As I’ve said before, Cheshire is a beautiful kingdom, made all the more marvelous that is almost completely a feat of human ingenuity. Granted, they did get aid from the dwarves and elves, but most of the blood, sweat, and tears, that made Cheshire the “Jewel of the Great Kingdoms” were human. I could go at length about the wonders of the kingdom, but I already touched on that earlier. Most of the bards of the realm have as well. I prefer the stories they don’t tell.
- There is a lake that sits between the Vaxin and Perth duchies known as Shimmer Lake. It’s waters are pristine, crystalline clear. It gets its name from the way the stars reflection dance on the water. On occasion, an unearthly glow can be seen far near the center of the lake. There is a series of underground caves and tunnels there, the source of the glow somewhere in its depths. No one who has ventured forth into the caves has ever returned while they were glowing. Investigation during its unlit periods reveal nothing. A series of tunnels connecting several chambers that twist and turn on each other. It is unknown which cave (if any) is the source of the glow. What is known is that the glow always coincides with the arrival of the Twilight Circus, who’s touring takes them to Cheshire, and the lake twice a year, in the spring and the fall. The glow remains for the entirety of the time the circus is in session. When they go, so too does the eerie light. It should be noted that during the three-four week stay of the circus, people have disappeared. Not just the visitors, but circus staff as well.
The staff believe the lake is cursed, haunted by some creature that apparently awakens from the music and noise the circus inevitably brings. That creature kills customers and staff alike , though that information is never told to the public, who do believe the circus is cursed, but most believe it to be little more than a ghost story. Many folk, particularly the younger and stupider, come to the circus multiple times to tempt fate. The more nights they survive, the bigger the bragging rights. It is believed that at least one circus-goer a night never returns home.
Ironically, it is this fearsome detail that draws quite the crowd. The owners make most of their money on the two trips to Cheshire, that they simply cannot afford to not tour here. When the suggestion of moving to a different locale comes up, a similar excuse tends to pop up. Greed will usually trump common sense in my experience.
- The Arien Woods in the Vaxin Duchy is a fascinating place. It is home to the city of Arien, once a city of valley elves. It was the sister city to Kor’Korai, the city of spire elves to the north east. Since the Corruption 30 years ago, Arien has taken in survivors of the disaster, mostly nobles and their families. What was at first meant to be a temporary sanctuary has taken much longer since the Corruption had sealed off the spire elves’ entire forest home. Though the two elves live together in relative peace, tensions are beginning to run high, as the valley elves worry that that the spire elves may decide to make the move permanent.
Beyond the magnificent city however the forest itself is teeming with danger. It is heavily infested with spiders, the work of the deranged druid Qe’rono. We’re not talking about your garden variety spiders either, though those do exist. Rather giant spiders, sword spiders, make their home here. Rumors persist that a drider or two has also made the forest their home. This would likely mean a tunnel to the Deep Below exists somewhere as well. Recently rumors of a fire breathing spider have surfaced. On my next trip to Cheshire I will surely track down this particular rumor. It sounds simply fascinating if what I suspect is true. - The greatest source of adventure and heartache Cheshire possesses lies in the cursed woods known as the Forest of Souls. Once known as the Forest of Dreams, the magic of the forest caused time to pass more slowly than that of outside its borders. This also gave the forest the Trysted Woods, as many lovers could enter, spending hours or days together, only to leave and only a few hours had passed.
30 years, the disaster known as the Corruption occured. It was a massive explosion that was traced to the heart of Kor’Korai. The devastating wave of energy killed nearly everything it touched. Worse, those that died rose to further plague the survivors. That would have been bad enough, but the after the initial explosion that energy retreated, but quickly began to expand once more. In the end the combined forces of a unit of Ironguards and Steel Knights, the guardians of the forest – The Wyldefires, a ranger outfit, the Oakenshields, a druidic order, and the celestial unicorns Lighthope and Brighthart – as well hundreds of volunteers, including powerful spellcasters ventured into the cursed forest. None returned. The energy field though had been stopped, coalescing into an impenetrable field at the borders.
Now thirty years later, the field has faded away without warning.
Occasionally undead shamble forth from its borders to harass the living. This does mean that the Cheshire region is now more easily connected to the Perth region with the road that travels through the forest. It is patrolled heavily. Even then, the patrols don’t always make it out. It is believed to be completely overrun with undead. So why isn’t given a wide berth? Simple. Greed. The city of Kor’Korai was an elven city of magic. It is believed that there is a treasure trove of magic, just sitting there, as well as the expected riches the nobles left behind. There was once a green dragon that made her home there. And where there are…were…dragons, there is obviously a lair full of gold.
These thoughts keep would be adventurers exploring the cursed place. Most don’t come out. Those that do tell stories of horrid screeching at night, of shadows that come to life, of watching their fallen comrades rise up to attack. Some of those fools manage to comeback with a gem or two, or a pouch of gold. More than enough to tempt common sense.
A Darkness Rising 