Great Wood

The Great Wood, as shown on a map of Natalia.

The **G****reat Wood** was the main location of the Thirty Warrens, the kingdom established by King Walter. It was a place of conflict between the rabbits, wolves and Lords of Prey.

It is located in Natalia, just south of Jupiter's Crossing and east of Cloud Mountain.

## History

### *Prince Lander and the Dragon War*

At the conclusion of the Dragon War, Lander looked out upon the woodland surrounding the dragon hatchery and deemed that it would be the new home of the Trekkers.

### *The Green Ember*/*The Last Archer*

As Heather and Picket Longtreader learned from their father Whittle, uncle Wilfred, and Lord Rake, the Great Wood eventually came to be ruled by King Walter Good, a noble monarch who turned from the corrupt path of his father. King Good set about rebuilding the kingdom established by his ancestors, which he dubbed the Thirty Warrens. Seeing that his oldest son, Bleston, took after his cruel grandfather, King Good deemed him unworthy to succeed him as king. He thus selected Jupiter, his third son, to receive the Green Ember. Furious at this decision, Bleston eventually departed from the Great Wood with a group of sympathizers.

Despite this unfortunate schism, King Good and Prince Jupiter were able to continue their work bringing peace and prosperity to the Great Wood. After King Good was killed by hawks from the High Bleaks, Jupiter became king, and continued his father's work with all his faculties. Aided both by his formidable army and its Lord Captains and his Council of Seven Ambassadors, Jupiter soon grew his kingdom into a Great Alliance with the wood at its center. Unfortunately, his efforts earned him the hatred of Morbin Blackhawk, high king of the Lords of Prey, and his wolf allies.

Through the treachery of Garten Longtreader, Jupiter was delivered into Morbin's clutches, but he calmly proclaimed that an answer to this would come to Morbin from the Great Wood. Morbin responded that he would burn the wood, but Jupiter declared that burning the wood would not prevent the rising of the Green Ember and the birth of the Mended Wood. His brave defiance provoked Morbin, who slew Jupiter before unleashing his forces on the Great Wood as he had promised. Led by his lieutenant Gern and the wolf captain Redeye Garlackson, the predators ravaged the Great Wood and terrorized its inhabitants, many of whom fled or were killed in what became known as the afterterrors.

Where once the Great Wood had been a place to which many rabbits turned for refuge from Natalia's dangers, those of its inhabitants who could left it in search of safety. These included Whittle and Sween Longtreader, Tommy Decker, and various rabbits who fled to Cloud Mountain and other secret citadels. Winslow, eldest son of Jupiter, accepted a token position as governor of First Warren under the tyrannical regime of Morbin. Under their rule, the Great Wood became a tragic ruin of its former self and a place of fear for all free rabbits left in Natalia.

Smalls and Wilfred came to Nick Hollow from the Great Wood. Maggie Weaver tells Heather that many of the secret citadels aim to retake the Great Wood, and that while she wishes them well, Cloud Mountain has a different purpose. She tells Heather that most of Jupiter's sons are in the Great Wood, and fighting over the position of Jupiter's heir. Jo Shanks sees Smalls on top of the seventh standing stone, gazing off in the direction of the Great Wood. Heather's story is said to have even reached some in the Great Wood.

### *Ember Falls*/*The First Fowler*

Bleston (who returned from Terralain) believed that reclaiming First Warren was the first step to regaining the Great Wood.

Lallo mentions having been born in the Great Wood to Picket. He tells Picket that his mother said that it was a great place once, but it isn't anymore.

### *Ember Rising*/*The Archer's Cup*

Picket thinks of the Great Wood when remembering of Jupiter's death. According to Captain Moonlight, before the fall of King Jupiter, the Great Wood was open to travelers from Nick Hollow to Kingston. It is mentioned many times that First Warren is the heart of the Great Wood.

### *Ember's End*

During the siege of First Warren, Picket compares the wolves burning the city to the afterterrors in the Great Wood.

It is noted that Newcity resides in a glen in the Great Wood. Following the Mending, Heather described the Great Wood as "teeming with children". Heather declines Emma's offer to leave for Nick Hollow, as she was born in the Great Wood and feels it to be her home. In *The Fall and Rise of King Smalden Joveson*, Heather wrote that the Great Wood had mended and was shining brightly with plenty of light to share.

## Notable locations

### Terralain camp

The **Terralain camp** is the camp of the Terralain army established shortly before the Siege of First Warren. It consists of the forces originally led to Halfwind Citadel by Bleston and additional soldiers brought up from Terralain by Naylen. The camp is infiltrated by Cole and Heyna Blackstar and Jo Shanks, who destroy several Terralain assets and learn that the Terralains intend to attack First Warren the following dawn. This leads to Emma leading an envoy consisting of herself and the Fowlers to the camp in hopes of negotiating peace.