Origins of the Great Forest

The Great Forest is a natural wonder of the world. It is a massive land expanse covered in the over-growth of thick trees and plant life that has been magically nudged to grow overtime into a very dense, wooded area. Located in the center of Indagar, surrounded by the Spine, the Great Forest is the primary homeland of the Great Forest Tribes. It is an area overflowing with magic energy which sustains the wild growth of the forest as well as maintains its life giving climate.

The origins are the forest are one of pre-history, before the Tribes or even humans walked the world. What is clearly understood by the people of Indagar is that the Great Forest is a land of high levels of magic. It is also clearly understood that the magic sustains the forest and creates all of the wonders and horrors that exist in it. What is not understood, however, is exactly where all the magic came from and how the Great Forest was created. So, although you are about to learn about the origins of the Great Forest, no one in the world of Chronicles is privy to this same knowledge. They all have theories of their own, but since the scholars of Indagar lack true understanding of the reality of magic energy, especially with zero knowledge of Reaper Energy and the Reaper, none of their theories gain traction or are correct.

## Super Volcano

The land mass that the Great Forest covers is surrounded by a very high mountain range known as the Spine. Careful observation of the map of Indagar will show that this area is roughly circular in shape. Indeed, this is because the Great Forest, during the early years of the formation of the world, was in fact a very active super volcano. The Great Forest sits in the caldera of it, and the Spine is the ridges around it. This ancient volcano is extinct and has been that way since the early years of the construction of the world.

## The Reaper Restores Balance

In a time long before humans, there was a period where an imbalance in the Spirit formed. Simply, at this early stage in the formation of the world, there was not enough organic material to trap and hold magic energy within it. Thus, the magic energy was returning to the Spirit from reality at a rate which was far higher than the Spirit could sustain. In times of imbalance, the Reaper invades reality to restore it. Reaper Energy began to pour into the world at a global rate, pouring out of the Spirit in an amount which has not been seen since on the world. Reaper Energy filled the atmosphere, collecting, and refusing to dissipate as the laws of the universe which govern the Spirit strove to maintain a high level of Reaper Energy.

Reaper Energy began to form and combine with other magic energy, especially with high levels of Life Energy. Over hundreds of years, this dramatically changed the climate of Indagar, bringing a warming cycle and rains. Further, it began a great build-up within the caldera of the ancient volcano, the steep mountains of the Spine and the roughly bowl shaped geography creating a natural collection point for magic energy. Plant life life which existed in that area prior as scrubby and sparse began to be over-dosed by the mutative power of this build-up. Combined with the climate change, the plant life began to mutate and evolve, transforming into the first great trees and wild plants that now makeup the Great Forest. As the area began to grow and flourish so to were creatures drawn to the now forming Great Forest. They too began to become inundated with magic energy present there and started their own mutations and evolution towards the many creatures which exist in the Great Forest now.

Eventually, the Great Forest was made real. As magic energy began to be collected there by the explosion of organic material, the work of the Reaper slowly began coming to a close. Reaper Energy began a quick deterioration and disappeared back to the Spirit. What was left behind was a huge pocket of magic energy now absorbed by the Great Forest.

## Sustaining the Forest

During the global level chaos that created the Great Forest, to release Reaper Energy into the area, tears were created beneath the earth under the ancient caldera. Those tears still exist, seeping up through the ground as Wells. The Great Forest now exists in a balance. As magic energy that is stored there is slowly dissipated due to decay of organic material, it is replaced by the Wells in the area. Thus, the Great Forest has become a natural funnel for the great universal cycle of magic energy from reality to the Spirit.

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--Neil (talk) 20:57, 21 October 2016 (AST)