The Thicket

In the deepest part of The Wilds, there is a thick patch of wood that hides a circular clearing that is only accessible at certain times of the year.

Geography

The Wilds is a wooded area in the west of Westlo Public Holidays. While it is not out of bounds to folk of any kind, it is little explored, and the humanfolk of Livey in particular have certain grave superstitions about avoiding the forest.
Deep in the Wilds is a thickly wooded area, a little more than a day's march west from Livey. This area contains some plant and animal species not found elsewhere in Westlo. Within the Thicket, there is a circular clearing with a fast running stream cutting through it.

Fauna & Flora

Some of the animals and plants found in this part of The Wilds are not known elsewhere, and they display traits that could be called 'less derived' or 'plesiomorphic'.
An example is that insects in this area are noticeably larger than in other parts of the forest. Dragonfly, in particular, can reach up to 10cm in length, with a wingspan of some 25-30cm. Flightless birds and colourful fowl can be found in the undergrowth, and these are not timid when approached.
Perhaps the most well-known of these strange animals are the 'hill ponies' of the Wilds, as these are also found in other clearings in the woods. The hill ponies display an advanced animal intelligence and, according to Ianpip Urina Lilly Sakasys Verin, have developed a kind of primitive calendar based around observations of annual occurrences.
The fact that the hill ponies appear to know when apples are ready to fall might account for both this calendar and their wider spread, as the Thicket has fewer fruit-bearing trees. It is speculated that the ponies have learned to go further afield at certain times in order to eat their favourite foods.

In the course of investigating the Wilds, our heroes came to The Thicket at noon on Midsummer. Mochache the Ranger was surprised to find a part of the forest that he had not explored before: the clearing in the centre of the Thicket. Together, Mochache, Joom Jim and Ianpip Urina Lilly Sakasys Verin witnessed a strange vision, of a young girl crossing the stream gradually advancing through the stages of life from girl to old woman, and then met a manifestation of the Dragon God Io in the middle of the stream.
More on this episode can be read at The Voice of Io.

Type

Grove

Location under

The Wilds