The Iron-Spine Woods

The Iron-Spine Woods cover a notable area, just under 3.1 million square kilometers, however it is a thin band of land encircling the massive Iron-Tip Mountain Range, extending all the way around it from the northern coast of Suranth to the eastern shoreline. Various species of fir and spruce dominate the trees here, with the Ironhide Pines being few and far between, the rare and highly valued trees found it small clusters dotting the region. The forest is thick, but impassably so, with plentiful spacing enough between the trees to insure that though the forest floor is more bare than the leafy forests of more southern regions, there is still creepers, bits of brush, lichen and even wild vegetation such as wild radish, snow leek, carrots, as well as the odd blueberry and snowberry bush to be found as one traverses the woodlands.

The Ironspine Woods extend into the hills and the lower slopes and valleys of the edge of the Irontip Mountain Range, a sort of transitional biome, giving way to the Nordjeim Riverlands, a more flat and soil rich, for a tundra, lowland region.

The ecosystem is for the most part dominated by small and moderate sized mammals and small birds as far as fauna goes, for the flora of conifer forests does not necessarily support larger wildlife well. However one can find Irontusk Boars wintering in the hillier regions of the woodlands during the harshest months of winter. One may also stumble upon a black bear or the like close to the rivers and streams. However this forest region is not without its dangerous predators, and the apex predator of this biome is a well known one, that seems to form some sort of unique symbiotic relationship with the trees whom lend their name to this forest, the Ironspine Spider.

The Iron-Spine Woods are the only environment where a particular species of Animal Arcanium, that is magical beast, is found. The Ironspine Spider is a large arachnid creature who's mere presence here indicates well enough its magical nature, surviving and thriving in a sub-arctic climate as an arachnid, and one at scale and size. These massive spiders, the largest known species mundane or magical of any arachnid, get close in size to large black bears, or even modest grizzlies by mass. They are ambush predators, and seem to have unique relationship of a sort with the Ironhide Pines that lend their name, as much so as the spider does, to this woodland region.

The Iron-Spine Woods are a boreal forest in all aspects. Rarely does the temperature get hot by most conventional definitions and the temperature sits near or below freezing for notable portions of the year, with winter lasting easily seven months.

The forest itself is a thick conifer tiaga, a true boreal forest, with creepers and brush growing thick and wild upon the floor. Wild blueberry and snowberry bushes, as well as small but hardy wild radish, carrot and onion grow here, as well as a few select flowering mosses and lichens that are useful and valued medical ingredients. One can find themselves lost admist the thick growth, all throughout the year, and in the short arctic summer the swarms of blackflies, deerflies and other biting insects can make travel off beaten roads and known paths almost unbearable, unless one knows how to ward them off, or one is simply adapted to it. All manner of creature make their homes within the woods, though of note to any travelers are not the smaller beasts like squirrels, rabbits, pine martens or the various birds. Elk, wolves, black bears or even the occasional brown bear are not unheard of, nor are other less mundane and far more dangerous creatures. The further from regular roadways and settlements one travels the greater their chances of discovering some of the more dangerous and even evil things that wander beneath these dark boughs.

1d100	Creature and numbers	EL (Encounter Level)
01-19	Nothing, roll again, adding 5. If still land here, no encounter	Varies or N/A
20-24	1 Ironspine Spider	2
25-29	1d4 Wild Boar	2
30-39	1d4 Elk	1
40-44	1d6+2 Wolves	2
45-49	1d6 Travelers (if 3 or more add a cart/wagon)	Varies
50-53	1 Wolverine	2
54-57	1 Moose (50% chance betwen Bull and Cow. If spring Cow has a calf)	3
58-60	1 Puma	2
61-63	1 Black Bear (50% chance its a female in which case, 25% chance she has cubs)	2
64-65	1 Grizzly Bear (50% chance its a female, in which case, 25% chance she has cubs)	3
66-68	1 patch Strangler Vines	2
69-70	1d6 Highwaymen/Robbers (5% chance 1 of them is an apostate)	1 (2 if there is an apostate)
71-72	1 Regional Military Patrol	3
73-76	1d6 Goblin Raiders	2
77-79	1d4+1 Worgs	2
80	Goblin War Band (1 hobgoblin worg rider, 2d6 goblin raiders with 1 Goblin Raider Veteran and 1 Goblin Sharp-Eye, 1 worg	3 (4 if you wish to add a shaman of some kind)
81-82	1 Shambler	4
83-84	1d4 Redcaps	5
85-86	1 Nymph	5
87-88	1 Dryaed	4
89-90	1 Owlbear	4
91-92	1d6 Ungals	4
93-94	1 Ungal Raiding Force ( 2d6 Ungals, 1 Ungitar, 1 Antler Shaman)	6
95-96	1 Manticore	5
97-98	1 Forest Hag	5
99	1 Threshen	6
100	1 Emerald Wyvern	9

The townships and villages that one will find scattered about the Ironspine woods are, as one might expect, by and large centered around the logging and timber industry, with hunting, trapping, and where appropriate and near to the rivers in the region, fishing being other key industries. This region is more rural, with no large cities to be found within these woodlands.