A fog-cloaked collection of roanwood, yarpick, and ipp trees said to be haunted by lycanthropes.
The western lands of Verbobonc are marked by the Iron Wood, a fog-cloaked collection of roanwood, yarpick, and ipp trees said to be haunted by lycanthropes. A thin and little-used trade road named the Iron Road cuts the forest from Verbobonc to the walled city of Devarnish, but most merchants prefer to travel along the Velverdyva.
Certainly, this wood is one of the most dangerous areas of Verbobonc; even bandits shun the shelter of its ancient trees. The lycanthropes that prowl the woods, prey on travelers and shrink away from concerted attacks from the Mounted Borderers and Rhynehurst’s own Silver Guard. It is rumored that the lycanthrope of the Iron Wood are lead by a powerful creature known as the Moonlord.
The Iron Wood is almost 300 square miles, with the bulk of the forest south and west of the Velverdyva River. The wood is nearly 50 miles across by the east-west Iron Road, meaning the trip takes two full days to traverse for a walking human or a laden caravan. At the center of the Iron Road has long stood an inn, the Fallen Timber Tavern. Travelers can enter the Iron Wood from either side early in the morning, push hard, and be at the Fallen Timber Tavern by nightfall. An early start the next morning will allow them to clear the fearsome wood by the next night. Travelers caught in the Iron Wood after dark are commonly found torn to pieces by animals the next day, if they are ever found at all.
An elven hero named Shannus has established a community around the Fallen Timber Tavern. This boomtown is called Glory, and it prospers from the sale of lumber and exotic herbs. From Glory, Shannus fights a desperate crusade to rid the Iron Wood of the lycanthropes.
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