Fangwood

Location overview

The Fangwood is Nirmathas's beating heart — a vast, primeval forest of oak, pine, maple, and spruce that has sheltered and sustained the Nirmathi people since before they had a name for themselves. The southern reaches of the forest begin just across the Marideth River from Phaendar, a wall of trees and ferns that starts abruptly and deepens quickly into something old and largely unmapped. The forest is also located near the town of Phaendar, serving as a refuge for townsfolk during invasions, characterized by dense trees and underbrush that provide cover and concealment. Much of Nirmathas's identity is bound up in the Fangwood — it provided cover and resources during the rebellion against Molthune, and it remains one of the nation's most critical defenses. You can hide an army in these woods. Molthune knows this, and it costs them every time they try to push through.
The area is accessible via the River, while the west and south roads lead into open plains, making them vulnerable to pursuing enemies. The forest is not merely wild — it is inhabited. The Chernasardo Chernasardo Rangers patrol its trails and shadows, keeping the region clear of Molthuni incursions and the various predators that move through the underbrush. Small druidic communities are scattered through the trees, some secretive, some less so. Fey creatures make their homes in the deeper hollows and clearings, ranging from cautiously friendly to deeply dangerous depending on who is asking. Most Nirmathi have grown up with enough stories about the Fangwood's fey to know that respecting the forest is not superstition — it is common sense.
Deeper in, however, something is wrong. The central Fangwood has been afflicted for decades by a spreading corruption called the Darkblight — a supernatural disease that twists the land itself into a rotting, fungal nightmare infused with Abyssal energy. Trees weep dark slime. Creatures emerge from the corruption changed beyond recognition. The Darkblight began as the work of a single corrupted dryad named Arlantia, who overthrew the ancient fey queen Gendowyn and her Accressiel Court nearly seven hundred years ago. It has been slowly spreading ever since, and in recent years it has grown more aggressive. The Chernasardo Rangers mark the edges of the blight on their maps and avoid the heart of it. Most people know to do the same. The Southern Fangwood that borders Phaendar is wild and dangerous in the ways any ancient forest is wild and dangerous — but what waits deeper in is something else entirely.
The Fangwood has served as a refuge for refugees fleeing the destruction of Phaendar, particularly during the Fahrak onslaught. The area south of Fender's Bridge is characterized by dense trees and underbrush, with a swollen River below the bridge due to spring melt, creating a strong current. Following an encounter at Fender's Bridge, a group of hobgoblins was ambushed and defeated, allowing townsfolk to cross the bridge and enter the forest. The survivors hurried into the depths of the Fangwood, seeking safety. A party organized the refugees into working groups to manage food, shelter, and security, as Main Camp lacked adequate provisions. While exploring the forest, they encountered an elderly hermit who provided food and offered to trade potions and scrolls. Fangwood Six salvaged resources from an abandoned farm, gathering apples and dealing with a swarm of wasps, focusing their efforts on ensuring the safety and survival of the refugees amidst ongoing threats in the area.
The Fangwood is noted for its three ranger camps located in the southern region. From the southern edge of the Fangwood, hobgoblins were observed repairing a bridge and guarding work on the far riverbank while fortifications were being constructed. Tracks from Fahrak patrols were discovered in the forest, indicating scouting activity on the near River side. The Party returned to the Fangwood Main Camp and traced a tainted waterskin that caused illness. They found a decapitated watchman, tracked a lone Hobgoblin Scout to a clearing and killed her, and recovered a Bounty Notice. The Party scouted Caves marked by Aubrin, ambushed a patrol of five hobgoblins, recovered a second Bounty Notice, and reached a cave entrance featuring hanging root tips, a streak of cloudy teal crystal, bulbous brown and purple fungi, and a faint sulphurous smell.
In the northern reaches of the Fangwood, a localized patch of blight has emerged, causing trees to rot from the inside out, characterized by bright green fungal growth in a circular stand of dead trees known as a fairy circle of death. A few miles northwest of Xulgath Caverns, there are approximately half a dozen blighted, drying trees and tiny tracks leading to a cave entrance coated in bright green fungus. Cave Camp extends deep underground, where blighted creatures ambushed intruders. Deeper chambers contained a lamp-bearing Lamplighter fey that blinded and was slain while warning, “she will kill you.” The walls bore fey-script ranting of exile, and illuminating the area caused the fungal growth to wither. Fresh booted humanoid tracks and several doglike tracks led west from the site.
Additionally, the Fangwood features a ruined tower and an abandoned town associated with Hobgoblin activity. Tracks were followed to the Ruined Tower, where a Militia Veteran was found hiding, and two dead Hobgoblin bodies were concealed in the surrounding forest. Trappers from a nearby hamlet guided the party to the abandoned town, which includes a Cobbled Plaza and a statue of a swordsman bearing a symbol that matches Vendel Coldblade’s. In this town, placing the symbol released a decayed figure and animated Hobgoblin corpses as undead, led by a Zombie Lord, who was subsequently destroyed. The town shows evidence that Ironfang Legion had attempted to repair it into an outpost before being killed and raised.
The Fangwood is also known for its dense trees and wildlife. Keroin fled into the Fangwood after escaping a Hobgoblin disaster at Ramsgate. Hunters have reported increased Hobgoblin patrol activity within the Fangwood, marking Kashmau’s territory there. The Party tracked enormous boar signs to a Small Lake in the Fangwood, where they encountered Kashmau and freed a ring before continuing their journey. A centaur runner named York later traveled south through the Fangwood and met the party.
The Fangwood surrounds a refugee Main Camp, where disturbances have recently been caused by Hobgoblin activity. Aubrin prioritized making the Fangwood safe following the Hobgoblin patrols. A Captive Alchemist revealed that many Ironfang Legion troops originally came from the Fangwood and that large Hobgoblin Forces patrol the roads, supported by local wildlife. Canopy Trolls inhabit the western regions, while the southern area hosts a hobgoblin base. The Party journeyed north through the forest, discovering a distracted hobgoblin camp in a gulch and defeating its occupants. They camped beneath the trees, where Chernasardo Rangers approached and warned them of nearby threats. After the rangers departed, the party traveled east through previously explored areas, encountering few animals, suggesting a disturbance in the local fauna.
The forest along the route to Fort Nunder features wooded stretches and a muddy, mist-filled Lowland where the Six Yores River drains. Sparse trees and standing pools characterize the lowland, which is nearly silent. At the forest edge, fox and wolf tracks lead to and from Gristledown, where scavengers have fed on shallowly buried bodies. Further along, an overturned cart was discovered, and a cave bear was driven off, wounded into the forest. Provisions, elixirs of life, and magical runes were recovered. The area experienced a thunderstorm, and small animals and birds were scarce due to overhunting. A chimera attacked in the lowland and was killed, after which birds began to return. Wren found troll tracks leading toward Fort Nunder, followed by additional troll tracks and older hobgoblin spoor.
The Fangwood features rivers where natural predators are uncommon near buildings. River-dwelling fey, including kelpies, sometimes lure individuals into the water. In the southern Fangwood, tracks from organized goblin patrols were discovered near Fort Trova-Lay. A six-hobgoblin patrol was detected in the forest near the fort, prompting the party to remain quiet and allow it to pass to avoid triggering a horn alarm.
A map of Nirmathas marked hobgoblin attacks and troop movements within the Fangwood, and showed hobgoblins controlling two other forts. Its atlas page included calculations for dragon flights from Fort Trevalay over twelve, twenty-four, and thirty-six hours, with the Blight circled and annotated “Why here?” Jang, a druid with a reputation in the Fangwood, was known for disappearing into the forest and returning partially healed. A militia representative reported attacks across Nirmathas, including in the southern Fangwood, and said the forest was being pacified as scattered Ironfang Legion forces were rounded up. The Militia Representative said the attacks in the Fangwood appeared to have been a diversion that allowed the rangers to secure the forest, and expressed gratitude to the party for their service to the Fangwood and Nirmathas.