Shalanwode

The Shalanwode is a crossroads in the Shadowend, a thickly forested highland travelled regularly by orcs, goblins, giants, elves, and other creatures of the Shadowend and Utgard.  The Wiernaug tribesmen have their oldest settlements here, tiny hidden hamlets which have never fallen under the rule of any outside law or king.

Elves, goblins, and giants are also frequently found here, as the elves travel from the Winding Halls and points east to Shalaen and the Reachlands, and the goblins journey from the mountains of Sarn to the High Hills and Utgard.  Monstrous and dire animals of all kinds may be found in the Shalanwode and its environs, including dire wolves, boar, and elk, owlbears, and harrow hounds.

The Shalanwode was never cleared, and few dungeons or ruins of interest are known.  The natural inhabitants of the area discouraged many people from seeking refuge here, but a few powerful factions established strongholds before falling with the rest of the Woodmarches.  A splinter cult dedicated to Nevias, Ragavar, Urjin, and Kajalla founded several fortified temples in the Shalanwode before being eradicated four centuries ago; the most powerful of these temples is known as the Vanishing Dungeon, as it shifts to the Prime Material from a sealed demi-plane at widely spaced intervals.  Other dungeons include the Tower Ain, an ancient elven watchtower currently held by a faerilven archmage, and the Measureless Maze, a vast dungeon complex excavated beneath the Shalanwode by a powerful lich centuries ago.

Dalerain IV: Evergreen King [Dalerain]

Samaan
Lord of the Green, Evergreen King
Power of the Dalerain
Major AoC: Forests
Minor AoC: Animals, Primacy of Nature over Civilization
Symbol: An oak tree or leaf, a wolf of leaves and branches
Allies: Alaron, Eial
Enemies: Umoth, Ragavar, Urjin
Avatar: Barbarian 5 / Druid 15 / Ranger 15

Samaan usually appears as a eight-foot tall man with a long, stern face, antlers, grey hair and beard, and ragged clothes. In this form he carries a quarterstaff called Soltreow, or One Tree. He may also appear as a antlered dire wolf, or a wolf with leaves and branches in place of flesh and bone.

Samaan spends most of his time in the Wyrld, wandering the forest lands he holds dominion over. He visits Alaron and Eial in their sacred places in the Wyrld, but otherwise prefers to keep to himself. Any divinities seeking council with him must locate and travel to him. His relationship with Uller is respectful but cautious; both powers are dislike interference in their domains, and have clashed on occasion, though these conflicts are rare and brief. He neutrally regards the other elemental powers, notably Aela, Eides, Larril, Tamati, and Linon. He appreciates both destruction and growth as natural and necessary aspects of forest life, but opposes their support of mortal endeavors towards taming the land (or, in Tamati’s case, filling it with bloodshed). The Forest King’s greatest wrath is reserved for deities that twist and destroy the woodlands, most particularly Umoth, Ragavar, and Urjin the Rotted God.

The Lord of the Green is worshipped by those who live in, or make their living from, woodlands and forests. Rangers and barbarians often worship him, and forest druids may leave offerings at his shrines and holy sites in addition to their own worship of the Wyrld. Undead are regarded as unnatural, but only singled out for destruction when they become a hazard to the forest life.