The Palakar Forest & The Town of Macridi
The Palakar Forest
The mighty Palakar Forest spreads across Druma's center, having stoically endured the events of Earthfall and the ensuing dwarven occupation. A variety of fey dwell within the forest, with three distinct courts occupying unofficial subregions naturally carved from the Profit's Flow and Great Goldpan River. Only the Charcoal Wars of the distant Age of Anguish threatened the forest. Signs of the conflict remain visible deep beneath the fertile soil, with charred and burned husks of trees reminding outsiders not to trifle with Palakar's defenders.
The Town of Macridi
The town of Macridi stands at the center of Palakar Forest at the confluence of the Great Goldpan River and Profit's Flow. Long held to be one of the oldest settled regions in Druma, archaeological digs have uncovered the remains of an ancient pre-Earthfall Kellid culture. The modern Macridi settlement is dedicated to three major endeavors: crafts, logging, and trading.
| Demographic | Data |
|---|---|
| Population | 1,200 (1,020 humans, 64 dwarves, 116 others) |
| Government | Autocracy |
| Alignment / Qualities | LN large town; Insular, prosperous, strategic location |
| Notable NPCs | Danum Karland (LN male human expert 2/ranger 4), Pheyess (N male elf sorcerer 5), Sorzmig Koob (CN female gnome rogue 3/sorcerer 1) |
| Base Value / Purchase Limit | 2,800 gp / 15,000 gp |
| Spellcasting | 5th |
The Fey Courts of the Palakar
Beyond the Druman settlement of Macridi are Palakar's three distinct fey courts. Permanent settlements are difficult to sustain due to misunderstandings, leaving mutually agreed-upon logging camps as the only accepted spaces beyond Macridi.
| Fey Court | Ruler / Notable Leader | Primary Dominions | Culture & Characteristics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Court of Endless Revelry | Lacks centralized leadership | Scattered bands across eastern Palakar | The satyrs dwell in scattered, ever-moving party bands. Lacking leadership, movements are directed by drunken stumbles. Satyrs occasionally tumble down rivers or foolishly attempt to cross into other fey domains. |
| Court of Seasons | Cyrella (CN female advanced nymph rogue 7) | Southern Palakar glades, rushing water, and sturdy trees | Reclusive but open to negotiations. Presiding mothers from nearly two dozen nymph families meet each season to discuss forest events and scandalous interactions with those who intrude upon southern Palakar. |
| Cedar Court | Ryauhm (NG male advanced dryad druid 9) | Deep northwestern Palakar | Notable home of Palakar's dryad population, structured as a congregation of the oldest dryads' trees. The most reclusive of all the fey courts. |
Outlying Locations & Sites of Interest
The dizzying tall trees of Palakar Forest conceal secrets dating back to Earthfall and before, with several notable landmarks marking its historical landscape.
Reiver's Right
Located on the river bluffs downriver from Macridi, Reiver's Right is a historic logging settlement named for an ancient Macridi Blade warlord. Roughly seven (7) years ago (Yr 4719), the camp was overrun by a malicious forest blight that transformed many of its inhabitants into trees and left the settlement abandoned.
The people of Macridi and the local fey eventually fought the blight together and destroyed its heart before it could spread farther through the Palakar. Reiver's Right was afterward declared unsafe and was immediately closed.
The site was finally reopened about three (3) years ago (Yr 4723), after officials concluded the old danger had passed and a new logging contract was established by a Kerse merchant group.
Pulgari Estate
Deep within the Palakar Forest once stood the estate of Bridden Pulgari, a wealthy Macridi entrepreneur whose ambitions extended far beyond commerce. Pulgari constructed the secluded manor as a place to pursue occult studies and is said to have attempted contact with Mammon, the archdevil of wealth and avarice. Whatever occurred there left the estate ruined and an open portal to Hell beneath it.
Rumors hold that the gate archon Ambithas and the fey of the Palakar still patrol the area, driving back devils that periodically attempt to breach the portal. The fey are said to remain in contact with Ambithas, but no human in Macridi claims to have spoken with him.
As a result, the Pulgari Estate remains isolated, dangerous, and largely avoided.
Desolation Blade Mounds
Far southwest of Reiver's Right, beyond the southwestern edge of the Palakar Forest, the Desolation Blade Mounds rise from the more open lands south of the river. These auspicious mounds of hardened clay are ancient archaeological sites belonging to the pre-Earthfall Macridi Blade culture. Explorers and scholars frequently visit the mounds to study the region's early human history, often discovering carved stone markers bearing the ancient symbol of a pale hand and a blackened blade.
The Tearways
Throughout the Palakar Forest are rare disturbances known as Tearways—temporary ruptures in reality that open passages between the forest and the First World, the primal realm of the fey. Travelers who stumble into one can cross unknowingly and find themselves stranded beyond the mortal world until another passage appears. The fey of the Palakar have long understood these phenomena and traditionally kept their existence secret, fearing that outsiders—particularly ambitious Kalistocrats—might attempt to exploit them as permanent gateways to the First World.
The dryad Ryauhm eventually recognized that the Tearways were becoming more frequent and linked their appearance to increased logging and disturbance within the forest. This concern helped inspire the Oath of Everlasting Friendship, an agreement intended to restrain exploitation of the Palakar and preserve cooperation between its fey and mortal inhabitants. The Tearways remain one of the forest's oldest mysteries: unpredictable, dangerous, and a constant reminder that the boundary between the Palakar and the First World is far thinner than it appears.