Wolven Forest

Map of Wolven Forest

## Common Knowledge

The Wolven Forest, formerly known as the Grave Forest, is a literal forest which was left unclaimed by the surrounding countries, because of various rumors about its being cursed, plagued, or filled with monsters and/or vengeful ghosts. It served as a no-man’s land at the central point of convergence of six different countries’ borders for many years.

Sometime within the last hundred years, however, the Forest was claimed by a motley pack of werewolves. The surrounding countries gave the territory a new name, The Wolven Forest, within a few full moons after their arrival. These Lycanthropes tend to be peaceful and try their best to stay away from other people and countries.

## Topography and Climate

It is a heavily forested area and tends to be dark as the tree canopy is very thick. The weather is relatively mild and all four seasons do happen here.

## Population

This territory is home to Lycanthropes who have been chased out of their original homes, or who were born here. There are no other permanent occupants who are not Lycanthropes as they are required to either leave the area or get turned.

## Exports and Trades

The people of the Wolven Forest don’t really leave the area unless it is for a very specific and important reason. They are self-sufficient within their borders and try to stay that way. There is little to no trade between the Wolven Forest and the surrounding countries.

## Government

The pack has one alpha, Ri’daliv, and is split into small villages. Each village is self governing but look to the Alpha for pack-wide decisions or during conflict.

## Social Hierarchy and Culture

Everyone within the pack is treated as an equal with the Alpha having more authority than the rest. The Pack values peace above all else, though they are not pacifists, and will fight tooth and nail to defend their home from those who wish to persecute them for their lycanthropic condition. Non-weres are not banned from visiting, provided they come in peace, however they may be regarded with suspicion or caution if they come uninvited, or are discovered by a village patrol.

Werebeasts seeking to join the Pack are always accepted, though any who attempt to incite violence or otherwise steer the Pack away from its peaceful ways will be expelled. Anyone who causes such uprisings within the Pack, be they were or non-were, will be banned from the territory, and fought off upon sight in the future.

No non-weres, of any age, are permitted within the territory during the week of the full moon, for their own safety as much as the safety of the Pack itself. Any non-weres seeking long term visitation are advised either become werebeasts, or to stay in a village near the edge of the forest, so as to have an easy time leaving during the full moon. In the event that a non-were wishes to permanently move into the territory, or a child is born without lycanthropy, they will either be turned, or asked to leave. This is for the safety of the person, and to ensure that the Wolven Forest Pack members are not hunted down by neighboring countries for being threats.

## Cities, Towns, and Villages

### Tovraz

Simplified from its original name, Toiv’raz, Tovraz is the closest thing to a capital within the Wolven Forest. Ri’daliv, Kamala, and many others live in this central village.

### Safe Haven

The singular village the Pack gathered in during the Silver Siege, Safe Haven is the most fortified village within the entire territory, surrounded by various enchantments and physical walls. It is roughly a mile in radius, and bisected by a stream tributary from the main river of the Forest. Most of the Pack’s mages reside here, including its healers.

### Sabline

Rebuilt and renamed after the Silver Siege in honor of a kind traveler who befriended the entire Pack, Sabline is a hunting village near the northern edge of the territory, welcoming to peaceful travelers. Sabline trades excess game to other villages in times of need, especially Safe Haven.

## Alliances

They have no formal Alliances as they try to keep away from everyone.

## Enemy Countries

They have an incessant hatred for Dilghao due to the Silver Siege, but will not attack them or anyone else without the other attacking first. They try to stay away from everyone.

Though they haven’t had any interactions with them, they are very worried about potential “intervention” from the Silver Horn.

## Founding and History

The majority of the Wolven Forest Pack’s founding members were not born as werebeasts, but rather were transformed at some point in their lives. All were chased out of their hometowns and countries, either due to mere prejudice, or as punishment for some tragedy they caused during a full moon. These refugees soon found that the main werebeast packs in which they may have found solitude were prone to violence or filled with hatred for non-weres, which conflicted with the morals of the founders of the Wolven Forest Pack.

Eventually, a High Elf named Ri’daliv was exiled from her home after mauling her own children during a full moon. Grieving and disgusted with herself, Ri’daliv was faced with the choice of either falling into a lifetime of isolation and depression, or a life of eternally trying to repent her crimes. After hearing rumors of a lycanthropic child’s brutal exile, the young mother decided on the latter, and set out to find the child. Through her search of various packs, she encountered other exiled werebeasts with similar shames and/or morals, who, upon hearing her story, asked to accompany her on her search. In time, the child was found, an adolescent Lesser Fire Spirit named Kalama who won over the hearts of Ri’daliv and all of her followers. Recognizing that the pack the young Spirit had joined out of necessity would soon destroy the girl’s optimism and kindness, Ri’daliv and her followers decided to take the child far away from this life, and made plans to set out to the underdeveloped east, until they could find a safe, peaceful place to establish a home.

Through raising Kalama, Ri’daliv found some solace, and slowly the inherent racism her High Elven culture had instilled on her began to fade away. The Pack found the Grave Forest and, seeking peace from non-weres, as well as hoping to minimize the chances of collateral damage during the full moon, decided to settle there, as the surrounding countries were too afraid of the Forest to enter it. Deep within the Forest, the first village was established, and aptly named Toiv’raz, meaning hope. Ri’daliv was appointed as the Alpha, and the Wolven Forest Pack was formally established. Beginning with Kalama’s cousin Aidan, other werebeasts began to migrate to the Wolven Forest Pack, seeking a peaceful home, and soon the Pack began to expand.

Recently, Dilghao, in an attempt to expand its territory, sent a military squadron down to the Wolven Forest to investigate the various rumors and to claim the land for Dilghao. When the soldiers verified the presence of werebeasts, a bounty was put out on their pelts, and bounty hunters joined the soldiers. Within a horrific month known to the Pack as the Silver Siege, roughly 75% of the Pack’s population was either captured by bounty hunters, or killed by the soldiers, who poisoned the main rivers with silver ore and launched various attacks on the more vulnerable villages. If not for the Binturian Party, who cleansed the river and fought off the Dilghao forces, the Pack would have been slaughtered entirely. Since then, the rebuilding process has been slow, but steady as many villages were destroyed during this seige.

## Further Information

* The Binturian Party
* Dilghao
* Lycanthropy
* Silver Horn
* Were-Beast