Defenders of the Forest - Liber Fanatica

Chapter VII: The Forest of
Athel Loren
After the Greenskins were routed, Ariel emerged from the Oak
of Ages to heal the injured Elves. The King and Queen of the
forest ascended their oaken thrones, and the Sylvan Pact was
sealed.
Wr a t h o f t h e Wo o d l a n d s
Since the Great Council, Dwarf loggers in the Grey Mountains
have learned to plan timbering expeditions for the winter
months when Ariel and Orion are dormant. Yet even when
Loren’s beasts hibernate and Elven magic is weak, the forest is
not entirely defenceless. A race of malicious, shape-changing
creatures known as the Winter Dryads guards the forest through
the dark season.
Although Winter Dryads are mistrusted by the Elves of Athel
Loren and rarely fight alongside them, the spiteful beings have
been known to join forces with mad or corrupt Treemen on
occasion. In contrast to the more stoic Treemen who impart
wisdom in exchange for the Elves’ loyalty, Treemen such as the
battle-scarred Durthu vent their ancient fury against Loren’s
enemies without any want or need for Elvish assistance.
Loren’s most malevolent spirits resent the pact with the Elves.
Most infamous among these is the elder Treeman Coeddil, who
once aided Ariel, but later became tainted by dark magic and
was banished to the Wildwood in -625 IC after attempting to
foil Orion’s spring awakening. Coeddil remains imprisoned
within a stone circle to this day, plotting his revenge and exchanging
secrets with the Winter Dryads.
Br e t o n n i a a n d t h e Fa y Co u r t
Athel Loren has inspired countless ballads, fables and legends
throughout the lands of Bretonnia. Ever since the kingdom was
united under King Louis, the Fay Enchantress has been revered
as a saint of the Lady of the Lake. The Asrai have secretly
manipulated Bretonnian religion to their own advantage by
promoting technological conservatism as a spiritual ideal. By
limiting Bretonnia’s industrial progress, the Wood Elves hope
to stall humanity’s encroachment on Athel Loren. Bretonnian
nobles are largely amenable to the wood elves’ agenda, because
the old ways appeal to their chivalric codes. Besides, industrialisation
might empower the merchant class.
Envoys from the Fay Court sometimes visit nobles at their castles,
or spy on their villages. While most Bretonnians consider
an elf sighting to be a good sign, the fay are privately feared. Parents
scare children with tales of slit-eyed elves watching from the
trees at night, looking for human infants with magical ability to
carry away to Loren. Kidnapped boys never return; the girls are
trained as Damsels of the Lady and only return from the forest
as adults.
Bretonnian dukes occasionally crusade against Loren when
Orion’s wild hunt wreaks havoc on their fiefs. However, these
vengeance crusades are short-lived because Bretonnia’s knights
unwittingly obey the commands of Ariel through her intermediary,
the Fay Enchantress. Glory-seeking knights sometimes
mistake the Fay Enchantress for the Lady of the Lake, and Grail
Damsels receive their prophetic visions from mirror-pools that
can reflect the Fay Enchantress’ image far beyond Athel Loren.
Fo e s o f t h e Fo r e s t
Despite threats from Winter Dryads and renegade Treemen,
Athel Loren’s elves typically live in harmony with the spirits.
They have become keenly attuned to Loren’s consciousness
and are capable of sensing intruders from miles away. The last
major Dwarf incursion was the Battle of Pine Crags in 1350 IC,
when a gang of Trollslayers came in search of magical artefacts.
Orcs and Goblins continue to plunder the forest, but have not
breached the sacred glades since the Winter of Woe.
Currently, Loren’s most dangerous foe is a bestial demigod
known as Cyanathair the Corruptor. Cyanathiar has been
destroyed and resurrected thrice over the millennia, gathering
mighty warherds of Beastmen each time. On the rare occasion
when humans are permitted into Loren’s depths, they are usually
unwitting pawns in the Shadow War against the Corruptor.
The Wild Heaths on Loren’s borders are littered with burial
cairns containing the remains of erstwhile trespassers. The
concentration of dark magic around the cairns is so potent that
necromancers have begun to seek them out. The southwestern
forest still bears scars from the Lichemaster’s march into Athel
Loren behind a skeleton horde mustered from the Dhar-saturated
cairns.
Na v i g a t i n g t h e Lo r e n Fo r e s t
This section provides rules for determining whether PCs are able
to locate specific destinations within Loren. Certain glades are
so heavily saturated with magic that they exist outside of normal
time and space. Even areas of lesser magic are impossible to locate
by trails alone, because paths constantly shift and turn back
on themselves. Navigating Loren is not just a test of intuition
– it’s also a supreme trial of character. Those who aren’t native to
Athel Loren usually perish or become lost for years unless they
befriend Elves or spirits to guide them.
Fo r e s t Spirit Disposition
Forest Spirits and Spirit Animals are extensions of Loren’s
sentient will. Gaining these creatures’ favour makes adventuring
in Loren much easier. Each Athel Loren gazetteer capsule lists a
Forest Disposition modifier which applies to all Fellowshipbased
skill tests with spirits in that region. For social interaction
guidelines, see Befriending Forest Spirits, pg. 94.
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