Savalirwood

This area was once a beautiful thicket known as the Veluthil Forest, enchanted with fey magics and guarded by elven outposts. Nearly three centuries ago, the forest suffered a terrible curse wrought from the disaster that felled Molaesmyr. In the centuries since, the fey magics have grown twisted and dark, the denizens corrupt and feral. Spirits and monsters crawl up from under the cold, rotted forest floor, while shadowy whispers bring nightmares to those who sleep beneath the sinister trees. The forest has been renamed the Savalirwood, for the elven word savalir, meaning "guilt." It has become a dangerous obstacle for travel, playing a major role in the Dwendalian Empire's inability to expand northward to plunder the ruins of Molaesmyr or conquer Uthodurn. In this most recent century, the less-dangerous outskirts of the forest have become havens for criminals, leading to the establishment of Shadycreek Run.
Throughout the Savalirwood, a handful of small groves and clearings combat the magical miasma that infects the rest of the wood. Within many of these relatively protected locales, wild magic thrives and gentler (if slightly mad) fey guard the surrounding glades, often enthralling wandering humanoids and capturing them to keep the fey company — forever. A community of reserved, thick-furred tabaxi called the Nightback Clan lives among the dangers of the Savalirwood, occasionally coming to the aid of others in need, seeking allies in their struggle to survive.
The Nightback Clan
Many denizens of the Veluthil were slain following the destruction of Molaesmyr and the spread of the mysterious curse that transformed the wood, but one group of tabaxi from the southern reaches of the forest survived and refused to flee. Knowing that the spirits of their ancestors were bound to the trees, they chose to stay and adapt, learning to live a nomadic life among the perpetual threats of the forest. Devoted to Melora, the Nightback Clan patrols the forest for food and locations to briefly make home. Unpleasant encounters with folk from Shadycreek Run have left some of the Nightback Clan eager to terrorize any unlucky thieves found in the Savalirwood. The Nightback Clan also blames the elves of Molaesmyr for the tragedy that claimed the forest and refuses to speak to or work with any representatives of Uthodurn.