Forest of Blades

The Forest of Blades is the name given to the dense forest of Bronzewood trees that grows all around the Silver Citadel, covering the whole of what was once known as the Solshaem Plains - a hundred miles in every direction from the citadel. The tangled growth of the trees, combined with their razor-sharp thorns and leaves and the difficulty of clearing a path due to their metal-hard bark makes the forest almost impassable - especially to larger groups - and this is compounded by the relative lack of undergrowth or animal life - meaning there is little for a traveller to eat.

The origin of the forest is unclear, though it seems to have sprung up fairly suddenly during the Seventh Age, and many speculate that the power of the Citadel was somehow used to deliberately foster its growth - thus providing an additional layer of defence for the arcane stronghold.

Although it is harsh and unforgiving land, there are a few settlements scattered here and there in the forest - survivors of the culture that once occupied the fertile plains. Though these people are generally secretive and retiring, it is said that the mystical warrior-order known as the Solsheim Wardens draws a significant number of its recruits from their villages.

The forest is surrounded on all sides by the Solsgard Mountains, and lies atop the vast, labyrinthine caverns known as the Solsheim Deeps.