The Forest of the Great Cherry Blossoms

## Overview

The Forest of the Great Cherry Blossoms is a thick and massive forest filled with phantoms and ghosts on the planet of Gensokia. It is unofficially ruled by Vankyre.

## Lore

The forest came into being due to the massive amount of death that plagued Gensokia two-thousand years ago. A war broke out between humans and shinigami. Shinigami swept throughout the land, killing all those that stood before them. They stole their souls, and converted the souls into vengeful spirits to fight for their cause. They killed thousands of humans, and eventually the humans had to sue for peace, lest they be driven to extinction. After long months of negotiation, they arrived at a potential peace deal. The shinigami would release and put the souls to rest, as well as end the war peacefully on two conditions. The first, was that the captured human souls were to be released and converted into cherry blossom trees, which would serve as a staunch reminder to never challenge them ever again. The second, was just one more soul. They requested one soul to be sacrificed amongst the remaining humans as an apology to them. If the demands were not met within 3 days, they would continue their slaughter. For two days, no one stepped up. Rumors of who would become the sacrifice came and went, and tension was rising, and the shinigami were becoming very impatient. Just as the third day was almost up, one stepped forward. The white-haired individual decided to sacrifice themselves for the rest of humanity. The shinigami grinned, and with one quick slash, the now lifeless body collapsed. The shinigami departed, and the humans breathed one great sigh of relief.

A couple of months passed, and a passerby noticed a massive cherry blossom forest in the distance. It had arrived, and it served as a very, very cold and grim reminder of the past, just as the shinigami had promised. Seeing that the shinigami were gone, some attempted to burn the forest for being a "cursed place of black magic". However, when a man attempting to light the forest ablaze, pink and blue butterflies surrounded the poor soul, and he collapsed immediately. The people watched in horror as dark brown roots began to emerge from his body, as he slowly grew bark on his skin, while branches jutted out of his head, changing his hair and hair color to a bright pink with a soft, leafy texture. Years later, another man announced to the whole village that he was going to be the brave hero that would fell the cursed and twisted forest. He ventured in, with the whole village watching from afar. A short time later, the villagers heard what sounded to be someone laughing. The man never re-emerged out of the forest. One unknown human ventured into the forest, and came out seemingly unscathed and healthy. When the other humans asked what he saw within the village, he claimed that there was a person in there, but as soon as that person entered his vision, he was back where he came in. The very next day, he suddenly died in his sleep.

After the past events, the humans decided that the forest was not to be tampered with. They labeled it as the "forbidden bush", and severe penalties were to be issued if one was to go near it. Hundreds of years passed, and the forest remained. Untouched. Undisturbed. That was, until recent times. Someone or something emerged from the forest for the first time in a thousand years. Out came a ghost, simply known as "Vankyre".

## Residents

* Vankyre
* Hundreds and thousands of various lost souls, phantoms, and ghosts

## Trivia

* The individual who sacrificed themselves still remains a mystery. It is known that they had white hair. It is assumed to be Vankyre.
* The forest was grown and formed over the course of a couple of months.
* Vankyre has a mansion hidden deep within the thicket.
* Mortals who enter the forest have never left.