Greyshadow Woods

The **Greyshadow Woods** are the woods that surround Alentia's Sanctuary. They are large and mysterious, and it is widely believed that nobody has ever been able to traverse all of them. The woods are thought to shift frequently a certain distance away from the sanctuary to keep unwanted guests out, but this has never been proven.

## History

The Greyshadow Woods were created by Barchon and a minor Askeri goddess during times of war between the elemental deities, as a trap for the other armies' soldiers. Anyone could wander in to the woods, but it was very hard for anyone to get out without a strong will.

Over the years and years after the war where it went unused, the woods became almost sentient, maintaining their own ruined buildings and magical artifacts, as well as cave networks and small ponds. Many a hero has wandered through the shade of the trees here, all hoping to find some great treasure, but hardly any prevailed.

After the Great War and Alentia's ascension, the woods became the home of Alentia's Sanctuary, protecting the place with the help of the Blizzard Globe.

## Landmarks

There are many ruins, formations, and other places of note within Greyshadow Woods, some of the most popular being the Temple of Barchon (disused), Anquesse's Cavern, Dryad's Grotto, the gem cave, and the Wyrm Tunnels.

The origin of most of these places are unknown, but all are very popular places to visit for curious students, magical historians, and explorers alike. It is often believed that the forest itself created many of these, or drew them in from other places in the world where they'd been forgotten. This has been supported in the case of a near-forgotten temple dedicated to Esh that went missing a few centuries back, and has been rumoured to have been spotted within the forest's depths, though this has never been proven.

## Anquesse's Cavern

This cavern, located behind the most-visited cave of the students of the sanctuary, is said to be the closest to true darkness anyone can get. The cavern is rumoured to be haunted, and according to the students of Alentia's Sanctuary, any student who ventures in there during the first month of school is doomed to fail that school year.

Though the cave is exceptionally dark and has many unexplored tunnels that students are forbidden to enter due to potential collapse and the general reason that the faculty doesn't know what may lay behind them, no actual connection to Anquesse or the Corans has ever been suggested.

## Dryad's Grove

Dryad's Grove is a popular place to visit among many earth students, dryads, or history buffs, as it is an ancient 'burial' site for dryads. It is a large, circular clearing surrounded by ancient dead trees, evidence of previous tenants of the forest and their way of life. It is unknown exactly who these dryads were or when they passed away, but dating of the trees suggests that they all died at around the same time, and not from natural causes. It is suspected that the forest is protecting the old trees itself to keep the grotto sustained, but there is no evidence to support any theory that might suggest why this is.

Many visitors to the area report a calming sense of dread here, especially when standing beside the large runestone in the middle of the clearing.

## Wyrm Tunnels

There is no evidence to support that the Wyrm Tunnels ever actually housed dragons or even lizards of any kind, and nobody seems to know exactly how they got their name, but they are known for the multitude crossroads they possess. Hundreds of different tunnels are hidden here underneath the surface, and research suggests the use of earth magic to create them, though they would have had to have been created around the same time period as the sanctuary itself.

## Shadestead

Shadestead is a small town that can be accessed through Greyshadow woods, and since it is in somewhat close proximity to Alentia's Sanctuary, it's a popular place for mages to live and for young mages to spend their school breaks. It is one of the only known major interspecies towns on Earth, and sports amenities such as a community centre, supermarket, and public pool.