Lesser Faydark
Like Greater Faydark, the Lesser Faydark region retains a dark and enchanting beauty; even at the height of the brightest day, the woods are shrouded in shadow and the mighty trees keep the sun from penetrating to the forest floor. The Lesser Faydark is so-named simply because it is somewhat smaller than its nearby neighbor. Despite the region's appellation, the hazards are greater here, since the forest's Fey inhabitants — for this is the last true stronghold of the Fey on Norrath — guard their realm jealously, and the danger to unwary travelers is anything but "lesser." Ancient paths crisscross the Lesser Faydark, and it is easy for strangers to get lost among the grassy ravines and close-growing trees.
While the Lesser Faydark has always been dangerous, the taint of evil has grown even stronger in the past few centuries. Though there are many theories as to why the region is becoming darker and more corrupt, the most common is that the influence of Cazic-Thule himself has reached into the forest, twisting and poisoning the creatures that dwell there. The land itself has begun to turn up new horrors — undead skeletons and mummies sometimes shamble between the trees, and a small group of evil shadowed men have taken over the ruins of an old Wood Elf shrine. It is even rumored that Cazic-Thule has sent his own dread shadow into the forest to aid in the desecration.
Points of Interest
WIPFauna & Flora
Being that they are two halves of the original Faydark Forest, Lesser Faydark shares the same general flora and fauna as its counterpart, Greater Faydark. It does, however, have a few other inhabitants.
Flora
The Lesser Faydark is very dense, at least in terms of its foliage. The trunks of the forest's great Broadroot trees, as the locals call them, are in some places spaced widely enough to allow a large wagon to pass, while in other areas they are packed so closely together that a man drawing a handcart or dressed in bulky armor would have some trouble passing through. The trees are invariably massive and old, towering several hundred feet into the air and usually at least twenty feet across at their base. The lower trunks have no branches, making climbing difficult for the novice, although the trees' thick and craggy bark does provide some footing. When the lowest branches do begin — at impressive heights of 50 feet or more — they spread out rapidly, often intertwining with those of neighboring trees. These branches are thick enough for a man to walk along quite easily, without the supporting branch moving a single inch. Broadroot leaves are broad as well, roughly the size of an ogre's head and shaped rather like a bearskin rug, with a thick body, two tapering stubs on either side, and another at the top. Most of the leaves are dark green on the top and a pale gray-green on the underside, but among the very top layers the leaves are lighter and more golden from contact with the sun. Very little plant life exists beyond the Broadroots because their large leaves block sunlight from reaching the forest floor. The little undergrowth present consists of occasional vines, plus moss and lichen. Moss does grow well in the low-light conditions, and many of the tree trunks are coated with it, providing a brighter green contrast to the dark wood of the bark. Mushrooms also grow well in Lesser Faydark, and are usually found clustered about the base of the trees — some of the larger varieties of these mushrooms reach four feet in height, and can be eight feet across the cap. Vines are sometimes seen draping across the high branches, linking trees together; they also trail down around the trunks and even onto the ground. Ground vines may be hidden beneath the fallen leaves in some places, and these are thicker and darker than their aerial cousins.Fauna
Many different creatures make the Lesser Faydark their home. Bats thrive in the darkness, and can often be found hanging from tree branches — these bats can grow to enormous size, and a full-grown giant one can carry off a human child or an adult of one of the smaller races. Coyotes and wolves also roam the forest, loping across the forest floor in search of food. These animals survive on a steady diet of mice, ferrets, and other small creatures that live in the trees or in the ground beneath them — a hungry wolf pack will sometimes stalk a lone human or other creature of similar size, or even a pair of creatures. Lizards also abound in the forest, scaling the trunks with ease and feeding off the moss and lichen. Two of the most powerful kinds of creatures in the Lesser Faydark are also, fortunately for the other inhabitants, natural enemies: the wasps and the spiders. These two species both thrive in the darkness, and have evolved to gigantic proportions. Individuals or pairs can be found throughout the forest, and travelers are advised to keep an eye open for such dangers. More normal-sized insects and arachnids also live in the forest — mosquitoes and gnats both do well in such a muggy climate, and great swarms of these pests gather around anyone foolish enough to enter the area unprepared. Elsewhere in the forest, rare or unique creatures are said to exist, including the creature known as Equestrielle, believed by some to be the last unicorn on Faydwer. Others believe that something far more disturbing has occurred — some unicorns still live, but have been corrupted by the influence of the Faceless One.Other Inhabitants
The forest's Fey denizens are notoriously hostile toward outsiders, though their reactions vary from mischief and harassment, in the case of the Fae Drakes and Faeries, to disabling but usually nonlethal magic from the Pixies, to violent attacks with deadly force by the xenophobic Brownies. The Fey are aided in their defense by the region's isolation. The forest is nestled in a steep-sided, well-sheltered valley, accessible only by the hazardous wilderness trail, the Faydark Passage. This treacherous trail claim the lives of many would-be adventurers each year. It runs through straight from the Butcherblock Mountains to Greater Faydark. Unfortunately for the Fey, some outsiders, including the Crushbone Orcs, Wood Elves, Humans, Dark Elves and a small group of Gnome astronomers have taken up residence in the region and remained there, stubbornly resisting the Feys' attacks. Some of these groups, such as the Wood Elves and the Gnomes, have managed to live in at least a temporary state of truce with at least some of the Fey, while others — the Orcs in particular — live in a constant state of watchfulness and are every bit as aggressive and dangerous as the woods' normal inhabitants. Evil also dwells in the dark corridors of Castle Mistmoore, home of the Dark Elf Vampire lord Mayong Mistmoore. Located among the shadowy peaks of Ranthok's Ridge, off the southeastern edge of the forest, Castle Mistmoore casts its shadow across the Lesser Faydark and represents a greater threat to the Fey than any Orc interloper ever could. It is thought that most of the undead that wander the region are under Mistmoore's influence, and his minions are sometimes seen in the valley. So far, Mistmoore and his evil followers have kept to themselves, but he may have his own plans for the region that have yet to come to fruition.History
When the Elder Age was in full bloom, long before the Faydark was divided, the Fey (brownies, pixies, faeries, and fae drakes) and the other sylvan creatures (unicorns, griffons, and others) dwelt together in the great forest. They assisted the Woodkine in the defense of their homeland, but, unlike the Woodkine, the fey eventually forsook the Greater Faydark for its smaller and more isolated sister forest. After the Faydark was divided by orcish assaults, the Fey tried to maintain their ancestral homes in both forests; however, as the world beyond the forest continued to change, too many creatures began to venture into the realms of the Fey. The Fier'Dal left their home on the continent of Antonica and began to settle in the Greater Faydark. Though they disliked the thought of sharing their woods with outsiders, the Fey tolerated the Wood Elves, but grew increasingly uneasy as the years went by and other less welcome visitors began to arrive — Dwarves, Humans, and Orcs; foresters, hunters, raiders, and bandits.
The Fey fought these intruders, but even though the wee folk were brave and determined, in the end they proved too few to stem the tide. Faerie warriors perished at the hands of Orc centurions, Brownies were rounded up and killed or captured as curiosities, and nearly all of the proud unicorns of the Greater Faydark were slaughtered. At length, the pressure upon the Fey grew too much, and they began to depart en masse, relocating to the nearby Lesser Faydark. Few remained in the Greater Faydark, stubbornly defending their old homesteads, sharing an uneasy truce with the Wood Elves and battling the intrusions of the Crushbone Orcs and others.
The rest, however, retreated into the ancient and forbidding depths of the Lesser Faydark, where they created the last purely Fey settlements. Intensely territorial and fearful of the outside world, the Brownies, Pixies, and Fae Drakes all jealously guarded their realm against intrusion, harassing if not ferociously attacking outsiders. For a time the fey held the outside world at bay, and lived at peace amongst themselves. The Fae Drakes flitted about the forest, serving their royal court and aiding the other inhabitants of the forest. The brownies founded a small but thriving settlement, and mushroom-houses were dotted throughout the area.
Few outsiders came to the forest, and fewer still survived. The best known of the survivors was the Human monk called Master Wu, who established a small encampment and spent several years contemplating the wonders and peace of the surrounding forest. Perhaps sensing a kindred soul, the fey generally left Wu in peace, and after a time he moved on, continuing his studies elsewhere. For decades, the folk of the Lesser Faydark continued to live in peace.
In recent years, the relatively peaceful life of the fey has been disturbed once more. The Crushbone Orcs have established several outposts in the region, the Fier'Dal have begun to move into this neck of the woods to hunt and explore, human bandits have begun to use the place as a secure base, and — possibly most alarming of all — a band of powerful Dark Elves has taken up residence in the vicinity of Master Wu's old camp. No one is sure what the Teir'Dal are doing here, though most assume that they must somehow be in league with the Vampire lord Mayong Mistmoore, and few believe that anything good can come from their presence.
Drawn by legends of lost Wood Elf and Fey treasures, adventurers have also begun to venture into the region more often. The Fey respond to such intrusions with even greater vehemence than normal, for they remember the predations of the so-called "freebooters" and "explorers" who once ravaged their territories in the Greater Faydark, felled their precious trees, slaughtering the gentle unicorns and dragging the Fey themselves off for sale as slaves or curiosities. The notion that adventurers might be motivated by things other than greed makes little difference to the Fey, who defend their realm vigorously no matter who intrudes upon it.
Type
Forest
Location under
Included Locations
Characters in Location
Inhabiting Species
Butcherblock Mountains
Castle Mistmoore
Greater Faydark
Hills of Shade
Ranthok's Ridge Common Native Creatures
Bats
Black Bears
Brown Bears
Brownie
Dire Wolves
Eagles
Fae Drakes
Faeries
Giant Eagles
Giant Spider
Giant Wasp
Orcs
Poisonous Snakes
Pixie
Skeletons
Wolves
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