To produce a summarized account of the forest of Davokar is a challenge – partly because of its varied and changeable character, partly because so much of it is yet to be reliably mapped. For centuries the clanfolk have kept to the outer areas of the forest, from the edge to about four days’ march inwards. The reason for this is said to be twofold. On the one hand, the outskirts contain all they need in terms of prey and useful plants; on the other hand they abide by a long list of strict taboos that ban them from entering the deep. The witches claim that Davokar is sleeping, that the forest must not be disturbed, that death and destruction will follow if the edicts are violated.

The Ambrian problem
The Ambrians generally agree that the witches exaggerate. Instead they cling to the belief that the taboos echo threatening warnings made by elves, and that the edicts primarily are devised to keep peace with the wardens of the forest. But the strategists also call for caution. The Ambrians still know far too little about Davokar’s past – about the fallen civilization of Symbaroum and the origin of the abominations – to be able to rule out that the witches’ legends contain one or two grains of truth. Whatever the truth may be Davokar is there, at the threshold of Ambria, the Promised Land of Korintha Nightbane. It rests there with its enormous riches, in terms of natural resources and treasure-filled ruins. To leave it in peace is completely at odds with the Ambrian disposition. Maybe that same disposition can account for the Ambrians’ obstinate attempts to explain the inexplicable?

Davokar is generally divided into into three main regions, based on whether or not the sunlight can penetrate the leaves to reach the ground. The outskirts are strikingly beautiful and remarkably lush. During summer, beams of sunlight shimmer in humid air filled with soaring seeds and dancing insects, making the moss and ground blossoms gleam. The fiery splendor of the autumns is even more striking, and the virgin white of the winter calm also has its fair share of admirers.

However, no matter how beautiful the natural surroundings may seem, you can be sure that they are full of hidden dangers – fruits and berries can be lethal on ingestion, and many inexperienced wanderers have reached their end at the bottom of a marsh that was mistaken for solid ground. As for its creatures, the bright part of the forest is mainly the domain of clanfolk and prey animals. Of course, this implies that it is here predators come to hunt – packs of mare cats, jakaars and etterherds as well as solitary rage trolls and even famished abominations. Adding to that, the elves must be mentioned. The cautious spring elves apparently love nothing better than to subject human wanderers to all kinds of more or less deadly mischiefs, while the hotheaded summer elves are happy to use the same travelers as targets for their perfectly aimed arrows – not least if they are in, or are traveling toward, areas deemed especially sensitive by the wardens.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 11:50, Fri 12 Apr.

Further into the woods there are regions of a more perilous kind; areas so dangerous that only experienced and well-equipped groups should enter them. Truly ambitious treasure-hunters have no alternative but to do so, since most of the wild parts border on or surround interesting hunting-grounds; the same goes for explorers seeking knowledge about Davokar’s past.

In general, the wild is dominated by a primeval kind of forest – dark green, bushy, thorny and unwelcoming. Lethal berries and fruits disguise themselves as their edible cousins from the outskirts; a small stream may very well hide a precipitous abyss under its rippled surface; giant sinkholes lurk under thin layers of moss-covered creepers. And then there is the Kelder … However, sometimes the wild can be confusingly similar to the open, and wild areas may actually exist in what appears to be open forest – you can happen upon a grove of Kelders or a field of hidden sinkholes on what you thought were safe grounds. Regarding the ruins of the wild, there are two important notes to make. First, they are hard to find since they are often totally overgrown or so crumbled that only the foundation and any basement levels are intact. Second, you can be sure that they are inhabited or at least a part of someone’s turf. And that “someone” will undoubtedly be opposed to the intrusion.

The creatures nesting in the deep of Davokar form a positively vile array of beasts. Here are roaming abominations driven by insatiable hunger; groups of rage trolls and exiled giants; colonies of etterherds and skullbiters; packs of jakaars and mare cats; and shapeshifting, unclassified beings of other-worldly origins.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:07, Fri 12 Apr.

Beyond the elusive border between bright and wild, there are regions that should not be traversed without great care, detailed preparations and a sizable company of axe-wielding companions. In contrast to the outskirts, the depth is riddled with grave dangers and there are neither clanfolk, nor forest gods that can come to your rescue. In short: one never ventures into the dark of Davokar without being prepared to risk one’s life

Dark Davokar is characterized by a dense and wild vegetation that is said to close out all light but some who have traveled into the dark and returned with their health and minds intact testify that the sunbeams actually do reach the ground in there. They can also tell you that this certainly does not mean that the horrors go away. Whatever is true or false there are reports speaking of a very devious nature in Davokar’s inner regions, a nature whose threats lurk where one would least expect – threats in the form of bottomless streams, tiny but poisonous creatures, overgrown sinkholes and carnivorous or bloodthirsty vines. There is also talk of infections and parasites which make their victims insane, paralyzed, rabid or undead; of ancient curses with similar effects; even of areas defying all reason, where it snows in the summer, where plants shimmer from some inner glow and where nightmares inexplicably come to life.

But no one can claim to actually know which of these statements correspond with reality. If any. The truth is just as uncertain when it comes to the inhabitants of the deep. That there are raving abominations, beastly rage trolls and packs of tricklestings and hunger wolves may be concluded from the stories told by returning explorers. And maybe there is some truth to the rumors about a predatory and bloodthirsty clan, even if its dwelling is yet to be found. But when there is talk about shapeshifting creatures of otherworldly origins, bone-pale elf warriors, possessed mastodons and cunning dragons, the testimonies are far fewer and less reliable. The same goes for the stories about shadowy beings like Lord Bog and the Hawthorn Hag, ancient creatures who, according to legend, are as powerful as they are wrathful. The problem is that those who come across the residents of the forest do not often get the opportunity to return with their tales. And a majority of the lucky ones return in a state which makes it hard to believe what they have to say.

In the outskirts it is possible to travel by horse, although not at a very high speed since there are no paved roads. In the long run it is often preferable to walk and lead the animal by the halter. If so, you can cover twenty to thirty kilometers a day, depending on the terrain and the density of the vegetation. You would do well to bring lots of water and dried meat on your journey, since the streams and springs of the forest sometimes are infected and since open fires tend to attract unwelcome guests to your camp site.



In Davokar every meal may be your last, if you are not careful to take the right precautions. Deeper in the woods riding is rarely an option, and having the equipment tied to a pack animal can be a very bad idea – there is a significant risk that the animal will bolt at the first sight or whiff of a rage troll, leaving you to face the horrors of Davokar empty-handed. No, to Dark Davokar you never go without a number of companions, including a skilled guide who knows to avoid dangers and who can find clean water as well as edible plants and prey.
This message was last updated by the GM at 12:01, Fri 12 Apr.

It is said that all clanfolk in the Davokar region stem from the same civilization; an empire called Symbaroum that supposedly had its high seat located in what today is the center of Davokar. The legends about the fall of Symbaroum are numerous, most of them variations on the theme: that its last emperor angered some form of supreme being and thereby caused the empire’s ruin.

Many dream of finding the heart of Symbaroum, called Symbar by witches and barbarians. Many have tried, but as yet no one has succeeded. Or, to be precise, no one has yet returned with credible and publicly announced stories about a successful expedition to Symbar. But that does not deter fortune-hunters from planning and launching new expeditions, led by men and women who all claim to have irrefutable evidence to guide them. Because as long as the tales about Symbar's treasures outweighs the stories about its horrors, the allure of the myth will live on. And claim life after life after life …
This message was last updated by the GM at 12:02, Fri 12 Apr.