Goldwood

The Goldwood is a small forest amongst the great coniferous treescape of the Northeastern Threshold, at a source for the River of Golden Branches , a tributary of the Silver River joining it at Lake Sanazala . It is easily recognized because the fir trees located there are tinged with gold, glowing softly in the darkness.

The golden colour has some appeal for aesthetic reasons, though the glow fades when the needles fall. More valuable is the creeping fungus which climbs the trunks of the trees: it is black and vile, but seems flecked with glittering gold. This fungus is in demand amongst alchemists across the Northeast for its potent hallucinogenic and health effects, used in thaumaturgic recipes for Sweet Cordial and Age-Staving Cordial.

Once long ago, in the First Age, the Goldwood may have been a city… long-broken courtyards and pillars can still be found here and there, but the records of the Shogunate mention the place already fallen even in that bygone time. Today, there is no permanent settlement in the Goldwood, nor is it held by any single state: disputes over control are frequent and bloody. Most commonly, the Goldwood is held by forces from either the Shandir Woods or the Gossamer Stockade, and almost equally by mercenaries or barbarians in the employ of The Guild. On rarer occasions, Haltan expeditions will exert control for a time, and barbarians are often attracted to raid the place, particularly those of the vicious Tribe of the Auric Horn.

Holding the Goldwood is difficult: the trees within and surrounding it are not large enough to support settlements or even branchpaths. Worse, the place seems to draw the attentions of the fearsome warriors within the Tribe of the Auric Horn. These will come frequently in small numbers, gathering up gold-tinged needles, though they do not seem to pay any attention to the lucrative fungus. They do not seem concerned with others present in the wood to gather, but if they learn of any settlement in the wood or surroundings, be it fortress or mere tents and firepits, they will gather en masse to launch continuous attacks until the interloper is ousted.