Tales of Wicked Wood

Tales of Wicked Wood
Tembryth Timber and Wicked Wood

The Northlands of Old Mother Forest are filled with tall, fine trees that tower above giants and are notable for their almost magical qualities of being both very strong and very light as well as highly resistant to the elements, including water and fire. Humans who have ventured there, call those forests “Giant Wood”. The Faerie folk call it “Wicked Wood”, so named for a particularly magikal tree species that grows there.

The guardians of these trees are trolls from the Tembryth Clan, Tembryth trolls have always guarded the Northern Forests from all manner of man and beast. They possess some very standard and some very unique magikical talents that makes them perfectly suited to the task.

The trees of the Old Northern Woods come in two varieties, Tembryth Timber which is traded with other faerie species and humans alike; and Wicked Wood, the offspring of Old Mother. Very few men come along since they are not a welcome race however, a few do. They trade goods, news and technology that would otherwise be kept from Old Mothers most the isolated people.

The North Men come every summer with goods to trade for Tembryth Timber, paying handsomely with strange varieties of foreign goodies that delight the royals and wealthier Forests Folk. Citizens of Dark House and Shine Bright pay top dollar for Asian silk, fragrant perfumes and amber which can only be bought from the North Men. As you can imagine, maintaining a good relationship with the North Men became economically sound idea.


The Trouble with North Men and Men in General

On one of these trading trips a few years back, a quarrel broke out between the North Men and the Tembryth Trolls. It all began when a group of drunk North Men stumbled into a part of the Forest that was forbidden to them. Troll Sentries being stretched thin as they were, were on patrol elsewhere. The Inebriated men attempted to start a fire using ground laying Wicked Wood, which caught the attention of the sentries who set out quickly to intervene; any tampering with Wicked Wood is immediately felt by its guardians. They came too late. The North Men realized Wicked Wood did it not burn, and that it was stronger and lighter than even ordinary Tembryth Timber. So, gathering up what they could find, they took it to experiment with it.

The real quality that made Wicked Wood so unique and special was lost to them, they only thought in terms of building material and trade value. Nonetheless, they left the Temberloch shores in a hurry to play with the Wicked Wood far from Tembryth. The North Men who came just to trade and were not aware of the theft finished their dealings and departed in peace with bright blessings.

The next summer came and the North Men returned with bigger, brighter and even more foreign treats in addition to the regular shipments of silk, perfumes and amber. For the new varieties of human luxury items, they wanted Wicked Wood. Naturally, the Tembryth Trolls said no and offered them a generous supply of Tembryth Timber and furs of very rare and beautiful beasts that didn’t exist outside of Faerie, (a realm which Old Mother Forest was connected to). Trade terms were negotiated and agreed to but despite the small fortune North Men departed with, they were not content. They had their heart set on Wicked Wood.


Let the Games Begin

For the next six years, summers passed without trouble; Men continued coming to trade and departed as they always had. On the seventh year, unfriendly looking ships arrived with the traders. The Tembryth Trolls knew that this summer would be spoken of in tales. In a way, they were relieved since nothing interesting ever happened in Tembryth, on the other hand this could get politically and economically thorny.

The North Men set up camp on the shores of the Temberloch, the river which ran off into the Western Sea and connected to the Greater Northern Sea emptying into the Upper Northern Ocean. Their camps were not too large but large enough to cause some concern. The Tembryth Trolls decided to make the first move and set their own pieces into play before the North Men had the chance. Although Trolls were not known for their intelligence, they were in fact quite bright and didn’t mind being underestimated. North Men had greatly underestimated them.

The Prince of Tembryth was a young man called Bex who took point, approaching the camp with a few visible warriors and many more well-hidden ones. They arrived in a fully royal but understated fashion; in courtly colors and practical outfits and gear; war horses handsomely painted to match and weapons that could slay beast or man with equal ease. The troll warriors were tall and strong, adorned in soft, decorative leather armor atop thicker, stronger armor.

Prince Bex spoke with Alven Redbeard, a fairly well-spoken young man who clearly expressed an interest in obtaining Wicked Wood peaceably, or by force if necessary. So Prince Bex purposed series of challenges that if the North Men could meet two out of three, they could claim three Wicked Wood trees but only three. Alven Redbeard spoke briefly to his warriors who agreed enthusiastically

A Contest of Mind, Body and Spirit

The challenges were decided by the Trolls alone since the North Men were so certain of victory that any contest purposed would be a win. They were overly hasty and would learn the cost of it the next day when the sport began.

It began with a riddle game, they each asked seven riddles, four more than were usually asked. The Trolls took the win and the North Men grumbled but moved onto the next challenge. Wrestling, which the North Men won, the Trolls would later giggle that they let them win to make up for rigging the last contest in the first place. The last and final challenge tested Spirit and soul, which the Trolls won not because the North Men were lacking in spirit or soul but because it required the use of magik, which the Trolls alone possessed. The Victor had to breathe life into a dying garden, sharing with it their spirit and soul and connecting the earth’s magik. The North Men had no choice but to admit defeat since they lacked the necessary magik to complete the task.

The Trolls had won, two out of three and the North Men had no choice but to concede defeat with dignity; to do anything else would have offended their Gods. That didn’t mean that it would not be handled at a later time and the Trolls knew that too. In many ways, they were not that different from each other.

It was clear that the warriors came for the Wicked Wood and would not leave without it. Prince Bex offered what sounded like fair terms, that they may take any three trees that they could cut down. Feeling smug, the North Men collected their axes. What the Prince didn’t mention is that both Wicked Wood and Tembryth Timber trees can only be cut down with a special axe forged in the fires of the Great Smith and that there was only three in existence. No matter how hard the North Men might try, they could not cut down any trees at all and vowed to return tomorrow with reinforcements. The trolls calmly wished them well.

A Fieldful of Roses

The North Men returned the next morning to find that the trolls have moved during the night, taking with them the entire forest itself. They had not considered that possibility. They assumed that it was an ordinary forest with extraordinary attributes, however there was nothing ordinary about Tembryth. It was one of Old Mothers sacred places (of which there were six others) and linked to Faerie Itself. Everything about it sang with a magik that only those born to it could hear or use. It was this magik that made possible the swift, silent and complete departure of Tembryth in the space of a night.

Left in its place was a vast garden of bright, healthful roses of very color. The North Men were not amused but the Fae creatures watching their perplexity were. In the center of the field, a lone tree stands, with a note pinned.

“You promised to return, but we didn’t promise to be here. When we meet again, and we shall, I hope there shall be no hard feelings. Also, you should probably head off before night fall. Old Mother is displeased with you and terrible in her anger, which is considerable.”

The North Men depart quickly, without having to be told twice. Wondering how they could have been defeated by a handful of trolls; and in no hurry to meet the Old Mother they had been forewarned of. North Men were a susperstitious folk at times, although they preferred the word spiritual but they were also an intellectual people, both mind and spirit agreed that remaining any longer would end badly for them.

That did not mean however, that they would not return at a later time, better prepared and reinforced. The trolls and Fae Folk watched them sail away from the shadows, knowing they would be back.

A Heavy Hearted Victory

The Rose bushes disappeared and The Wicked Wood returned as soon as sails faded from view. The Old Mother loves to play tricks, and casting illusions was one her favorites. On that night she shared a laugh with her people as they shared a fire, strong ale and good fellowship, toasting victory.

That day had ended in victory, but the Forest felt the fear keenly that next time they may not be so lucky. Old Mother Forest was founded as safe haven from Human hostility and for many ages remained a sanctuary. Its secrets were ancient and numerous, yet its people were few and a great deal weaker than they once were.

The Weakening had taken the lives of to many children and reduced the number of children born to them, not that they were an overly fertile people to begin with. That was one of the problems, humans were much more fertile race, increasing their numbers quickly. Humans were also were more organized; forming alliances that held true when Fae alliances lasted just long enough for one ally to gain more power over another.

To the Fae, power was everything, power meant wealth, status and influence. Power separated the Upper class from the Lower class more than money did. There were moneyed families that had little power and Middle class families with more and the Middle class families were considered higher up the latter.

Not that Fae Folk were lacking in wealth or that their armies weren’t ready to fight for what little they had left, the cost of it would be steep and the in the end, Humans would likely win anyway. The Old Mother knew it and she knew something else to, the magik that kept them separate and safe was Weakening. Eventually it would fail if the Weakening kept spreading.

Human-Fae-Wicked Wood Relations

With Magik fading, the competition for status and position had become even more desperate and the renewal of Human hostilities was a problem that they could not afford. The Fae Folk were to divide and embroiled in their own pettiness to form the kind of alliances that would be critical in wartime. Most of them had grown soft, silly and spoiled. In their quest for distinction, they had lost sight of the roles that each played and the strength they had together. Any Fae were considered superior to Humans and even lower than Humans were mixed bloods.

What few Fae realized yet was that Human unions could save the fading magik that they fought so hard to preserve. The children of Fae and human unions were more fertile and more powerful as well as immune from the Weakening because of their half human lineage. They were once considered a pariah, now certain Fae leaders such as Hugh Queen Anne and the Tembryth Prince Bex were coming to realize that they held the key to defeating the Weakening entirely. Obviously, this was not a popular thought or widely known, but it was a fact that would be impossible to ignore by Fae races fighting a losing battle against the Weakening.

For now, instead of a cure or solution to the problem, Wicked Wood (Fae born and Fae kept) provided some relief from the symptoms. This is what the Tembryth Trolls guarded and why they were unwilling to part with it. It had become the life blood of the people; men were regarded as a greedy lot, ignorant at best and murderous at their worst. Now that North Men knew about it, they were unlikely to forget about.

The Wonders of Wicked Wood

One of the properties of Wicked Wood that made it so important was its ability to withstand the elements, it was very strong, light and preserved those qualities even after it was cut. Since Fae Magik was anchored in elemental magik and Wicked Wood was a linked to all five elements and the energy of Faerie, it was a very important to the people.

It was used for bows, arrows, darts and fishing poles. Metals were forged in machines constructed in Wicked Wood; homes were built from it, cradles carved; wands and charms carried. Its leaves were boiled down to a medicinal tea or herbs to be smoked. Its bark was used to make paper and paper products, hilts of knives and jewelry. It was the only thing they knew of that did keep the Weakening at bay.

Also, its connection to the Old Mother Tree allowed them to remain physically connected to its and to Faerie since Old Mother Tree acted as an anchor and emissary. Humans may not be able to use Wicked Wood but without it, Fae Kind would not last much longer anyway and would be easier to defeat in battle. They had come to rely on it to much.

Wicked Wood may hold many wondrous properties but it was still magik and still a tree. The people had become so dependent upon it that they lost sight of a very simple and obvious fact. The Wicked Wood was not immune to the Weakening, and that meant the Old Mother Tree wasn’t either and without Her anchoring the Forest to Faerie, that connection could be lost along with the protective spell that provided a barrier between the Human world and theirs.

That was why The Old Mother silently called to the Gods as she sat amongst her people, on the eve of victory and celebrated with them. They didn’t know what she did and she hoped to find a solution so they never had to know, but in her heart she knew that the coming days would bring no relief.