Western Forest

The Western Forest by tumblr user @thewatchau

The Western Forest within the rest of Duilintinn by tumblr user @thewatchau

The Western Forest is a massive region in the center of Tirónar's eastern half. Not only is it a natural forest of the Mortal Realm, but the Western Forest is also the oldest and largest Fae Garden in Tirónar- possibly in the world.

As a Fae Garden, the Western Forest largely defies natural categorization due to the heavy influence of the magic within. In addition to a mixture of coniferous, deciduous, and magical trees, the forest is home to a myriad of magical flora and fauna.

## Geography

While Western Forest is often considered the western border of Duilintinn, the border is technically delineated by the Rúnach River and Gáire River, which both pass through the fringes of the forest.

The Western Forest’s eastern edge sits in the basin of the Draoidh Valley, approximately 10 miles east from the valley’s western slope at its furthest point. From the center of the valley, you’d only be able to see the forest rise with the slope in the distance on an extremely clear day.

However, for people living on the northern and southern slopes of the valley, the treeline visibly rises up with the mountains to the west, creating an imposing wall of trees that looms overhead. Eventually, the treeline stops suddenly as elevation grows too high and slopes grow too steep. From certain spots within Duilintinn on a clear day, you can faintly see the mountain ranges rise up behind the forest, carrying the forest with it until the trees eventually give way to barren stone reaching far out into the distance.

The trees continue to grow west over the slope and beyond, deep into the juncture between the Northern Mountains, Edge Mountains, and Southern Mountains. The westernmost edge of the forest has never been discovered.

## Inhabitants

As the relatively safest region of the forest, there are some citizens of Duilintinn (especially members of The Watch) who do live in the fringes of the Western Forest east of the Rúnach and Gáire Rivers. The Watch has two outposts within this region: Rúnach Hold and Gáire Roosts.

Ruins of old settlements have also been found in the fringes of the forest, many of which seemed to have been suddenly abandoned. Most if not all of these abandoned ruins are in the Feadhainn Era style of architecture.

Immediately beyond Duilintinn’s borders, The Enemy and his forces have hidden away. As a result, exploring the forest beyond the rivers- an already dangerous endeavor- is now near-suicidal.

Far deeper within the Western Forest, deeper than even The Enemy dares tread, lives the nomadic people of Fasithe. Their leaders are members of the Fae; living so deep within such a vast, ancient Fae Garden would be extremely dangerous for their mortal followers without their otherworldly aid.

## Travel

Very few people will travel through the Western Forest if they can avoid it. The only official roads that dive into the forest lead directly to outposts of The Watch, with only a few signs of civilization along the way. Members of The Watch who explore the forest have developed some well-tread paths over the years, but even these are prone to suddenly disappearing or taking strange detours.

Apart from The Watch, there’s a path through the Western Forest that allows one to exit or enter the Draoidh Valley by hugging the western banks of Loch Glas, cutting through the Western Forest to avoid the cliffs, and crossing the Gáire River at some point to cross back into Duilintinn’s borders. While this route is technically the fastest route between the Gáire Roosts and Monacoil and completely bypasses the hassle of passing through the Agrona Bridge or Monacoil’s Lake District, the route is steep, unmarked, fords two rivers, and forces the traveler into the Western Forest, making it extremely dangerous. However, rumor has it that some small wooden footpaths and bridges can be found along the western banks of Loch Glas, allowing one to travel along the edge of the lake without truly entering the forest until they reach the cliffs…

## Real-World Inspiration: Black Forest, Germany

The concept of a secret shortcut along the western banks of Loch Glas and the edge of the Western Forest was inspired in part by this post on tumblr.

These pictures taken by @theshapeshifter100​ (and used with her permission) of Germany’s Black Forest have inspired the look of the Western Forest near the northern and southern parts of Duilintinn, where the mountain foothills and the Western Forest begin to collide. The third picture in particular is probably my favorite, because it’s exactly how I imagine the Western Forest would look to people living on the northern and southern edges of the Draoidh Valley. People living along the forest edge in the center of the valley don’t get a view quite like this, since the forest does extend into the level regions of the valley. However, if you live on the slopes of the mountains, the woods would just rise up in this bizarre, vertigo inducing way.