Bramblewood Forest

The Bramblewood Forest, or simply the Bramblewood, is a thick forest surrounding the northern, western, and southern sides of Westruun. The northwestern edges of the Bramblewood skirt the base of the Cliffkeep Mountains, including the formidable Gatshadow Mountain. The trees range from gargantuan willows to a family of hardwood, thorn-covered oak-like trees (hence the name).

Description
The Bramblewood has streams of snowmelt from the Cliffkeeps, spiderwebbing under an impenetrable canopy of trees, across the thick, gnarled roots of the forest and into the plains beyond. However, despite its overgrowth, Bramblewood has two well-trodden paths; one leads west to the iron-rich Murdoon Mines at the base of the Cliffkeeps, while the other winds north to Gatshadow's peak.

The forest is the only source of the wood for Westruun and the main trading product for the city.

Points of interest
The Trickfoot family have made the Bramblewood their home for generations.

In the adventure hook Nature's Anger in the original Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, a sacred grove in the western part of the forest is tended by three solitary druids who claim to keep the spirits of the forest at peace.

In the adventure hook Blood of the Ruiner in the Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, one branch of the Ravagers, led by the elf Kalydria Darkeye, has created a fort within the Bramblewood Forest. There they perform a ritual to transform the local giant spiders into demonfeed spiders.

Safety
Traveling through the heart of the Bramblewood off the often pre-cut paths can prove dangerous, as the forest tends to contract and swallow unused trails rather quickly. Some rather dangerous beasts do reside within and occasionally wander beyond the borders of the forest, and most folks know better than to enter the Bramblewood unless absolutely necessary.

The adventure hook Haunted Road in both the Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting sourcebooks involves local folklore surrounding a spectral young woman, possibly a specter or a banshee, who sometimes appears along the road, sobbing and leading men deeper into the Bramblewood to never be seen again.

However, the Bramblewood does seem relatively safe in comparison to, for example, the Frostweald. After Vox Machina slew Umbrasyl, Kerrek sent a few townsfolk with carts through the forest to retrieve the town's treasure from the dragon's lair at the peak of Gatshadow. The townsfolk successfully made the round-trip journey without the need of an escort.