Sunday, April 25, 2021

Weird Wood Weeks Two and Three Consolidated

Time is strange. Things age at different rates. Buildings and landmarks appear, disappear and reappear, seemingly at random. Time can flow differently from place to place or from person to person. 


There is nothing like civilization in Weird Wood. The tumultuous and dangerous nature of the place make it impossible to settle. The only exception is the Surrendered, a small group of squatters who hide amongst the half submerged towers of the Sunken City. 



Gazeteer:


MAP


The Ariel: A cave-riddled, flat-topped sandstone formation at the center of Crystal Meadow. The cliffs leading up to the cloud-veiled summit are sheer and treacherous. Crumbling stone, patches of loose sand, and carnivorous insects only add to the danger. From about half way up on, climbers can hear the static gum of the TV trees above. They are just one of the strange and terrible things atop the mesa. 


Badlands: A haunted wasteland. The expanse of scorching heat and bare rock is somehow far larger than it should be and takes many days to cross. Transparent beings, accompanied but the noise of static, flicker in out of sight. What are they? 


The Barrier: A dense and seemingly impassable forest. The Barrier surrounds the entirety of Weird Wood. It is resistant to cutting and will not burn. With each step deeper into the forest the forest grows more tangled, dense and actively hostile. 


Bone Pond: A crystal clear pond. No visible signs of life. Bones completely cover the bottom. 


Castle Nimbus: Dead Wizard’s stronghold in exile. A floating castle perched atop a cloud. A giant burning and unblinking eye, floats beside it. Hidden by the cloud,  Castle Nimbus and the Eye are invisible from the surface.


Crystal Meadow: A wide field covered by glowing pink nodules of budding crystal. Wind passing through the crystal produces strange and sometimes dangerous music. 


The Dreaming: Mushroom forest and lair of the Worm. 


Dragon Marsh: Monster infested wetland. Giant insects and swamp sharks aren’t the worst things in the marsh. The mysterious, looming Outpost 16 resides in the deepwater near the Barrier. 


Forever Falls: Bottomless waterfall. Some of the lost believe that there is a bottom and a doorway back to the real world hidden there. All you have to do  to reach it is jump over the edge.  Even aside from the obvious, there are many problems with this supposition. Not the least of which is that nobody agrees what the real world is. 


Giant’s Grave: Vast battlefield littered with giant bones and rusted weapons at a scale to match. Although the fighting ended long ago, many claim to hear the noise of battle when they draw near.  


The Lost Saucer: A mysterious spacecraft. Lights blink and flash. Machines hum and whine. Despite these indications of activity, nobody has ever seen the occupants of the saucer. In fact, nobody even knows whether or not the saucer is occupied.