The Environment

          The Bramble Forest is made up of many trees; however the Suthwood tree dominates 60% of the forest. The Suthwood has the ability to attach itself to others of its kind allowing it to share nutrients and water. This ability makes the forest especially resistant to forest fire. The forest has even been known to create its own firebreak in order to survive.
          The Bramble vine grows upon 90% of the trees in the forest. The vine blooms into a bright red flower and gives off a sweet aroma to attract insects, later bearing an edible juicy sweet red fruit about the size of an egg. The vine protects itself with many long hard thorns strong enough to pierce hide. During the autumn the fruit and thorn fall from the vine to the forest floor
          The Singing Tree, or vampire tree, is an odd plant that lures creatures to rest nearby with its supernatural singing sounds and then drains their blood to feed itself. Each leaf of the tree sings with a lovely voice, the hundreds of them blend into a beautiful chorus. When the tree is very hungry it adds its baseline to the chorus causing all mammals within a hundred yards to come and rest beneath its shade and listen. When a victim lies beneath the tree leaves detach and seemingly float towards the ground. Each leaf has a stem that is a feeding tube it will use to attempt to drain the victim of some blood and then float back up into the branches to reattach and give the tree the blood it’s collected.
          Vampire Moss grows close to the coast and is a danger to travelers. Despite its name Vampire moss does not feed on blood. Life energy is the staple in Vampire moss diet. A victim within 10 yards may feel a prickling sensation at the back of their neck, this is the moss attempting to link with the victim and drain them of energy. Simply leaving the area will stop the moss.
          The Noran appears to be a blackened stump with withering branches hanging to the ground, but despite its ridiculous look it is one of the most fearsome monsters on the ground. The “branches” are actually prehensile and have a 10’ range. The arms are not the worst threat. The Noran can store fist sized stones in its body cavity and spit them at opponents for a considerable amount of damage. The body of the creature is petrified and resistant to fire and slashing.

Native Races

Rautym (roo’-tim) - An eyeless hairless freckle backed monkey. It is a Chameleon so that they are all but invisible when they want to be. Their dancing and chattering can be heard throughout the Forest’s night.

Pasari-Niml - Also known as Mants. These horrid insectoid predators appear to be large black ants with a human head. The warriors are 4-6 inches in length, the nobles as long as 8 inches and the Queen can be up to 4 feet long. The Mants communicate by telepathy within 1 mile of the Queen. These creatures are so horrid that the very sight of them will paralyze a normal human.

Feystag – Appearing to be a cat four feet tall with antlers and opposable thumbs, this creature is the closest the Bramble forest has to Kender. Despite their larceny and love of magical items they are relatively harmless to the passerby.

Faeries- These are diminutive fey creatures, some with wings, some without. There are too many variations to list.

Nightshade – The spirit of a poisonous plant is known as a nightshade and can be a danger to anyone it perceives as a threat.

Winged Cats – Felines with wings. Size and temperament vary. Rarely one may be taken as a pet.

WindCones – These creatures fly above the canopy of the forest and swoop down to engulf prey. They are large enough to swallow an adult human whole.

Fox Bat – This species of bat gets as large as a fox, hence its name. Despite its size and fierce appearance it is an herbivore and harmless to a passerby.

Alaghi – Alaghi are intelligent forest-dwelling humanoids distantly related to yeti. Most are semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers and travel as small families.

Native Races

Aranea – These are intelligent forest dwelling arachnoids that are skilled in magic use. They have the ability to appear as a humanoid, a large spider, or a hybrid of the two of their own devising. Though neutral in temperament most races refer to the Aranea the way others speak of the bogeymen.

Ondonti – Ondonti are close cousins to the orcs. These cousins however live as peaceful harvesters and gatherers, taking only what they need from the land to survive. As a race they revere Eldath the Goddess of Peace and Quiet Places. They are pacifists.

Bramble Elves – The Bramble elves are much like the elves of other woods. They are considerable shorter though, ranging from 2 ½ to 3 feet tall. They are natural proficient with darts and bone daggers. They have a love of song and dance that borders on obsession. They tend towards short rough hair and clothing with an eye towards blending into their surroundings. They disdain the practice of shoes and move among the Suthwood branches as well as a human on the ground.

Saurials – This race of beings are much different from humans. Having evolved from different stock, they resemble lizards of varying size and shape. There are four distinct races among the Saurial species. Their form of communication makes trade difficult. They communicate through high- pitched sounds and a spectrum of smells.

Red Goblins – These cousins to the Green Goblins of the Great Forest are more fearsome and cunning. They are masters of warfare and strategy. They prey on other races rather than hunt or gather for themselves.

Legends & Lore

The Green Ghosts – This legend is as old as the forest itself. The Green Ghosts have been spotted for generations. They appear tall and thin with glowing yellow eyes. It is said that a lost traveler in the Forest may find a trail shown to them to find your way home or that someone doing evil would be dealt with.

The Forest Spirit – When the Forest is threatened, as a whole; the Forest Spirit rises to its defense. Its appearance has been described as awe-inspiring. Survivors of its encounters could only recall bits and pieces, but all swore to never harm the forest again. Some two hundred years ago, far to the north, an army of strange creatures came from over the Mountains. The Forest Spirit killed them all. Nothing has threatened the Forest since.

Technology

The only metals available to humans in the Bramble are copper, silver and gold. A majority of trade is done in barter with very large purchases made in gemstones. Since hard metals are not available all stones are either rough or tumbled. Weapons of the area include spear, staff, dart, blowgun, short bow, wooden crossbow, club, whip, sling, bola, bone and stone dagger, axe, sickle.

Magic

Most magic seen in the Bramble is innate, spiritual or priestly. The Leaders of most villages are Shaman. Very rarely individuals may learn or teach themselves secular magic. These spells tend to be created by trial and error and are few and far in between.