Wardens of the Dead Forest
The Dead Forest is hungry, and someone has to feed it. The Wardens took on that responsibility because the alternative is worse: a forest that hunts the living instead of waiting to be fed.
Originally just a group of Natural Ones who moved into the Dead Forest because it was naturally free of zed, the Wardens gradually discovered the terrible bargain that keeps the trees docile. The forest needs bodies. When it has not received enough nutrients, particularly during drought, the trees begin hunting live prey. So the Wardens drive zed hordes into the forest's depths during lean times, giving the trees what they need and keeping the living safe. The feeding works, but it comes with a cost: nourished trees reproduce, and the forest spreads.
That spreading is the Wardens' second full-time occupation. Armed with fire and machetes, they patrol the borders constantly, culling new sprouts that appear almost overnight. Without this effort, the Dead Forest would cover nearly all of Mountaina. It is a battle fought daily, measured in yards of new growth cut back before it takes root.
Between the feeding and the pruning, the Wardens also serve as guides. Rover caravans and travelers who need to cross the Dead Forest hire Wardens to lead them along the marked waypoint path, the only safe route through a woodland that eats anything that strays from it. They dress practically in tough canvas, sturdy boots, and belts heavy with fire starters and wilderness supplies.
The Wardens see themselves as caretakers of something that should not exist, keeping it alive because killing it might be worse.
Originally just a group of Natural Ones who moved into the Dead Forest because it was naturally free of zed, the Wardens gradually discovered the terrible bargain that keeps the trees docile. The forest needs bodies. When it has not received enough nutrients, particularly during drought, the trees begin hunting live prey. So the Wardens drive zed hordes into the forest's depths during lean times, giving the trees what they need and keeping the living safe. The feeding works, but it comes with a cost: nourished trees reproduce, and the forest spreads.
That spreading is the Wardens' second full-time occupation. Armed with fire and machetes, they patrol the borders constantly, culling new sprouts that appear almost overnight. Without this effort, the Dead Forest would cover nearly all of Mountaina. It is a battle fought daily, measured in yards of new growth cut back before it takes root.
Between the feeding and the pruning, the Wardens also serve as guides. Rover caravans and travelers who need to cross the Dead Forest hire Wardens to lead them along the marked waypoint path, the only safe route through a woodland that eats anything that strays from it. They dress practically in tough canvas, sturdy boots, and belts heavy with fire starters and wilderness supplies.
The Wardens see themselves as caretakers of something that should not exist, keeping it alive because killing it might be worse.
History
The Wardens began as opportunists. A group of Natural Ones discovered that the Dead Forest was naturally free of zed and moved in, taking advantage of the relative safety. Over time, they learned why the trees were docile: they were feeding on the undead that wandered in. When drought came and the zed stopped arriving, the trees began hunting the living. That crisis transformed casual inhabitants into an organized order dedicated to keeping the forest fed, contained, and navigable. What started as squatting became stewardship out of sheer survival necessity.
