Gnarley Forest

From AJS.COM

The Gnarley Forest is a forest which lies in both the Viscounty of Verbobonc and within the Domain of Greyhawk. A true balance of good and evil, just about every extreme can be found within the forest from the cold-hearted goblins to the Gnarley Rangers, the protectors of the forest and those within.

Political situation

The forest lies to the east of the cities of Stalmaer and Verbobonc; to the west of the Free City of Greyhawk and Dyvers and to the north of Narwell, and it joins the Welkwood to the south, along the Wooly Bay. Each of these cites lay some claim to the forest, and the nations with which they are allied all have some interest in the land. However, the Gnarley Rangers have managed to remain mostly independant by aligning only with the free cities of Verbobonc and Greyhawk, thus limiting their external influences.

During the Greyhawk Wars, the Pomarj attempted to expand north, through the Ganrley forest, but such an over-extension of their forces combined with the home-ground advantage that the Gnarly Rangers had prevented any substantial gains.

Races

There are nearly as many races in the Gnarley Forest as there are in the rest of the Flanaess, though only a handful are unique to the forest. Primarily the sentient races include (in decreasing order of population):

• Human (and various human-hybrid races including half-elf and half-orc)
• Orc
• Elf
• Halfling
• Goblin
• Gnome
• Dwarf
• Troll
• Centaur
• Ogre
• Giant

Dragons

There are known to be at least a handful of dragons within the forest including an old golden dragon who interacts from time to time with the Free City of Greyhawk and there have been rumors of an equally old green, though no one has ever been able to locate its lair, if it does live within the forest.

Climate

The climate of the Gnarley Forest is temperate for the most part, but within the very heart of the forest, there are some small areas that remain mostly untouched by the coldest weather. This may be a result of geothermal activity or magic, but given their remote locations and the dangers involved in travel through the heart of the forest, few have investigated.