Rylan Woods

Tairos is filled with so much green, so much bounty for us to harvest. The forests of this land offer themselves up and we should not turn away that gift. All of them except Rylan. That one does not belong to us.
— The Autumn Queen

There is an abundance of arboreal splendor in Tairos and not a single region lacks for trees from which to build their cities. Yet, none of them are as deep or as large as the Rylan Woods. This forest stretches from western edge of Frial and all the way past the coast of Lake Lunarch. It than reaches northward almost penetrating into the old Gnome empire.

Rylan woods is a place only the boldest of adventurers would dare to enter. Stories are told of magnificent creatures, dire threats, ancient ruins and treasures from a long forgotten age all hidden within her depths. Truth and fantasy are very difficult to separate and what little is known comes from the records of the Elves and even there wisdom is taken second-hand.

Their collected knowledge comes from cave drawings and glyphs chiseled into timeless monoliths. In the age before even the elves Rylan Woods was said to be a place of power where the spirit realm and the living one overlapped.Where the Totem Spirits of Tairos could walk the earth as easily as they could the ether. It was a place of perfect balance and beauty unlike anywhere else. Even the Dragons dared not upset the beings that dwelt here.

Its played the role of sanctuary during many of Tairos' pivotal events. When the Golden King Azuras purged the land of nature worshipers these woods helped the survivors weather the storm. During the Fang Crusade the totem spirits and their followers launched their own attacks against the Ximezci from here. When the plague of undeath followed the crusade the Rylan Forest offered safety to the living and final death to the dead. When the Autumn Queen arrived in Tairos with her Fae she opted to stay clear of the totem spirits that lurked here. Nature would have been the only enemy should could not defeat with politics, bribery or guile and war with them too early be disastrous.

In modern Tairos the woods have become largely forgotten by most. With the destruction in the wake of The Queen's Rebuke most citizens are confined to their city-states and surrounding territory. Rylan Woods is far from all the remaining powers save for the elves of Melanthris and they're content with leaving the nature spirits confined to their last little bastion. Only the logging city of Rylan (settled and named after the first human explorer to put the woods on a map) interacts with it regularly. The city of Rylan harvests the magic-infused wood from the forest to sell for peak profit while the spirits here wage a ceaseless war to push the loggers from the region. The people here would not be able to withstand the efforts of the forest if not for constant influx of hired swords looking to get rich off the wealth of the desperate Logger Barons.

Natural Resources

Primarily wood. The Wood of Rylan forest is known for being incredibly durable and is thus highly sought after by engineers and bowyers for their craft. The wood and sap are also believed by many to have healing properties ideal for the manufacture of medicinal kits.

There is also an abundance of strange flora and fauna that have become prized delicacy that is especially popular with the peasant-elves of Melanthris... much to the dismay of their noble lords. Many kinds of fruit, vegetables and roots grow there as well which provide both magical boons and culinary opportunity.

It's also said that many of the Thorns, Sharps and even the Crowns of the Black Thorn Society seek to have dangerous beasts from Rylan Woods brought back either as slaves or exotic pets.

Alternative Name(s)

Spirit Home, Throne of the Totems

Type

Forest

Owning Organization

Totems Spirits of Balance

Contested By