The Places of The Dark Tales of Wintermount

Early explorers from the Kingdom of Tyne, ever after known as Wulfhæfen, discovered a mysterious forest on one of their many expeditions into the wastelands east of the great river.  They never stayed long under the canopy of trees, despite the shelter it provided, as they always felt that some dark magic festered within them after night fell.

Disappearances plagued its borders, and reports noted that travelers became trapped by an invisible barrier, unable to leave as the forest craved their presence; suffering from loneliness and a deep abhorrence for the Kingdom to the west.

Some even reported encountering a lonely ghost, whose eager heart and helpful countenance caused many to fall in love, unwilling to leave the trees and unable to keep the wandering spirit’s heart despite the sacrifices they made to stay with him.  In the end, some went mad with desire, locking themselves in the trunks of hollow, dead trees until they joined him in death and became wraiths that haunted the forest alongside him. They were a danger to themselves as much as the lonely spirit, as well as any following travelers who found themselves beneath the canopy after nightfall.

It was only after an exiled artisan found his way into the woods and into the spirit’s heart that the curse was broken, and a child was brought forth from an unlikely coupling of two Alphas; one living and the other long dead, that the woods stopped being a threat. After the founding of Wolfshield along the forest edge by the artisan to raise his son as a King, the woods welcomed the spirits of the royals after their deaths, forever providing a way for the living to continue to converse with and love the dead.