Type of Government: The Old Forest has never had an official government, rather whenever a decision was to be made which affected all the forests denizens the so called Greater Beings, the most ancient and impressive examples of their respective spaces, would gather. This, often, resulted in petty argument and endless compromise. While the seemingly almighty power of the forest in ages past meant this slow and contentious decision making process was tolerable given how uncommonly a united front was needed, the pressures of the modern day have revealed its weakness.
Head(s) of Government: It could be said all the Greater Beings are heads of Government in the forest, certainly none would admit to being anything less, but in reality only a few among them hold real power. These notable entities include Shaetarae of the Dryads, Gerum of the Great Weavers, Keera of the Harpies, Tokar of the Grand Ursine and on the rare occasion they deign to exert their influence, Ooash of the Shadows.
Economy: Until recently the Old Forest had little in the way of industry, and in the past there is no doubt not a one of its denizens would have willingly engaged in the economics of the so called 'ephemeral ones'. Of course, the Forests denizens don't have the choice to refuse to participate any longer. After the first sundering of the Forest the Great Beings were forced to make concessions, and today they, begrudgingly, provide the world with materials and goods of the finest quality. Whether it be the coveted Darkberries grown by the Ursine, the silk of the Weavers, prize sheep raised and fed under the canopy of the trees, or even the magical deep ice of the old mountain, the Forest does not lack for exports. As for what it receives in return? Well, the Great beings cannot be said to have been ignorant of the circumstances of their subjugation. Deep within the forest the hiss of steam rises and furnaces burn hot, ostensibly to process the resources of the forest within the forest. Of course, industry has many uses.
Primary Species: Countless species live within the forest, but few if any are those that might be seen elsewhere. The thinking beings of the forest are in order of their numbers, the Great Weavers, the Harpies, the Grand Ursine, the Dryads, and finally the enigmatic Shadows.
Population: Somewhere in vicinity of twenty five million.
70,000 Shadows 100,000 Dryads 2 Million Grand Ursine 2.5 Million Fellyr 9 Million Harpies 11 Million Weavers
Culture: Every species within the forest has, in one way or another, its own culture and traditions. The most numerous species huddling in the undergrowth are the Great Weavers, colossal intelligent spiders that in ages past lurked among the trees feeding on wildlife and the unwary alike. The Weavers are perhaps the species that, for all they are misunderstood and loathed outside the forest, have most easily adapted their culture to the new world.
For example, while the Weavers once prized and jealously guarded their silk, a material nearly as durable is it is lustrous, they quickly leveraged the humiliation of having to surrender the wealth of their own bodies into great power in the forest. Under the guidance of Gerume, the oldest of their kind to survive the sundering of the forest, the Weavers constructed great looms. Rather than stew in the shame of their new circumstances the Weavers turned the material they once guarded into a source of incredible wealth.
Likewise the Weavers have adapted in other areas. In the past the spiders were reclusive, outright refusing to consider outsiders people and certainly not worth their time. At best, an elf or human was a somewhat mediocre meal. Nowadays, for all that it’s unsettling, the Weavers are the most talkative species in the forest, always engaging with outsiders where the other denizens would refuse to do so.
The Weavers, as a people, were once uncomplicated. They ate, they fought when the Greater Beings among them demanded it, and otherwise kept to themselves. Their family units were nonexistent, rather ‘friends’ would merely set up webs near each other and on occasion engage in contests of skill in weaving or hunting. Now... Things are shifting for the forest as a whole, and nowhere is that more obvious than with the Weavers.
Of course, in perhaps a great irony, where the inhuman Weavers have adapted to their circumstances the human-like, seemingly approachable Harpies have fought any effort to have them change their ways. Perhaps the difference of opinion is less striking, when one gets a look at a Harpies smile. Predators like the Weavers, the difference between the two is that the Harpies never regarded the outside species as poor meals, but rather rich delicacies with vital ceremonial meaning.
Indeed, the consumption of elves, humans, dwarves, and their ilk was once an important part of Harpy religion. The predatory bird folk worship, fittingly, the spirits of the wind. While everyday worship is simple, rarely going beyond a prayer before meals, on sacred days the Harpies once descended upon communities beyond the forest in great hunts, displaying their prowess before the spirits in hunting the most dangerous prey. Those who were most successful consumed their kills ritually with their families, earning the blessings of the Sky-Witches who were said to hear the spirits of the wind directly and who possessed incredible magic.
Such a blessing was what made one an attractive bachelor, a respected leader of the community, or even what permitted one to marry their beloved regardless of any feuds or grudges between families. Ever since the sundering of the forest the hunts have ceased, and in their absence the Sky-Witches have become reclusive. The Harpies as a whole fear the displeasure of the spirits for the species failure to honour them, and it has been said some have gone about... Illicit activities to avert what the Harpies see as the wrath of the wind.
Not all the denizens of the forest have such... Colourful histories and practices though. The Grand Ursine, enormous bears often seen as the kings of all beasts, have never predated on the ‘ephemeral ones’ and have had little to reason to change their habits after the sundering of the forest. Certainly, they resent the basic labours demanded of them, but in truth it is not like they have not worked before. In ages past the Grand Ursine were the strong hand of the Dryads, so few truly loathe the labours that have become their new duty.
The Ursine, creatures with strong families and simple lives, spend their days working, hunting in the forest, or tending to the berry crops they have so painstaking maintained in the undergrowth of the forest. They are standoffish to outsiders, but the Ursine have no great hatred for outsiders and if one manages to gain their trust they have much to offer in what is perhaps some of the oldest oral history in the world. For if anything, the Ursine love stories. Fiction, truth, a blend of both, the Ursine spend much of their recreational time speaking and listening, remembering and constructing. If anything, the rapid rise of literacy among the Ursine is what sets them apart.
Of course, some of the denizens of the forest haven't had to learn their words from the outsiders. Apart from the common species of the forest there are the Dryads, truly powerful and enigmatic beings once feared and considered myth. They are few in number, some say less than a hundred thousand live within the forest, but all hold tremendous authority. Some have compared them to masterful statues of women carved from living wood, but even that falls short when one stands in the presence of such a venerable and august creature as a Dryad. Their skin is incongruously soft to the touch, warm, and impervious to all but the most vicious attacks. Their features are as lively as any other races and their vine like hair almost seems to glow as to remind those around them of the tremendous latent magical power within every one of the rare forest women.
The Dryads are perhaps less of a distinct species as an extension of the forest itself, and indeed this is reflected in all their practices. While they disclose little, being intensely secretive beings, the Dryads often care for the forest, killing woodsmen, protecting saplings, and projecting immense authority while doing so. Such is their presence that the Dryads would likely have been the uncontested rulers of the forest in the ages past if it were not for their... Cousins.
The Shadows. The name itself seems melodramatic, excessive, but in truth it falls short of what dwells in the darkest reaches of the Old Forest. For countless centuries the Shadows were only rumours, the only living word of them coming from unusually kind Dryads warning travellers, but when the forces of the outsiders came to tame the forest they learned the Shadows were no legend.
Beings as real as they are fairy tale, the Shadows are... Difficult to describe. Even after coming into conflict with them, even after speaking to them directly when it came time to make peace, outsiders struggle to find the words. This is not surprising, seeing as no Shadows ever fell in the sundering of the forest, and moreover the mere presence of a Shadow invokes an illusory magic that disguises the creatures form. Only those rare and powerful mages who have seen through the all but impenetrable darkness that wreaths the creatures have produced a reliable account, calling them twisted reflections of Dryads.
Those few have described the Shadows as creatures of the forest like Dryads, but with no seemingly mortal form. They describe static faces of wood permanently twisted in expressions of horror covering every inch of the vaguely humanoid Shadows, carved eyes looking out in every direction begging for help. Some use these accounts to condemn the Shadows as soul thieves, living demons. The Shadows themselves dismiss such accusations when they are summoned officially, but the suspicion remains.
All that is truly known of the Shadows is that their relationship with the Dryads is contentious, and that in ages past the two mystical species have kept each other in check.
Religious and Other Beliefs: There exists no unified religion in the Old Forest. The Great Weavers may have a peculiar reverence for the Shadows, as do the Ursine for the Dryads, but rarely does this reverence translate into worship. Perhaps the only true religion in the Forest is the Harpies veneration of the wind spirits. Then again, the Dryads and Shadows have never spoken on the subject. Given the almost ritual activities observed in the Dryads most suspect they have a connection to one god or another. As for the Shadows, well, none ask them the question.
Location/Territories: (The Green Territory)
Climate: The Old Forest is a land of many climates, but by and large it is a temperate land. Warm summers, cold winters, none within have trouble weathering the conditions even when seemingly impossible rain or snow storms emerge from the old mountain that towers over the forest.
Military: The Old Forest has no formal military, indeed this was its downfall in the past, but there are rumours this is changing. Given the already staggering casualties it took to tame the forest to begin with such rumours are almost certainly unwelcome to all with an interest who hear them.
Magic Prevalence/Usage and Elemental Alignment: Magic is everywhere in the Old Forest and nearly every intelligent species under the trees practises it to some extent. The Harpies have Sky-Witches, the Great Weavers have the Gifted, the Grand Ursine have the Grey Ones, and indeed it is said every Dryad and Shadow is a creature as magic as it is physical.
Great Weavers have an affinity with Mind magic, Harpies have an affinity with Gas magic, Grand Ursine have an affinity with Solid magic, and as usual Dryads and Shadows refuse to say.
History/Background Info: ((I need to talk to everyone about this!))
Type of Government: The Old Forest has never had an official government, rather whenever a decision was to be made which affected all the forests denizens the so called Greater Beings, the most ancient and impressive examples of their respective spaces, would gather. This, often, resulted in petty argument and endless compromise. While the seemingly almighty power of the forest in ages past meant this slow and contentious decision making process was tolerable given how uncommonly a united front was needed, the pressures of the modern day have revealed its weakness.
Head(s) of Government: It could be said all the Greater Beings are heads of Government in the forest, certainly none would admit to being anything less, but in reality only a few among them hold real power. These notable entities include Shatarae of the Dryads, Gerume of the Great Weavers, Keera of the Harpies, Tokar of the Grand Ursine and on the rare occasion they deign to exert their influence, Ooash of the Shadows.
Economy: Until recently the Old Forest had little in the way of industry, and there is no doubt not a one of its denizens would willingly engage in the economics of the so called 'ephemeral ones'. Of course, the Forests denizens don't have the choice to refuse to participate any longer. After the first sundering of the forest the Great Beings were forced to make concessions, and today they, begrudgingly, provide the world with materials of the forest once considered mythical. Magical heartwood from the old trees, the silk of the weavers, the deep ice of the old mountain. The forest is forced to give away much of its wealth, and as for what it receives in return? Well, the Great beings cannot be said to have been ignorant of the circumstances of their subjugation. Deep within the forest the hiss of steam rises and furnaces burn hot, ostensibly to process the resources of the forest within the forest. Of course, industry has many uses.
Primary Species: Countless species live within the forest, but few if any are those that might be seen elsewhere. The thinking beings of the forest are in order of their numbers, the Great Weavers, the Harpies, the Grand Ursine, the Dryads, and finally the enigmatic Shadows.
Population: Ten to fifteen million.
Culture: Every species within the forest has, in one way or another, its own culture and traditions. The most numerous species huddling in the undergrowth are the Great Weavers, colossal intelligent spiders that in ages past lurked among the trees feeding on wildlife and the unwary alike. The Weavers are perhaps the species that, for all they are misunderstood and loathed outside the forest, have most easily adapted their culture to the new world.
For example, while the Weavers once prized and jealously guarded their silk, a material nearly as durable is it is lustrous, they quickly leveraged the humiliation of having to surrender the wealth of their own bodies into great power in the forest. Under the guidance of Gerume, the oldest of their kind to survive the sundering of the forest, the Weavers constructed great looms. Rather than stew in the shame of their new circumstances the Weavers turned the material they once guarded into a source of incredible wealth.
Likewise the Weavers have adapted in other areas. In the past the spiders were reclusive, outright refusing to consider outsiders people and certainly not worth their time. At best, an elf or human was a somewhat mediocre meal. Nowadays, for all that it’s unsettling, the Weavers are the most talkative species in the forest, always engaging with outsiders where the other denizens would refuse to do so.
The Weavers, as a people, were once uncomplicated. They ate, they fought when the Greater Beings among them demanded it, and otherwise kept to themselves. Their family units were nonexistent, rather ‘friends’ would merely set up webs near each other and on occasion engage in contests of skill in weaving or hunting. Now... Things are shifting for the forest as a whole, and nowhere is that more obvious than with the Weavers.
Of course, in perhaps a great irony, where the inhuman Weavers have adapted to their circumstances the human-like, seemingly approachable Harpies have fought any effort to have them change their ways. Perhaps the difference of opinion is less striking, when one gets a look at a Harpies smile. Predators like the Weavers, the difference between the two is that the Harpies never regarded the outside species as poor meals, but rather rich delicacies with vital ceremonial meaning.
Indeed, the consumption of elves, humans, dwarves, and their ilk was once an important part of Harpy religion. The predatory bird folk worship, fittingly, the spirits of the wind. While everyday worship is simple, rarely going beyond a prayer before meals, on sacred days the Harpies once descended upon communities beyond the forest in great hunts, displaying their prowess before the spirits in hunting the most dangerous prey. Those who were most successful consumed their kills ritually with their families, earning the blessings of the Sky-Witches who were said to hear the spirits of the wind directly and who possessed incredible magic.
Such a blessing was what made one an attractive bachelor, a respected leader of the community, or even what permitted one to marry their beloved regardless of any feuds or grudges between families. Ever since the sundering of the forest the hunts have ceased, and in their absence the Sky-Witches have become reclusive. The Harpies as a whole fear the displeasure of the spirits for the species failure to honour them, and it has been said some have gone about... Illicit activities to avert what the Harpies see as the wrath of the wind.
Not all the denizens of the forest have such... Colourful histories and practices though. The Grand Ursine, enormous bears often seen as the kings of all beasts, have never predated on the ‘ephemeral ones’ and have had little to reason to change their habits after the sundering of the forest. Certainly, they resent the basic labours demanded of them, but in truth it is not like they have not worked before. In ages past the Grand Ursine were the strong hand of the Dryads, so few truly loathe the labours that have become their new duty.
The Ursine, creatures with strong families and simple lives, spend their days working, hunting in the forest, or tending to the berry crops they have so painstaking maintained in the undergrowth of the forest. They are standoffish to outsiders, but the Ursine have no great hatred for outsiders and if one manages to gain their trust they have much to offer in what is perhaps some of the oldest oral history in the world. For if anything, the Ursine love stories. Fiction, truth, a blend of both, the Ursine spend much of their recreational time speaking and listening, remembering and constructing. If anything, the rapid rise of literacy among the Ursine is what sets them apart.
Of course, some of the denizens of the forest haven't had to learn their words from the outsiders. Apart from the common species of the forest there are the Dryads, truly powerful and enigmatic beings once feared and considered myth. They are few in number, some say less than a hundred thousand live within the forest, but all hold tremendous authority. Some have compared them to masterful statues of women carved from living wood, but even that falls short when one stands in the presence of such a venerable and august creature as a Dryad. Their skin is incongruously soft to the touch, warm, and impervious to all but the most vicious attacks. Their features are as lively as any other races and their vine like hair almost seems to glow as to remind those around them of the tremendous latent magical power within every one of the rare forest women.
The Dryads are perhaps less of a distinct species as an extension of the forest itself, and indeed this is reflected in all their practices. While they disclose little, being intensely secretive beings, the Dryads often care for the forest, killing woodsmen, protecting saplings, and projecting immense authority while doing so. Such is their presence that the Dryads would likely have been the uncontested rulers of the forest in the ages past if it were not for their... Cousins.
The Shadows. The name itself seems melodramatic, excessive, but in truth it falls short of what dwells in the darkest reaches of the Old Forest. For countless centuries the Shadows were only rumours, the only living word of them coming from unusually kind Dryads warning travellers, but when the forces of the outsiders came to tame the forest they learned the Shadows were no legend.
Beings as real as they are fairy tale, the Shadows are... Difficult to describe. Even after coming into conflict with them, even after speaking to them directly when it came time to make peace, outsiders struggle to find the words. This is not surprising, seeing as no Shadows ever fell in the sundering of the forest, and moreover the mere presence of a Shadow invokes an illusory magic that disguises the creatures form. Only those rare and powerful mages who have seen through the all but impenetrable darkness that wreaths the creatures have produced a reliable account, calling them twisted reflections of Dryads.
Those few have described the Shadows as creatures of the forest like Dryads, but with no seemingly mortal form. They describe static faces of wood permanently twisted in expressions of horror covering every inch of the vaguely humanoid Shadows, carved eyes looking out in every direction begging for help. Some use these accounts to condemn the Shadows as soul thieves, living demons. The Shadows themselves dismiss such accusations when they are summoned officially, but the suspicion remains.
All that is truly known of the Shadows is that their relationship with the Dryads is contentious, and that in ages past the two mystical species have kept each other in check.
Religious and Other Beliefs: There exists no unified religion in the Old Forest. The Great Weavers may have a peculiar reverence for the Shadows, as do the Ursine for the Dryads, but rarely does this reverence translate into worship. Perhaps the only true religion in the Forest is the Harpies veneration of the wind spirits. Then again, the Dryads and Shadows have never spoken on the subject. Given the almost ritual activities observed in the Dryads most suspect they have a connection to one god or another. As for the Shadows, well, none ask them the question.
Location/Territories: (The Green Territory)
Climate: The Old Forest is a land of many climates, but by and large it is a temperate land. Warm summers, cold winters, none within have trouble weathering the conditions even when seemingly impossible rain or snow storms emerge from the old mountain that towers over the forest.
Military: The Old Forest has no formal military, indeed this was its downfall in the past, but there are rumours this is changing. Given the already staggering casualties it took to tame the forest to begin with such rumours are almost certainly unwelcome to all with an interest who hear them.
Magic Prevalence/Usage and Elemental Alignment: Magic is everywhere in the Old Forest and nearly every intelligent species under the trees practises it to some extent. The Harpies have Sky-Witches, the Great Weavers have the Gifted, the Grand Ursine have the Grey Ones, and indeed it is said every Dryad and Shadow is a creature as magic as it is physical.
Great Weavers have an affinity with Mind magic, Harpies have an affinity with Gas magic, Grand Ursine have an affinity with Solid magic, and as usual Dryads and Shadows refuse to say.
History/Background Info: ((I need to talk to everyone about this!))
Tell me if you, or honestly anyone reading this, has any questions!
Also I need to collaborate with people on the continent for history, even if I have an idea of it.
Before I do more on this sheet, can I get your feelings on the basic idea @Mihndar?
The Old Forest
Type of Government: The Old Forest has never had an official government, rather whenever a decision was to be made which affected all the forests denizens the so called Greater Beings, the most ancient and impressive examples of their respective spaces, would gather. This, often, resulted in petty argument and endless compromise. While the seemingly almighty power of the forest in ages past meant this slow and contentious decision making process was tolerable given how uncommonly a united front was needed, the pressures of the modern day have revealed its weakness.
Head(s) of Government: It could be said all the Greater Beings are heads of Government in the forest, certainly none would admit to being anything less, but in reality only a few among them hold real power. These notable entities include Shatarae of the Dryads, Gerume of the Great Weavers, Keera of the Harpies, Tokar of the Grand Ursine and on the rare occasion they deign to exert their influence, Ooash of the Shadows.
Economy: Until recently the Old Forest had little in the way of industry, and there is little doubt not a one of its denizens would willingly engage in the economics of the so called 'ephemeral ones'. Of course, the Forests denizens don't have the choice to refuse any longer. After the first sundering of the forest the Great Beings were forced to make concessions, and today they, begrudgingly, provide the world with materials of the forest once considered mythical. Magical heartwood from the old trees, the silk of the weavers, the deep ice of the old mountain. The forest is forced to give away much of its wealth, and as for what it receives in return? Well, the Great beings cannot be said to have been ignorant of the circumstances of their subjugation. Deep within the forest the hiss of steam rises and furnaces burn hot, ostensibly to process the resources of the forest within the forest. Of course, industry has many uses.
Primary Species: Countless species live within the forest, but few if any are those that might be seen elsewhere. The thinking beings of the forest are in order of their numbers, the Great Weavers, the Harpies, the Grand Ursine, the Dryads, and finally the enigmatic Shadows.
Population: Ten to fifteen million.
Culture: WIP
Religious and Other Beliefs: WIP
Location/Territories: (The Green Territory)
Climate: WIP
Military: WIP
Magic Prevalence/Usage and Elemental Alignment: WIP
