Ghabat al-Shabka

The Ghabat al-Shakba is a forest on the island of Qutra. It has the densest concentration of the unique Shajarat Altiniyn (dragon-blood trees) in the Great Ring, and also is known for the unusual and dangerous spiders that make the forest their home. The name Ghabat al-Shakba can be loosely translated as "The Forest of Webs".

The forest is not large, covering only about two and a half square miles within a larger region of wilderness. It is distinguished from the surrounding area by an increase in the density of the trees, and the appearance of the large and special spiderwebs that have been hung in the shade of the canopy. Locals know to avoid coming within sight of the Ghabat al-Shakba, as few who have seen the webs ever return home again.

What stories have escaped the Forest of Webs are confused, but do agree on some major details. The webs around the edges of the wood have a strange effect on the minds of those who see them. They report seeing great treasures, or lost loved ones, or other images that seem calculated to lure the viewer closer to the web. Upon approaching, the image shimmers and fades, but many viewers by then have already come too close. The edges of the forest are lined with camouflaged pits, and it is easy for someone watching the illusion-producing webs to suddenly fall into one of these traps. The interiors are filled with sticky webbing that makes it nearly impossible to escape, and then the spiders will finally show themselves. Nearly a foot across, the spiders of the pits have a iridescent blue carapace and work in packs, biting the trapped prey creature and injecting a venom which paralyzes them in seconds. They are then wrapped more tightly in the webbing and vanish into the earth, leaving no trace behind. The spiders repair the camouflage around the pit rapidly, and the whole encounter is undetectable after only a few minutes have gone by. If it were not for the occasional witness who saw a goat, sheep, or friend disappear into the spider's pits, nobody would ever know what happened.

Notable Spirits

Local legends hold that there is a Spider Deva, whose name cannot be spoken by any non-arachnid, that lives in the center of the forest. They claim that this creature is a librarian of sorts, and records all the history of the world in their webs, constantly maintaining them and updating them as spiders relay the secrets they observe. If one was brave and lucky, and could approach the library of webs with an appropriate gift, the Deva is said to grant favors, usually in the form of answering questions truthfully. The stories are careful to point out that the questioner must reserve the final favor in order to request safe passage out of the Ghabat al-Shabka, lest they be consumed by the Deva and the other spiders.

Type

Forest

Location under

Qutra

Geographic Details

Location: Southeastern Region
Latitude: 12.15 degrees North
Longitude: 39.13 degrees East
Area: 2.5 sq mi