where the forest has teeth

Summer arrives in the Grove as one might expect: With bright sunlight and sweltering temperatures, not to mention the humidity. It’s hot, it’s sticky, and not even the river feels cold enough to cool anyone down. In times like this, the local moose monster thinks to herself: “I could assist. I could open a permanent path to the seaside for the Children of Man, one that does not require those silly glasses. Children of Man love the sea.” Unfortunately, no one can tell Moder no, and so she groups all of you up and leads you into the woods, parting the fog wall with her own magic as she carves a path forward. It’s a three-day-long journey that feels as though only three hours have passed by the time she stops walking. At the top of the cliffside to the northeast of Aldric’s Grove, the Forest Guardian uses her gargantuan hooves to uproot a redwood, knocking it into the sand below to serve as a broad bridge. This, she binds with vines so that it doesn’t spin and throw anyone to the ground fifty feet down, and then carefully ushers each of you across.

As the last of you steps down the bridge and Moder follows after, there’s a rumble in the earth, and the few of you on the log get scooped by two large handibles as Moder suddenly launches herself off of it and to the ground below just in time for said log to creak, splinter, and suddenly snap back to a standing position up on the cliff face, as if it wasn’t uprooted in the first place. Time, they say, fixes all things, but usually not fallen redwood pines.

Suddenly, the fog wall grows darker on the cliffside, obscuring even the true paths to those that can see them — though anyone stuck on the other side will be able to get down here just fine due to it only being a one-sided blockade. A blockade meant to keep all of you, Moder included, out of the Grove and trapped on the beach. A childish-but-familiar (to most of you) voice can be heard yelling, but it’s distant, as if the Fallen Sun doesn’t want to get much closer: “IF YOU WANT TO BE ON THE BEACH NEXT TO THE NASTIES IN THE SEA THEN BE MY GUEST!! STAY THERE AND ROT FOREVER WHILE YOU’RE AT IT!!” And then there’s a chorus of grumbling and “ew” and “gross” before the Fallen Sun stops talking and disappears from the area entirely.

Welcome to the seaside, Aldric’s Grove. It seems you’ll be here for quite some time while Moder tries to fix what just happened.

The golden sands and crystalline blue waters of the sea welcome you in the meantime. While Heimr and Ydalir are also stuck here with you, they will, at least, be able to provide the usual amenities — Heimr has brought everyone beach fits, including swimwear and either a boho or surfer style casual outfit, and Ydalir can use her mirror to grab items you might want from your houses or inn rooms to play with. She supposes she can grab you your normal wardrobes, too, even though that’s not really in the spirit of beach.

Umbrellas, lounge chairs, and a volleyball net are all set up on the coast here, giving you ample room to both play and relax. The palm trees will drop the occasional coconut for you to eat or, say, throw at the person next to you, but one should exercise caution: Some coconuts are actually crabs that will pinch you if they’re picked up or thrown at mach speed into the nearest person. Under the brush crawl mango mice, and jellybeans float happily within the tidepools. Go far enough toward the cove to the west, near the cliff face where the Cosmic Serpent slumbers far out into the sea, and you may get accosted by the mobster lobsters. You’re in the wrong neighbourhood, kid, why don’tcha skedaddle?

Far in the distance, over the vast ocean, is a layer of white mist over the sea. Or, perhaps it’s another fog wall…? It’s difficult to tell from here, but the mist never dissipates and always lingers. Should you bravely swim out to it, you cannot pass through it nor see past it, though unlike the black fog back home, it doesn’t hurt to touch. It merely forces you back.

Enjoy the sun and soak up some vitamin D. While escape still isn’t possible, at least this place is peaceful.

…well, kind of.

The thing about Aldric’s Grove and the outlying seaside is that nothing is ever peaceful and cute for too long, and nothing ever goes exactly the way you want it to. To the east, riding the line between sand and sea, is a long, tunnelling cave that dips into the earth. It’s full of glowing corals and crystals and fish that should, theoretically, not be able to float through the air like it’s water — but stranger things have happened here, so surely the fruit sharks aren’t the real danger. No, the real danger is that every high tide, that cave floods completely, leaving no room for air or for escape. Luckily, high tide only tends to come at night…

…but during all hours of the day, something far in the distance sings songs. It’s a chorus, beautiful and hypnotizing, and if one were to look out toward stones that jut from the distant sea, they’ll spot them: a choir of gorgeous sirens resting upon the jagged rocks. They’re so, so happy to sing with you, should you stray closer — but getting too close means getting grabbed and dragged under. The sirens do not care if you drown on the way to a sandbar far from the Grove itself, but should you survive, you might want to scream for help. Their dinnertime is in a few hours, you see.

Somewhere far, far away from the shore, you can hear something roaring, too. Something large. Something imposing… something you should probably ignore.

If one traverses the aforementioned cave before high tide rolls in, making it to the other side and crossing the threshold will spit one out on the docks, where there are cabanas for you to live in temporarily. Or permanently, if you really want to leave the forest behind. The pier boasts numerous empty stalls from a civilization long-gone; off by one of those piers is an old ship in a state of disrepair, and though it looks like it could function in the future, where would you even go if you fixed it?

The two merchants have their own spaces here — past the line of cabanas is an old, run-down building that looks like it was meant to be a seaside souvenir shop before the world as you once knew it ended, and this is where Heimr chooses to set up a temporary General Store. He’ll need some help cleaning all the old junk and coconut crabs out, if you feel like giving him a hand. Fatherly love points will be given to any and all who help, and once finished, a friendly spirit in the form of a dragonfruit dragon will help keep things stocked, as Plum does back at the Grove. Ydalir’s tent lies right outside of the temporary General Store, although her giant tortoise spends a great deal of time wandering off to go play in the shallows.

Each cabana is equipped with a small kitchen, a small living space including a pull-out couch and a bed suitable for two, and a bathroom with a standing shower and sink. There’s an outdoor seating area and firepit next to each, too. Sadly, there are only ten of these, so some sharing may be required, unless you want to sleep outside.

Happy summer, everybody. Don’t forget the sunscreen!