This vast ancient boreal forest stretches the expanse of the northern borders of the Nentir Vale from the Cairngorm Peaks to the Dawnforge Mountains. This boundary separates the Nentir Vale from the northern arctic tundra and frozen wastelands.
Almost primordial in age, ancient ruins from before the rise of civilized man lay deep within its borders. Here and there are places where the barrier to the realm of Faerie is at its thinnest. Many an elf city from the Feywild appears from time to time deep within the forest when the stars and seasons are right.
The elves of this faerie woodland claim the deeper parts as sacred to them and defend themselves fiercely.The vast expanse of the Winterbole Forest defines the northern border of the Nentir Vale and the limit of Nerath’s expansion at its height. The local inhabitants, fierce humans who revere the primal spirit called the Hunter of Winter as their totem, were never brought under Nerath’s sway, and remained uneasy neighbors of the empire at its height. They trade with the people of Nenlast at times, but in harsh winters they have also been known to attack the village and simply take the food and weapons they need.
Being so near the northernmost region of Nerath, this woodlands remains relatively cool during the warmer months of the year but during the winter becomes extremely cold.
The white dragon Bitterstrike holds sway over a large part of the forest. Several of the Winterbole’s denizens, most notably the Tigerclaw barbarians and the Frost Witches, pay fealty to the dragon. They keep her pacified and help her when she demands it, but none of them are truly and honestly on her side.
The Tigerclaw barbarians consider themselves the real power to be reckoned with in the Winterbole. This wide-ranging band of humans and shifters were never brought under Nerath’s sway, and remained uneasy neighbors of the empire at its height.They claim to be descended from a great primal spirit known as the Hunter of Winter, from which they draw their fighting skill and their determination. They trade with the people of Nenlast at times, but in harsh winters they have also been known to attack the village and simply take the food and weapons they need.
The Frost Witches are not nearly as numerous as the Tigerclaws, but their desire for domination is no less strong. Clenderi, the witches’ leader, would like nothing better than to convince Bitterstrike to join their cause in service to Cryonax.
The coniferous treants of the Winterbole Forest contribute some of their ranks to the cadre of Bitterstrike’s vassals, and they typically stand with the dragon when it becomes necessary to put down an incursion into the forest by humanoids. But their true enemies are the treants of the Harken Forest. These two groups harbor an enmity that dates back to the time when the two forests were a single expanse of green that covered nearly the entire vale.
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