Nocturne Forest
The Nocturne forest, in northern Arnonia is a place filled with tales of terror. This thick forest is surrounded on three sides by tall mountains and is the home of Castle Shadowheart, the dwelling of the mysterious figure known as The Night Hunter.
The forest has a reputation through most of Arnonia as a dangerous place where none returns from, and the stories are mostly true. The forest itself is mostly made up of thick Lorken trees, but unlike most examples of the tree found elsewhere, the Lorken of the Nocturne Forest grows twisted and bent. The Canopies are thick and intertwine so thoroughly that they completely block any of the suns' rays from hitting the surface. Beneath the boughs the forest is shrouded in endless darkness.
The darkness hides more than the light of the suns, though. It also is an area where the lines between the Shadow Plane and the material plane are weak. Whether the forest grew in its unusual topography due to the nature of the thin veil, or when the thinning of the veil was caused by the fact the forest has not allowed any sunlight to reach past it's canopy for centuries, is anyone's guess, but the result is that the forest is a dangerous place to travel.
The Breakdown of the barrier between the Material Pane and the Shadow plane, open the way for thing from the plane to enter our world. Once here, as long as they are in the forest, they have no fear of the light which is anathema to them. Creatures not seen since the Shadow Wars can be found in the darkest reaches of the forest.
While the denizens of the plane of shadow are dangerous enough, the forest also allows the material of the Shadow Plane itself to bleed through. This material can feed off the fear of demi Humans, and brings their fears to life, creates manifestations, semi real creatures that represent the fears of those who bring them to life. The more powerful the fear the more powerful the creature. Creatures made from this substance feed off the fear of those that made them and others. The fear that comes from the last moment of a creature’s life is especially filling for them, and so they do their best to kill those they feed from. When their creator dies, they do not. Instead, they remain, the emanations from the Shadow world sustaining them until they can find victims to hunt again.
The more they feed the more evolved they become. Newly created manifestations are nothing more than mindless killing machines, but those that have lived long, and evolved can become quite intelligent. Even if a man entered the forest who had no fear, he would still have to deal with the manifestations created by those who had gone before him and were not so stalwart, as well as the creatures that have crossed over.
The worst resident of the forest though, is the one they Call the Night Hunter. Its nature is unknown though it resides in a castle and seems to have characteristics of a humanoid. Its agents claim it is a human man, though what kind of man can live amongst the darkness of the forest? One thing is well known though, and that is it's love for killing. Always young beautiful women, either captured or somehow lures to the forest, never to be seen again.
There have been many attempts to tame the forest, and even to burn it down, but none have yet succeeded. Most attempts end with the death of those trying. But that doesn't mean all who encounter the forest perish. There are those that are allowed to work on the edge of the forest, butting down the Lorken trees, as their wood is prized by many. The Lorken from the forest is the strongest wood known and is generally called Dark Wood. Staves and shields made from the material are almost as strong as steel and its dark black color is prized among furniture makers. The Night Hunter allows foresters to harvest the wood though they must pay dearly for the privilege. Even then they work only at the edges where the light still shines and only in the day. Even them some disappear every year.
The forest has a reputation through most of Arnonia as a dangerous place where none returns from, and the stories are mostly true. The forest itself is mostly made up of thick Lorken trees, but unlike most examples of the tree found elsewhere, the Lorken of the Nocturne Forest grows twisted and bent. The Canopies are thick and intertwine so thoroughly that they completely block any of the suns' rays from hitting the surface. Beneath the boughs the forest is shrouded in endless darkness.
The darkness hides more than the light of the suns, though. It also is an area where the lines between the Shadow Plane and the material plane are weak. Whether the forest grew in its unusual topography due to the nature of the thin veil, or when the thinning of the veil was caused by the fact the forest has not allowed any sunlight to reach past it's canopy for centuries, is anyone's guess, but the result is that the forest is a dangerous place to travel.
The Breakdown of the barrier between the Material Pane and the Shadow plane, open the way for thing from the plane to enter our world. Once here, as long as they are in the forest, they have no fear of the light which is anathema to them. Creatures not seen since the Shadow Wars can be found in the darkest reaches of the forest.
While the denizens of the plane of shadow are dangerous enough, the forest also allows the material of the Shadow Plane itself to bleed through. This material can feed off the fear of demi Humans, and brings their fears to life, creates manifestations, semi real creatures that represent the fears of those who bring them to life. The more powerful the fear the more powerful the creature. Creatures made from this substance feed off the fear of those that made them and others. The fear that comes from the last moment of a creature’s life is especially filling for them, and so they do their best to kill those they feed from. When their creator dies, they do not. Instead, they remain, the emanations from the Shadow world sustaining them until they can find victims to hunt again.
The more they feed the more evolved they become. Newly created manifestations are nothing more than mindless killing machines, but those that have lived long, and evolved can become quite intelligent. Even if a man entered the forest who had no fear, he would still have to deal with the manifestations created by those who had gone before him and were not so stalwart, as well as the creatures that have crossed over.
The worst resident of the forest though, is the one they Call the Night Hunter. Its nature is unknown though it resides in a castle and seems to have characteristics of a humanoid. Its agents claim it is a human man, though what kind of man can live amongst the darkness of the forest? One thing is well known though, and that is it's love for killing. Always young beautiful women, either captured or somehow lures to the forest, never to be seen again.
There have been many attempts to tame the forest, and even to burn it down, but none have yet succeeded. Most attempts end with the death of those trying. But that doesn't mean all who encounter the forest perish. There are those that are allowed to work on the edge of the forest, butting down the Lorken trees, as their wood is prized by many. The Lorken from the forest is the strongest wood known and is generally called Dark Wood. Staves and shields made from the material are almost as strong as steel and its dark black color is prized among furniture makers. The Night Hunter allows foresters to harvest the wood though they must pay dearly for the privilege. Even then they work only at the edges where the light still shines and only in the day. Even them some disappear every year.
Geography
Almost all of the trees in the forest ate Lorken trees, and many of them are centuries old. Unlike most lorken trees which have straight branches, as you travel further into the forest the brnaches of the trees twist and curl around branches of other trees making a thick overhead canopy. While Lorken Trees usually have thick canopies, these inner trees have larger foliage and it creates such a barrier that no light gets through. Under the canopies, there is little undergrowth though the trees root system tend to lie closer to the surface, creating difficult walking conditions.
Low hills also make the ground a bit uneaven and dark cold streams seems to wind through the forest not following any normal layout conventions.
Low hills also make the ground a bit uneaven and dark cold streams seems to wind through the forest not following any normal layout conventions.
Ecosystem
One would think that ina forest of pure darkness you would not find many animals, but thsi is not true. The forest is abundant with life, though it may be hard to recognize some of the animal living there. With little need to see many of the animal that live in the forest have alternate senses to get around. Rabbits, and mice are pratically blind but have acute senses of hearing and smell, even more advanced than thoes found in normal forests.
There are not many large predators that are native to the forest, but the thin veil means that you will find creatures here that you normally only find on the pane of shadow.
There are not many large predators that are native to the forest, but the thin veil means that you will find creatures here that you normally only find on the pane of shadow.
Climate
It rarely rains in the forest, as the canopy does as well a job of keeping out the rains that it does the light. In heavy storm, watter can seep through and find wats to the surface usually in rivlets running down the trees. The forest is always moist though as the sunlight doesn't get through to burn away the humidity, and there are many streams feed from the mountains surrounding the forest.
The forest rarely gets hot being in perpetual shade, and can get frigid at night when the tempatures outside the forest drop. In winter ice forms but little snow makes it to the surface.
The forest rarely gets hot being in perpetual shade, and can get frigid at night when the tempatures outside the forest drop. In winter ice forms but little snow makes it to the surface.
Natural Resources
There aren't a lot of natural resources the forest produces but it is known for a few in particular. The first is the wood from its Lorken Trees. The trees of the forest are especially resilient and are harvested by foresters. Theis "dark wood" is sold to crafters and is said to be a string as steel.
The second is Black Pears. The fruit of a Lorken tree is rarely large enough to be of value for anything besides propagation. However, the trees deep in the forest can produce fruits that are as large as a man's fist. These fruits are called Black Pears as they look like a pear with a dark almost black skin. They grow too far in the forest for the foresters to pick, but agents of the Night Hunter do arrange for their export. The skins of the fruit are used in the creation of Ashen Tears, a dark brandy that is a favorite in Arnonia. The meat of the fruit is not as pleasant. It has a sweet taste, but it causes memory loss when eaten. It is often used in a ritual called the Life's Lament by Followers of The Nameless One.
Also, only found in the deepest parts of the Nocturne Forest are several deadly herbs that can be used to craft various poisons. The most valuable is Nighthaunt, a plant that only grows in fertile soil where no li light exists. If eaten fresh it tends to make one sick with aches in the stomach and nausea, but it is not very dangerous. Once dried and aged though, powdered Nighthaut can be used to create a poison so deadly one dose is enough to kill a Dragon. Due to its rare nature and the fact it only grows in the forest, a single ounce can cost thousands of golds. Agents of the Night Hunter protect the secrets of its cultivation with their lives.
The second is Black Pears. The fruit of a Lorken tree is rarely large enough to be of value for anything besides propagation. However, the trees deep in the forest can produce fruits that are as large as a man's fist. These fruits are called Black Pears as they look like a pear with a dark almost black skin. They grow too far in the forest for the foresters to pick, but agents of the Night Hunter do arrange for their export. The skins of the fruit are used in the creation of Ashen Tears, a dark brandy that is a favorite in Arnonia. The meat of the fruit is not as pleasant. It has a sweet taste, but it causes memory loss when eaten. It is often used in a ritual called the Life's Lament by Followers of The Nameless One.
Also, only found in the deepest parts of the Nocturne Forest are several deadly herbs that can be used to craft various poisons. The most valuable is Nighthaunt, a plant that only grows in fertile soil where no li light exists. If eaten fresh it tends to make one sick with aches in the stomach and nausea, but it is not very dangerous. Once dried and aged though, powdered Nighthaut can be used to create a poison so deadly one dose is enough to kill a Dragon. Due to its rare nature and the fact it only grows in the forest, a single ounce can cost thousands of golds. Agents of the Night Hunter protect the secrets of its cultivation with their lives.
Type
Forest, Temperate (Seasonal)
Owning Organization
The World of Nor
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