The Valley of the King of the Trees
In the Valley of the King of the Trees, just a stone’s throw from Faunel on the cusp of the Beastlands, the forest is as alive as the critters that roam it. This ain’t no ordinary valley, cutter. Here, the climate’s got more moods than a Xaositect. Up top, it’s as chilly as Cania, but stroll down to the valley’s belly, and you’re in a jungle so hot and lush, it’ll make your head spin.
The locals? Now, there’s a tale. This valley’s teemin’ with all manner of talkin’ beasts, straight out of a barmy bedtime story. They’re smart, these critters, spell-slingers even, but don’t go thinkin’ they’re all sweetness and light. Unlike the talking creatures of the Beastlands, these cutters live by the tooth-and-claw code, see? It’s the survival of the fittest out here, where the brutal rules of nature reign supreme.
But that ain’t all. The trees here ain’t just your usual leafy backdrop. These are petitioners too, each with a spirit and a voice. From the frost-kissed pines up high to the sun-soaked palms and mahoganies below, every tree’s under the domain of its own lord. Betula is the birch lord, Quercus is queen of the oaks, Acer is the maple king, Salix is queen of the willows, and Pinene the lord of the evergreens. This whole place, it’s like a parliament of trees, each type with its own baron or baroness. Every dozen seasons, the treant power Emmantiensien can be found here, conversing with the high-up trees of the valley. It’s not know what they talk about, but it can take many weeks for a conversation to begin and finish. The native tongue of the treants is not for the impatient.
Now here’s the dark of it – this valley wasn’t always part of the Outlands. It used to be a slice of the Beastlands, but when the philosophical winds changed, so did the valley. Folks started thinkin’ that the perfect wild was only for the animals, and that’s all it took. Those tree lords felt the shift, uprooted themselves and their leafy kin, and made for the Outlands. They were after a place where balance rules, far from the meddling hands and noisy philosophies of mortals.
Now, the Valley of the King of the Trees is a haven for neutral druids and all manner of wild souls who seek a life unbound. It’s a place where nature’s untamed heart beats loud and clear, where every leaf, every beast speaks of the primal, raw beauty of the planes, and the lines between animal, plant and spirit blur.
Source: Joshua Jarvis and Jon Winter-Holt, mimir.net
