Myriad Forest
The origin of the name "Myriad Forest" is unknown, but there are two theories that attempt to explain where the name came from. The first theory is that it was so named for its wonderful variety of life, both flora and fauna. Many believe this explanation, though in the dark times of Nirrion, the forest is but a myth, a shadow, and a threat. The second theory is little known and maintained only by scholars and sages. It refers to the migration of Men, from their land of awakening to where the kingdom of Nirrion now stands. This theory maintains that Man, in his infancy, migrated north beyond the warm, fertile southern plains to explore what lay about. After rounding the great volcano Sentinel, Men first gazed upon forested land, in particular a wide expanse of trees, seemingly limitless. It was autumn, so the brilliant golds, reds, oranges, and yellows shone out in a myriad of colors. The second theory asserts that the Myriad Forest gained its name through this, what many believe is apocryphal, incident. The Myriad Forest is a place of deep mystery, for the Men of Nirrion no longer go into it. They once lived in harmony with the trees and denizens therein, but since the coming of Dweruth, there has been a falling off. Now nothing but suspicion and hate remain. There was a time when certain Men from Nirrion went and lived among the green boughs; they were the Forest Wardens, and they cared for all things that grew. But when Judal Akar took power in Nirrion, the Forest Wardens disassociated themselves with the city and ruled themselves. Over the centuries, they became sundered in speech from Nirrion and now live in the southern reaches of the forest. The Akar Priest-King, not content to let an untamed, wild thing such as the forest grow unchecked on his eastern border, rode out with a large expeditionary force to subjugate the forest under his will. Little is known of what happened in that fateful encounter. The Priest-King and his captains returned, but everyone else had been slaughtered. Those who had survived were in bad shape--all except the Priest-King who, though wrothful, was unscathed. Rumors cropped up over the years about the Protector of the Forest, whom some called Stormbrow, a man-like being of strikingly angular features and pointed ears, wearing black armor fashioned of leather, who held aloft his black sword and called upon the thunder of heaven to aid him, and the storm came, and the trees bent to do his will, and all living things in the forest came alive and fell in ferocity upon the Priest-King and his soldiers. Since that time, none have dared return with such an array of arms against the forest.