Western Woods

Historically, The Darkwood was once a nearly unbroken stretch of mighty trees older than time, however due to considerable resource extraction efforts in the past two centuries by Sico-Corp and Vanlouen Industries, wildfires (caused by Bruce and Richard) as well as increased urbanization in the heavily spider populated south, the total old-growth canopy has been reduced from historic coverage levels of 98% to a low of 37%, with the remaining land having been logged and converted to second and third growth forest, wetlands, meadows and agricultural encroachment. Small fragments of this ancient megaforest remain, and within them many of the magical beasts and entities that are intrinsically tied to the complexity of these ecosystems. One such forest is The Western Woods, a coastal temperate rainforest that covers the steep hills towering over The Waters Beyond.

The Western Wood's eastern borders begin at Rim-Ram River, stretch Northeast to the foot of Rim-Ram Mountain, South to Blackthorn Bay, and terminate in the west at the violent edge of the Waters Beyond. Due to the maritime biome, many 'Terraquatic' animals dwell in these coastal bluffs and misty giant trees in the foothills seasonally, I.e. Animals that are adapted to live both in the ocean and on land, E.g. The legged-whale, The tree-squid, The kelpwolf, the waterbear, and the fernshark and formerly home to the great sea turtle nesting grounds (extinct as of 1966).

While climatically different, the maritime influenced rainforests of the Western Woods share many ecological characteristics with the more montane Pepperoni Forest to the east, home to Richard's Fema Trailer, as these two remnant old growth ecosystems were once part of the same connected super wilderness. Other remnants include Witchcraft woods in the south, the wilderness around surrounding the Hole King's hole, Gilmore's tree and the surrounding wilds, the rugged backcountry between the Shrimp River and the Milk Mountains, south of Lemming gap and north of Amber town, and various pockets in the hinterlands of the far north and east.

Sadly in 2018, Bruce Vanlouen who's property borders the eastern edge of the Western Woods burned an eleven thousand acre swath of the forest with many gods perishing amid the flames. He committed this act in the wake of discovering his best human friend was actually the forest demigod Clark. While practically all the forests between his home and Rim-Ram mountain were scorched the land is in the process of being restored as scores of forest spirits have begun to emerge from the intact coastal mountains and reclaim the desolation by planting saplings, flowers and cleansing the waters and earth of the evil wrought by Doctor Bruce. Their efforts have been hampered by Richard Paris lemming performing strafing runs in his WW1 era bi-plane on the sprites and faeries that expose themselves in the open.