Teutoburger Wald

The Teutoburger Wald is a vast, mostly deciduous forest covering an extensive portion of East Francia. An untrained traveler could get lost inside for days. The forest is marked by a series of hills of various elevations, so one experiences the forest on the vertical plane as well as the horizontal. Streams cut through the forest, but following a stream is likely to lead you right back where you started. The forest is located on a low ridge and occasional forest clearing will reveal the edge of the ridge. These are sacred spaces where people standing on the ridge are most exposed -- to the elements, but also to the heavenly bodies in the sky and the fae creatures that live within the forest. It is the darkest parts of the forest, however, that entrances to the fae realm can be found. To the southwest of the forest lies a swamp. An unknown evil is said to inhabit this swamp that is more terrifying than the darkest most fae sections of the woods.

Streams

Streams crisscross the Wald in all directions, making it difficult for people unfamiliar with the territory to find their way. While at first glance they appear to behave like typical streams, they do not always follow the laws of physics. Some streams flow uphill, from the foothills to the very peaks of the forest. Occasionally, a stream will change direction, or even mysteriously cut a new path overnight. They are the primary means of transportation for the fae who inhabit the Teutoburger Wald, and it is said that if enough of them get together, they can control the streams.

The Waterfall

There is a waterfall far in the north of the Teutoburger Wald that only the most intrepid of human explorers have been able to locate. It is believed to be the source of all the streams of the forest, and as such, it plays an important role in how the fae control those streams. It is heavily guarded, and reports of people who have seen the waterfall all agree that a mysterious dense fog always covers the area no matter the weather in other parts of the forest.

The Swamp

The swamp that occupies the southwest corner of Teutoburger Wald is a mysterious place, and best avoided. The old Roman road steered far clear of the swamp, and the Merovingian road takes a marked detour to avoid it. It is said that a great evil inhabits this swamp. Very little is known about this evil, largely because people avoid this area and no one in recent memory has attempted to make a study of it.

One recent account of an encounter with the forest came from an old woman in Paderborn who swore she met a witch who called herself the The Abentanzer of the Forest. The old woman's accounts have not been corroborated, and many Paderborn locals believe that the Abentanzer is only a myth. Citizens of Paderborn are split on whether or not the Abentanzer and the evil in the swamp are the same entity.

Fae Peaks

The highest elevations of the forest are very close to the fae realm, and it is on these hilltops, especially when a stream flows upward to the summit, that most fae encounters have occurred. Stories range from minor mischief (things moved, pockets picked, strange noises) to outright horrors that have sent travelers rushing, speechless, down the hillside. Travelers who enter the woods often challenge each other to follow a stream up to the top of one of the hills in the forest to see if they can meet any fae, but there are no recorded sightings of an actual fae creature on any of the fae peaks.

Related to the peaks inside the forest are the high cliffs that line the north and west edges of the forest. These are some of the highest elevations where the air is thinnest and the fae realm is closest to our own. Unlike the peaks, the cliffs ambush a traveler unwittingly when they come out of a densely-wooded part of the forest to find that they are miles above the ground below. Here they are vulnerable to attack from fae birds who can spot them from the treetops. It is best to return to the forest if one finds oneself on a fae crest.

Pine Circles

Although the forest is mostly deciduous, it is home to a substantial amount of evergreen trees as well. Clusters of evergreens, especially pines, that grow in a circular formation indicate a high level of fae activity in the region. Humans who wish to interact with the fae often search out fae circles to do so. They are similar to fae peaks and crests, but pine circles are generally viewed to be safer, since the trees themselves provide protection from harm that is not available on the highest points of the forest. People also believe that the entrance to Lithandria itself can be found within a pine circle at the center of the forest, though no one is known to have found the entrance (or if they did, they did not return to tell of it).

In addition to the typical flora and fauna of a north German deciduous forest, Teutoberger Wald is home to several fae species that are unrecognizable to the human eye but differ considerably from their mundane counterparts. Most birds, and especially the owls, who inhabit Teutoburger Wald are fae breeds who pass between realms when they fly through the air. They communicate equally with fae and non-fae bird species. The land mammals and insects are mostly ordinary, but there is a specific breed of fae squirrel who can speak human languages. The speaking squirrel can also communicate with both ordinary and fae animals, and ancient legends report that the squirrels were once emissaries between the fae and human realms.

The only plant species definitely acknowledged as fae is a certain type of pine tree. These are the pines that cluster in circles in the deepest, darkest parts of the forest. They are said to be able to move on their own, and their whispers may be understood by humans. They are by and large thought to be a benevolent species. Humans fear the pines less than other fae creatures, which is why those who have ventured into the forest before prefer to seek the fae in pine circles rather than on crests and summits

In 9 CE, a Roman three Roman legions fought against a confederation of German tribes and fae delegates from Lithandria. The Romans were defeated in one of the biggest defeats in Roman history, which resulted in the northern border of the Roman empire ending south of the forest. This Roman disaster had lasting effects on the relationship between the Germans and the Lithandrians as well, however. Oral tradition tells us that after this battle, the Lithandrians became mistrustful of humans and retreated into the forest. They sealed the entrance to their world within the depths of the forest and forbade all humans entry. Although the battle is well-known in history, the fallout with the fae has been consigned to legend.