Scorchwood Isle was the largest island of the Brimstone Breath archipelago, and one of the only that had strong enough soil to support vegetation. The titular trees that covered the island had blackened, gnarled trunks that seemed scarred by fire, but somehow thrived in the ashen soil; the wood inside this charred bark was strong and slow-burning, making it valuable for construction and fuel. Despite the harsh conditions of the archipelago, the forest endured, its presence a mystery to those who studied the region.
Its canopy was sparse, though when leaves were present, they were dark and waxy, resisting the constant sea winds and poor soil. Some trees bore no foliage at all, instead producing thick, tar-like sap that hardened into resinous shells. The forest was eerily quiet, with few birds or insects able to survive among the twisted roots and cracked stone. Rumors abounded of figures moving among the trunks at dusk; however, no true evidence had ever been found of sentient life native to the isle.
Scorchwood Isle was famous in Common history as the location where Iodun the Unifier found the Epochal Artifact Cometfall. Supposedly following a vision from the goddess Umera, the great sage chartered a ship across the Gulf of the Maw into the archipelago, and found Cometfall buried deep in the center of the wood, called the Grove of the Burnwillows. The Grove contained trees that spewed flame and magma themselves, an effect that rippled out to the rest of the Scorchwood.
Iodun then used Cometfall to unite many nations in the Head of the Greatwyrm, eventually leading to Common Unification. After Iodun's discovery, the newly-formed Common League sent prisoners and criminals to the Scorchwood, using them to harvest the slow-burning wood and gather hardened sap for industrial use. The process was difficult, as many trees resisted standard tools such as axes or picks. Any attempts to burn the forest outright failed, as the trees could smolder, but could not catch fire.