The Marcisian Grove
The Forest of Many Faces
Many acres of Astreia's Forest, just north of the old elven city, Volantis, is permanently blanketed in a thick fog. It is said that while travelling through the forest, screams and cries of soldiers forever lost in the woods can be heard. The silhouette of ever approaching Marcisian soldiers are sometimes spotted out of the corner of the eye, but if they are gazed upon directly, they disappear. Each of the trees within the grove bear the face of a human, a victim of fey magic.
During the Marcisian's aggressive expansion into northern Anestor, the Marcisian soldiers made the mistake of burning down a large portion of Astreia's Forest. They did this in an attempt to tame the land, once and for all. They also wanted to force direct conflict with Astreia, so that their mages could banish her from this world. Unfortunately for them, Astreia took protecting her forest and her people very seriously, and she was much more powerful than the Marcisian mages were prepared to handle. Locals of Anestor knew better than to harm the trees of Astreia's Forest. They had enough reverence for Astreia's power to avoid invading her lands, but the Marcisians were proud. If only they had listened to the superstitious locals, that regiment may have survived.
After a full day of burning down the forest, the Marcisian soldiers settled down in a forward camp upon the ashes. The forest in that area was gone, burned away by magic, but the next morning, the trees were back. All signs of the fire were gone, and the forest looked stronger than ever. Captain LaCroix, of the Marcisian Legionnaires found himself staring up in horror at the trees. Below is a letter he sent to his commander, General Dubois which had been intercepted by Anestian resistance soldiers.
To Antione Dubios
General of the 2nd Legion
I have disturbing news. We of the fifth regiment did as were commanded. We had our mages begin burning Astreia's Forest from the city of Volantis northward, whilst our soldiers cut down the straggling fey creatures as they fled the smoke and flames. We made a great deal of progress, but I believe we may have underestimated the power this place holds. When I woke this morning, all of our progress was undone. The forest was back, with trees just as tall as they'd been previously.
There was a thick fog blanketing everything. It was difficult to find others of the regiment, but I was able to locate some. We gathered and chose to retreat and regroup back in Volantis. I was able to return without great difficulty, but as we did a role call we realized with horror that only three hundred thirty six of our thousand men had returned to Volantis. Search parties were organized and went back into the forest to find our men, but there was no use. They'd disappeared. It was only upon closer inspection that we discovered our only clue. The trees had faces: the faces of our men.
I fear the remaining men will desert if ordered back into the forest. There have already been mutterings. The dissenters have been flogged as required, but my fear is that we do not have enough officers left living to maintain control for much longer. We request further instructions, advice and reinforcements.
Cordially,
Michel Dubois,
Captain of the 5th Regiment of the 2nd Legion
Moving Trees
It is said that when not being looked at directly, the trees of the grove and the landscape itself changes. If one were to spin around, it is possible that the land behind them is completely different than it was moments before. It is not known if this is a trick of lighting and the fog, or if the trees are truly moving. Either way, the Grove is incredibly difficult to navigate. Because of the thick fog and foliage, navigation by the stars or the sun is very difficult. Being lost in this grove comes with many dangers, and it is not uncommon for those who tread within the Marcisian Grove to never return again.
The Fey
The fey in the grove are more malicious than those in other parts of the forest. Many of them remember the terrors that the Marcisians inflicted on them. Because fey are long lived, and their understanding of time is not like that of mortals, they cannot simply move on from the sight of Marcisian soldiers burning their forest. Most of the fey lost family and loved ones during the attacks, and fey are known to love forever. Those entering the Marcisian Grove are warned to avoid looking directly at the White Ladies. They are beautiful and enticing, but also malicious and spiteful. They do not have the ability to lie, but are not likely to ever tell the whole story. They will make deals and offer help, and they will stay true to their word, but a fey will not make a deal that is not heavily in their favor.
Beware the dancing lights. Beware the ladies in white. Beware. Beware. Beware.
Haunted
It is said that The Marcisian Grove is one of the most haunted places in all of Anestor. The souls trapped within the trees are not happy to be there. they are angry, but their purpose has changed. While they were once trying to destroy Astreia's Forest, they are now bound to defend it for all of eternity. Their voices and images can be heard in the distance. They try to frighten intruders away, or lead them to being lost in the forest. They try to frighten and lure intruders deeper in the forest. They use their supernatural fog to separate intruders from each other, and those who sleep in the forest take the risk of being killed in the night, only to join the legion as tree in the morning.
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