The Pinelands

Places of Interest.

-

City of Roots (Capital)

Woodstone Cottage

Grove of Three

Information Regarding the Pinelands.

-

Two main races live within the Pinelands. The Abeiten, the wood elves who are said to have grown from the ground, and the Masked Children. The Abeiten tend to live solitary lives, leaving home to create their own dens and nests among the trees. Despite this, the single settlement in the Pinelands is the City of Roots, far below the shifting trees and inaccessible to anyone who doesn’t know their secrets.

The Masked Children are said to be the only remaining true followers of the Pine Gods of old. Once, they were people of all different background from across the continent, but after understanding the ever shifting truth and thoughts of the Pines their bodies have shifted to their odd, everwood forms. The origin of their masks, however, is unknown. Some say that it was their face before succumbing to the trees, others say they craft them in a trance while communing with their Gods.

Grass Draccus slink between the trees, picking of those who wander too far into the trees. Despite seeming like a grisly end, those who have talked with the Draccus’ will find that they see it as a mercy. To be lost in the Pinelands is a fate worse than death.

The trees of the Pinelands are always shifting and moving. Two people may stand next to each other and see an entirely different forest, and retracing your steps is useless. The Pines know where you need to go, and if you treat them well they may help you there.

The Pine gods of old, the Knowing, the Imposter, the Champion, are represented by a crow, a masked wolf, and a bear respectively. These deities are not understood by many apart from their Children, and even they do not know the scope of their power.

Upon the Southern Coast of the Pinelands lays the Bay of Spores, containing Mycelus Major and Minor. A few of the Sporekin living in these islands sailed to the Pinelands and have found it a pleasant place to live. It’s very easy to grow fungus among the fallen pine needles, after all.

There are rumours of a true Dragon living in the Pinelands, not a drake, wyrm or draccus, but a Dragon. This ancient being is said to protect the forest from those who would seek it harm, and some consider it the fourth, ruling god of the Pines.

Every Abeiten is said to make a living wood item, to show that they are crafty enough to survive alone in the woods. These items are bound to a tree in the forest, and as long as the tree stands the item will always regrow from any damage. Most popular are daggers, useful for survival, but many different items types exist.

The Abeiten and the Stainglass elves stand as mirrors of one another. One from the forest of the Dark, and the other from the forest of Light. Despite this, they have a very good political relationship, and will tend to help each other’s nations in times of need.

While every Masked Child’s mask is different, they tend to get along better with others who have similar looking masks. Whether this is just coincidence is unknown, but some believe there is a deeper truth to this trait.

Groblemms are horrible goblin like creatures who live among the branches, and very much enjoy jumping onto unsuspecting adventurers to steal any item they can grab. They have no understanding of currency, but revel in the idea of any item they own that belongs to someone else. A prize treasure for any Groblemm would be an Abeiten’s living wood item, knowing that the item was handcrafted with love as well as the fierce hatred they feel for the wood elves make these the best things that they could receive.

The most common prey for the trees are hunters in the Unclaimed Wilds who wander into the woods. There is a story of a hunter who chased a brilliant silver deer deeper and deeper into the forest. The hunter was fast, but the deer was faster, and soon he was alone in the forest. From the trees, the silver deer stepped out. Then another, and another. As the legend goes, nobody ever heard of him again, and his wife swore that as she investigated her missing husbands camp, she saw a silver deer at the edge of the trees, looking at her with familiar eyes.

Followers of Leniviir, the God of the Dark, find comfort in the enclosed trees. It is not uncommon to find offerings to the God in the Pinelands, as well as occasional shrines. The Masked Children tend to find this disrespectful to the old Pine gods, but they are too afraid to interfere.

Anyone who lives in the Pinelands will tell you: if you hear a noise from the woods that has no explanation, just leave it be. Most times than not, they are best left a mystery.

-

Back to the Map

_