The Age of the Old Gods (Before Year 0)
Long before the Three Great Wars brought ruin to the world, the Simmaron Woods existed as one of the great primeval forests of ancient Darshavon. In those distant days, when the One Kingdom stretched across all human lands under the rule of the High King, the Woods were already ancient beyond mortal memory. The dryads of Sollin-kel had sung the forest into being in the earliest days of creation, their voices weaving enchantments deep into root and stone as they established their sacred domain.
The Woods flourished under the protection of Darshavon's laws, which recognized the sovereignty of the fey realm within the forest's boundaries. Trade routes skirted the Woods' edges, and the dryads maintained cautious but cordial relations with the kingdom's representatives. At the Woods' heart, where ley lines crossed and the barriers between worlds grew thin, the dryads established their court in groves that existed in both the mortal realm and the realm of spirits.
During the final centuries of the Old Gods' reign, a druid named Delbin Kinkaed came to the Simmaron Woods. Unlike other mortals who remained at the forest's edge, Delbin was granted passage into the deeper woods, where he formed a profound connection with the dryads of Sollin-kel. The dryads recognized in him a kindred spirit—one who understood the delicate balance between civilization and wilderness. Delbin established his grove in the Woods' heart, not as a conqueror but as a student and ally, becoming a bridge between the purely fey realm of the dryads and the mortal world beyond.
But even in those days of divine order, darkness stirred in the northern reaches. The Cavern of the Well, a wound in the world where corruption seeped up from the deep places of the earth, remained a blight that even the combined wisdom of gods and fey could not heal. The dryads, aided by Delbin's druidic knowledge, established powerful wards around it, binding the darkness with layers of protective magic, knowing it could only be contained, never destroyed.
The Fall and the Age of Resilience (Year 0 to 100)
The Third Great War shattered everything. When the gods destroyed themselves in their final, climactic battle, the resulting cataclysm tore apart not only the divine realm but also the mortal world. The One Kingdom of Darshavon collapsed overnight, its vast bureaucracy and trade networks crumbling as survivors struggled merely to live through each day.
In that moment of cosmic devastation, both Delbin Kinkaed and the ancient Order of Druids vanished from the mortal realm. Whether they were destroyed by the same forces that claimed the gods, pulled into some other plane of existence, or transcended beyond mortal understanding, none can say. What remained was their legacy: the ancient wards around the Cavern of the Well, the sacred groves they had tended, and the deep magic woven into the very essence of the forest.
The Simmaron Woods, protected by these lingering enchantments, survived the initial devastation better than most places. But without their guardians, they could not shield the forest entirely from the chaos that followed. Refugees from the destroyed kingdom sought shelter beneath the ancient trees, and while the Woods' magic instinctively protected the desperate masses, there were no druids left to guide or organize their settlement.
Many of these refugees settled at the forest's southern edge, establishing crude settlements that would eventually become the town of Homewood. The corruption in the Cavern of the Well also began to stir more actively during this chaotic time, as if feeding on the world's pain and disorder, though the ancient wards held firm despite their creators' absence.
The Age of Rebuilding (Year 101 to 450)
As the world slowly began to heal, the relationship between the surviving humans and the now-guardianless forest evolved into something unique. The settlement of Homewood evolved from a desperate refugee camp into a thriving town, its inhabitants learning to coexist with the forest through trial, error, and careful observation of the magic that still flowed through root and stone. They developed skills in woodcraft and herbalism, becoming the inheritors of wisdom that had once belonged to the vanished druids.
Around 200, when the Four Fiefdoms began to take shape from Darshavon's ashes, the Simmaron Woods found themselves within the borders of Vranna, the fiefdom known for its boundless forests and skilled woodsmen. The rulers of Vranna, themselves descended from survivors who had found refuge in various forests during the Age of Resilience, understood the value of maintaining harmony with woodland spirits and magic. They formally recognized the Woods as a protected realm and established Homewood as a sanctuary settlement.
It was during this period that the goblin tribes in the Ugull Mountains, also survivors of the great cataclysm, existed as scattered, disorganized bands. The collapse of Darshavon's military had left the northern regions largely undefended, but the goblins remained fragmented and focused on simple survival rather than conquest.
The people of Homewood became the forest's new guardians by necessity, learning to interpret the subtle signs and magical currents that the druids had once managed with effortless grace. They discovered Delbin Kinkaed's abandoned grove and his tomb, which had somehow remained pristine despite the centuries of abandonment, as if the forest itself refused to let it decay.
The Halls of the Wood and the Age of Rebuilding (Year 0-450)
Long before the Fall of the Old Gods, three ancient Halls of the Wood had stood as bastions protecting the great forests and mountains of Darshavon. These were not mere military outposts but sacred institutions that bridged the gap between the civilized world and the wild places, their patrollers serving as guardians, diplomats, and keepers of ancient wisdom.
When the gods destroyed themselves and the cataclysm tore through the world, one of the three Halls—Alzion Hall—was lost to the chaos. But the Hall of the Simmaron, built upon foundations blessed by the ancient druids, endured where the others fell. Its stone walls, warded by fey magic and druidic power, weathered the divine storm that shattered kingdoms and reshaped the world.
In the desperate years that followed, the surviving patrollers of the Simmaron transformed their ancient fortress into something unprecedented: a beacon of hope in a world gone mad. Unlike the rigid military hierarchies of the fallen kingdom, the Hall opened its doors to all in need. Refugees, survivors, and the lost found shelter within its walls, and the patrollers welcomed them not as subjects but as fellow guardians of the light that remained.
Over the centuries of rebuilding, the Hall evolved from a desperate sanctuary into something greater. The patrollers, drawing upon the ancient traditions they had inherited and the hard-won wisdom of survival, created a new kind of order. They swore oaths not just to distant rulers but to the Woods themselves, to the people of Homewood who had grown up in the forest's shadow, and to the memory of the vanished guardians who had first blessed their mission.
As the world slowly healed and the Four Fiefdoms took shape, the Hall of the Simmaron found its place within Vranna's borders. But it had never truly been conquered or claimed—it had simply endured, and in enduring, had earned the right to continue its ancient purpose. The rulers of Vranna, wise enough to recognize the value of this living relic, formally acknowledged what had already become truth: that the Hall served not just the fiefdom, but something older and deeper.
By the end of the Age of Rebuilding, the patrollers had learned to work with the forest's remaining magic, studying the abandoned teachings they could piece together from Delbin's grove and the magical patterns still woven into the trees. They had become the Woods' protectors in the truest sense, dealing with various threats while serving as bridges between the magical and mundane worlds, keepers of traditions that stretched back to the Age of the Old Gods.
The Age of Advancement (Year 451 to 518)
As the world entered its current age of renewed learning and technological advancement, the Simmaron Woods enjoyed a period of relative peace and prosperity. The patrollers maintained their watch over the forest, dealing with occasional bandits, wild creatures, and minor threats while facilitating trade and travel through the region.
The people of Homewood continued to develop their unique relationship with the forest's magic, becoming renowned throughout Vranna for their woodcraft and herbalism. The patrollers adapted their methods to incorporate new technologies and tactics filtering up from the advancing civilizations of the Four Fiefdoms, always balancing innovation with respect for the ancient traditions they had inherited.
During this peaceful era, the patrollers also worked to strengthen their understanding of the forest's magical patterns and the ancient wards around the Cavern of the Well. While they could never match the power of the vanished druids, they developed effective methods for monitoring and maintaining the protective barriers that contained the northern corruption.
The Rise of Lord Gral (Year 519 to Present)
Twenty years ago, everything changed. A cunning and ambitious goblin named Gral emerged from the fractured tribes of the Ugull Mountains, possessing both the strategic brilliance and ruthless charisma needed to unite the scattered bands under his banner. Unlike previous goblin leaders who focused on simple raiding for survival, Gral understood the value of controlling territory and resources for long-term power.
Within months of his rise, Gral had re-established the fortress of Greth high in the Ugull Mountains and begun organizing his forces with unprecedented discipline. He felt the dark pull of the Cavern of the Well's corruption and recognized it as both a potential source of power and a strategic stronghold from which to dominate the entire region. Though he gained no magical abilities from this contact, the experience gave him clarity of purpose and an understanding of the Woods' vulnerabilities, particularly the absence of their original guardians.
The patrollers, who had grown accustomed to decades of relative peace, suddenly found themselves facing an organized and increasingly sophisticated enemy. Gral's forces began probing the northern edges of the Simmaron Woods with tactical precision, testing the ancient defenses and learning from each encounter.
The Present Day (Year 539)
Today, the Simmaron Woods exist under the constant threat of Lord Gral's expanding ambitions. For twenty years, the patrollers have maintained their watch against his increasingly sophisticated incursions, adapting their tactics and incorporating new technologies while struggling to match the strategic brilliance of their organized enemy. They have learned to balance muskets with bows, steel with wood, and tactical knowledge with forest wisdom, always aware that they are but mortals attempting to defend against a threat that grows more dangerous each year.
The forest's magic continues its ancient rhythms, but without the druids' guidance, it sometimes flows in unpredictable ways that both help and hinder those who call the Woods home. The people of Homewood have had to adapt to this new reality, serving not just as intermediaries between the magical and mundane worlds, but as a community under siege. Their skills in woodcraft and herbalism, supplemented by new technologies and expanded trade networks, now serve dual purposes of prosperity and survival.
Delvin Kinkaed's tomb has become more than just a place of pilgrimage—it serves as a rallying point for the patrollers, where they can reflect on the balance they are sworn to protect while drawing strength from whatever echoes of the vanished druid's wisdom still linger in the sacred space. Many report strange dreams or visions when resting near the grove, sometimes receiving guidance that proves crucial in their ongoing struggle against Gral's forces.
But the greatest concern lies in the depths of the northern reaches, where the Cavern of the Well waits. The corruption grows slowly but surely, testing ancient wards that have held for over five centuries without their creators' maintenance. Lord Gral's strategic mind continues to probe for ways to breach these ancient defenses, and his forces now wield weapons and tactics that incorporate both goblin cunning and advanced techniques learned from studying the Four Fiefdoms' military innovations.
The Simmaron Woods stand as a testament to both loss and resilience, but now also as a fortress under siege. The forest's beauty remains, but it is beauty maintained by mortal hands and hearts that grow more weary with each passing season. In their ancient depths, wonder and terror grow side by side, and only the courage and determination of those who call the Woods home keep Lord Gral from claiming the dark power that calls to him from the north.
As Vranna and the other Fiefdoms enter an age of unprecedented advancement, the Woods remain both a sanctuary from the rapid changes of the outside world and a crucial bulwark against the ancient evils that still threaten to consume everything the survivors of the Fall have worked so hard to rebuild. They stand as a living monument to what was lost when the gods and their greatest servants vanished from the world, and as a symbol of hope that mortal determination can sometimes fill even the greatest voids.