The Traveler's Guide to Duskwood

Inhabitants: Fey, mostly Unseelie. Some small amount of undead used to reside in the Duskwood as well, but they have since been destroyed.

Government: Monarchy; selection by violent politics. Current rulers are King Malakin and Queen Lillith.

The Duskwood is a particular forest situated on the outskirts of the small merchant outpost known as Everlin. Frankly, the forest has been making subtle incursions on the town for years, which has resulted in the current situation: the town itself has been surrounded on three sides already, like to a lonely little peninsula in the midst of a very unfriendly sea of trees. Everlin has had the unfortunate history of frequent clashes with the fey inhabitants of the Duskwood- a losing proposition, as one might expect, given that the Unseelie who live in that forest are particularly vicious and powerful. The ruler of the area, Baron Pilate, likes to send knights of the rather short-sighted and shorter-tempered Order of Tyr to keep Everlin in working condition. More than one of these knights has, dare I say it, come to regret sticking their long noses into the tenuous situation that reigns between Everlin and the Duskwood. One in particular, Sir Porth of Tyr, found himself forced into a cursed unlife as a death knight due to his insistent stupidity.¹ But I digress- I've said enough about the food.

The town of Everlin is mostly a collection of dirty hovels, in this Bard's opinion; if you're reading this, it's much more likely you're interested in the Duskwood itself. Those of us with superior bloodline and/or any amount of magical acumen (I myself am possessed of both) are aware that the fey realms which encroach on this world do not reside entirely within or without its reality. The Duskwood, being a faerie realm, slides into the Veil which connects most realities. This being the case, if you are a traveler of non-fey persuasion, consider yourself forewarned: entering the Duskwood uninvited is quite a bit simpler than leaving. Lucky interlopers are quickly eaten or killed by one of the forest's many unfriendly inhabitants: the unlucky ones have a variety of imaginative fates open to them.² Non-native Druids should be aware that the trees and greenery are similarly unfriendly and unhelpful, and are in fact prone to the occasional lewd suggestion. The sole exception to this rule are the Dryads, who constitute the only good-aligned race of the wood.³ Travelers with a particularly good sob story can expect free healing and leafy sympathy from a Dryad, should they happen to encounter one.

Hazards of the forest aside, the court of Queen Lillith is quite a charming place if you're lucky enough to receive a genuine invitation there. No offense to my Seelie cousins, but the Unseelie do throw better parties. The court is lavish, and certainly not stinting in creature comforts or convenient servants: those polite and knowledgeable enough not to give offense can expect a very enjoyable stay.⁴ Of course, visitation is quite different from habitation- I hear the court is a most dangerous place to live due to its (literally) deadly politicking. All three of the Unseelie courts are represented in Queen Lillith's wood, though some are more prolific than others. The Court of the Raven shows the most prevalence, of course, being the Queen's own affiliation; followed close behind by the Court of the Serpent, to which King Malakin gives allegiance; and last of all the Court of the Wolf.⁵

I would be remiss in my responsibilities as your written guide if I did not include a last bit of information: this being the rules of the wood. There are only three of these rules in total, but each one is quite important in its own right as far as personal safety is concerned. These rules, of course, may be broken in specific circumstances, but always at the traveler's own risk. The first: eat no food from the Duskwood proper. Much of it is poison in some way. The second: do not drink with a fey. They are by no means obligated to give you untainted drink themselves. The third and last: do not break faith with a fey. Verbal promises have the very real weight of a contract in this wood, and ignoring these contracts will result in very real consequences. Thankfully, this rule is binding in only the most technical way: there is no such thing as the "spirit" of the word in the Duskwood. A promise not to harm someone does not extend to their possessions; on the other hand, a promise not to interfere with someone's plans is dangerous, in case that pixie you just killed was secretly working for them. By far the best recourse is simply not to make promises at all.

To make a very long article short: the Duskwood is by no means a friendly waystop for a weary traveler. Entrance to the wood is for the informed and preferably armed sort of fellow- who may still find him or herself in a bit of hot water without proper invitation. Be smart, my fellow waywalkers: knock first, say your please and thank you's, and for gods' sake, don't feed the redcap.

1 Sir Porth has since been vanquished by a similarly nosy group of adventurers who spent some amount of time stumbling blindly about the wood. The lesson at hand, I can only conclude, is that one bit of stupidity may sometimes be cured by another bit of it.

2 Up until recently, one of the fey nobility's favorite games was an exercise known as 'mortal-baiting', which does not differ all that very much from bear-baiting except that the mortal can be life-sparked over and over for days of extended entertainment. Fewer peasants have been available for this game due to the recent agreement with Everlin; ignorant travelers are therefore a rare and pleasant surprise.

3 It should be noted that being good-aligned does not, in any way, shape, or form, equate to being pleasant to be around. The Dryads of the Duskwood are dotty, distractible, and frankly incredibly annoying to anyone with half a brain. This Bard went to the nearest shrine of Mordra following her exit of the Duskwood in order to leave a thankful offering for the fact that the Dryads are incapable of normal speech.

4 Avoiding offense is simple, for the most part, unless one is an enemy of the court. Queen Lillith in particular has been known to extend official invitations to those she intensely dislikes. Such enemies are treated with impeccable decorum- right up until they forget to pass the salt.

5 Being that I am no longer actively at court there is no harm in my telling you, dear readers, that the Court of the Wolf is my least favorite of all. These so-called nobles are severely lacking in manners and decorum due to their love of the outdoors and its more primitive rules. Certain fey settlements have suggested that they ought not to be allowed at court at all until they learn some proper manners- a sentiment with which I quite agree.

~Jysae, Official Bard-Traveler of the Gates