Kul'run Blood Forest

Kings and emperors, be they men or Oni are free to burn what they wish. Entire histories have been razed by the torch, black marks on civilization erased so that houses appear to be in order.

Some stories are not so easily forgotten.

## Description

The blood forest appears as an ancient, even idyllic, wood during the day. Birds chirp in the sky, the lush canopy filters the sunlight perfectly for a midday stroll, and the streams and bushes teem with fish and game. Its an almost surreal beauty, a picture of light and life, peace and harmony. Travelers that have napped beneath one of its many trees have reported dreaming of being someone else, leading a simple life off the land with their clan, filling the days with games and the nights with song and laughter.

At night, however, another side of the blood forest is revealed. The sky darkens with the setting sun, and so does the woods. Birdsong turns to shrieks of fear, the calming sound of winds through the leaves to malevolent whispers, and the woodland creatures retreat to their dens as twisted things dance under the moon. Travelers traversing the woods at night (the scant few that dare) are hard pressed to find their way through the nightmarish landscape. Paths twist and direction disappears, even the stars overhead will lie to you, leading you in circles until something comes to take you.

## History

Little is known about the blood forest. A few cursory investigations suggest that this was the site of some great atrocity performed by the Oni Emperor in a time long forgotten. Perhaps the spirits here could tell you, if you could survive long enough to pen it down, and that's assuming your mind remained whole through the process. Whatever the case those that have tried have so far failed, and the phenomena remains a mystery.

## Dangers

During the day the woodlands provide no dangers other than human error. Survival checks to gather food or navigate enjoy a +5 while the sun holds sway over the sky. During the night the wood fills with Shadows and Wraiths, and haunts proliferate the meadows and waterfalls that were so appealing during the day. Many adventurers have made the mistake of making camp near a natural spring only to fall prey to its torment after the sun had set.

Speaking with the locals in the villages outside of the forest and making a DC 25 Diplomacy check to gather information will inform the characters of a rite used to make offerings to the tormented spirits. Burning 100gp in offerings of toys and games, and making a DC 15 knowledge (religion) check confers a group of up to 5 with the Protection from Evil spell for a night, and makes survival checks to navigate the woods possible.

## Reagents

For adventurers willing to brave the Blood Forest there are a number of enticing rewards. In addition to the potential of retrieving the equipment of those that fell before you the forest grows a few rare reagents in relative abundance.

* **Entropic Resin:** This slightly viscous, pearlescent gray-black substance is most commonly stored in small vials, jars, and bottles. It’s most frequently found at sites of carnage and places where undead creatures dwell, lending some credence to the more common theories about how the Blood Forest came to be. It can be found in rampant abundance here, and many would-be alchemists have fallen collecting it.
* **Dreamer's Star:** The orange petals of this plant are popularly used to mix dream tea, an aromatic drink that is commonly used as a sleep aid. Creatures that drink tea made from the petals sleep soundly, and need only 6 hours for a full night's rest as opposed to the usual 8.
* **Flayleaf:** These narrow, rust colored leaves are a popular anesthetic and can be burned to produce a mildly hallucinogenic smoke. Smoking Flayleaf renders a creature immune to pain for 4 hours, a great boon to many medical procedures or terminal care, but impose a -5 to will saves for that duration.