Centuries ago, the area known as the Scorched Grove was once a lush forest of calm meadows and peaceful glades. Then, the Great Calamity came: a massive forest fire that swept through the Grove and reduced it to a smoldering, ashen plain. The Grove refused to heal. Stranger still, the soil beneath the ashen steppes still smolders with embers. The air here carries a supernatural heat which can exhaust travelers or even cause burns depending on its fierceness. This hostile landscape is home to a variety of curious fire-aspected creatures. Certain species, now considered native to Humblewood, only appeared after the Great Calamity. Most notable are the emberbats, which roost in the safety of the Grove during the day.
A Scar on the Forest
Accounts of the great blaze have been recorded in Humblewood’s history books, but the exact cause of the Great Calamity remains a mystery. The soils of the Grove were tested and found to be distinctively suited to channeling evocation energy, especially when used with fire spells. It was also discovered that the fire-aspected creatures of the Grove have extra-planar origins, giving rise to the theory that the Calamity was caused by magic. A popular myth told by forest-dwellers alleges that the Calamity was caused by the appearance of a great primal being of fire and destruction, which visited its wrath upon the Wood and then vanished as mysteriously as it arrived.
Whatever its origins, the fire devastated the area and displaced thousands of beasts and people from their homes. While the inhabitants of the Humblewood know that the death and rebirth is part of the natural order of the Wood, the Calamity that befell the Grove was clearly unnatural.
Each year, the Grove pushes on the boundary of the forest, growing slightly as its edges are set ablaze by windblown embers or fire-infused creatures. The expansion of the Grove leaves the newly-burned areas similarly affected, experiencing the supernatural qualities of the Grove. This gradual spread has increased with a recent spate of forest fires, making those who study the Grove nervous.
A Watchful Eye
The Scorched Grove is cared for by a conclave of mystics and druids known as the Tenders. Many Tenders are talented thinkers and practitioners of natural magic, who have dedi-cated their lives to understanding the nature of the Calamity’s effect on the Grove and healing the damage it has caused. They believe that through study and communion with nature, the natural balance of the energy in the wood can be restored, healing the Grove back into the tranquil forest it once was.
There is much debate about the intent and success of the Tenders. High-society perch-dwellers are inclined to think of the Tenders as nothing more than “odd-birds,” embarking on a fool’s errand. These detractors claim that the Scorched Grove is simply a quirk of Humblewood’s natural magic. Much of the populace agrees with this point of view, despite educated claims to the contrary. Still, given the affinity between nature and the cultures of the Wood, Tenders are generally respected for the care and reverence they give to the forest.