel is the only non-Reachment settlement in the forest. Even other elves who emigrate from across the sea are disallowed from residing within the forest, though visiting is still permitted. In 2E 49, the druids of the Il'larian Tribe, with permission and co-operation from local Reachmen leaders and shaman, took a few fallen Elderwood trees and, using powerful nature magic from both elven druids and Reach shaman, they planted the trees in the Il'larian Grove, where they continue to exist They are viewed as symbol of friendship and cooperation between the Il'larian elves and the Children of the Reaches.

Outside of the Northern Reaches

Druids across the world eventually learn of the Elderwood in their training, and many make the journey every year to commune with the nature spirits within the forest. Many experienced druids have described the feeling of the natural energy there as acutely primal, as if they were feeling the energy of a world freshly created.