The Tanglewoods

The Tanglewoods are a huge forested area dominated by a species of mutant bramble called tanglewood, whose thorny vines can become as much as two feet thick. These natural barricades stretch and loop over the whole area, often choking or crushing regular trees beneath their mass. The ground level mostly consists of dead and rotting vegetation, cut off from the sun by the masses of regular vines and tanglewood above.

The Tanglewoods themselves stretch along the Tanglewoods River for some distance, cut off only by the influx of toxic water from the Poisoned River in the west, and by the deep banks of the Serpent River in the east. River traffic through the Tanglewoods is limited to individual swimmers and very small, one-man craft, because the river is largely clogged with dead vines. If it could be cleared out, it would allow easy commerce between the western lands and the Verde, but at the moment doing so would be a herculean task.

A wide variety of small Beasts have colonized the Tanglewoods, even to the point of using the thicker tanglewood vines as aerial walkways. Such paths require regular maintenaince to ensure that the wicked, foot-long thorns don't grow back, but they enable the locals to travel quite quickly through the dense mass. They live by trapping small animals and gathering fruits and nuts from the surviving trees. In several places they have actually constructed small orchards by cutting gaps into the vines above the trees, but like everything here this requires constant tending to keep the vines from growing back.

Laws and Leadership
The Tanglewoods are only loosely governed. The seat of leadership is technically inside the Council Halls, a cluster of ancient buildings now overrun by vines, but the elders here have little true authority. Each family tends to stake out a territory and make it their home, with the various breeds of Beast in that area forming a neighborhood more than a pack or tribe.

The elders are chosen to represent various regions of the Tanglewood. Each one is supposed to be a resident of their home territory, although the older ones generally spend all of their time in the governing halls instead. Technically new elders are chosen by the existing ones, but traditionally they almost always accept whoever the locals of that region send as their representative. For most decisions they simply come to a consensus (motivated by a belief that their power depends largely on an appearance of wisdom and unamity) but in particularly divisive situations they have been known to call for a vote. There are currently only thirty elders in residence, with nearly twice that many who only come to the Great Hall when summoned to council. The permanent residents tend to be the oldest and most respected of the elders, so they are trusted to make general public policy decisions and handle most legal cases without the majority being present.

Important Sites
The Great Hall is the largest and most intact of the Council Halls. This is where the rare trials and public councils are held. It may have once been some sort of warehouse, as the interior mostly consists of a single three-story-tall cubic chamber. The walls have been covered with innumerable ledges, hammocks and ropes, allowing the populace to cling to the sides if they wish. Holes in the roof allow shafts of daylight to illuminate the interior, but only for a few hours each day. White doves nest in the rafters at the very top, and these birds are believed to bring good luck; it is a slashing offense to kill one.

A few sections of the Tanglewoods are uninhabited, usually because they are dominated by poisonous vines that make living there impractical or because the dying and rotting trees and tanglewood vines have become dangerously unstable. These are good spots to hide stolen goods or for clandestine meetings, but aren't particularly dangerous. Most of these abandoned spots do have ghost stories associated with them, but these were largely invented for the entertainment of the locals and have no basis in fact.

Technology
The Tanglewoods are largely stuck in fairly primitive state. They trade for some tools and devices, but have almost no guns or electronics. It is very difficult for them to raise domesticated animals, but some do manage it, usually by raising hissers. Most of them live by gathering fruits, berries and nuts or by digging for grubs and similar fare. Their shared culture is almost entirely oral; even the elders rarely actually write anything down.

They do a fair bit of weaving with smaller vines and make good ropes and baskets. They mostly trade for cloth and small metal tools.

Culture & Religion
Messengers and story-tellers are held in high repute here and regularly travel the entire width and breadth of the woods carrying news and the occasional personal message. They have developed an elaborate system of scratch marks which are used as warnings and navigational aids to those familiar with them. The locals love to gossip, and the messengers often carry more rumors and gossip from neighborhood to neighborhood than actual news.

The Beasts here mostly scorn Man-worship and cling to the worship of God and the belief that the Beasts came from a distant paradise called Eden. They aren't particularly serious about their beliefs and their litany mostly consists of rousing tales and songs, often with morals attached. Those able to sing or tell stories well are very welcome here.

Many locals are superstitious. White birds are considered good omens and many people consider it bad luck to kill them. Areas of the woods where murders or horrific accidents have occurred are often abandoned for generations, for fear of angry ghosts.

Friends and Enemies
The Tanglewoods are inherently sheltered from enemies by their nature. Only the smallest of Beasts can thrive here and many of the larger Breeds would be reduced to crawling if they tried to enter, assuming they could fit in at all. They have some worries about harpies, who can fly over the top of the forest and land where they wish, but there is little mischief that they can get to from atop the forest canopy. Thus, so far the Tanglewoods have managed to maintain a happy neutrality, remaining utterly disinterested in any of the conflicts of their neighbors and well sheltered from Exterminators and monsters.

Population
The woods are sparsely inhabited, but are spread over a huge area. Most of the inhabitants are Low Beasts. Mice, Rats Squirrels, and similar breeds predominate; these are comparatively small breeds who have a natural gift for climbing. There are a few cats, but mostly in the thinner areas on the borders. The majority of the population consists of herbivores and omnivores. Many suffer from Agoraphobia, and dislike being out in the open.

A few water-loving breeds live in the Tanglewoods River itself, but even they tend to be smaller breeds. The waters are too choked with vines for larger Beasts. Dozens of small creeks run to and from the Tanglewoods River (generally referred to by the locals as the River), many of which dry up during the summer months.

Example NPCs
Ch'rell: this Low Beast squirrel makes his living by gathering fruits and nuts along the periphery of the Tanglewoods, but his keen eyes are always watching for strangers passing through the area. He dreams of leaving the Tanglewoods and seeing Zuba City and the Great Saltmarsh, but he's never quite worked up the courage to leave.

Additional Notes
The tanglewood vines have spread to about their limits. They can't take constant immersion in water and don't grow well in rocky areas. But they do grow at an astounding rate in areas where conditions are favorable. Their oversized (6-inch) seeds aren't likely to spread far without direct intervention, but far-sighted (or short-sighted) Beasts could easily plant them in other areas if they tried.

Tanglewood is also fairly resistant to fire, even when dead, but it does require a lot of moisture. A really serious drought could kill off most of the Tanglewoods, leaving only the vines around the river alive.

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