The Shadow Woodlands 1

Summary:

The Shadow Woodlands lies in the Low-Lying Lands in the north of Ludo, stretching from County Blackburn up to the top of County Steelwater. It is the untamed part of Ludo, where even the old Ludovians feared to tread and has become a source of legends. Stories of lyches, witches, and things that go bump in the night AND daylight keep the people from daring to enter its woods. At its lowest tip, near the town of Arddene in County Red Hook, a long line of trees creates the natural border between civilization and certain death. For no one who enters the Shadow Woodlands lives to tell the tale. (Though the people have forgotten that centuries ago, much of County Roseforte lay in the woods and no one has yet to be gobbled up in their beds.) The Shadow Woodlands is home to the Silver Valley, The Distant Cliffs, Gregor Loch, The Deserted Forest, The Field of Thorns, and the fabled orchard of The Golden Apples.

About Gregor Loch:

Gregor Loch was originally named Grejora Dach by the old recluse Ludo Tribes that lived the Shadow Woodlands. Through the years, the name changed into Gregor when found by Regnvald Gregor Whitearm as he went in search of a Golden Apple. It is the largest body of water in the Shadow Woodlands and several rivers flow from it, including: Moorheld, Greencoure, and Corstock. Gregor Loch was also once home to a small group of nomad/hermits/crazy people (depending who you asked). Small, empty cabins made of wood and rock still exist in the area. The last known inhabitant of Gregor Loch is Ben Hobson, though it is now assumed that he has been dead for many years due to his age.)

About The Deserted Forest:

The Deserted Forest is what most people think of when the think of the Shadow Woodlands. It's tall trees create a canopy that immediately thrusts anyone brave to enter the woods into almost total darkness. Though it is alive with a variety of vibrant plants, animals, and insect life. Many take the forest's stillness for it being dead, haunted, or just plain deserted. The Deserted Forest stretches from the bottom most point of the woods, up to the top, creating a natural border to the Shadow Woodlands.

About The Silver Valley:

The Silver Valley is named so for the color of the sky that hangs constantly over the area. Often, people mistake the grey skies for a storm in the area or signs of snow, but storms do not come. It is the only part of Ludo, and indeed the world, that has a consistently grey sky - though no one knows why. Despite the ominous sky, the Silver Valley is one of the most peaceful areas of the Shadow Woodlands.

About The Distant Cliffs:

The Distant Cliffs are the fabled home to the long lost Golden Apple Orchard. The cliff face is made of flat rock of varying sizes that a person could conceivably climb. The ground under the cliffs is littered with bits of shale like rock that crunches deviously underfoot. Long ago people broke off pieces from the cliff to build their homes. In some cases, communities built caves into the cliffs and lived directly in the cliff. Especially when thousands went looking for the Golden Apples for themselves.

About The Field of Thorns:

The Field of Thorns grows in front of the Distant Cliffs. When there was a big rush on finding Golden Apples and when the old Ludo tribes lived in the area - the thorns were managed. After centuries without any people in the area, the thorns have grown to take over a large span of space and the vines have grown thick and unruly.

About The Orchard:

The Orchard is home to the Golden Apple trees. After the first few trees were found in the wild, the orchard was then began and cultivated upon the Distant Cliff purposefully so that it would be both difficult to get to get to, but people could still find them. The area was quite warm when the Golden Apple trees were alive, as they burn from the inside until the last apple is plucked and it dies. Currently there are thousands of dead trees in the area but rumors have continued through the centuries of a last golden apple still in existence.