Creepy Crawly Woods
"...The Woods are unique because it is said by the Wise that they hold the most important trees in the whole of Owtdare..."
The Creepy Crawly Woods are found in the middle of the The Hard Lands. They are roughly circular in shape about 7 miles north to south and about 10 miles east to west.
The Woods are unique because it is said by the Wise that they hold the most important trees in the whole of Owtdare, including the The Oldest Oak which is said to be the centre of the Magical Shroom-Web.
The Woods are governed by The The Wise of the Woods, a council of guardians led by the Woodland King and have been split into smaller fiefdoms each governed by people that the King has carefully chosen.
Southwood
Most of the area south of the Tinkle is governed directly by the Woodland King, apart from 2 areas of the wood given over to the Fairy King and Malum, Dame of Spritewood.
Kingstone is a stone circle to the west of the woods but close enough to be part of the Woodland Kings lands.
The Tall Fairy's Meadows
The Tall Fairy's meadows comprise Kingshive and the Melliferm Copse and are fenced on the west by the Tall Fairy's Oaks. This area is just outside the main treeline on the South West side of the woods. The meadows are also the home of the Royal Court of Rabbits.
Norfwood
Norfwood lies north of the Tinkle and extends from the west edge of the whole woods, passing under Spiderwood and the West Arch to Silverheath, all the way across to The Stink in the East, and ending at the Rickety Bridge.
Spiderwood
The North-western section of the woods is a dangerous place to visit. This narrow valley that leads from the valley up to the Hard Lands holds the Spiderwood , and just to the east of it is Silverheath.
Geography
The Creepy Crawly Woods sit in a bowl-shaped valley near the centre of the Hard Lands.
The valley leans slightly to the east with the westernmost side of the woods having the higher ground, and the streams and running water generally run in an easterly direction as they feed the Tinkle which runs out of the woods under the Rickety Bridge.
Windridge
On the very western border of the woods the ground rises to a steep cliff that provides a windbreak to the prevailing north-westerly wind that constantly mithers the Hard Lands.
The water table sits just below this ridge and has led to the many streams that characterise the bulk of the woods. They have carved the valley floor of the western half of the woods into a series of sharp ravines and mini-valleys that travellers can easily get lost in.
The Ponds
The valleys become less steep the further east you move. Towards the centre of the woods are Big Pond and Tinkle Pond, which make up the 2 largest bodies of open water in the immediate area. These 2 small lakes are fed by many tributaries and the water then flows east out of the woods as the land gradually flattens out.
The East Tail
The geography becomes far less pronounced to the east of the woods and the soil becomes far sandier like the rest of the Hard Lands. There is a treacherous marshy area that smells terrible, crossed by some stepping stones, called The Stink, and this extends along the banks of the Tinkle until you reach the Rickety Bridge, then you know you have left the woods.
Climate
The Creepy Crawly Woods have a more favorable climate than the Hard Lands that surrounds them. Because of the shelter offered by the terrain from the prevailing winds the Woods have a microclimate that is warmer and far less windy. There are also a large number of natural springs which rarely dry up like many of those in the Hard Lands do every summer.
Fauna & Flora
Flora
There are many types of tree in the woods with willows, birch and oaks towards the east and centre gradually giving way to cedars and pines in the far west as the ground climbs the cliffs towards the Hard Lands.
Some of the trees are very significant and even magical. These include the Oldest Oak, the Great Oak and the Unhappy Elm.
Fauna
The woods are teeming with animal life.
As you can imagine the Creepy Crawly Woods get their name from the prolific insect and spider life that populates the woods. It is safe to say the Woods has more than its fair share of this type of creature. In the daytime the dragonflys rule the ponds and the glades and meadows are literally humming with life. The night brings no respite as the crickets, glow worms and light-nose gribbilies play their midnight chorus. Some of the insects and spiders have very individual personalities like Sukey the Spider who lives in the Goblin Cave and Henry the Hornet who is the Fairy King's trusty steed.
There are many birds native to the woods all year round, as well as many who migrate seasonally. The woods form a perfect place for nesting and raising young, so many species spend the spring and summer in the woods to start their families. Others, manly water-fowl, that live on the coast in the summer, head to the woods for refuge during the fiercer weather of the winter months as storms batter the coasts.
The ponds are full of fish, newts, frogs and toads.
There is a healthy population of mammals and reptiles of shapes and sizes from mice and voles at the smaller end up to deer as the largest creatures you may find.History
A long time ago the woods were a lot bigger than they are now, but the Maelstrom storms that created the Hard Lands have meant the woods have now shrunk to the confines of the valley.
Gateways to the Land of Elsedare
It is true that the Creepy Crawly Woods sits in the middle of the Hard Lands in most maps, however, if you could see a map of the land of Elsedare, you would see the woods sitting on the north-western edge.
The land of Elsedare is difficult to find and perilous to explore for those who are unprepared, but there are many paths in the Creepy Crawly Woods that lead to this magical realm for those who know their way...
Maps
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Creepy Crawly Woods
The Creepy Crawly Woods are found near the centre of the Hard Lands
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