Darken Wood The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance The current year for our Dragonlance campaign is set during 351 AC "After Cataclysm". Inspired By Trampas Whiteman

North of the White-Rage River is the mysterious Darken Wood. Long protected by a great unicorn called the Forestmaster. Darken Wood has been home to the followers of Chislev.

For a long time, Darken Wood was also home to a large number of undead and was avoided by most of the living, other than the Forestmaster and her followers. With the removal of the undead, it occasionally has the odd traveler, foolhardy enough to try and brave its depths.

Also dwelling within the woodlands are several clans of centaurs and satyrs who serve the Forestmaster and tend to the forest. The centaurs are highly protective of their woods and prove to be fierce guardians who repel most outsiders from entering. Aspen Trees are one of the known plants to thrive in these woods. Aspen Trees are one of the known plants to thrive in these woods.

Overhead, the leafy canopy thickens. Sunlight dims, then fades. Gnarled trees, armored in blackened bark, stand sentry. A presence lingers here, a presence dark and fearful. This is a fearsome place. Dark shadows slink beneath the tall gray firs, and dread fills the air. The spirits of ancient warriors guard these forests from all intruders.

The forest has its own way of keeping those who they do not wish to enter outside of its borders. A mysterious woods located southwest of Solace, Darken Wood is populated by seven centaur clans, the Forestmaster (a unicorn which protects the forest), and undead warriors who forsook the Forestmaster in the past and are doomed to protect the forest forever as a punishment. Giant owls are native to this region .

No light source, not even a magical one, can cast light in Darken Wood farther than 40 ft. (20 ft. at night) the air hangs thick and heavy, seeming to diffuse even the brightest illumination. Neither elvensight nor darkvision work inside these woods, so even elves and dwarves entering must rely on ordinary vision.

All Spot checks are made with a -5 penalty, even within the radius of illumination of a light source. The forest is blanketed by a confusion effect. While in the forest, all attempts at tracking, including retracing the path by which one has arrived, suffer a –5 penalty due to the mysteriously shifting trees. Attempts to tell exact time usually fail. This is a mind-affecting enchantment effect.

At the north end of the wood, near the Twin Peaks that guard the New Haven Road, lies the Starlight Canyon, home to the largest population of pegasi in Krynn. Most of these magnificent winged horses make their lairs in the network of caves that dot the canyon, though some live in ground camps or elsewhere. The canyon takes its name from the soft haze of starlight that blankets it. As a result, this part of the wood has better illumination than the rest, and light sources cast light up to 80 ft.

The east of Darken Wood is comprised of the Dryad Forests and oak trees instead of aspens. The dryads are nonconfrontational, leaving their safety in the hands of the centaurs or the spectral minions, but they are not above charming one of the heroes to help them protect their groves—or to serve as their slave labor.

The central part of the wood is named Unicorn’s Grove and is considered the domain of the Forestmaster. Very few creatures enter the Grove, and few stay very long. An atmosphere of awe permeates the Grove, which contains a clearing and a ledge, aptly named the Forestmaster’s Ledge, on which the unicorn prefers to lounge.

As someone enters the forest, they travel for only a few hundred feet before they’re suddenly aware that they’re not alone. Unless they take steps to conceal themselves (such as moving silently or spells), a troop of spectral minions, consisting of one captain and ten soldiers, will creep up on them surrounding them.