Post by DM Sin on Aug 19, 2007 15:03:43 GMT -5
This vast expanse of forest located south of Scornubel and south east of Baldur’s Gate is an unconquered wilderness that derives its name from the abundance of creatures here that are unfriendly to humankind. The only encroachment of civilization has taken place on the forest’s southern edge, where an eccentric dwarf built what is now known as Durlag’s Tower. The dwarf has long since passed on, and the tower has been left abandoned for fear of the occupants being unable to withstand the onslaught of residents from the Wood of Sharp Teeth. That and the deadly traps Durlag placed in it.
The forest is a maze of tangled undergrowth and towering duskwood trees, many of which can be seen from the passing caravan route. None of citizenry of Baldur’s Gate dare fell these valuable treasures, because anyone who has tried has found death at the hands of the beings, both intelligent and non-intelligent, that dwell among them.
The Wood of Sharp Teeth is home to a number of intelligent humanoid species. Satyrs are found here in large numbers, as are their reported counterparts, the dryads. It is also believed that a number of wolfwere clans call the Wood of Sharp Teeth home. A small population of werewolves has also lived here for centuries, although in recent decades they have been retreating from the more numerous wolfweres. Legends hold that a ruined city stands forgotten somewhere in the forest’s depth, a city from which a most remarkable werewolf—one who had a talent both for sorcery and for organizing his otherwise chaotic and independent kind under a single banner—had intended to conquer the surrounding area and establish a kingdom where his kind would rule supreme. His dreams of empire crumbled when a mighty wizard—some say Elminster—laid waste to the city.
As with many legends, this one has a basis in truth. Some scrolls contain historical fragments copied from a temple devoted to the elven moon goddess Sehanine. They relate the tale of Vehlarr, a highly unusual natural lycanthrope who was an accomplished sorcerer and who was a favoured servant of both Malar the Beast Lord and Sehanine the Lunar Lady. With the support and aid of these otherwise antagonistic entities, Vehlarr started to organize the werewolf packs of the Wood of Sharp Teeth into a coherent nation, even building a fortified city deep within the forest.
Vehlarr had grown increasingly disturbed by the number of lycanthropes that were falling victim to the magical lure that the would-be destroyer of the Shoon Empire, Syri Mhaal, had placed upon Myth Lharast. The deities, too, resented Syri Mhaal’s actions, particularly Sehanine who felt Syri Mhaal had corrupted a city that was built partly in her honour.
In the year 712, with hundreds of werewolf packs organized around him, safely within the city that came to bear his name, for Sehanine blessed the area so it was protected from the Myth Lharast’s magical draw, Vehlarr started drafting plans to strike at Syri Mhaal. Vehlarr knew that he could not attack Myth Lharast without falling victim to the city’s unholy charm effects. Instead, he endeavored to construct a gate that would allow him and his loyal soldiers to enter Myth Lharast directly from Vehlarr’s city. Through secrets revealed to him by Sehanine, he built his gate so it was keyed to the other city’s mythal. The gate, called the Circle of Vehlarr, was completed in 720, and Vehlarr launched his assault in a coordinated attack with the Cowled Conjurers who also sought to stop Syri Mhaal.
Something, however, went wrong. The combined might of the werewolves and the Cowled Conjurers proved not to be a match for Syri Mhaal’s forces. As they were on the brink of defeat, the patience of Selune, the other goddess to whom Myth Lharast had originally been dedicated, came to an end. She blasted the city from the face of the Realms, killing almost all the combatants in the process. Magical energies surged through the Circle of Vehlarr and shattered much of the surrounding city. Without their leader, the werewolves who dwelled there scattered to the four winds rather than attempt to rebuild it.
However, a persistent legend has arisen among the werewolf packs of the Wood of Sharp Teeth—Vehlarr lives still, existing on another plane where Myth Lharast still exists. Everyone there is un-aging except for the nights of the full moon when the city returns to Aber-Toril and can still be accessed through the Circle of Vehlarr. Unfortunately, no one who has attempted to locate the lost ruins of Vehlarr’s city has ever returned to verify whether there is truth to the story or not.
The forest is a maze of tangled undergrowth and towering duskwood trees, many of which can be seen from the passing caravan route. None of citizenry of Baldur’s Gate dare fell these valuable treasures, because anyone who has tried has found death at the hands of the beings, both intelligent and non-intelligent, that dwell among them.
The Wood of Sharp Teeth is home to a number of intelligent humanoid species. Satyrs are found here in large numbers, as are their reported counterparts, the dryads. It is also believed that a number of wolfwere clans call the Wood of Sharp Teeth home. A small population of werewolves has also lived here for centuries, although in recent decades they have been retreating from the more numerous wolfweres. Legends hold that a ruined city stands forgotten somewhere in the forest’s depth, a city from which a most remarkable werewolf—one who had a talent both for sorcery and for organizing his otherwise chaotic and independent kind under a single banner—had intended to conquer the surrounding area and establish a kingdom where his kind would rule supreme. His dreams of empire crumbled when a mighty wizard—some say Elminster—laid waste to the city.
As with many legends, this one has a basis in truth. Some scrolls contain historical fragments copied from a temple devoted to the elven moon goddess Sehanine. They relate the tale of Vehlarr, a highly unusual natural lycanthrope who was an accomplished sorcerer and who was a favoured servant of both Malar the Beast Lord and Sehanine the Lunar Lady. With the support and aid of these otherwise antagonistic entities, Vehlarr started to organize the werewolf packs of the Wood of Sharp Teeth into a coherent nation, even building a fortified city deep within the forest.
Vehlarr had grown increasingly disturbed by the number of lycanthropes that were falling victim to the magical lure that the would-be destroyer of the Shoon Empire, Syri Mhaal, had placed upon Myth Lharast. The deities, too, resented Syri Mhaal’s actions, particularly Sehanine who felt Syri Mhaal had corrupted a city that was built partly in her honour.
In the year 712, with hundreds of werewolf packs organized around him, safely within the city that came to bear his name, for Sehanine blessed the area so it was protected from the Myth Lharast’s magical draw, Vehlarr started drafting plans to strike at Syri Mhaal. Vehlarr knew that he could not attack Myth Lharast without falling victim to the city’s unholy charm effects. Instead, he endeavored to construct a gate that would allow him and his loyal soldiers to enter Myth Lharast directly from Vehlarr’s city. Through secrets revealed to him by Sehanine, he built his gate so it was keyed to the other city’s mythal. The gate, called the Circle of Vehlarr, was completed in 720, and Vehlarr launched his assault in a coordinated attack with the Cowled Conjurers who also sought to stop Syri Mhaal.
Something, however, went wrong. The combined might of the werewolves and the Cowled Conjurers proved not to be a match for Syri Mhaal’s forces. As they were on the brink of defeat, the patience of Selune, the other goddess to whom Myth Lharast had originally been dedicated, came to an end. She blasted the city from the face of the Realms, killing almost all the combatants in the process. Magical energies surged through the Circle of Vehlarr and shattered much of the surrounding city. Without their leader, the werewolves who dwelled there scattered to the four winds rather than attempt to rebuild it.
However, a persistent legend has arisen among the werewolf packs of the Wood of Sharp Teeth—Vehlarr lives still, existing on another plane where Myth Lharast still exists. Everyone there is un-aging except for the nights of the full moon when the city returns to Aber-Toril and can still be accessed through the Circle of Vehlarr. Unfortunately, no one who has attempted to locate the lost ruins of Vehlarr’s city has ever returned to verify whether there is truth to the story or not.