The Duskwyld

Leader
Barstad, Thrice Reborn, Warden of the East

Previous titles: Coraggioso del Sangue, First to Bleed, Anethema to Life, The Bloodless

Appearance
The people of the Duskwyld are the living dead, they can appear in various states of decay, from fresh corpses all the way to animated skeletons.

The Nobility are pale skinned vampires.

Beliefs
It is widely believed within the Duskwyld that blood holds power and that those chosen and elevated by Lord Barstad can use this power by feeding on the vital blood directly or using it in some way for spells and rituals.

The Sanguine Altar, which is housed in the central courtyard of Harrenloft, is the site of many rituals and rites of bloodletting. An annual sacrifice (previously a member of the populace) is made upon the altar to reaffirm the peoples ties to Lord Barstad. "In service of Barstad, I give of my blood, my life to fortify thee" - oath of a peasent to Marius just before he fed.

This belief still holds true but has been somewhat altered since the mass transformation of the population of the Duskwyld by Lord Barstad into their current undead state. Now it is the blood of those that are slain which is ritualy offered to the nobility rather than a sacrifice of a citizen of the Duskwyld, as what little blood they have is no longer "living".

The Sanguine Age
Armand

Daria (deceased)

Egwene

Magua (deceased)

Marius

The Present Age
Orrin

Lady Demasque

Harrenheim (Capital):
The Capital of the Duskwyld is located on the Northern shores of the River Hunte and to the east of Lake Franz.

What was once an unassuming patch of the woodland (formally the Kriechwald) was wrenched skyward by the power and will of Lord Barstad, a wichedly jutting spire of rock several hundred feet high pierced the canopy, and crowning this imposing cliff face was Castle Harrenloft, Barstad's fortified stronghold and seat of power.

People flocked to this black edifice and constructed the great city of Harrenheim. A sprawling city at the foot of the cliffs and wrapping around and part way up the slope to Harrenloft, eventually being encircled by Harrenlofts' walls upon its completion. The cities dark wood beams and rustic architecture compliment the surrounding woodland, with only a few peaked roofs poking from above the smaller trees. The buildings of the Duskwyld have arched doorways and decorative mouldings that evoke the forest around them. Oriel windows are common features along with arched doorways and decoration that emphasises the vertical lines of the buildings.

Once a year a procession of townsfolk congregates at the town square and slowly walks through the city streets, up to

the courtyard at Castle Harrenloft to the sound of slow moarnful singing, where, upon a large dark stone dias, rests the Sanguine Altar. This monument is the central focus of the belief system on the Duskwyld people.

Acrewald:
Currently the Duskwylds' largest city (by population), Acrewald is located on the Southern bank of the River Hunte and East of Ebenfeld. The main farming settlement within the Duskwyld with several square acres being cleared of all but the mightiest of trees. Much of this land being tilled and ploughed for the growing of cereal grain, hops, and corn. With minimal area being dedicated to livestock. The Il Sangue de Forte, a monument commemorating the defeat of an invading Fecund force by the combined might of the Duskwyld, Skogrid, Pangow, Atlantean, and Rhas'cton sits on the eastern most border of Acrewald.

Delvenhof:
The Duskwyld's first mining endeavour, Delvenhof is situated over several large geodes of a unique metal named Weeping Iron by its inhabitants. The village itself is built over and inside a large cavern where the first of the Weeping Iron geodes were found and many mine shafts now spider-web out from this location seeking other geodes to harvest.

Ordenhaffen:
The newest settlement within the Duskwyld, Ordenhaffen is situated over a rich iron deposit and was settled by the remnants of the Droman Kassian village of Ord Mantel, which was under Lord Barstad's control at the time of the DEADENING at the end of the Sanguine Age.

Ebenfeld:
A small logging village located directly south of Harrenheim across the River Hunte. The area around Ebenfeld is the clearest in all the Duskwyld with many of the trees being felled and used for the construction of the majority of the buildings and all the Duskwyld settlements. Because of this, Ebenfeld boasts the clearest views of the skies and many of the superstitions within this village revolve around stargazing.

Flora
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Tall dark oak:-
The dominent woodland tree of the Duskwyld (makeing up some 90% of the canopy) the Tall Dark oak has ashen grey to near black bark, this bark is very rough, cracked and constantly leaks a rancid black sap.

An average specimen will stand 200-220 feet tall with a base trunk diameter of 15 feet. The tallest of these trees stand near 400 feet tall with a base trunk diameter of 25 feet, This tree has been named "Old Sentinel" by the locals and is found a little South of Delvenhof.

Sharpberry Bush:-
Scattered throughout the sickly shrubs, leaf litter or copse, you may be unlucky enough to run afoul of a Sharpberry Bush. These plants grow in and through other plantlife with thin branches, that are covered in inch long sharp throns, and small clusters of orange berries. Many a traveler has reached for the inticing berries only to have their hands and arms pierced and slashed by the thorns, the blood on the groud nurishing the Sharberry and most likely attracting the local wildlife.

Hangmans' Moss:-
Across many of the low branches within the Duskwyld can be found this odd white plant that hangs from branch to ground sometimes as far as 30 feet. Be wary traveler for this plant is carnivorous.

Upon contact the plants small white leaves release an incredibly sticky numbing resin and attaches itself to its prey, as the prey twists and struggles more and more of the Hangmans' Moss adheres itself to the prey and enough of the numbing resin will render the prey unconscious/paralysed and the plant begins to contract, raising the prey into the air. (looking up while wandering the woods and you will often see the husks of its victims hanging from the branches)

Once bound the Hangmans' Moss slowly begins to drain the prey until only a dry husk remains. A feeding or recently fed Hangmans' Moss plant will have a pinky colour.

Wyrdbats
The first of Lord Barstads changed beasts, the Wyrdbats are a large (standing 8 feet while hunched and weighing in excess of 400lb) flightless bat like creature. These creatures patrol the Duskwyld, though they may no longer fly they are powerful enough to leap

through the trees and run with great speed across the forests uneven ground. They attack any trespassers they detect, they are swift, vicious, and totally without mercy

Nighthaunt
This huge beast was engineered as a war mount for General Marius, Nighthaunt is a giant black furred bat with a wingspan of 68 feet.

Bloodpack Wolves
The species of wolf that prowl the Duskwyld is large but scrawny, their fur is a light grey tending towards a dark brown at the tips of legs and tail. These wolves hunt in large packs and have been driven to be extremely vicious by their once skittish prey now violently defending themselves.

Bloodhowl was a Bloodpack Wolf that was elevated by Lord Barstad to hunt with the Shadewatch, she was later let loose in a small forest occupied by Pangow.

Carnivorous Herbivores
The Duskwyld is now a vile and twisted place, its warped nature does not only extend to its people and the terrain surrounding them. The indigenous wildlife has become a horrific bastardisation of itself to the point where once placid and docile animals such as deer, squirrels, and hare have turned to feeding on the flesh of others.

Do not be fooled into thinking that doe you have spotted in a hallow is no threat to you. Remember that, as it turns its mad red eyes and gore cover snout to face you, this is a predator of these woods, kill it before it kills you and buries its nose into you entrails.

Terrain:
The Duskwyld is an area of dense woodland made up primarily of tall dark oak trees, though a few other species do also grow within the Duskwyld's borders.

The ground in the Duskwyld is rarely flat, it undulates with steep embankment and stone walled ravines which are often hidden by thick thorny scrub bushes called Sharpberry Bush.

It must also be mentioned that all of the indigenous life of the Duskwyld appears sickly, dark, and in a state of decay. The trees bark is all black or ashen grey regardless of species and weeps a pungent crimson sap from cracks and breaks that riddle their bark. The leaves of these trees are a sickly brown and covered in red welts.

Probably the most prominent feature of the Duskwyld is the Stygian Veil, an area of gloom and darkness which shrouds the entirety of the forest controlled my Lord Barstad. This darkness can make navigating the Duskwyld an arduous task with many becoming lost in the gloom never to return.

Climate:
The atmosphere within the Duskwyld is often cloying and humid, a thick mist will often cling to the ground obscuring a travelers footing, and rain is frequent and drips from the high canopy mixinig with the rancid sap of the trees.

Doctrines:
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Crypt Reapers
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Military Victories
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Military defeats
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