Gnarley Forest

Portions of the Gnarley Forest are claimed by Celene, Dyvers, Verbobonc, and Greyhawk. The forest is home to thousands of woodsmen, sylvan elves, and gnomes. An enclave of ogres, gnolls, and orcs (Blackthorn) is hidden within, and roving orcs from the Pomarj annually attempt to use the forest as cover for a massive flanking maneuver against Narwell and Safeton. The Furyondian Greenjerkins are 40-odd rangers who patrol the northern Gnarley from a small river port, Stalmaer, at the confluence of the Att and Velverdyva Rivers. Also, over two hundred Gnarley Rangers patrol the entire forest, protecting it from harm. The forest folk and their druidic allies are wary of intrusions by Greyhawk soldiers and settlers, fearing the whole forest may be cut down for farmland and timber.   Appearance of the Wood: The Gnarley Forest is an ancient place, full of immense trees. In most places the shade provided by these forest giants chokes out the undergrowth to the extent that walking is quite easy. These stretches might almost resemble parkland except for the riotous assortment of fallen timber, like the scattering of so many match sticks, across the ground. Mossy stumps are everywhere, often resembling furry green statues. Wild flowers bloom here in the spring, summer, and fall. The white-petaled ivoryblossom, which only grows in the heart of the forest, is the most precious of these beauties. The buds of the ivoryblossom only bloom in the depths of the forest. When they do, the blossom lasts for only ld8 +6 days. However, they bring as much as 10 gp apiece (for fresh, undamaged flowers) in the Greyhawk High Marketplace. A single individual, in the heart of the wood during blooming time, might come upon 2d10 blossoms in a. single day of searching. Of course, the likehhood of an unpleasant encounter is high as well. The Gnarley Forest is predominantly a mixture of oak and ipp trees, growmg side by side throughout the length and bre adth of the wood. Their broad branches spread the leafy canopy well overhead, but those same branches offer easy climbing. Most any character can move through the wood 30 or 40 feet off the ground simply by passing from the horizontal branches of one tree to those of the next. Characters without Climbing proficiency need to roll frequent Dexterity checks if they attempt this. Several groves of dekla trees have claimed their space here, crowding the lesser trees aside as they soar, sometimes 120 feet high, above the rest of the forest. Their massive trunks take as much space as a small cottage. The gnarled roots have made th_e _ground within these dekla groves a twistmg surface of hummocks and swales. The only other commonly growing plant is the yarpick, or daggerthom. Naturally, the clumps of this nasty vegetation are rarely penetrated by woodsmen. Every autumn, however, the children of the woodspeople are sent to the outer fringes of the yarpick clumps, there to gather the rotted fruit of the trees. The bitter pulp is discarded, but the seed of the yarpick fruit-a nut the size of a plum-is nourishing, tasty, and keeps very well. A bushel of these nuts fetches one to two gp in the Greyhawk High or Low Market, depending on their availability. Inhabitants of the Wood This portion of the Gnarley Forest is home only to one human settlement, the village of Five Oak. The other coi:iimunity, Blackthorn, is nt the _least bit_ human in nature, and its existence 1 a closely guarded secret. The human01ds who have gathered here remain furtive and sneaky, taking care to conceal the existence of their lair. The sylvan elves of the deep forest occasionally venture into this part of . the wood, for hunting, or simply explonng. Occasionally a band of elves comes to Five Oak to trade an exquisite cloak, or a pair of soft leather boots of mystical elven craftmanship for many pounds of salt, a rare perfume, or some other product of the outside world that the elves have come to enjoy. Many individual woodsmen, sometimes with their families and sometimes alone have carved little homesteads in the forest. These are usually within a day's march of the forest's fringe, for its darker depths are known to be too unsafe for unguarded settlements, let alone individual cottages. In some places these homesteads have grown to be clans of 20 or 30 people, living in a collection of buildings centered around a family lodge. Even these minor collections of humaruty are rare.   Farmsteads The tiny home sites marked on the map represent collections of at least three buildings. Individual huts, cottages, and cabins are not uncommon in this part of the forest either. Every building, whether single-room hut, cozy cottage, or two-storey house, is made out of wood. Some smaller buildings are shingled with leaves, but most use wood here as well. Those settlers who have chosen to live here survive by gathering mushrooms, berries fruit tubers, and other bounty of the forest, as well as by hunting the venison and rabbit so common here, or snatching the trout from the clear, shallow streams. All in all, the living is good, for the woods are bountiful. A typical steading is a cluster of buildings in the shade of several stately trees. A space perhaps 100-200 feet wide has been cleared of forest, a belt of tilled ground around the buildings. Fresh_ water, in the form of a well or stream, 1s always ne ar. A sanitary hut stands a discreet distance from the occupied buildings. These forest folk often have a pack of dogs about, 2d4 hounds of good size and keen intelligence. Not only do the dogs aid in the hunt, but they serve as alert guardians of the steading and able fighters, should its defense become necessary. Those woodsmen who have lived here for a while are skilled in the use of the bow, in tracking, and camouflage. A typical fellow of 37 years of age has reached 5th level of ranger ability. He has a long bow, leather armor, and plenty of arrows at hand. For a sidearm he carries a short sword, dagger, or throwing axe. The woodsfolk are poor, generally having little more than a few silver pieces stored away in some homemade box. There are exceptions to this rule. Adventurers who know a bit of woodcraft, and find themselves in trouble with the powers of the Free City, often move to the woods for a few years of private living. Of course, they bring their accumulated treasures with them. And protect those treasures accordingly, it must be added.