User:Zadimortis/Forest of Strings

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The Forest of Strings is a broad, almost perfectly circular forest of petrified black trees.

Appearance
The Forest of Strings covers a nearly perfect circular region roughly 35 kilometers wide, and the trees extend between 10 and 20 meters in height, increasing the further you get towards the center. The forest consists of very densely packed trees that have been petrified to an obsidian-like metallic stone, off of which hang long, rope-like gray spindles that look like frayed rope, hence the forest’s namesake. These trees possesses the unique property of “sucking” the light out of things, so as to make the sky and surrounding plains appear totally black when you are inside, as well as significantly diminishing any source of light, magic or otherwise. The ground is rough and gravely, and without heavy shoes can be quite painful and unsteady to walk across. There are two rough paths through the forest - one from northwest to southeast, and another from northeast to southwest - and while within the forest, these paths illuminate ever so slightly so as to be traceable in the near pitch black of the forest. Both of these paths wind throughout the forest, and frequently cross at points, but are both incomplete, as they break towards the center of the forest. One looking to cross through the forest’s center must navigate through it unaided by the paths.

Phenomena

 * Light: as mentioned prior, light within the forest is diminished significantly, regardless of source. Sound is similarly affected; all sounds seem artificially hushed and muted, the whole of the forest seeming to sound perfectly silent and still, as though locked in a black stasis.
 * Disorientation: It can be extremely difficult to navigate through the forest even with the aid of the paths, as they frequently loop around themselves and change direction. Stepping off the paths for even a couple seconds will render the path one was on invisible and nearly impossible to relocate. Even when on the paths, looking back from whence you came may reveal that the path has vanished from beneath one’s feet, only to reappear when turning back around to look forward again.
 * Trees: The trees are made of an extremely hard, scintillant black metal very much like onyx, but flakier. While it is difficult to cut directly into the trees to extract the metal, a vertical shearing approach along the tree’s “grain” will shave long shards and “scale”-like pieces off the tree with some effort. The metal is unilaterally very strong, but does not resist shearing force well. It possesses the vacuous effect the forest has on light, but in very small amounts, only to the extent of giving it sort of a black “glow” when in a well-lit room. It is of note that the edges of shards sheared off in this way tend to be very sharp, and can cut skin and cloth without a second thought.
 * Objects: At times, objects may be found off the path of the forest - usually articles of clothing, but occasionally small metal beads and bone-like remains (these generally disintegrate upon touch). While one may feel a strong, extrasensory perception of foreboding upon picking up these items, no ill effects have been recorded from salvaging these items. Note that these will often require one to leave the path, subjecting them to the dangers listed previously.

Cathedral
At the heart of the Forest of Strings sits an open clearing, roughly a hundred square meters in area. The ground here is covered with small, vertical blades of black petrified “grass” that are extremely sharp and dangerous, but also quite brittle, and break easily when crushed by a heavy shoe or other object. The trees at this part of the forest are much taller than elsewhere, and while the clearing is large, the trees around the clearing seem to arch gently over it, so as to block out any light from the sky. Near the middle of the clearing sits a stone fountain, emanating a faint, silvery light much like the paths, and just beside it stands a small black temple, its front intricately carved in geometric designs and the roof covered in small yet prominent spires, inspiring the building’s namesake.

Field Notes
"I implore the other members of the Tonberry Team to cease any attempt at exploration of this area. There are ancient, latent dark magicks at work here, and I am glad to escape with my life and sanity intact. One day, soon, I hope to bring myself to explore it once again; I cannot help but feel that some truth to the nature of this discarded world is hidden within its palpable, all-consuming darkness. And I hope to be strong enough this time to walk through those hideous, beckoning black gates..."

- Zadimortis