Border Watches

This page includes old lore! It is no longer relevant to the current Verdict storyline

To those of the Capital it may concern,
This letter constitutes my monthly missive, regarding matters on the hinterlands of the fair dominions. The hunting has been good, of late, and we have subdued several Horrors-of-Aurora of significant power. From measurements of their weight and size, we can discern that our latest kills constitute the following as per the guidelines issued by the Majestic Office of Predation.
--4 Aurora Beasts
--3 Aurora Monsters
--1 Aurora Abomination
There have been reports from explorers and hunters of activity in the Cursed Deluges, particularly in and around the abandoned fortresses. Information on this phenomenon shall be issued as it is acquired.
Ever yours in honor,
Thallin Desquerier, Master of the Swifteye Hunting Lodge

The Faewild's Border Watches are, despite the waning of Oberon's direct presence in them, still very much his territory. Courtiers and warriors of the High Faerla often take estates in the Watches, either pleasant country manors away from the intrigue of the city, or rustic hunting lodges where they can range and stalk for worthy prey. These lands are liminal spaces, where the influence of the Faewild's Eidolons competes with each other, and to an extent, cancel one another. The ground is soft and wet, the trees are clad in gentle blues and greens, and all the wood is carpeted in an eternal twilight.

The landscape is primarily rolling hills and thin forest, with the occasional meadow, pond, or river. The trees crowd tight, but their translucent leaves let some light through. Ferns and briars make up the undergrowth, developing swiftly and wildly--a growth of thorns can easily seal a pathway behind an unprepared traveler, and their pricks do worse than shedding blood. The confluence of energies and elements in the Watches leads to the local flora and fauna having unpredictable qualities: sometimes, faerie-elk might have Shimmer-mutated tentacles in their throats, while a Vitae-infused sparrow can cast battle magic with its song.

However, the land is as giving as it is vicious. The life-giving energies of the Faewild cause the fruits and grasses and waters in the Marches to lend vitality to any that imbibe them, while ameliorating the effects of toxins, any toxins, on the body. While many a planewalker has thanked their patron divinities for this quality, they just as easily curse it--'any toxin' includes combat poisons and venoms conjured by magic.

As of late, the Watches have become more and more a conflict zone. The occasional attack by Shimmerbeasts from the Vast Mirage, or the very rare aggressive fairy or giant, has added diversity to the High Faerla's hunting; but not without side effects. Otharine has grown to believe that too much laxity has been employed in safeguarding the borders, and may soon call for a crusade to reassert their control. Until then, this area is the quintessential Faewild: untamed, and vibrant.

Trivia

Small contests are common between the holders of High Faerla estates over matters of land easement. These conflicts are, out of tradition, almost never martial duels. Rather, disputes are settled with tests of artistic acumen. Duel by painting, duel by poetry, even duel by philosophical debate have all graced the Border Watches' boughs.

Astratum dust in the air is persistently charged with light; when the sun sets, the Watches are illuminated by this light, in a display similar to the flickering of fireflies...or the glow of an Aurora. This unfortunate aesthetic coincidence has sometimes led to Border Watches dwellers being accused of impurity in fae courts.

The soil has begun to take on a crimson hue in farflung areas of the Watches as of 1031.

Credit

Foxeye https://forum.verdict.dev/showthread.php?tid=2269&pid=13319#pid13319