Whispering Woods

A large forested region in the north of Aurea, the Whispering Woods is an expansive forest plagued with magical winds. A perpetual cold breeze flows through the forest, causing people to experience visual and auditory hallucinations.

Reports of eyes following people, stalking shadows, and voices calling out are all common. Those that wander into the forest are quickly driven out, and those that get lost in its tangled roots are never to be seen again.

Geography, Location & Climate

Whispering Woods Ruins by Mochi

The Whispering Woods borders the Autumn Isles to the north, and the Middle Mountains and the Shooketh Scythe to the south. It is a cold, deciduous forest that sees heavy rainfall in summer seasons.

Most notable is the atmospheric shift when entering the woods. The air around transforms into a dark and dreary colour, one that can't be described by words.

Giant plant roots tear through the soil of the forest and lift up the ground in parts, creating massive cracks and caverns collapsing under the slightest bit of pressure. Fast flowing rivers disguise themselves as the foggy environment makes it hard to see farther than a few metres, and the sound of flowing water is muffled by the wind's whispers.

The forest's coastlines are lined with black waters, impossible to view the seabed, even at ankle depth. Farther out from land the water shifts into a soft, baby blue hue. This localised black water is a phenomenon only seen around the Whispering Woods.

Cilvarth

Open full size

History

Some of the earliest recordings of the Whispering Woods dates back fifteen thousand years ago, when cilvarthians crossed the Middle Mountains from Jisefea, into Aurea. Those that travelled north encountered the Whispering Woods, evidence of these encounters coming from archaeological digs in the Shooketh Scythe.

The Shooketh Scythe has over a hundred major dig sites, uncovering thousands of years of history long forgotten. Artistic depictions of fabled entities and haunting figures were uncovered on a number of ancient teapots and teacups, historians believing tea was drank from these receptacles before entering the forest, in an effort to ward off spirits.

As people's understanding of magic, inanimals, and other fantastical forms grew, so did their understanding of this forest. While it is still a region unexplored thanks to its haunted winds and malevolent inhabitants, sorcerers and scientists alike are working towards exploring this region and uncovering what lies within.

Few that have traversed the Whispering Woods and made it out alive spoke of cilvarthian ruins deep inside the forest. Conveniently, any footage of these ruins were corrupted, leaving no proof.

Ecology

Bulldozer Bee by Mochi

The creatures inhabiting the Whispering Woods seem to be unaffected by the forest's whispers and wails. Animals and inanimals are just as common as each other, thriving in this dense, dark region.

Sunken cervals roam the forest floor - these massive deer are built like tanks, capable of ramming down the biggest of megaflora. They trudge through the solid ground, every step turning the soil into sludge.

Whale bees and bulldozer bees are two of many pollinators that take advantage of the abundance of giant flowers. They buzz atop the forest, the rhythmic beats of their wings the only thing that pierces through the thick fog.

The quivering diadem is a giant mushroom species abundant in the forest and its outskirts. Its cap is bejeweled, giant blue scale refracting light and casting dancing figures at night.