Gloaming Wood

Dangerous Inhabitants
The Gloaming Wood contains many ancient creatures that have terrorized Athereon since before the age of men. Chief among them are The Fey, mysterious beings of magic that are both terrible and beautiful. Some Fey act as protectors of the woods, preserving them from the western invaders that seek to exploit the land for its resources. Others act chaotically, ruling their carved-out domains as fits their whim.

Seemingly independent of the hour of the day, the Gloaming Wood emits an eerie glow that lures most intelligent beings into a lethargic stupor called Gloam Sickness. Those who venture into the Wood and lose themselves are slowly stripped of their souls, turning them into The Hollow. Those who perish in the Woods also turn into Hollow.

There are those that thrive in the chaotic environment of the Gloaming Wood, harnessing the land's innate magic for their own purposes. These gifted few band together in pursuit of various causes or work alone, and call themselves Morphs. Though they do not lose their souls like the Hollow, constant exposure to the Woods' raw magic turns them into twisted inhuman creatures. Lower levels of exposure can lead to smaller changes, and some venture into the Gloaming Wood to receive a beneficial morph.

Untold Riches
Despite the many dangers, there is no shortage of intrepid explorers who seek to plunder the Gloaming Wood of its treasure. Prized over all else is phrax, a crystalline substance found throughout the Woods that contains the essence of the land's magic in its purest form. While natural deposits are rare, many of the most powerful of the Woods' inhabitants horde phrax for their nefarious purposes. In Ryddia's capital Lysunia, all phrax belongs to Emperor Vernax Pentissimus, and phraxhunters who are successful in their search trade the substance for wealth and favor.

Many fools and madmen have attempted to settle in the Gloaming Wood, and their ruins remain. Many explorers seek out these sites rather than the dangerous and unstable phrax.

Magical Anomalies
Normal weather is rare in the Gloaming Wood. Instead, destructive magical storms tear through the lands, leaving magical aberrations that heal and harm alike. Keen adventurers have theorized that phrax seems to appear in the wake of these storms, though few are brave enough to substantiate these claims.