The Legend of Fearin Wood
Long before The Dragon War while the first settlements were still quaint hovels there was a place none dared venture. It was said to be a terrible place; a cursed place. A place of heavy fog, with air that was as thick as pine tar, and as quiet as death itself. The Old Wood forests of Armells are dangerous places at the best of times. However, none are as perilous as Fearin Wood. From the earliest civilizations, it was known that any who entered the wood never returned and all that was heard shortly after they entered was screams of terror and pain. The adventurer Edward Fearin set out to discover the source of the terror with some research assistants. He began by sending animals into the wood with a rope attached to them, and at the first unnatural pull of the rope would attempt to pull the animals to safety.
Unfortunately, no animals survived the experiment. Most were mutilated, and others seemingly died of heart failure. Those that were mutilated had large talon-like gashes throughout their chests, as well as beak-like puncture wounds to their neck leading Fearin to assume that some hyper-aggressive bird species may be behind the attacks. However, there was one thing that couldn't be explained. After the experiment concluded and a long night's rest, Fearin re-examined the animals. To his surprise, there seemed to be no mark of any kind on the creatures.
After this discovery, Fearin needed to know just what could have happened beyond the tree line. Was it their imaginations? Had he and his compatriots imagined the wounds? Was the wood affecting them despite not being past the trees? To find the truth, he would have to head in himself.
A line was tied to Fearin using three heavy ropes braided together. Fearin entered the treeline and disappeared into the fog. That was the last time he was ever seen. The last thing Fearin's assistants heard was a bloodcurdling scream, then the rope was pulled taught, and snapped as if it was a single thread.
No one dares enter the Wood anymore, and the name was changed to Fearin Wood as a reminder to any foolish enough to contemplate entering that gods-forsaken place.
Unfortunately, no animals survived the experiment. Most were mutilated, and others seemingly died of heart failure. Those that were mutilated had large talon-like gashes throughout their chests, as well as beak-like puncture wounds to their neck leading Fearin to assume that some hyper-aggressive bird species may be behind the attacks. However, there was one thing that couldn't be explained. After the experiment concluded and a long night's rest, Fearin re-examined the animals. To his surprise, there seemed to be no mark of any kind on the creatures.
After this discovery, Fearin needed to know just what could have happened beyond the tree line. Was it their imaginations? Had he and his compatriots imagined the wounds? Was the wood affecting them despite not being past the trees? To find the truth, he would have to head in himself.
A line was tied to Fearin using three heavy ropes braided together. Fearin entered the treeline and disappeared into the fog. That was the last time he was ever seen. The last thing Fearin's assistants heard was a bloodcurdling scream, then the rope was pulled taught, and snapped as if it was a single thread.
No one dares enter the Wood anymore, and the name was changed to Fearin Wood as a reminder to any foolish enough to contemplate entering that gods-forsaken place.
