Settlements and Sites of the Four City-States #258

Settlements and Sites of the Four City-States #258 

September 16th, 2023 

• Number: 258 

• Name:  Deep Dive on a Site of Interest: Boarfang Mountain and the Dead Woods of Ceannar  – Part 6 

• Location: Northeast corner of Flattop Hills 

• Population (approx.): 317 (Northwoods) 

• Brief: The slopes of Boarfang Mountain feature a diverse environment from the desolate, sometimes snow-covered slopes at the top, the sparse foliage atop the petrified remains named the Dead Wood, to the denser living woods of the surrounding slopes. Norfalen Elderfate’s inherited mandate is to watch over the area from the peak to the main trail to the east, with the assistance of his companions and rangers. But Norfalen does allow some number of trusted visitors to traverse the area for various purposes whether to find a unique needed resource (usually a forager or perhaps a Miner of the Guild), dispatch a creature of dangerous intent (Adventurers called by locals or Paladins upon a quest) or simply to explore the tangles of the Dead Wood to confirm or deny a recent rumor or ancient story of an unusual person, place or thing. 

• Faraxis (Far), 364, male Autumn Eladrin (an Elf of the four Seasons of Aenwyld) is an explorer of unusual terrain and a senior illustrator of the Cartographer’s Guild. He is of average height and is lightly muscular. His eyes are deep brown and inset just a bit. Far has silver hair that he wears shorn close to the skull. He also walks with a wooden cane because of an accident over a century ago. Far has a tattoo of a quill on his left arm and a pot of ink on his right. His clothes are as varied as the terrain he explores. His favorite weapon is a magical crossbow. He also uses a pair of daggers for close combat. 

• Far never settles in one place for very long. When Far enters a new town, he finds an inn and then explores the village. He asks around about unique occurrences and exciting places to visit. Once he knows what to look for, he will travel to the new site and map it. The new site he is hoping to find while exploring the Dead Wood is a pool that is rumored to glow and emit a green goo. 

• Far's wife, Briprana (Brip), 350, female Eladrin, companion and co-worker. While Far maps the areas, Brip writes detailed explanations in carefully indexed journals. The two of them had no children and took to the road and map the wonderful world that they lived in. They have made many friends, and Brip enjoys telling stories about the areas they have been to. 

• Geography: Far and Bripana are currently guests of the Centaur herd who live about 5 miles southwest of the village of Northwoods (location 6 see below). The location he seeks (location 7 see below) is another 6 miles further south of west across the border into the Dead Wood. Before Boarfang Mountain exploded, a circle of trees, home to Faeries and their Kin, surrounded a spring-fed pool in the depths of the primeval forest. The cataclysm flooded the area with torrents of mud followed by a blanket of ash. The trees effectively formed a wall and their branches a canopy that allowed the pool to remain mostly intact, but the fauna suffocated, and the flora withered in the darkness.  

• Perhaps a decade ago a minor earthquake rocked the area. The chamber canopy, already thinned by years of erosion, cracked open, letting air and some light to reach the pool 120 feet below. The first life to return to the pool fills the cavern’s air with faint green phosphoresces, noticed by a lone passing hunter whose story was embellished by listeners at local taverns and beyond. Whether anything beyond glowing fungi exists in the depths will be for Faraxis to discover and hopefully survive.