~~@Qalinosk:~~
> This is a very rough, straight and condensed thought of the background of the area. It is also leads into the origins of Elves.
>
> The forest is said to be as old as time itself, if not older. The true purpose has been lost over the ages, or perhaps forgotten for a greater reason. The forest was once a thriving, lush place. It was filled with all forms of exotic life and at the heart of it all were the guardians, an angelic race. It was not long into the first age when two demons appeared within the forest. It is unclear how they came to there, but instant chaos ensued. The strength of the two demons was more than the angels could possibly handle. Seeing no other choice, the majority of the angels fled deeper into the forest, where they could harness the strength of the forest itself and ward themselves. One angel stayed behind to fight off the two demons, giving the rest who were fleeing a chance to seal off their exit. The angel did not die, though, from the attacks. Instead, he became transformed and cursed to wander the old village at night to protect it still. The two demons, no longer having a common goal, turned on each other and moved to opposite sides of the forest. Since that time, there has been a constant struggle between the three demons. One side never truly able to conquer the other. The struggle has been slowly draining the forest, killing it over the centuries. Due to the nature of the angel turned demon, at night time, he controls the defenses of the ruined village, while during the day, the angels hold on what little protection they have in protecting the forest. It is said that in the initial chaos, some angels had fled the forest for the outside realms. The gods having noticed their deserting nature, cursed them to mortal lives, stripping them of their wings and forced to labour and toil until they once more redeem themselves. Still having a love of the forest, these exiled angels moved into other forests to tend and care for them, calling themselves Elves. In recent times, runes of power have been said to grant back the exiles strength and beauty once more into seraphs. The ordeal of being reborn is not an easy one, but the acts of destroying some of the strongest evils in the realms is enough to grant a reprieve. There have been rumours that deep within the forest, resides a portal, one that is said to be able to lead to almost anywhere. So great was this portal, that legend holds that it could lead straight into heaven or hell, itself. It is believed that it was this portal that the demons came to the forest to find. What their plans were after finding it, is completely a mystery, but one might have considered easily that to open a portal to the abyss to bring an army of demons to the mortal realm, then into heaven itself is not an unfeasible idea. While proof of this is quite strong towards verifying this legend, no one has been able to find the location of this portal, much less the existance of the guardians. What has been discovered over the recent years is that there are demons which reside within the forest.
I must say I **REALLY** like this. Possibly one of the best ones I have read for an area so far, even good enough that I would use it as a textbook example to show other people what kind of things they should consider in making their area. There is both a concrete history, with the intrusion of demons into the forest, and plenty of room for expansion, with the ongoing battle.
Dungeon Mystica represents the portal to the Abyss(Hell), and I have long wanted to create a portal to Eden(heaven) as well. We actually have an Eden wilds area, but haven't loaded it in because the main area (Crystal palace) isn't finished. Of course, it would give this area a greater significance than most (even though I generally try not to think of one area as more or less important than the other, this one is a biggie). Whether or not you would like to do it that way is up to you as the builder. I just want us an enchanted forest - I've been waiting for one for years!
Working this into the main storyline as the origins of the Elves (and Seraphs) is a very appealing idea to me, although this will put a little more on your plate as far as the role of E. forest in the mortal world.
I must say I am __very__ impressed! Next time though, try not to put it into one giant paragraph. I kept losing my place 8)
