Great Forest
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The aptly-named Great Forest is a large forest within the central Empire.[1]
Overview
Bounded by the Drakwald Forest and River Talabec on the north,[1][3d] the moorlands of Ostermark on the east,[3c] the River Stir on the south,[1] and the Reikwald Forest and River Reik[1] on the west, the vast woodland known as the Great Forest covers much of the provinces of Talabecland and Ostermark in The Empire’s heartland.[3a][3c] A remnant of the primordial forest that once covered the region, old stands of huge 'imperial' oak and hoary, moss-covered willow trees are surrounded by long stretches of birch and beech in its southern reaches, shifting towards darker evergreen pines in the north.[1][3f] Clearings and rocky outcroppings dot the woods, within many of which are located towns and villages.[3f]
Less forbidding than the feared Drakwald Forest or Forest of Shadows, many dangers and mysteries do nonetheless lurk beneath the branches. Small clans of Elves live in the Great Forest,[3g] while bands of Beastmen, Greenskins, and Chaos Mutants wait for the unwary, and vicious predators like the Scarlett Deathhead and Tilean Greyback make their homes here.[3f][4] Despite the dangers, hearty woodsmen carve a living from the trees, often working as foresters, charcoal burners, or trappers.[3f]
Some areas are significantly more dangerous than others. To the northeast, where the forest thins into the Gryphon’s Wood, the region is safe enough for small villages and even isolated steads to flourish.[3c] The Great Forest’s deep interior, western hills, and the southern branches known as the Hunger Wood and Grim Wood are particularly feared.[3e][3f] Since the destruction of Ostermark’s former capital, Mordheim, in 1999 IC, the forested area around it has acquired the dread name of the “Dead Wood” - that is, when people will speak of it at all. Few enough willingly pass through the area, and none live there.[3c]
History
Storm of Chaos
As State Troops were pulled from Imperial provinces to hold back Archaon during the Storm of Chaos numerous groups of bandits, outlaws, and river pirates were emboldened to new levels of activity, taking to operating out of the Great Forest in particular. Refugees embittered by their lords’ inability to protect them greatly swelled their numbers, presenting a significant challenge to post-war efforts to restore law and order.[3a][3c] Compounding the troubles are the bands of Beastmen and Greenskins who fled into the depths after the Everchosen’s defeat.[3f]
Notable Locations
- Six Spikes: Once a sacred site to the Beastmen, it was transformed by Balthasar Gelt into a field of golden statues.[2]
- Bek: Quiet river trading town focused on exporting dried fish and lumber down the Talabec.[3d][3f]
- Wurtbad: The capital city of Stirland lies where the Old Dwarf Road and Old Forest Road terminate at the Stir, surrounded by thinning woods at the edge of the Great Forest.[3d][3f]
- Bechafen: Built from the dark wood of the Great Forest that this gloomy city resides in.[3c]
- Essen: This isolated town sits between the portion of the Great Forest called the Dead Wood, the Eerie Downs, and Hel Fenn.[3c]
- Talabheim: Constructed inside an enormous impact crater deep in the Great Forest by the ancient tribal Taleutens.[3b]
Sources
- 1: The Enemy Within (Supplement), Geography of the Empire pg. 23
- 2: Storm of Magic, Legends & Legacies, pg. 16-19
- 3: Sigmar's Heirs
- 3a: Chapter I: The Land and Its People, pg. 7
- 3b: Chapter II: The History of the Empire, pg. 13
- 3c: Chapter VI: The Grand Provinces, pgs. 68-71
- 3d: Chapter VI: The Grand Provinces, pgs. 78-79
- 3e: Chapter VI: The Grand Provinces, pg. 85
- 3f: Chapter VI: The Grand Provinces, pgs. 88-89
- 3g: Chapter VI: The Grand Provinces, pg. 93
- 4: Cluster Eye Tribe (book), Old Weirde's Incunabulum, pg. 6
Curse of the Phoenix Crown (Novel), Chapter 5: Fires of Hate and Prophecy Needs Citation
