Stretching across a vast expanse of The Earth Realm, the Stillwoods stand as an ancient, untamed woodland teeming with vibrant life, sacred druidic groves, and deep-rooted mystery. This sprawling forest has long served as a natural barrier between the southern rolling hills and verdant valleys of Avalon and The Vale of Everwinter to the north—a realm of perpetual winter.
Conflict With Civilization
For centuries, the Stillwoods remained untouched, guarded by druidic spirits, the Sylvan Hunt, and the Unknown of the Ape Kingdom who reside in The Crowned Grove, a massive, sacred tree at the heart of the forest. However, in recent years, the Earth Kingdom has begun encroaching upon the Stillwoods, launching hunting expeditions and large-scale timber-cutting operations to supply their growing civilization in the southern city of Avalon. This intrusion has led to growing unrest, disturbing the sacred balance of the forest.
Verdan, Guardian of the Stillwoods
Among the ancient myths of the Stillwoods, none is more revered than the legend of Verdan, the Emerald Sentinel, an ancient green dragon said to slumber beneath the roots of the Crowned Grove, awakening only in times of great peril to defend the land from those who would despoil it. When The Sunsations arrived in the Stillwoods, their presence inadvertently roused Verdan from his long slumber, setting into motion a violent reckoning against the hunters and invaders.
With unmatched fury, Verdan hunted the hunters, driving them from the Stillwoods and ending their incursions, forcing the Earth Kingdom to retreat—until a new challenger arose. In a climactic battle, Rei Tyrsonn, a dragonborn warrior raised by the Earth Genie (Dao), defeated Verdan and, in an act of unfathomable power, consumed the dragon's very spirit. The forest, though saved from immediate destruction, had lost its greatest guardian. Now, whispers tell of a growing imbalance, as the Stillwoods lie unprotected from future threats.
Spirits of the Woods
Deep within the farthest reaches of the Stillwoods, sacred druidic burial grounds remain hidden beneath towering trees and layers of untouched wilderness. The spirits of ancient druids and beasts alike rest in these consecrated lands, watching over the cycles of life and death that govern the forest. Though mostly peaceful, they do not take kindly to trespassers—those who disturb the burial grounds are met with spectral terrors, vengeful spirits of nature that rise to punish the foolish.
Legacy
Despite the dangers lurking beneath its emerald canopy, the Stillwoods remain a place of great beauty and power. Mystic rivers wind through the trees, luminescent fungi glow beneath the shade, and long-lost ruins of ancient druidic civilizations lie entangled in the vines. The Sylvan Hunt, an elite force of wood elves, still protect the woods as best they can, though their numbers have dwindled with the growing influence of Avalon and the Earth Kingdom.
With Verdan gone, the fate of the Stillwoods hangs in the balance. Will the spirits of the forest rise to defend it once more? Or will the encroaching hand of civilization slowly carve away its ancient majesty, leaving nothing but memory?