The Hollow Woods

The Hollow Woods is a thick forest in the northwest section of the world. It earns its name from the inability to find the center of the woods, as it is shaped by an ancient magic.
These woods were actually the birthplace of Zinnia, but her memories of these woods are faded and old. She had long been forced underground and has not seen the surface for at least a century, so the memory of this sacred place is not as strong as it used to be.
In the early years of celestial supremacy and balance of the gods, the woods were vibrant with leaves that appeared to be made of the most vibrant stained glass, leaving colorful marks when light was cast through them in a kaleidoscope of color. The rough bark of the trees was a dark grey with a faint white light outlining the different sections, with branches sprawling and weaving together in beautiful patterns. While they never bore physical fruit, it is believed that these trees could bring about some boon to whoever sought them. What one needed most would appear naturally just when they start to forget about their plea to the trees.
Over time, as the tension between the gods grew ever larger, the leaves began to change with the seasons when they once were ever-present. Sometimes they would grow back, but most lost their hues and became as black and opaque as obsidian, eventually littering the floor beneath these failing trees in shattered jagged piles. The forest had been sitting in a swirling storm for weeks when the Great Reconstruction occured, and the leaves solidified near constantly until there was not an ounce of color in the entire forest left.
Ever since, the leaves regrow slowly but without the vibrant beauty they once had. These woods that had once been a beacon are now more like a shroud for those who do not wish to be found, including the forest itself. The woods are impossible to navigate, the once beautiful leaves now casting harsh shadows and the ground too solid to keep a trace of anything, even ones own footprints. However, no matter how lost one gets, they will always find their way out...though likely after a strange amount of time has passed and not remotely where they thought they'd end up.
The Hollow Woods have been considered inhospitable, with some towns popping up directly outside of these woods to house those foolish or desperate enough to navigate them. However, unknown to the gods, their believers, and near all common folk: life is stirring in the woods once more, and is desperately hiding from all but those it trusts to nourish it.