As we gaze at the children of the dark sky, you and I as we listen to the bell of doom ringing, and everything will fall into the hands of the evil gods.

—Epigraph

01 Forest of Extinction 1

Overview:

Known as the "Forest of Shogart" in my native language, the Forest of Extinction is located on the southeastern border of the Empire. It spreads all the way to the north near the Wind Howling Heath, and to the south to the strait, but there is a rift valley that is more difficult to cross. Nominally, it was still under the jurisdiction of the Vareshian Empire, but it was so remote that the forest was sparsely populated and almost unsupervised. Heading deeper into the forest, the trees grew thicker and thicker, the sunlight was almost completely blocked by the leaves, and the day was no different from dusk. At the turn of day and night, the mist would fill the trees, mingling with the faint light of the sky, like a silver silk.

Main resources: wood, herbs.

Humanities:

Kohla Lumberyard: Camp, 1,000

This lumberyard is located on the border of the Extinct Forest, near the trade routes in the green wilderness. It belonged to the fief of a low-ranking nobleman, Useles Goldleaf, and was ruled by his side cousin, Corla Goldleaf. While I was visiting, his servant very politely opened the door and invited me to stay for tea.

The lumberyard is mainly inhabited by lumberjacks and their relatives, and there are two farms nearby that grow grains and grapes. Some militias and adventurers are responsible for protecting the area, hunting and killing dangerous animals. They lived in poverty but comfort, and it was one such camp after another, which continued to deliver valuable resources to the Empire.

Iron Branch Council Woodland: Camp, 300

As I descended deeper into the forest, I followed the map and found a druid woodland next to a small lake. An astonishingly thick tree stood in the middle of the camp, plate-like aerial roots exposed from the dirt. Upon spotting me and my retinue, several druids in ambush in the trees aimed at me with quenched wooden spears, and then, after seeing what I looked like, the druids laid down their weapons and apologized to us for the dangers that lurk in the forest, and lately, they have been fighting the unknown creatures lurking underground almost every day. In addition to the woodland, there are several rudimentary lookouts built on the trees and under their control. It is the only refuge for adventurers entering the Forest of Extinction, and is inhabited mostly by elves, including some humanoids with animal characteristics, who possess a high level of intelligence, and are known to scholars as "Davelyn"2 due to their worship of the sun god.2

All are under the jurisdiction of the Empire.

We were received by a druid named Aishana Bluewind, the leader of the small camp, who told me about some of the conditions in the forest. Aishana warns us not to rush into the forest. Perhaps her warning could scare some of the stunned youths. I told her that I was Izulia Embersong, a researcher from the Tower of the Otherworld, and that I was about to travel through the forest beyond the borders of the realm to find the root of the web.

After figuring out all this, Aishana did not persuade me again, but simply wished me good luck.

Geography:

The entire Forest of Extinction is a low-lying transitional area that connects the vast plains of the Empire, but small hills and mesas are still everywhere. Lush broadleaf forests and pristine oak trees grow here, and the trees take on an unusual vitality. There are plenty of waters, crisscrossed by streams, some flowing into small lakes, others into the distance, places I don't really want to explore.

Forest animals call trees home, and I've seen at least five different species of brightly colored butterflies. When Ashana introduced her, she said that it was not uncommon to encounter giant forest bears, giant crows, or vine entanglers here, and that as long as they were not provoked, none of these forest protozoans were deadly threatened.

History:

The Forest of Extinction, as its name suggests, acts as a natural barrier separating the Varesian Empire. Legend has it that this is the mother goddess of the elves, the god of forests and poetry, and the green barrier created by Ilan "Star Deer" to protect her people. The blessings of the goddess have blessed the forest, so that no foreign enemies have invaded it during the centuries of the empire's growing strength.

The forest has long been an important source of timber and herbs, and only foresters and druids live in the forest year-round. Occasionally, Davlyn merchants would travel thousands of miles from the other side of the forest. If you can endure these little things, you can buy a lot of new things from them. However, if you ask them, you can see that they don't actually know much about the world on the other side of the forest. There may be a few individuals in their race who like to explore, but unfortunately I didn't meet them.

Venture:

Day and night, there is only a glimmer of light at most, and the sun and stars are not visible, and the direction is extremely difficult to judge. I relied on the silver pointer given by my mentor to distinguish between north and south, and walked all the way east, hoping to cross the jungle. Even if I failed, I recorded the coordinates of the Iron Branch Council camp and was able to return using the teleportation beacon.

Since most of the area is not seen for light all year round, the weather becomes cold and humid after leaving the druid camp, so make sure the velvet and clothes are dry, otherwise they will quickly become crawled with fungus. I wear clothes that are suitable for travel and clothes that are suitable for formal occasions such as diplomacy in my bag. Food and water don't need to be worried, although some streams are polluted and must be purified by spells to drink safely. There are many different types of mushrooms that can be eaten on the ground, and there are quite a few that are delicious enough to be a good meal when paired with an adventure ration.

For a long time, there has been peace here. But in the last decade, according to Aishana, a number of arthropod humanoids3 have appeared in certain areas of the forest, making the forest dangerous and unsafe. I've seen burrows covered in sticky spider silk, and I've avoided them far away to get into as little trouble as possible. The Druid's blessing spell allowed me to cover myself well in the forest, and only once did my retinue and I come into direct conflict with a spider demon with a swollen belly, eight legs, and thin teeth in its mouth. Eventually, I killed the disgusting creature, and the arcane magic bombarded its body, sending a scorching stench. Then, new footsteps appeared, and we hurriedly ducked away, only to see several men dressed as priests approaching and taking the corpse, singing prayers from their mouths, as if to appease the soul of the spider demon. I could discern a name from the prayer coming from afar, "El Queenie," perhaps one of the gods they worshipped.

Before leaving, a priest stared in my direction for a long time. I could tell he didn't have pointed ears, but he had blood-red eyes that were chilling.

I realized that they were probably organized, and that they could not be cleared out of here without a formal army. If an adventurer were to be commissioned about the Extinct Forest, the xenomorphs and these mysterious heretics would be their biggest targets.

footnote

1. Editor's Note: Countess Izulia Ember was the first researcher in the history of the Empire to complete an exploration of the country's borders. She was posthumously awarded the title of Earl. This book is a collection of regional chronicles and essays she wrote about her travels. In order to restore the original appearance of the work, the editor will not proofread the content.

2. The lingua franca is "goblin".

3. The lingua franca is called "Ankaser bugs".