Places of Note
Henby – Once a thriving port city, the jewel in the crown of the Weasel Clan. Now deserted and in ruins, said to be overrun with undead. The docks although overgrown are still serviceable.
Aldrek’s Point – Built on the headland this is a stone tower and keep built by Aldrek, an Eorl from the Weasel Tribes past, to safeguard any ships making their way to Henby. The tower stood above the keep and on its roof a fire was kept going at night to warn ships of rocks just off the headland.
Aldrek’s Cove - a sheltered cove within sight of Aldrek’s Point. During storms ships heading west to Henby would often anchor here, safe in the knowledge they could see the beacon.
Terrain and Flora
This region consists of rolling downs, mostly covered by light woodlands, many of the trees less than 20 years old, with large expanses of space between trees, filled with bracken and other forest undergrowth.
In many places there are low mounds covered in turf, lichen, and moss. These identify the lost villages of the Weasel Tribe, their buildings now succumbed to nature, overgrown with vegetation, a gravestone for their lost occupants.
Occasionally the skeletal remains of an individual may reveal themselves, uncovered by the ravages of time, bodies left where they fell, never having been buried, left to rot in the open air, with nature reclaiming the nutrients for its vegetation.
The Tribe’s Hillforts still rise out of the land, their earthen ramparts now covered with tall grasses. Wooden palisades are now rotten and where once stood proud stone walls, most have now tumbled down with a very few remaining standing.
Where the forest is deeper and older, you may find the usual temperate hardwoods but one tree in particular is numerous and that is the Cypress tree. The Urtish Cypress is known to grow tall and straight and prior to the plague the region’s trees were favoured for large buildings due to their strong water resistant properties.
The forest floor consists of an undergrowth of bracken and Jarell brambles, the latter having bright crimson flowers in the spring, giving way to berries that are green at first but as they ripen, they go from green to yellow to red when fully ripe. Fully ripe berries are sweet and delicious while they’re green, they are very sour and bitter. The yellow stage is one most prized by Mages, especially those involved in healing, as if picked at this stage and used in balms and potions of healing. In game terms, they give a +1 boost the crit die when determining the effectiveness of such healing products.
Also, amongst the rolling hills can be found wild barley and oats, the descendants of the crops that were never harvested, left to go wild. They can be gathered still but until harvested you can never tell how good the grain will be.
Other plants that can be found is the Aspin Poppy. The Poppy flowers in the summer and has a bright purple flower. If allowed to go to seed, its seeds can be gathered. When dried and powdered they can be used in drinks (no more than an oz in a pint of liquid) to enhance one senses. For game purposes it provides a bonus of 15% to Alertness TSC% checks.
Fauna
Amongst the forests and woodland after 20 years of little human intrusion, there are large herds of Deer, boar and wild goats. Other common animals include feral sheep and pigs, badgers (which can grow to large sizes), wolves and lynx.
The feral sheep and pigs are descendants of the farm animals that once resided in settlements, any cattle have long since died out, however, the sheep and pigs seemed to thrive. The sheep no longer have long fleeces, but they have evolved into a medium coarse fleece, which if it can be sheared will prove to make a dense, hard wearing wool.
The pigs however have resorted more in line with boar behaviour and in many cases have interbred. Some Feral pigs are beginning to resemble large boars.
Old Father Time
An ancient Cedar tree with many trunks within the heart of Lammas Forest. Old Father Time is in fact an ancient Fey Tree who dislikes visitors or intruders to his part of the forest.
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