The northernmost of the three eastern forests, Pystinwood marks where the Westwilds' woodlands finally give way to the Steppe of Aziirn. The forest is named for the pystin tree—a pale-barked species unique to this region whose sap has mild narcotic properties.
Geography
Pystinwood stretches roughly 40 miles east to west and 30 miles north to south, bounded by the West Tolkarsus river to the north, the Homdrum Hills to the west, the Steppe of Aziirn to the east, and the clearing containing the settlement of Koshasya to the south. Together with Milrar Forest and Telwood to the south, it forms a woodland belt along the steppe's western edge.
The Pale Groves: Dense stands of pystin trees, their white bark giving the forest an eerie, luminous quality even on overcast days. The undergrowth is thin (the pystins produce chemicals that inhibit competing plants), making travel through the groves surprisingly easy.
The Tolkarsus Fringe: The forest's northern edge, where it meets the West Tolkarsus river. The soil here is richer, supporting a more diverse woodland of oak, ash, and alder alongside the pystins.
The Steppe Margin: The eastern edge gradually thins, trees growing sparser and shorter as the steppe's dry conditions assert themselves. The boundary is fluid, shifting west in dry years and east in wet ones.
The Pystin Trees
The pystin is a medium-sized deciduous tree with distinctive white bark that peels in papery strips. Its sap, when properly processed, produces a mild intoxicant—not addictive, but pleasant enough that demand exists.
Sap Harvesting: Local traditions allow tapping pystins only during specific seasons and only from mature trees. Violating these rules is said to cause the trees to "turn sour"—producing sap that induces nightmares rather than pleasant dreams.
Trade: Pystin sap finds its way to markets throughout the Westwilds and occasionally beyond. It's not valuable enough to attract serious commercial interest, but it provides income for the forest's few inhabitants.
Inhabitants
The Sap-Tappers: Small, semi-nomadic communities who move through the forest following traditional harvesting routes. They're not hostile to outsiders but not particularly welcoming either—the forest provides enough for them, and more people would mean less.
Dreaming Pilgrims: Occasional visitors seeking visions or insight come to drink fresh pystin sap in the Pale Groves. The practice has no formal structure, no temples, no priests, just individual seekers hoping the forest will show them something useful.
Climate
Continental temperate, moderated slightly by the forest cover. The Pale Groves maintain their own microclimate, slightly cooler and more humid than the surrounding terrain, which contributes to the pystins' dominance.
Why It Matters
Pystinwood is a transition zone—between the Westwilds and the steppe, between forest and grassland, between the orc states to the south and the unclaimed territories to the north. Control of the forest isn't disputed because no one particularly wants to control it, but the sap trade creates connections across the region.