Dasken Wood
By far the largest of the woods in the Southlands, Dasken Wood is also the one
with the richest variety of tree and plant life.
There are many rare and valuable herbs that can only be found there and
this alone is reason enough for the large numbers of woodsmen who are constantly
making their way through the tangled and narrow animal paths that meander
through the gigantic trees.
The
woodsmen, foresters, hunters, gatherers, poachers and trappers that spend much
of their time within the boundaries of the woods may well think that they have
tamed and civilised it, but that is far from the truth.
The edges and outskirts of the wood may have been broken, but the Heart
of Dasken Wood is as wild and as untamed as it ever was.
There are very, very few people who are willing to cut directly through
the wood and to those familiar with the forest, even the suggestion that they do
so can cause responses of either fear or ridicule.
Around the
edges of the wood there are many communities of loggers and hunters.
These all make a reasonable living from the forest and are careful to
treat it with the respect that is deserves.
Many different types of trees grow within Dasken Wood and
almost all of them can be felled, trimmed and sent off to either Camber
or Shandow for use in construction. This
logging process may make a dent in the size of the forest but that is a problem
for the future and one that can be ignored for the present.
Also to be
found within the wood are many different kinds of animals.
The most famous by far is the Dasken Wasp, a creature both feared and
valued. In truth, the Dasken Wasp is a species of bee that has grown
to gigantic proportion. The
creature can reach up to 2 feet in body length and they are fierce and deadly
hunters. The bees feed on virtually
any kind of decaying meat that they can find, although it is common for them to
take small birds and baby animals as their favoured prey.
They live in gigantic hives
that they make high in the largest trees of the forest.
Normally, a
creature such as the Dasken Wasp would be left well alone, for as well as their
great size and ferocity, they are known to hunt in packs and have been seen on
many occasions to attack humans. The
sting of a Dasken Wasp is extremely painful but not usually fatal unless the
victim has a particularly weak constitution.
But the Wasps do hunt in packs and they will attack in great numbers.
While the sting of one of these giant bees is not normally a great
threat, the sting of a dozen or more is nearly always fatal.
However, the reason that the Wasps come into contact with humans so often
is that they produce a honey that is valued as a delicacy by every Noble in
Shardar.
There are
all kinds of rumours and legends concerning the properties of this honey.
These include the ability to slow down the ageing process, the ability to
cure both blindness and deafness and acting as a cure against all known poisons.
Regardless of whether these tales are true or not, there is no doubt that
the honey has a smooth sweetness that is far in excess of anything that can be
found on Shardar, or anywhere on Keltar for that matter.
As you move
closer to the Heart of Dasken Wood, the Dasken Wasp becomes more common, but
there are other, more mysterious threats that any intruder would have to face.
At the centre of the wood the land drops down to form a massive bowl that
is little more than a huge swamp. This
swamp is home to many snakes, some of them poisonous, large reptiles and other
creatures that are not often found in any other parts of Shardar.
The huge trees prevent much daylight from reaching the ground and the
Heart of Dasken Wood always appears to be cold and dark.
The few
people who have made it into the Heart and returned again have sworn that the
place stinks of an evilness that they cannot describe.
Anyone with any Magical talent who ventures into the Heart can instantly
feel the power that lies within it, power and intelligence.
No Mage has yet been able to discover what it is that generates such
feelings but this doesn’t stop many from trying.
There are many tales saying that there is an item of incredible power or
strength hidden deep within the swamps but as with all tales of this kind, it is
impossible to tell if there is any truth in it or not.
The swamps
are constantly bubbling and swirling and the stench that rises from the Heart is
truly indescribable. Those who have
sampled it say that it is a cross between burning hair, rotting eggs and
decaying vegetables. The smell will
get into clothes and hair and it will stay with a person for months.
Not even washing seems to help get rid of it and it is always possible to
tell if someone has been into the Heart of Dasken Wood recently, simply by their
foul stench.