Confluence:The Nightwood (A creative thing)

On the edges of the furthest farm fields of Abbeywall, past Old Blackbury’s and across the river, there lies a forest that the townsfolk called the Nightwood. It is a twisting maze of barrens, thickets, and tall eternally barren trees, and lit only by bioluminescent fungi, bathing the forest in bright greens, blues, and purples. The Nightwood is a forest known to have been tainted by insidious magic well before the Confluence occurred, and has only worsened since.

Legends of talking trees, mischievous fairies, and fierce goblin tribes of old gave way to more recent and terrifying tales. Newer stories of adventurers and merchants traversing the Nightwood describe shadow people who steal your voice, walking poisonous mushrooms, rotting undead trees stuffed with corpses, enormous toads that snapped up hapless hirelings in a single bite, and living masses of brambles and thickets that drag you beneath the earth to a fate unknown.

Several expeditions to explore the former village of Scarhaugh within the wood have been met with varying degrees of failure. Similar attempts to create a safe passage through the wood to access the Red Sky Mountains beyond met with similar results. As of now, the Nightwood is cautiously avoided by the populace of Abbeywall; mentioned only to those brave enough to risk it’s dangers.

Within lie the following:

• Gallow-Wights: Former hanging trees, reanimated by the Blackbarks. Fueled by the spirits that died on it, the tree uses it's nooses to ensnare prey and drain them of their vitality, forcing their spirit to be consumed by the beast as well.

• Blackbark Ents: Treefolk that have sworn a pact to necromancy and the black arts. The Nightwood is their meeting place, focused on developing their dark craft. These ents used to be lead by Father Nicodemus, the reanimated scarecrow, but broke away from him after his revelation of the God Beyond the Sun. The Blackbarks wish to gather their numbers and march upon Abbeywall and the farmlands beyond, to kill and raise the living.

• Living Thickets: Sentient collections of brambles, bushes, and briars that attempt to engulf and consume their prey. They, along with the Gallow-Wights, are the macabre results of the experimentation of the Blackbarks.

• Skullcap Myconids: Mushroom people that evolved from poisonous Skullcap fungus after the Confluence. They are hostile to outsiders, but are even more hostile to the Blackbarks and their creations. Mostly, they wish to be left alone. They defend themselves by flooding the air with toxic spores, dragging victims down into caverns and rockslides to become a host to more fungi.

• Shadow Goblins: Twisted versions of the great goblin tribes before the Confluence, this breed of goblin is specific to the Nightwood. Extremely cunning and vicious, these goblins are notorious for their poisoncraft, ambush tactics, and knowledge of biology. Shadow Goblins have been observed growing special plants specifically for their poison, a type of mandrake that is unique to the Nightwood. These plants are heavily guarded and only used for them. They will create poisons that don't kill, but paralyze, so the victim can only watch helplessly as they are carted to hidden goblin camps to be consumed alive.

• Darklings: Beings of pure darkness that take a vaguely humanoid form, Darklings are curious creatures that aim to study how other races and cultures behave. They will often follow a group or individual for miles, observing their speech and mannerisms. When it feels like it can communicate, it will begin to reveal itself through the mimicing of voices. This mimicry is far from perfect and often sounds like a detuned version of the original. If their mimicry is received poorly, Darklings are likely to grow agitated and may attack, mauling the victim before retreating back into the woods to study again.

• Maw Toads: Large amphibians with vivid colors of skin, Maw Toads are voracious eaters. Their skin color allows them to partially camouflage themselves amongst the bioluminescence of the Nightwood, waiting for prey. These toads are not picky eaters and will consume anything, living or dead, and are never sated.

• Hauntwraiths: Ghosts bound to the wood before the Confluence changed under the magical pulse and became murderous revenants. Appearing as partially translucent robed figures, they wield the weapons they had in life and patrol the forest. Hauntwraiths enslaved by the Blackbarks are used to defend key areas and are significantly tougher than their "wild" brethren.

• Wisp Moths: The remnants of faeries long ago gave way to these glowing moths under the power of the Confluence. The Wisp Moths have been shown to be friendly to those entering the wood, aiding adventurers, lighting the way, leading them through the forest...right into the clutches of Shadow Goblins or the Blackbarks. These moths use their calming appearance to lure adventurers to their deaths, for a purpose known only to them.

• Scythyrax the Black: The bones of a forest dragon were uncovered and reanimated through some foul ritual by the Blackbarks, given rotting flesh and form to roam the skies. However, the being broke free of it's masters' bonds and escaped. Scythyrax is a zombie dragon that is illuminated with the same luminescence as the Nightwood. It's breath carries Skullcap spores and a large volume of strong acid. It is hostile to all life in the Nightwood, including the Blackbarks, and is the single most dangerous entity within the wood. Seeing the nightmarish creature is an almost guaranteed death sentence, as the dragon can sniff out life force like a dog sniffs out meat. The Abbeywallfolk rightfully fear the legend of Scythyrax as the one most likely to threaten their lives in the near future.