The realm of haunted trees. The abode of cursed bark. The forbidden groves. The demon woodland. All these things and more have been used over the centuries to describe the vast expanse of forest that borders the western side of the Green Lands. But, more officially, it is simply known as the Everfree Forest. Sadly, unlike many of the other places within and near our domain, the Everfree has, rather frustratingly, always been just beyond our understanding. A place of ancient trees, knotted together tighter than any other in the known world. So thick is the canopy that, even in the brightest daytime, those beneath could be forgiven for assuming it is the middle of the night.

For as long as people have been living in the Green Lands, we have known of that forest. Many have been the tales that have sprung up about it, from those that speak of it as a home to monsters and unknown creatures, to simply childhood tales, warning youngsters that, if they didn't behave themselves, the Everfree beasts would get them. Fanciful things, to be sure, but, like many myths, it is not without some kernel of truth. There are indeed many fearsome creatures within the borders of that forest, from packs of massive wolves to even bears and the like. Other explorers have even reported the existence of other, stranger beasts, but, as of this writing, nothing has been confirmed.

Its name, Everfree, has come to have twofold meaning. One is simple; that it is wild, and free of everybody's control, and may well continue to be so into the future. As for its second, and most often-used meaning, it is that the Everfree is ever-lasting. And again, there is truth to it. The common saying of one walking through the forest for a year, never to find the end, has been spoken many times, and given that most never dare to venture more than a week within it, it will, for now, be an apt term to use.

And yet, despite the legends that surround this place, there have nevertheless been many who would seek to enter and, in their terms, "conquer" it. There have been several accounts in our histories of peoples going to the borders of the Everfree, with the intention of levelling vast swathes of those woods for the purposes of making space for new homes, villages, and roads. Such attempts have always led to disaster however, as those involved in the efforts have often met their ends, not only at the jaws of the native Everfree beasts, but also to some strange affliction, known to many as "the Everfree plague". The exact nature of this is, as yet, unknown, though many symptoms include difficulty of breathing, and high fevers.

Some have theorised that the trees themselves contain some mysterious poison, which is inhaled after being released into the air by the felling of those trees. Other, more superstitious individuals, would have us believe that some ancient and incomprehensible magic lies upon the forest, that will rise up and cause death in those who threaten it. Such latter theories are nonsense, obviously, and yet, this has not stopped many from viewing the Everfree as something to be feared. Hence, for many generations now, people have given those woods a wide berth, even in spite of occasional rumours that some people have taken to actually living within it.

However, as the records of explorers have told us, there is evidence that some form of civilisation, albeit an unknown one, may have existed within the forest at one point. Sketches and reports of crumbling castles and other such ruins are frequently viewed in the chronicles of those who venture deep within, though their origin remains a mystery to us. Was there indeed some lost civilization, perhaps pre-dating the forest itself, that once lived there? Was it perhaps a people who were bale to successfully build those great structures in spite of the supposed power of the forest around them? Or was there some other, darker purpose to the nature of those structures?

It is likely we will never know the answers to these questions, or indeed any others. All we do know is that the Everfree remains as it always has done. From long before the great unification, and even to present day, that vast forest has been untouched, and probably always will be. It is a place of mystery, of danger and, to those unwary explorers, a place of death.

And while the most curious among us will always be drawn to such a domain, it must be warned, here in these pages, that for one's own safety, the Everfree is best left alone.