Starborn Forest: Introduction to the Lands

The lands around any seedlands, as they have come to be called, are divided into three general regions: outlands, borderlands, and the divide. Nearly every seedland has something like this, although the size of the regions can vary, depending on the region. A seedland established in a desert may have a vary narrow outland and borderland, while one that landed in a forest might actually have larger border and outlands than the seedland itself.

Outlands:

The regions least impacted by the seedland’s influenced, Outlands have little in the way of true weirdness. Children don’t unexpectedly learn magic (at least not more than is normal), spirits don’t walk down the street, the seasons behave as normal…

But things are a bit more vibrant. Plants grow better, and there are fewer blights. Animals are healthier, and so are the farmers that work the lands. On the negative end, wild animals are also healthier, and tend to be less hesitant about confronting farmers, while vines and plants work swiftly, though not unnaturally, to reclaim abandoned buildings and farmlands.

Not that there are many. For the outlands are seen by many nations as their breadbasket, although they are not usually abundant enough to provide meet all the agricultural needs of the surrounding lands.

Outlands live in an uncomfortable partnership with the borderlands and seedlands. Many outland regions are “aggressively normal”. They farm, herd, and live their lives, and if their children want to find their way in the world, their parents suggest they had beyond the outlands, to the cities and ports… away from the seedlands.

There is a reason for this. Because youths, especially those who are dissatisfied with their lot, are more likely to hear the Song. Trying to silence the Song has proven impossible, so for those who hear it, the best solution is to send them away, to let them channel that dissatisfaction into other ventures.

There’s some sign it works. Many who remember hearing the Song before they left to become apprentices or adventurers in the great, wide, world, never hear it again. Not all though, and some turned and head into the outlands—or the seedlands, and few of them return. For those who enter the Seedlands it is common to hold funerals, and to treat them, if they return, as a different person, although this does not always me they are ostracized.

Borderlands

Beyond the outlands, are the borderlands. The borderlands are strange, full of wild forests and animals that are… smart. Too smart. Hunters who go in to the woods don’t always return. Structures may be engulfed by vegetation and torn down in only a few weeks or days if they are not maintained. As for seasons, they are odd—it always seems to be the growing season. The borderlands cannot control the length of day, but the climate within them is always warm, with rain falling, while the plants and animals grow.

The Borderlands are not yet as magical as the seedlands, but they are not mundane. Trees grow and their fruit is infused with magic, making them valuable, both raw and as components of various mystical potions. Some plants and animals that are found nowhere else are found in the borderlands, and become valuable exports—so long as one does not over harvest or hunt them.

The borderlands, you see, do have an underlying mind. Those who attempt to strip the forests, to dam the rivers, to make major changes face attacks by animals, sudden, unexpected weather events, and sometimes stranger events. Spirits and other beings from the seedlands may venture out, or those within the borderlands may hear their call.

The farmers, hunters and ranchers within the borderlands live a far different life. There are no sprawling farms—but small huts with small plots that nonetheless bring forth a bounty. Hunters are careful to avoid over hunting, with a legion of tales about what happens to those who do not listen to the wisdom of their elders.

This is, in fact, one of the great dangers of the borderlands-because the easy answer to why would one risk triggering a response is if they don’t intend to stay there. Borderlands have a never ending problem with prospectors seeking to tear out as much as they can and leave. After all, a few copper trees or even a golden tree can let a team of prospectors live for several years for a few days work—if they survive.

Settlements in the borderlands tend to be built in harmony with nature. Little valleys, canyons, along the banks of rivers, and they’re always compact, rather than sprawling, often with walls, as much to remind people where not to build beyond as they are to keep the wildlife out. Most farms are small, and regularly shift fields, clearing one region while letting others stay fallow.

And they all hear the Song, singing to them of the life of the borderlands, and the looming primal existence of the seedlands. A surprising number of locals develop magical talents, often, but not always associated with growth and the primal nature of the borderlands and seedlands. While the traditional image of a mage from the borderlands is some druidic practicioner, wearing only animal skins and communing with trees, many take other paths and more than a few renowned magical theoreticians have come from the borderlands.

The people of the borderlands can be… odd. Minor changes often strike long term inhabitants and newborns alike, and unusual hair and eye colors are not at all unusual, while some pick up a few minor supernatural abilities. Other settlements can be much different, as the fae and other spirits from the seedlands migrate out and intermarry with the people of the borderlands.

The society of the borderlands can vary greatly, even in the same borderlands. There are rural communities that might not be out of place anywhere, while others are wild, primal regions where the people seem to be as much part of the great forests as the animals are. Some even eschew worked metals and permanent structures, though adventurers planning on taking advantage should beware—such groups are no less likely to have powerful magical defenders and allies than any other group. This gives them something of a reputation in other regions. “Wild as a borderlands marriage” is a common saying among surrounding communities.

Less pleasantly, some groups blame them for anything that goes wrong, and more than a few outland settlements believe that the people of the borderlands come and steal children, as do those anywhere someone has heard the Song.

In terms of dangerous creatures, the borderlands are not so full of magical creatures that one will encounter them every day—but there are enough that the wise traveler keeps a look out. Ents, spirits, infused animals and such do exist, and every village knows of parts of the surrounding forest where wise people don’t go. Fortunately, the forest takes no offense if they are killed—after all, part of the natural order is for predators to fall to their would-be victims.

The Divide:

The Divide is not a large region. But it is one of the most important parts of the seedlands. It can be ringing mountains, or a dense forest that is nearly impassible, or a swiftly moving river with no obvious source.

But the main purpose is to provide an unmistakable border beteween the rest of the world and the seedland. Authorities differ on why this is the case—some believe that it’s a protective measure, to keep the seedland from being attacked or plundered. Others believe that it is a protective measure—for the outer world, to keep the wild, primal energies of the seedlands from spilling out. What is known is that it is almost impossible to pass through the divide—save at a few points. Ravines or natural bridges, always hard to get to, but always providing access to the the seedland. It is here that adventures—and those who hear the Song most clearly, can pass into the marvels and terrors of the seedland…