Bootstrutter's Field Guide to the Misty Thicket

Book Text

 * Note: This very lengthy book seems unable to be placed in houses.

The Misty Thicket: Many refer to this land as the Enchanted Lands, but I prefer the name of old, The Misty Thicket. The land here has changed drastically, what once was a fertile land surrounded by steep cliffs and a lake to nowhere is now an island of just a portion of its former majesty. The isolated haven once provided safety to the halflings, but since the Rendering this land has no natural defenses and it has begun to be tormented by fiends the likes of which Norrath has never seen.

Bobick: This quiet seaside dockyard was built where the Great Stream used to caress the banks of the Misty Thicket. In Old Antonica Bobick was a flourishing fishing village. In this age the halflings have erected a dockyard to fish from the Seamist Coast as well as provide mooring for ships that rarely arrive. Bobick was named after the legendary shipwright and adventurer Fiddy Bobick. A descendant of his still operates the dockyard in a hostile land.

The Wreck of The Guppy: The Guppy was once the stout sturdy sailing vessel ever engineered by the legendary Fiddy Bobick. The Guppy was built to sail the far seas and carry Fiddy and his adventuring friends to wondrous lands. Eventually Fiddy deconstructed and rebuilt The Guppy inside of Rivervale to use it as his dwelling. Ages past and after the cataclysms the halflings attempted to reconstruct the boat to cross the Sea of Mist. Unfortunately they were not shipwrights. Many halflings drowned as The Guppy sank barely a stones throw from the dock.

Bumble Thorn Flower Patch: The flowers that bloom within this patch are said to be of magical properties. This must surely be so as legend uncovered have placed the elusive halfling draconic sage called the Drafling as the sower of these seeds. Further evidence of his magic exists in the form of a sentient scarecrow that believes he is the defender of this tiny blooming village.

The Goblin Ward: This is a massive wooden totem built by the Runnyeye Goblins. Apparently the goblins empowered the great totem with some of their greatest powers in hopes that it could ward away the evil spirits that they believed were going to arrive in their territory. Whether this ward performed its function is unknown without at first knowing which spirits the goblins foresaw. What is known is that this is a comfortable place for grogged down halflings to nap.

The Gullet: This tunnel was carved into the steep ridge of the vale foothills of Kithicor by halfling engineers. It was a great feat that no doubt employed the direction of a dwarven miner's guild. The Gullet was one of two great tunnels leading into the halfling city Rivervale. The natural defense of the steep hills kept the isolated vale safe from the dangerous wilds beyond.

Rivergate Cascade: This is a grand waterfall that falls from an outlet high in the steep foothills of Rivervale. The water trickles out from an outlet that links to the mysterious grotto workshop of the legendary Fiddy Bobick. A river within Rivervale runs into Rivergate to power the machines of the great shipwright. The water then runs from the outlet to create this wondrous cascade.

Fay Isle: This little bit of land is plopped out along the southeast coast of the Misty Thicket. When I first arrived at this spot it was filled with a flurry of light, dazzling to the eye and hypnotic to the senses. As I drew closer I found the isle filled with golden fairies of good nature.

Chomper's Pond: This tranquil looking fishing hole seems like a wonderful place for a dip, but beware the ferocious Chomper lurks here! The great fish is said to have lived within the pond of Rivervale more than two ages ago! Since then Chomper has somehow found his way out into this pond. The halflings should be thankful for the voracious fish has grown considerably since the Age of Turmoil and is more than one man can handle in a fight for his life.

Shortwine Burrow: The hills and dales beyond the great timber guard of the Misty Thicket are dotted with halfling burrows, but none so sweet and intoxicating to the senses as Shortwine Burrows. This plot of land was owned by the Shortwine family and was once home to the rumberry, a required ingredient in the families award wining libations.

Berrybrook Field: Nestled between the shores of the coast and the banks of the Lazy Drain is Berrybrook Field, a small halfling shire. These halflings spent most of their days hunting and foraging for goods that would be traded amongst the stout folk, but being so close to the valuable resources also brought them close the foul stench of the goblins of Runnyeye.

Lookout Stump: Struck by lighting and with a fell of a tree this stump was the final stout oak to live. These trees of great girth provided the halflings with much of their building resources, but here the final one to fall was transformed into a deputy lookout post. As seasons past the lookout soon became a stage. For ages halflings have come here to proclaim intellectual thoughts and even shouts of goblin curses.

Seridd's Sanctum: Also known as Seridd's Pond this watering hole was once the retreat of a powerful halfling druid named Seridd Barkfoot. Seridd would come here to reflect upon his many adventurers of his youth. Recently reports have surfaced that tell of the water coming to life. Some say portions of the pond have evolved into water elementals. Some say that Seridd actually made the pond using water elementals to fill the basin. With the absence of Seridd the elementals have no one controlling them. Tall tales?

The Misty Mine: Within the wall of a cliff can be found the entrance to Misty Mine. This mining complex is filled with dangerous twists in turns all created by the Stonebrook family. They became obsessed with the minerals of Norrath and records tell of them spending days on end hacking away inside that mine, in a crazed frenzy that became larger everyday. It was as if they were engulfed by the spirit of some berserker dwarven miner, but this is far from Kaladim.

Honeybugger Burrow: Honeyjum was known in ages past as a valuable elixir created through manipulation of jum jum, a bixie building material. The secret of honeyjum was kept by the Honeyjum family of the Misty Thicket. Their burrow still sits in the far shire, abandoned and waiting for the return of the vale folk.

The Goblin Pass: This is a wide pass ascending into the North Hills. Here a massive battle took place between a single powerful Halfling druid and a small army of goblins. Bones, armor and weapons have once been imbedded deep into the ground and have since been covered with silt and overgrowth. Two Goblin towers have been erected on either side of the pass atop hills. Avoid this pass at all costs.

Bog Mountain: Bog Mountain is a tall rocky spire, second in height only to the great mountain that holds the village of Rivervale. This is actually a large rock formation not a true mountain. It is somewhat steep, but can be scaled. The ground is somewhat damp and mucky. Small depressions gather stagnant water and form mucky mini bog ponds of only ankle depth at most. Within the slippery mountainside rests the goblin fortress Runnyeye Citadel, its presence is hinted at by goblin smokestacks that once pumped black smoke into the sky as below was forged the weapons of war. The black skies have stopped, but the goblin presence has not. Beware Bog Mountain.

Fellowship Tree: When I first encountered this plot of land I was stumped. There around a single rare cherrychum tree were a few gravesites. What is odd about this is not the rare cherrychum tree, but the graves. These graves were more akin to humans than stouts. I finally discovered that this is the resting place of a noble few allies of Rivervale's past. Their last wish was to be buried upon the enchanted lands of the Misty Thicket.

The Foul Stench: Like the belch of bog giant or the flatulence of the ravenous god Grum, this body of stagnant water taints an otherwise enchanted land. The conventional and arcane forging going on within Bog Mountain has seeped into this large pond and has left it viscous, pungent and toxic. The Foul Stench is no place for anyone other than a goblin to dip into.

Bogbottom Mill: The Bogbottom family built this great mill during the end days of the Age of Turmoil. Their love of revelry and song brought them to river's edge to erect this mill. Here they would spend day and night producing some of the finest lutes and flutes the world has ever seen. Unfortunately the Bogbottom's vanished while researching the legendary bard Kelkarn. Their absence has given the goblins a new outpost within the Misty Thicket.

The Gates of Runnyeye: If one is so brave or foolish to delve along Bog Mountain they may just happen upon a dark tunnel. This tunnel is the pathway to a mighty door leading into the goblin fortress Runnyeye Citadel. The door is one of great beauty and of mysterious design. The designs are so alluring that they seem out of place amongst the crude makeshift world of the goblins.

The Glittering Mine: Far along the northern coast of the Misty Thicket can be found these mines. For many ages these mines were the nesting ground for the glittering mushrooms, magical mushrooms found nowhere else on Norrath. In the darkness of the tunnels the magical mushrooms grew and were foraged by the halflings. Unfortunately the mushrooms stopped growing and after the final one was picked the tunnels were mined for more conventional resources such as ore.

Camp Ghobber: Named after a great halfling marshal, this defiant halfling fort was placed in the wilds of the Misty Thicket. Here the deputies would stand guard and watch over the activities of the goblins and offer protection and safe haven to those vale folk caught behind the great guard of the Misty Thicket. The fort was abandoned when I arrived, but still stands as a place of safe haven for travelers that don't mind the lack of amenities such as comfy beds and locked doors.

Winter's Deep Pier: This pier is a monument to Old Antonica. It once acted as a dock to small fishing boats of the Vale folk. This shoreline caressed the mysterious body of water called Winter's Deep. The center of this lake was veiled in an icy mist. What lies beyond was the inhospitable land called the Frigid Plains. Only the magical blessings from the powers that be kept the Misty Thicket from being overtaken by the deathly chill of the north.

Tagglefoot Farms: This was the humble abode of the halfing naturalist family of farmers and druids, the Tagglefoots. They were also members of the druidic guild called the Stormreapers, worshipers of Karana. They once existed inside the safety of Rivervale, but decided to migrate to the banks of the Trickledown to provide protection for the Three Pines, sentient trees that have existed since the dawn of the vale.

The Heart of the Forest: This is a spot in the forest where a giant depression formed in the Age of Turmoil. From that depression rose a gift from Tunare, an Elddar tree, one of the few left on this world. It is rumored that all forests have the power to sprout an Elddar sapling, but few are capable in these ages of turbulent powers. What gave birth to this Elddar sapling is unknown, but there are forces on Norrath that would pay highly to obtain or control the sapling.

The Isle of the Three Pines: This is a small island just off the east coastline near Tagglefoot Farms. On this island sit three towering pines, sentient the druids say. The massive trees are known as the The Three Pines to the Halflings. They say that they can also attack using great magic and large roots that rise from the ground. The roots once formed a bridge to the mainland, but all those magical powers have been subdued by some other force of nature or unature.