The Darkening Wood

Plate 12 - For some reason attracted to a piece of our surveying equipment, an ephemeral Prayer Bug (resembling a Shinto shide despite a lack of practitioners in the area) lingers just long enough to be spotted, before seeming to note our presence and drift off on an other-worldly breeze.

We are not at liberty to discuss this type of application in detail, as per the agreements within our funding, however, the use of magical energy directed into a distinct and destructive force outside of traditional applications is absolutely within the realm of possibility.

Danger of exposure does indeed depend highly on both form and concentration (as well as manifestation). The lumice, like the atom, is a singular unit, and is in and of itself value neutral to human life. There are many ways in which it interacts with human use, but in its use as a power source, because of the direct interference with its physical tether to otherworldly force, there is very real danger of events such as the Darkening Wood and other disasters. However, there are many magical power plants across the globe that function safely every day with no harm to their operators when proper safety procedures are followed.

Lumetic power is, in fact, generally even safer than nuclear energy, which, forbearing the small chance of terrible disaster is quite safe and clean energy in and of itself (however, there is always risk of magical hot spots causing various effects as seen with our interactions with Site 9 - unrelated to human interference.) Of course, it's use as power is not the only way in which humans interact with the lumice and magical practice, and the lumice itself can be a unit for alteration, magnification, change, manifestation, transmission, and various other effects which can be used to good or ill effect on a given person or the environment, and which have the capacity to backfire as well. These effects are numerous, and why direct magic practice is best relegated to trained individuals.

There is no residual 'radiation' or similar energy left within the Darkening Wood itself following it's stabilization, and our researchers were quite safe in their expedition. Care was taken due to the unknown nature of what is in the wood, and the known dangers from magical entities themselves on a whole. The ways in which magical energy stabilizes are too complex to expound on here, however they tend to be violent in immediate execution, but lasting in effect.

This is a complex question to answer - one reliant heavily on situation and definition, and ultimately the dangers expressed by magic are best seen as ones more contingent on actions than exposures.

Plate 11 - A Radial Mimic demonstrates the rather charming character for which it has been named, mimicking the hand gestures of one of our crew members with it’s many eye stalks and body position.  These gestures seem to indicate some form of curiosity or intelligence, though the depth of such actions shouldn’t be anthropomorphized we can use it in consideration of the species as a whole.

As the Vorsalburg plant and it's surrounding area provided a hub of power production, there were indeed radio towers and other communication artifice within the radius of what has now become the Darkening Wood. As support for the plant included a fair bit of surrounding infrastructure, despite it's remote location, a variety of human construction was consumed by the wood. We will be offering some explanation as to the current thinking in the physical expression of various magic based creatures following the plates.

While the physical expression of creatures within magic-affected areas varies heavily (the colors and structures seen in the Darkening Wood are unique in their spesific forms), strange and sometimes inorganic appearances are frequent occurrences - to the human eye, magic seems rather indiscriminate in the ways it manifests as living beings.

Plate 10 - A pair of fire starters harass each other with sparks.  The generally fire-resistant nature of the velvet mud coating every surface of the wood means that these displays are generally harmless, however, these creatures go at them with great fervor.

Plate 9 - Headless Cows placidly “grazing” in their field.  We did not find these animals anywhere outside of the boundary made by this odd, small break in the treeline.  We are unsure what has caused a change in the usual density of the Darkening wood, it is strange to see sunlight this far into the wood, the trees usually remain dense and impenetrable.  Watching these creatures behave as perfectly normal cattle on their stick legs, grazing with their missing heads, and resting to ruminate, put us ill at ease - reminded of the ways in which magic can mimic the mundane.

Plate 8 - The Harmony surrounds our campsite in ominous vigil on our last night camped near the wood.

Plate 7 - The massive, yet nearly two-dimensional Whiskered Seraph rises above the wood to it's sonorous gong-like cries. Despite it's massive size, because of the thick canopy it was only observable only from our camp. The creature flew over the horizon after being rousted from it's perch, and we know it only from this singular sighting.

Plate 6 - A Greek Hound rears up before thunderously striking its head against a nearby tree, an action which we strongly perceive to be a threat gesture.

Plate 5 - Less than a mile outside of the Darkening Wood itself, a split headed crow sits among a flock of carrion crows (Corvus corone), on a now disused line which formerly would have supplied power to the area. The mundane birds are seemingly unperturbed by it's presence.

Plate 4 - In an ephemeral shaft of sunlight which manages to briefly pierce the dense canopy, a group of scuttlers exchange 'eyes' in their frenetic little dance while the light remains upon them.

Plate 3 - Hollow heads grappling, note how their brutal wrestling covers the eyes on their palms - seemingly causing them to be blind for the duration of their bout.

Plate 2 - Antenna singers demonstrating their flocking tendency to all face the same direction.  While it is unclear why this behavior exists, it is postulated it may be similar to other flocking birds tendency to exhibit similar behavior pushed into an extreme by magic influence.

Plate 1 - Beggar wolves calmly observe our team at work.  Note the broken eye shaft of the individual on the left.  While it can be difficult for us, as humans, to identify individuals of different species without such defining marks, it is important to remember that even such alien creatures to us can be individuals in their own way.

This marks the completion of the known bestiary of the Darkening Wood.  This includes all species our team observed during their expedition, and those which were not observed but can be reasonably verified.  We will be continuing with the plates - watercolor images meant to give a better sense of the creatures of the Darkening Wood in situ including their size, behavior, and interactions with our team.

Unknown Entity “Human Shaped”: Known from a singular interaction, the veracity of this entity remains questioned.  However, based on the quality of the character of the sole witness and his verified identity and consistency of narrative under question, we have chosen to describe this interaction here.  We are noting the story of Ivan B. here in full from our recorded interview with him, translated from his native Russian:

“We do not go through (the Darkening Wood) so much as it can be avoided.  Everyone here, everyone knows better than to go too deep in or too far, and it’s best not to try to go in at all.  But sometimes the winter is very hard, we are very far here, away from much else, and hunting drives us to spread out far in search of game.  I had not been in (the Darkening Wood) ever before, but I made a mistake in judging the snow pack and my ATV became badly stuck.  I had been overconfident in guessing how far I could go alone, and it was becoming dark and very cold.  I had pressed close to (the Darkening Wood) but did not intend to pass into it’s domain, but with night fall, I thought I would be clever to use the warmth of the wood to pass the night in comfort before digging out the ATV the next day and going home - or going home for help, or whatever, I lost track of myself.  I knew better, but I let the thought of comfort in the cold take me in.

I should have turned back right away, it is so dark in there, but I had my head lamp and after the soreness and chill of a poor day the warmth was a relief.  I was... too confident and honestly, curious, for my own good.  Maybe if I had stayed to the outside edge of (the Darkening Wood) I would not have seen what I did.  But I went in deep, I’m not sure how far.  I felt... in a thrall, I just kept walking well after I could have stopped, but perhaps I was looking for safety I would not have found.  I don’t know, I’ve had too many years to think about all this, but still little of it makes sense.  I walked for over an hour, perhaps more.  (The Darkening Wood) is no so large from the outside, but I think there is more to its size inside.

I had heard plenty of little sounds as I walked, but nothing that put me ill at ease - nothing that didn’t feel like a forest in daylight.  I should have thought that over more.  I don’t know quite when, in all this, things grew quiet.  I must have walked fairly far, but I think I wandered in a very random manner, with no purpose.  I walked in silence a little while until I finally realized all I was hearing was my own footsteps on the forest floor.  I stopped, but the footsteps continued.  They came from behind me, and their pace matched what mine had been.  I ran, and it followed, no longer trying to hide behind my own noises.  It gained on me fast.  I had my gun with me still, and I turned to face my pursuer.

It never occurred to me that it might have been someone else lost, or just a figment of my imagination, or something I should have done anything differently with. I was in a panic, and when this man-shaped thing lept at me from the darkness around me we fought.  I was unable to even fire a shot with the speed and ferocity with which it grappled with me.  It’s colorful ‘eyes’ disoriented my senses, and it was lean and fit.  I fight well but this thing was brutal.  It wrestled my gun away from me, and then I was at it’s mercy -

But this is where it becomes very strange.  With the gun, it gestured me toward the ground, and I, at the disadvantage, knelt, expecting my end.  But it sat across from me, crossing its legs, my gun in its lap.  I waited for it to harm me, to ask something miserable and cruel of me, for it to do anything, but it sat quietly across from me in the light of my headlamp.  It seemed almost meditative, and I got a better look of it then - a human’s shape, but no features, and all around it, tethered by little strings of darkness, those brightly colored eyes - dozens of them of all sizes.  The eyes drifted gently by its sides, mostly focused on me.

That pause felt such a long breadth of time, but I suspect it was only a few minutes.  I grew calm, and with it no longer gesturing at me, I made to stand.  That got its attention, and it aimed my gun at me once again.  I sat obediently then, across from it.  It was a very long night there in silent council with it.  My legs began to hurt, I grew tired, restless, hungry, and yet any time I made to stand it threatened me at gunpoint.  I don’t know what caused it to change its mind.  I must have been in (the Darkening Wood) all night, but at last, it stood, bent the barrel of my gun to a right angle in its hands, turned from me, and left, deeper into (the Darkening Wood).  It took me a while to find my feet once I was sure it was gone, and I ran as hard and fast and I could from the site. 

It was morning by the time I emerged from (the Darkening Wood).  I was high on adrenaline as I dug out my ATV and made my way home.  I told I slept for three days following the incident, and was in poor shape for my trouble.

I was interviewed in the following months by many, some believing me and some questioning my mental health.  When the western News outlets caught wind of it they sent their silly reporters out here to bother me, always translating me to sound the panicked yokel, no matter how much interest they showed in the story.  I have a degree!  But it’s all the same really.  But if it is of use to your research, that is what I saw, and that is what happened to me.  I have no need to swear it because it is true.”

Unknown Entity “Screaming Stovepipe”: One year following the disaster at the Vorsalburg plant, this creature was seen running down the (now mostly unused) road which once connected Vorsalburg to Borasad and communities further south.  Many individuals within the small town of Borasad were drawn to the sight of this creature as it’s loud and distinctive cry could be heard resonating several miles off.  It was described as sounding similar to the whistle of a freight train, but more deeply resonant, with an underlying harmonic echoing as though it were heard in an enclosed chamber, defying the natural resonance of the surrounding terrain.  Some accounts describe this creature as having steam rising from its ‘head’ but these accounts are inconsistent.

Moving at quite a speed, it ran from the Darkening Wood and was headed in a southerly direction when it was hit by a long-haul truck, and killed just outside of Borasad.  It demonstrated the typical decomposition behavior of the creatures of the Darkening Wood.  The truck was damaged in the process, but the driver was relatively unharmed.  When questioned, he described the creature as having suddenly rushed into the vehicle, and was taken by surprise by its speed and sudden appearance.  No further individuals of this species have been noted, and we did not find any evidence of a creature with such a distinct cry during our expedition.  However, due to the number people confirming the sighting of this creature and its overall consistency with the morphology of the Darkening Wood, we would consider the claim of its existence to be truthful.

Unknown Entity “Storm Watcher”: Known from various media from six months following the Vorsalburg disaster, this truly immense entity was confirmed to be sighted by no less than 60 individuals, who all described the creature suddenly rising from above the canopy and miasma of the remaining destruction of the power plant.  Described as towering above the surrounding landscape, the few extremely grainy photos of the creature indicate it could possibly have been as large as forty feet high.  Lingering for only three days, it moved tremendously slowly, and only appeared to be observing its surroundings.  The weather during this time was violently stormy, although the creature seemed little effected.  A few poetic individuals described its presence as ‘calming’, although any psychological effect is believed to be purely psychosomatic and not a part of the creature’s biology.  Late in the evening of the third day it was described as emitting ‘a harmonious wailing’ lasting for approximately three minutes, and then ‘walking into the sky’ as the sun set before it, light having finally emerged from through the dark clouds.  No further information is known, as no resources on hand were available for further study of such a large creature.  Brief assessment of the creature assumed it posed no immediate threat, therefore little observation was completed on it, as priority was given to more immediate recovery and support operations for individuals and the area affected by the disaster.  There have been no further sightings of this species or anything like it.

While we have completed the entries of the creatures surveyed during our expedition into the darkening wood, we have been given the release permission to share findings on creatures not seen by our scientists during their time in the Darkening Wood.  Following this information, we will be presenting illustrated plates and further writing to give better clarity to the creatures of the Darkening Wood and their habits and manner.