Forest of Spirits

For another meaning of "Forest of Spirits", please see Forest of Spirits (adventure).

The Forest of Spirits is an immense pine woodland located just south of the arctic circle on the continent of Tian Xia and is the primeval birthplace of the nature spirits known as the kami.

Geography

The Forest of Spirits is located in a subarctic environment and so is almost always covered in snow. It lies east of the nation of Hongal and to the northwest of Minkai, separating this latter country from mainland Tian Xia. A distance of 1,200 miles separates Hongal from Minkai through the forest. The Forest of Spirits is dominated by massive pine trees which are so densely packed together that there is practically no undergrowth.

There are no cities within the forest, but small communities of kitsune and konoha tengu populate its depths. The forest grows less dense to the south, where small human settlements dot its outskirts.

The Spirit Road hugs the coastline, and therefore the outskirts of the Forest of Spirit, and is one of the busiest trade routes in all Tian Xia. This route is dotted with small settlements who have carefully negotiated pacts and treaties with the forest's kami to allow them to gather resources and hunt in specific small parts at the forest's edge. These settlements honour their kami neighbours by building, maintaining, and making generous offerings at shrines the dot the entire length of the Spirit Road.

History

The southernmost reaches of the Forest of Spirits were determined in 290 AR when a samurai by the name of Zaokoyu led an army to the northernmost limits of the Teikoku Shogunate. Unfortunately, he ventured too far and was slaughtered by an army of irate kami. The site of his death has served as the de facto southern border of the forest ever since. The inhabitants of the Forest of Spirits tell a different story of the Kingdom of Zao. It is said that Zao was ruled by Zaokoyu who grew too greedy, and whose lust for timber to build war machines was so great that it began to deplete the forest. In revenge, the kami and darker beasts of the forest allied and annihilated both Zaokoyu and the Kingdom of Zao, leaving only their story as a warning to future generations.

Inhabitants

Human settlements are rare even on the edges of the Forest of Spirits, but quickly peter out as one travels deeper. Most such settlements are located near the Spirit Road as it traverses the coastline of the forest. Kitsune communities exist deeper within the Forest of Spirits, as they are better able to live in harmony with the kami, and small tree-bound communities of konoha tengu cross the depths of the Forest of Spirits. The kilns and forges of these small konoha communities are some of the few trappings of civilizations within the forest.

Animals are plentiful in the Forest of Spirits. The feline porachas are also plentiful within the forest. So are the incorporeal spirits that give the forest its name, and the kami. The kami's control of the Forest of Spirits is not total, however, and within the depths of the forest, there are some areas controlled by the restless dead, evil forest dragons, and the hated oni.

In particular, the House of Withered Blossoms is a haven of many powerful oni; the kishin oni Chimon stalks this forest. Because of his role as a patron of the oni, the god Fumeiyoshi's worship is surprisingly common within the Forest of Spirits. Konoha tengu viciously hate oni and flock to rip any who intrude on the forest in their presence.

Religion

While human inhabitants are vastly outnumbered by the kami within the Forest of Spirits, there are still worshippers present within the forest's borders. The most commonly worshipped deities are Daikitsu, the Lady of Foxes most commonly worshipped by kitsunes; Desna, the Goddess of the North Star; Fumeiyoshi, the so-called Lord of Envy; and Sun Wukong, the Monkey King.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.