Aurelian Wildwoods

"The Old Forest was indeed ancient; and in it there lived yet, ageing no quicker than the hills, the fathers of the fathers of trees, remembering times when they were lords."

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The Aurelian Wildwoods are a massive woodland in the south eastern region of the Highlands, known for hiding the Autumn Court deep within. The forest is vast and uncanny, the thick trunks of the old trees and their dense foliage making it easy to lose one's sense of direction. There are roads and rivers winding through the Wildwoods, but they twist and turn and seem to lead travelers in circles. Upon entering you are certain to lose your way, and if starvation and fatigue do not end you, the strange beasts that emerge once the sun sets certainly will.

There are very few who know their way about the woods, most of which are members of the Autumn Court. These are the few who patrol the woods, guiding lost travelers to the safety of the Court, or leading trespassers to their end.

Ecology
The Aurelian Wildwoods are home to an amazing array of flora, fauna, and everything in between.

Red Maples
The most prolific and iconic of organism are the huge Red Maples that dominate the forest. They are easy to identify with their bright crimson five-pointed leaves. With wide trunks and great branching crowns thick with leaves, a single tree can be home to and entire ecosystem of its own. Their branches are often covered in mosses, lichens, ferns, and other epiphytes, creating wonderful habitat for many critters to nest and shelter in from the predators on the forest floor below.

Deep in the woods and unaffected by natives and settlers alike, they can grow for many millennia, reaching sizes almost unfathomable. The oldest of these trees, the Hallowed Acernis, is estimated to be at least 36,000 years old.

Giant Mushrooms
On the forest floor, below the lofty branches of the maples, grow massive mushrooms. These are mostly spotted two-tone boletes (Baorangia bicolor) and the brown maple boletes ''(Leccinum scabrum). ''Growing as big as a cottage, these huge fungi are a common sight in the Wildwoods. The range of their mycelium spans the entire forest and beyond, connecting every tree and plant in the whole forest. By decomposing fallen leaves and debris and returning the nutrients to the plants and trees, they allow the forest to thrive for eons.

These mushrooms are both technically edible, but are so ancient and hardened, their flesh is far too woody and weathered to eat. But if you find a troop of young boletes, they are a tasty treat!

Other Flora & Fungi
While Red Maples and boletes are the most iconic, the Wildwoods have countless other organisms. Exceedingly common varieties of underbrush include salal (Gaultheria), sword ferns (Polystichum), maiden-hair ferns (Adiantum), trailing blackberry (Rubus), hawthorn (Crataegus), and many more. Many fungi, such as Ramaria, Cantherellus, Morchella, Amanita, Mycena, Lactarius, and countless others are also a common sight.