Whimsical Wood
Nestled amongst the barren wastes of the Scorched Lands rests a forest untouched by the fire and brimstone. Protected by the enchantment of the Fae of the Forest , the Whimsical Wood stands tall amongst the destruction across the region.
The Whimsical Wood is home to the Faekin , woodland creatures transformed into protectors of the woods and their leader, the Fae of the Forest .
CANOPY OF EVERSPRING
Early on within the life of the Whimsical Wood, the Fae of the Forest noticed that the creatures would enter hibernation in the Autumn and Winter months. As a lonely chld, this upset her. She did not want to be without her friends for almost half a year. Instead, the Fae used her Magicae to enhant the woods.
Using a combination of Creation, Storm and Earth magic, the Fae conconted an enchantment that she could cast over the forest. Little did she know, that this would later protect them from the devastation that wrought the Scorched Lands . The spell coated the canopy of the Whimsical Wood, drawing away the energy and balancing the temperature permanently leaving the area in a state of only Spring and Summer.
The canopy is not omnipotent, however, and the Autumn and Winter energy must be transferred something at an equivalent exchange. Originally, the Fae had nothing in place for this. After 200 years, the barrier gave way for the first time, causing a harsh Winter that lasted for almost a decade. This Winter almost wiped out the Faekin , causing the Fae to create the Frosted Grove and the Deciduous Ocean.
It took a few decades and generations before the Faekin fully removed hibernation from their instinctive nature. Some of the older, blessed Faekin such as Arthur and Merlin still hibernate in what would be the Autumn and Winter months within the Forest, however to the younger generation they do not even understand the concept of hibernation.
The Canopy of Spring has slowly warped time within the Whimsical Woods. It's said that anyone who ventures from the outside and in the woods for an extended period can have their sense of time altered. With the seasons being longer, it's hard to distinguish exactly how much time has passed, and therefore confuses those who are unaware of the properties.
This unique quirk is also what saved the Whimsical Wood from the destruction that ripped apart the Scorched Lands . When Nuria activated their towers and suspended themselves amongst the time-stream, the Whimsical Wood's unstable time meant they were immune to the effects of the spell. The spell itself targeted the basic timestream, which the woods does not align to, protecting the Fae and her Faekin from switching planums.
WINTERTIDE
When the barrier faltered, leaving the entire Whimsical Wood in a state of Winter for decades, the time period came to be known as Wintertide. An entire blanket of cold enveloped the forest, causing the Faekin to do anything they could to survive.
Luckily, the species had evolved enough to create fires and close-knit communities that could combat the weather. They lived off crops that flourished in the Winter and forged alliances that eventually strengthed the species as a whole. Some of the larger Faekin communties were discovered and built during Wintertide. These communities contrast those created after the Canopy of Everspring vastly in both layout and culture.
The Faekin on the Western side of the river, who were unaware of the Fae 's existence at this point, believe the Wintertide was punishment from the Titan Gobhachreag himself. The Western Faekin did not pray to their Fae creator for protection, and thus she had still not learned of their existence or the true reach of her spell. The West Faekin struggled more harshly than those who lived East of the River, but still ultimately survived Wintertide.
TIRESOME TRAIL
As the Whimsical Woods aged, and the Fae 's abilities strengthed, she aimed to defend her home without causing direct harm to outsiders. She looked to enhance the Canopy of Everspring, placing other Magicae effects upon it to halt any potential invaders. She praticed her Illusion Magicae and after many years crafted the perfect concoction of enchantments.
The first change to the Canopy was a spell that causes intruders in the forest to become fatigued. Those that succumb to the spell find their eyes heavy and their limbs beginning to ache the further they walk into the woods. If they persist, eventually the Magicae will seep into their brain, causing them to fall into a deep sleep that lasts as long as they're under the effects of the enchantment. The Faekin used this effect to carry intruders back to the entrance of the forest, where they would eventually wake up.
This was not always enough, as some people insisted on discovering the secrets to the "Slumbering Forest" and continued to push deeper inside. The next layer of Magicae that the Fae placed upon the Woods was an illusion. To match the fatigue, this illusion naturally turns you around as you walk, meaning tresspassers grow tired and quickly find themselves exiting the woods the same way they entered, though thoroughly more fatigued.
Only those chosen by the Fae can surpass this illusion, or those strong willed enough to avoid the Magicae taking ahold of them; though there are few people who can withstand an enchantment that has existed for thousands of years. The Faekin now refer to this spell as the Tiresome Trail.
The History of Whimsical Woods
Type
Woods
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Characters in Location
Inhabiting Species
Frosted Grove
The Frosted Grove is one of the two catalysts that allow the Canopy of Spring to last. A small expanse of the Whimsical Wood is designated to draw all the Winter energy from the area. This causes a unique effect. Anything that enters the Frosted Grove freezes almost immediately, even living creatures. The Faekin understand this unique effect, and have set up guards to ensure nobody enters the Frosted Grove, as it would often spell a quick end for them.
The temperature within the Grove is always below zero, even in the Summer months. The Fae of the Forest theorises that even if she were to end the Canopy of Spring enchantment, the energy drawn and condensed into the Grove will cause its frozen effect to last for centuries.
Deciduous Ocean
Another trade-off the Fae had to make, when reinforcing her Canopy of Spring, was a location that drew in the energy of Autumn. Unlike the Frosted Grove, in which she placed near her to keep a watchful eye on, the Deciduous Ocean was placed far away. Within the lands of the Western Faekin, a large portion of the trees began to grow orange and lose their leaves. Any leaves that these trees grow immediately cycle to their final stage and fall, drawing the energy of Autumn with them.
These constant falling leaves, without enough time to decay, has left the area with a wide sea of orange leaves. This phenomenon has left the area with its name and left it as a large impassable area for most of the Faekin, due to the ocean being at least twice their height. There are rumours, however, that a certain faction of Faekin now called this location home.
Meet the Protector of the Whimsical Wood...
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