As of 5/24/99
The large forested area known as the Sorrow Woods, abutting the northern flank of
The Twins and extending eastward down the shores of the Sea of Sorrow, is one of
the oldest of the great forests in the Kingdom of Langington. Once away from the
tamed areas surrounding the coastal city of Vollmer, or any of the handful of
scattered villages, or straying from the heavily traveled Sorrow's Highway which
cuts through the woods, the forest asserts itself fully - allowing the invading
traveler no room for any doubt about the dominance of wild nature over the
trivial efforts of the two legged races.
Though in many parts foreboding - the brooding silence and overhanging bows
making many a traveler feel like they are the intruder and not welcome - the
forest and its dwellers are really quite benign.
Some of the most magnificent stands of the majestic forest king, the Barsqu
tree are to be found deep in the Sorrow Woods. These forest giants tower above
the rest of the trees found inhabiting the area (normally the Barsqu grow to 300
feet tall. A not uncommon age for a mature adult is 3000 years, and some elders
are half this age again!). Their dark red bark is thick and fibrous and covers the
massive boles which, in many of the ancient adults, cannot be ringed by even ten
men clasping hands! High up on the immense trunk, near the crown of the tree and
clear of the moist dampness below, stumpy branches spread out, forming a small
pear-shaped clump of dark green foliage. The moist shady areas between and
beneath the Barsqu are occupied by the lesser tree, the sprawling, shallow rooted
Manna Phar; with its dark bark, large buttress roots, and thick green growth,
it completes the task of screening the dark forest earth and rotting leaf litter
from the harsh revealing light of Dirion.
The occasional forest clearing, created by the collapse of an ancient Barsqu or
perhaps a storm fire, allows for the growth of the spindly Ghost pine. These
sun loving trees cluster together in the small groves, dwelling there for a few
generations (just a fleeting moment in the forest's history) before giving way
once again to the returning Barsqu saplings. The occasional oak is also to be
found towards the periphery of the forest in the more civilized "disturbed
areas." Undergrowth mainly consists of a range of ferns, mosses, red lichens and
strange fungi in the cool dampness, and a number of grasses in the drier
clearings.
In the some of the small, steep, north facing gullies, where the revealing light
of Dirion never even reaches the forest floor from Midseason through to Winter's
Thaw, the dark hues of browns and reds of the tree trunks change to an almost
completely green-clad world. Every part of the forest that previously eased the
green-sick eye of a traveler with dark red columns of the Barsqu, the twisted
brown trunks of Manna Phar and the bright splash of color from the occasional
toad stool, dragonberry bush, or herb plant all disappear under a smothering carpet of
verdant moss. This thick vigorous growth coats everything which stands still for
too long, cladding the trees right up to the middle canopy provided by the Manna
Phars. Long tendrils of moss drape from the branches, hanging down like a maiden's
unbound hair, allowing for water to drip steadily back to the lush carpeted floor below.
As the Sorrow Woods approaches The Twins and begins to feel the relentless surge
of the earth as small undulations start to build towards the steep towering
slopes of the harsh mountains, the character of the vegetation gradually changes.
Increasingly stony soil, and the cooler elevated climate cause the low-land
dominant Barsqu and Manna Phar trees to give way to thin stands of Ghost pine and
other spindly, but hardy trees and shrubs.
The natural denizens of the Sorrow Woods are much the same as those found in other temperate
forests in Western Glashia. A variety of small creatures inhabit the undergrowth,
including timid mice and rabbits, the shy but stubborn badger, and the cunning
ginger-backed fox. The cheeky white-striped squirrel inhabits the Ghost pines,
gorging themselves on tasty pine nuts. A few species of bird also call the woods
home: the plump Sorrow pheasant, who only leave off foraging
from the dank forest floor at dusk to roost safely in the lower branches of the
bent Manna Phar; the noisy fluffy-tailed woodpecker; the willow jay swallow,
which never stray far from a gurgling stream; and the wide eyed nocturnal
hunter, the toad owl - generally found hunting in the forest clearings, perched
in the branches of the Ghost pine. A few larger species of mammal also inhabit the forest:
the large but generally placid gray bear range throughout the Sorrow Woods, but
tend to be found in larger numbers in the lands approaching the foothills of The
Twins; the fierce wolf is also found in the foot hills, with an occasional
individual straying down into the dim forest heart; small families of deer roam
the woods, generally sticking to the periphery where there is more light and open
space; and, occasionally, the majestic stag can also be sighted. Due to the darkness of
the deep forest, many of the animals inhabiting the Sorrow Woods make there homes
on the edges of the forest, or around the natural clearings within the woods.
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