Urban Fantasy: The Black and Iron Woods

The material world which we humans inhabit is but a fraction of the true scope of reality. Beyond the confines of 'mere' matter exist realms beyond our own time and space, Supernatural Realms which are the places beyond our world where the wonderful and terrible still dwell. Some of them are places recorded in myths and folklore while others are entirely unknown or only explored by a few brave or foolhardy souls. Most exist somewhere in between, recorded but only barely, full of half truth and lies.

The Black and Iron Woods are somewhere halfway between a Stable and a Dream Kelipah. The more mundane areas of the wood, especially around its edges (if such a thing exist, as the whole shape is unknown, if not impossible to grasp) tend to be fairly normal beyond being an expanse of terrifying wilderness. Deeper into the woods, however, it become more and more of a thematic Dream Kelipah, obeying its twisted mythology-and-fairy-tale-logic.

History and Nature

Art by Magdalena Świderska

Recorded in the Prose Edda as Járnviðr, the 'Iron Woods', the Black-and-Iron Woods is a supernatural location of unknown size and scope which manifest primarily in Europe and takes the form of an impossibly vast and foreboding forest. It is the dark forest which children and travelers become lost in, where witches and trolls of grim and horrific fairy tales dwell. It's exact origin, nature or purpose are unknown, if not lost to history. No one knows what exactly it is and maybe there's just no real answer: it just is. And what it is can be summed up as a massive expanse of wilderness full of fantastical and fearsome sights. The creatures which dwell in it may not be native inhabitants but rather have moved there over time as they withdrew from the world of humans, choosing to hide in the ever-shifting landscape of the magical forest which appears and disappear, as being able to navigate a place whose landscape is mutable is a very useful advantage when one is a predator or kidnapper. Mere humans become easily lost in Jarnvid but hags, trolls and other monsters can learn to properly attune themselves and know when the forest will grow close to the material world. This become the perfect moment to lure and snatch some victims who will then never be heard from again.

In the modern age, despite the loss of many great forests, Jarnvid still thrives. In fact, over time the forest's pull has grown in terms of scope, possibly due to the immigration of Europeans to other lands. This is pure theory, of course and no one is certain if the passing down of folklore, myths and general fear of troll-haunted woods has allowed the Black and Iron Woods to extend its influence. Some speculate that its power first manifested on North American soil when the woodsmen spread across the area of the Great Lakes from the French and English colonies. The tales of the so-called Fearsome Critters could be nothing but tall tales, misunderstanding and mislabeling of local life forms...or it could very well be Jarnvid's power literally taking root on new soil and even growing and diversifying as it found itself infused with newfound life.

The pull of the Dark Forest is a useful tool to create a change of pace in 'urban fantasy'. Generally the term implies fantasy set in modern times in a big city, but most of the world even today remain covered in pockets of wilderness. The Black Forest in Germany remains an area where it has strong connection but over the years it has found itself creeping all over the wilderness of North America. When the right cosmic conditions align, the % chance of any spot of dark forest becoming linked to the Black and Iron Woods might increase dramatically, creating dream-like and hazy landscapes of tall trees where sunlight barely reach, filled with giant mushrooms and the bones of long-extinct animals. Travelers in those areas can often become pulled in by a mixture of their own curiosity and the psychic pull of the location. During those times, disappearances in any area with a few kilometres of forests can increase dramatically, with bodies found days later, 'regurgitated' by the forest, leaving behind the rotting carcass and bones of travelers. For others, the forest is a good place to gather rare and unique plants and animals which are not of this world, or to seek the counsel and service of ancient troll-witches.