Sprawled across the southeastern hills lays the foreboding Glomdoring forest. It is a place where shadows live and nightmares manifest. Those who venture uninvited returned shaken, mumbling incoherently of monsters of thorn and soil, horrors of shadow. Under the malevolent gaze of Crow and Mother Night the community of Glomdoring has come to name the place home. Within its shadowy borders, five guilds came to existence: The Shadowdancers, Blacktalon, Ebonguard, Harbingers, and Nekotai. Together they work as a single unit to spread the glory of their forest throughout the Basin, personifying the wrath and power that are Glomdoring. Weakness is not tolerated and total loyalty is demanded. Those weak of heart and mind have nothing to seek in the forest of no mercy.
| Glomdoring, the Heart of Darkness | |
|---|---|
| Patron | Nocht |
| Divine Pantheon | Viravain, Nocht, Shikari, Manteekan |
| Political Structure | Conquest |
| Governance Style | Benign |
| Guilds | Shadowdancers, Blacktalon, Ebonguard, Harbingers, Nekotai |
Landmarks
The Master Ravenwood Tree
At the center of a putrefied glen rises the Master Ravenwood Tree, the nexus of power of the Glomdoring commune. Once shattered when the Taint enveloped the forest, the Master Ravenwood was remade when the commune opened once more to the Basin and the Wyrd took its supremacy. Towering above all the other trees of the forest, its twisted roots are ever shrouded in black mist.
Drums of the Dead
Made from ravenwood and bloodstained skins, the Drums of the Dead serve as the primary defense of the Glomdoring from spiritual attack. While it beats, the Mighty Crow cannot be slain, the Master Ravenwood is protected, and the rituals of Rowena and Brennan are able to draw prophecies from Mother Night.
The Black Tower
Rising high among the trees of the Glomdoring forest is the Black Tower. Set on the northeastern part of the forest, it houses the different needs of the trades of the commune as well as a number of other important places and artifacts such as the Arcane Library of Glomdoring and the Chamber of Night. At the peak of the Tower is Night's Needle, wrought from crimson chitin and houses the astrolabe of the forest.
Spider's Larder
Silky webs coat the glade at the center of the Glomdoring with the various creatures of the forest converging on this spot. Deadly black widow spiders lurk on the branches of the trees while vipers slither on the undergrowth. As the geographical center of the forest, the Larder serves as the crossroads to many avenues leading to other important locations in the Glomdoring.
Shadowmaze
The Shadowmaze is the collegium of the Glomdoring, where newcomers come to learn more about the Basin of Life, the different planes, and various stories of the Glomdoring itself. True to its name, the Shadowmaze is set within a maze walled with looming trees, a test in itself for the novices of the forest.
Temple of the Wyrd
An altar imbued with the power of the Wyrd rests at the center of this temple along shrines to the Great Spirits of Glomdoring, Crow and Night. Alcoves to the five beasts - widow, wasp, beetle, bat, and scorpion - also adorn the temple. Within a shadow glade lives Ulthaed Fangleaf, studying ways to empower the Glomdoring Forest.
Wasp Hive
Dug deep under Glomdoring is a hive of gigantic wasps. Ruled by a wasp queen at its deepest chamber, the hive recognizes no other loyalty, not even to the commune of Glomdoring. However, they are prized sources of poisons and are vital to the forest.
Market
Beneath the Glomdoring forest lies the subterranean market network of the commune. Numerous shops, including the commodities cache, the post office, the news room, and the bank line the tunnels. Caratacus, the Locksmith, also resides in his workshop, while Aello and Celaeno man games such as blackjack and roulette in their respective caves.
Aside from housing the shops of Glomdoring, the tunnels serve as quick transportation to other key locations of the forest. Through these caverns one can reach the Black Tower, the Portals of Glomdoring, and even find the formidable Ebonglom Wyrdling.
Notable Denizens
- Brennan Stormcrow
- Rowena Nightshade
- Ulthaed Fangleaf
- The Swampghast
- Ebonglom Wyrdling
- Filib Inseira, caretaker of the Stables of the Wyrden Thorn
- Caratacus, the Locksmith of Glomdoring
- Aello, the harpy dealer
- Celaeno, the harpy spinner
- Milara, Ward of Bomani
- Master Otekrug
- Grutina Oakvine