The Papilio Forest

A Spiritual Temple located in The Papilio Forest

The **Papilio Forest** is a major system of trees that extends some 16,450 square miles, making it the largest forest in Minerva. The forest is home to thousands of spirits who migrated to Minerva from The Spirit Realm. They decided to make the forest their home as it serves as a safe haven for them. Midori, one of the Takai-Mezu Demons, resides in this forest. This forest is also the place where the Wakantobi Incident took place, 209 years ago. The forest has been inhabited by spirits and unusuals alike for centuries. It is dangerous to travel the forest alone, and numerous paths have been constructed to ensure a safe travel through it. There are also numerous towns and villages within the forest where people live.

Currently, around 8,000,000 people live in the forest, which is also home to around 750,000 unusuals, making it relatively safe with a human to demon ratio of roughly 11:1 in favor of humans. Furthermore, the majority of demons in the forest are anomalies.

## History

The Papilio Forest was discovered during the early years of westward expansion in Minerva, having been first documented by humans sometime in the 1100s by early explorers who travelled north from the coast. The forest was noted to be inhabited by an abundance of butterflies and foxes, as well as other smaller animals such as toads, lizards, and snakes. Because of this, they named it "The Papilio Forest", which roughly translates to "The Butterfly Forest".

Up until the start of The Great Siege in the 1500s, the forest was scarcely inhabited by spirits, as most spirits prior to the capture of The Spirit Portalresided in The Spirit Realm. It wasn't until Ankou's army gained control of the portal in the mid 1500s, preventing the spirits from entering or exiting their realm that they opted to take refuge in The Papilio Forest, as they had nowhere else to go. Following the siege, the population of spirits in the forest steadily climbed into the tens of thousands, as the portal is completely blocked off to this day.

Throughout the "Era of Peace" (1642-1812), numerous towns and villages would be constructed in the forest to accommodate for the rising population in Minerva. In 1658, Wakantobi Village was completed, the largest and most populous village in the forest, which would be home to millions of individuals. In 1812, Ankou breached containment, breaking the multi-century long spell that had kept him sealed beneath the Earth. After doing so, he commanded a massive army of unusuals through Minerva, in which he raided Wakantobi Village, burning it to the ground and taking the lives of over 2,000,000 individuals, initiating "The Reclaiming War".

Today, the forest sits as a sacred place full of rich history and ancient spirits who are many centuries old, with hundreds visiting the forest each day in search of spiritual guidance and wisdom. The forest has been protected under Minervan Laws, preventing deforestation, and numerous paths were constructed through the forest to ensure safe travels to and from. The unusuals who reside in the forest pose little threat, as the majority of them are low-level anomalies.

## Famous Landmarks

**The Spirit Temple -** A massive temple located in the middle of the forest, inhabited by hundreds of ancient spirits. Dozens of individuals visit the temple each day to meditate and communicate with the spirits, who have developed a close bond with humanity and appreciate their presence. The temple was constructed in the 1600s during the Era of Peace with the original purpose of serving as housing for spirits, and has since become a sacred landmark.

**Wakantobi Village -** The most populous village in the forest, currently home to around 1,800,000 people. The village was originally constructed in 1658, then subsequently burned to the ground in 1812 in an event known as "The Wakantobi Incident". The village was re-built throughout the 1800s, and numerous improvements have been made on its original design. Today it is famous for being one of the safest cities in the world, and is home to one of the most well-kept history museums in Minerva.

**Jun's Tomb -** A tomb that was constructed for the legendary warrior Jun following her disappearance in 1945. Jun is widely considered to be the most powerful and influential individual to ever live, and is the only person in history to have ever defeated Ankou in battle. The history behind her disappearance is shrouded in mystery, with some believing she died whilst on a journey to The Enigma Dimension, while others believe she found the dark realm and was killed by Ankou during a rematch.