The Forest of Memories

The Forest of memories covers the Mount of Torkan and is a place of great beauty, power, and anger. When the wars in the east consumed the land, Alisma, one of the four White Wizards, attempted to flee to the west. As Alisma emerged from the eastern mountains he saw the beauty of Mount Torkan and for the first time in centuries felt a sense of hope. It was not to be, however, as the dark forces came to claim Alisma, to consume him within the evil he had helped to bring upon the world. Alisma, in his previous life, valued knowledge over all else. In his last moments, Alisma discharged all of his power upon Mount Torkan and its vast forests. He gave them the memories of all mankind, the history of all that was, and the ability to collect all future memories as well. There were to be no secrets from the forest, and as Alisma's soul was dragged away to damnation, he could only smile at his final creation.

The forest remained silent, concealing its new powers. It watched as the people of the Decapolis built their great temples on the high plateau that encircled the summit of Mount Torkan. The temples were beautiful feats of architecture, adorned with fine metals and lavish gardens.  Each temple attempted to improve on what had come before. More stone carvings, fountain, larger and more elaborate gardens. Eventually they began to use unusual architectural designs, installing hidden rooms and secret passages. They lived and built in harmony, each of the ten temples displaying a map of the entire Decapolis in a mosaic in the foyer of each temple.

Then there came a time of change. No one is sure why, but the temples began to compete with one another, each vying to be grander than their neighbor. When they could make their temples no more beautiful, the only way to be better than their neighbor was through destruction. Eventually war broke out and the temples were each destroyed, many people died, and those who survived were cast off the mountain, forced to leave their vast treasures behind.

The forest held all the memories of man, could see all the mistakes made, all the opportunities to learn and correct. Man did not learn. Instead, he repeated the same mistakes in a seemingly endless cycle of building and destruction. It was with this realization that the forest turned. No longer would men be allowed on the mountain, no longer would the forest look on as a neutral bystander. The forest forbade anyone from ever ascending to the Decapolis and brutally killed any who tried. The mountain fell silent, but the memory of the vast wealth left behind in the ruins of the Decapolis did not fade so easily.  

Many have tried to trick and evade the forest in search of wealth and fame. Just as many have died in their vain attempts. One attempt to defeat the forest stands out above all others. Sir Gaylord, a knight of the king, requested permission to lay siege to the mountain. The Cloaken Monks, with their hatred of all magic, believing the enchanted forest as evil, convinced the king to grant Sir Gaylord's request.

Sir Gaylord used siege equipment to burn and destroy a vast section of the forest. As the trees burned

Gaylord and his men could advance up the mountain, safely out of reach of the forest. The trees were patient and endured the pain of the flames for many weeks. Finally, when Gaylord and his men had advanced well up the mountain slope, the trees fought back. While Gaylord had burned the trees and hauled away their smoldering trunks, the roots remained. Now the roots broke free from the soil and took hold of the men, strangling them, tossing them to the neighboring trees that eagerly extracted their revenge. Not a single man came down from the mountain as those below watched in helpless horror. Gaylord, seeing his defeat and the loss of all his men, went insane. He drew his sword and rode definitely into the forest.  As he rode higher and higher he was snatched from his saddle and carried through the limbs to the very edge of the Decapolis. There he was taken to the highest limbs of the tallest tree and held there in his armor. He would spend his final days looking out over what he had yearned for, but would never obtain.

The forest again fell silent, no one daring to challenge its power. Even to this day the forest trusts no human, but still it feels compelled to record the knowledge it has been given, regardless of the reasons. The forest conveys the memories it possesses to Wonder, a hob-goblin who dutifully records what he is told. When Wonder becomes too old to record the memories, a new hob-goblin will be chosen to continue the work. The forest continues to hope its memories will someday help all to see they can do better, they can learn from the mistakes of our forefathers and make the world a better place. After so many centuries, the forest yearns to share the knowledge, but time has erased all but the tiniest sliver of hope. Still, the forest is patient.

In addition to the forest defending the summit, for the past several decades the mountain has been defended by another considerable force. A giant Red Dragon has made its home on Mount Torkan. Normally not aggressive to humans, this Red Dragon will eagerly attack anyone who reaches the plateau. The Dragon has shown it is willing to pursue any would be trespasser to the base of the mountain and beyond before returning to its hidden perch near the summit. Since it is well known that dragons are not affected by magic of any kind, it is not believed the enchanted forest is the reason for the dragon's presence. While it is unknown why the dragon has taken up residence on Mount Torkan, or why it is so aggressive toward intruders, one thing is certain. The plateau, which is home to the ruins of the Decapolis, remains one of the most inaccessible locations in the kingdom.