Bramblewood Forest

Official map of The Bramblewood Forest on the northwest side of the Dividing Plains, between Gatshadow Mountain and Westruun, by Andy Law from Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting.

## General Information

### **Fauna**

* Giant spiders
* Awakened trees

### **Flora**

* Thorn-covered oak-like trees
* Huge willow trees

## Location Information

### **Region**

Dividing Plains

The **Bramblewood Forest**, or simply the **Bramblewood**, is a thick forest surrounding the northern, western, and southern sides of Westruun. The northwestern edges of the Bramblewood skirt the base of the Cliffkeep Mountains, including the formidable Gatshadow Mountain. The trees range from gargantuan willows to a family of hardwood, thorn-covered oak-like trees (hence the name).

## **Description**

The Bramblewood has streams of snowmelt from the Cliffkeeps, spiderwebbing under an impenetrable canopy of trees, across the thick, gnarled roots of the forest and into the plains beyond. However, despite its overgrowth, Bramblewood has two well-trodden paths; one leads west to the iron-rich Murdoon Mines at the base of the Cliffkeeps, while the other winds north to Gatshadow's peak.

The forest is the only source of the wood for Westruun and the main trading product for the city.

### **Safety**

Traveling through the heart of the Bramblewood off the often pre-cut paths can prove dangerous, as the forest tends to contract and swallow unused trails rather quickly. Some rather dangerous beasts do reside within and occasionally wander beyond the borders of the forest, and most folks know better than to enter the Bramblewood unless absolutely necessary.

In both the *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting* sourcebooks, the adventure hook *Haunted Road* starts with local tales of a spectral young woman, possibly a specter or a banshee, who sometimes appears along the road, sobbing and leading men deeper into the Bramblewood to never be seen again.

However, the Bramblewood does seem relatively safe in comparison to, for example, the Frostweald. After Vox Machina slew Umbrasyl, Kerrek sent a few townsfolk with carts through the forest to retrieve the town's treasure from the dragon's lair at the peak of Gatshadow. The townsfolk successfully made the round-trip journey without the need of an escort.

## **History and points of interest**

Chetney Pock O'Pea's family home used to be in this forest, but it was abandoned during the Icelost Years. The Trickfoot family have also made the Bramblewood their home for generations.

In the Great Feathering of 641 PD, a wizard's bungled spell flooded the eastern Bramblewood Forest with chickens, creating a new export market for Westruun.

The adventure hook *Nature's Anger*, featured in *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting*, includes a sacred grove in the western part of the forest tended by three solitary druids who claim to keep the spirits of the forest at peace.

In the adventure hook *Blood of the Ruiner* in the *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn*, one branch of the Ravagers, led by the elf Kalydria Darkeye, has created a fort within the Bramblewood Forest. There they perform a ritual to transform the local giant spiders into demonfeed spiders.

## **References**

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Tree types and danger level obtained from Matthew Mercer's page on the Vox Machina Wiki. See the "Bramblewood" article.
2. ↑ See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn*, p. 80.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting*, p. 53.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn*, p. 81.
5. ↑ See "Hope" (1x56) at 1:46:43.
6. ↑ See "To Hurt Is to Heal" (3x79) at 2:54:00.
7. ↑ See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn*, p. 158.
8. ↑ *Exquisite Exandria: The Official Cookbook of Critical Role*, p. 18.

**Art:**

1. ↑ Official map of **The Bramblewood Forest** on the northwest side of the Dividing Plains, between Gatshadow Mountain and Westruun, by Andy Law from *Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting*. This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.