The Deytrwood
The Deytrwood is a forest in northern Lyvernus, heavily associated with fey. It lies between the Ravenridges and the Spine of the World.
Description[edit | edit source]
The Deytrwood grows in a valley between two mountain ranges: the Ravenridges and the Spine of the World. It is about four days of travel to the closest settlement, Raven Rock. Its main water source is Deytrwood Lake. Many animals gather there to drink. Interestingly, despite being below sea level, the lake's river (called the Ekkoria River) flows uphill into the Eadrenan Sea. Some call it a miracle of Cysebelle, while others attribute it to the forest’s own underlying magic. The river and its tributaries are inhabited by fish, including the Deytrwood salmon, which can grow up to three feet in length and seem to be affected by whatever magic causes the river to follow upward. They float downstream to reach their mating grounds. There are many stories of magic within the Deytrwood, although there's variation in whether the forest is considered enchanted or haunted. The stories are, in fact, true, as the Deytrwood is home to fey, mushroom people, other sylvans, dryads, and living plants, in addition to its diverse mundane ecosystem. A small group of centaurs recently moved to the Deytrwood from Aidan's Glen, driven out of the glen by the strange fey magic of the reawakening Dream Eater. The forest's flora includes popmoss, a variety of edible moss that grows as a bulb and pops when eaten. Other prominent features include unusually large mushroom patches and an abandoned, overgrown altar made of green stone. The altar has an ominous atmosphere. While this altar may be dedicated to a specific god, they are not a well-known one, and their worship seems to involve ritualistic murder. The plants around the altar have grown over skeletons, as well as fresher corpses, and some of the nearby plants seem to feed on spilled blood. However, the dead around the altar have recently been given a proper burial by the Champions Valoris, including Briar. The origin of the altar is also unknown to the forest's current guardian, Miré.
Prime among the plants in the Deytrwood is the great oak. It stands about 100 feet tall and has a diameter of about 8 feet. It also has phosphorescent fruit hanging on it. The great oak's roots span in every direction throughout the Deytrwood, allowing it to detect any happenings within the forest. For those who impress the great oak and are able to speak with plants, this makes it an excellent source of news and gossip within the forest. When Miré spoke to it, the great oak and the trees around it were also able to lean and move their branches as part of the conversation.
History[edit | edit source]
The Deytrwood is presumably ancient, judging from the size of some of its trees. Some seem to consider it touched by Cysebelle, although stories differ on the source of the forest's odd properties and the association isn't as strong as it is with the relatively nearby Cyviran Wood. Around 583, a mother and child were pursued into the forest by a malevolent hag. The forest itself protected them, and the hag was forced to turn back, although the child was marked by her influence. The pair began to feel at home in the forest, however, and remained there as its druidic guardians. With guidance from the forest, the mother was able to make a special salve to heal a wounded tree, saving the forest that saved her and her child. The child, Miré, likewise became the forest's protector after their mother's passing. Around 597, Miré met another druid, named Briar, who helped them maintain the forest while searching for a place to complete his own quest. It is possible that the Deytrwood was the first place Briar scouted in hopes of replanting Terathun in Alethustria. Although Briar never came to consider the Deytrwood his home, he and Miré became great friends, and Miré often insisted that the forest liked him too. In 598, two people from Raven Rock, Akaia and Jedson Heartkin, were kidnapped by armanites and taken to the Deytrwood. With help from Miré and Briar, the Champions Valoris pursued them to the old altar, where they awakened a corpse flower. Together, the group defeated the demons and rescued the Heartkins. Briar then held a druidic vigil, encouraging the plants around the altar to grow and provide the dead with a proper burial. His magic also enriched the plant life around the grave for the next year. While Briar chose to continue his quest and traveled alongside the Champions Valoris for a time, Miré learned from the great oak that forest was wounded once again and remained behind to prepare his mother's salve once again. Soon afterward, a fey named Nepenthe moved into the Deytrwood, taking up too much space and causing a general ruckus. However, Miré was able to help them settle in and soon struck up a friendship with them. Under Miré's care, the Deytrwood soon recovered from its blight, allowing Miré to take some time away to travel.
