A Guide to Sacred Forest
By Megalodon
Introduction
The following guide offers information about the mysterious Sacred
Forest. As of Deoch 179, this is one of the latest territories discovered
by Aislings. Very little lore and history have been shared about the area
despite it being a popular hunting destination. For this reason, I studied
the Sacred Forest as much as I could to share more knowledge about our
world. This guide is meant for hunters, historians, and philosophers.
My research is supported by my personal observations, conversations with
the Mundanes of Tavaly, Aman, and Plamit, and Laurier’s philosophy class
on the crystals in Salaime. I also learned a lot about Medenia history
from Brittany's
essay: the History of Medenia. I added citations for ideas shared
from my fellow Aislings. I considered their ideas against my own research
and then expanded on them.
Table of contents:
Geography
Tribe Relationships: Trade and Conflict
Sacred Forest Daily Quest
Sacred Forest: Creature Index
Group Hunting Guide
Group Hunting Rates and Rewards
Credits
Geography
Sacred Forest is north of Tavaly Village. These two locations are found
in the northern end of the Great Valley in Salaime. The Great Valley, as
the Tavalians call it, lies in the heart of Salaime and is formed by two
parallel mountainous ridges: the Tavaly Ridge to the left and Nageling
Bowl to the right (The History of Medenia, Brittany). Most of the Great
Valley is swampy terrain that includes Aman Jungle.
Rumor has it that the hostile creatures of Sacred Forest descended from
the wind baem in the Nageling mountain ridge. They could also be
descendants of the baem gadeu that are fanatic followers of the wind baem.
Philosopher Laurier presented these theories because they are a species of
wind, close to Nageling, and have some similar physical attributes to the
wind baem in Plamit. Laurier calls the creatures of Sacred Forest the
forest baem of wind, or forest baem for shorthand. Tavalians call them the
forest tribe and crystal tribe.
I believe the forest baem theory is strong after doing more research. The
forest baem and wind baem creatures in Plamit Cave have similar ability
levels and behaviors. When you see the forest warriors from far away, you
can catch them using the wind element to glide through the forest. The
forest guardians summon gales of wind to bounce around and leap over great
distances in mid air.
Aislings who talk to Maria Christine of Plamit learn that the baem of the
wind created a relentless army to destroy all they perceive as enemies
over the aeons. The wind element grew bitter and cold and did not settle
like the other elements. Ever since, the baem of wind have relentlessly
attacked every living being they have come across (Maria Christine). This
is exactly how the forest baem seem to behave.
I spoke with chief Quinn of Tavaly and Maria Christine to learn more about
the origins of the forest baem. Maria claims that the wind baem were once
a nomadic force that travelled throughout Nageling to dominate the
mountains. The terrain is easier to navigate when one controls the element
of wind. A tribe of this nomadic force or race probably settled in
northwest Salaime.
Sacred Forest is very abundant in crystals. Crystals also grow in Aman.
When Aislings explored Aman, they quickly learned the high economic value
of this resource. Aislings trade crystal bars and orbs in Medenia for
things like access to passageways and knowledge of more powerful skills
and spells.
Tribe Relationships: Trade and Conflict
Historians should pay close attention to crystals because this resource
is a source of conflict between tribes in Salaime. Chief Quinn says that
the hostile forest baem believe the crystals have spiritual value. The
forest baem are well aware that the earth tribes of Salaime harvest this
resource as a commodity. They will protect this sacred resource with their
lives.
Chief Quinn believes there is more that explains why the forest baem are
hostile. He says they view all the tribes to the south as inferior peoples
because they are cursed with the lowest element: earth. They see the
Tavalians and Amanites down south as inferior parasites of the Earth
Spirit that must be stopped from perverting the world with their essence.
Remember this testimony comes from the Tavalians who benefit from our
alliance. Tavaly is always fighting with the forest baem. What would the
forest baem have to say about the conflict? I wish I knew. I have not been
able to communicate with the forest baem without getting dogpiled. They
could tell us a different story. Maybe the neighboring tribes keep
trespassing to steal their resources. In class, philosopher Laurier told
us a theory that we could be seeing a conflict similar to the Goblins and
Grimlok who fight over Conix. We cannot take one side’s view for granted.
Noble Brittany published a long history essay about Medenia shortly after
we Aislings discovered Yowien Territory in Deoch 107. She wrote up a lot
of research about the Amanites that the Tavalians say is correct. The
Amanites have lived in harmony with other nations for most of Medenia’s
history (the History of Medenia, Brittany). We also know from Brittany's
history essay that Aman is geographically isolated. According to the
chiefs of Tavaly and Aman, their people share a common ancestor of the
earth element. This ancestor could be the earth baem that Maria Christine
said could have existed before they were wiped out by the wind baem. I
leave it to a history researcher to look more into this theory.
Within the past hundred Deochs, the Amanians created better trade routes
with their earth kin to the north to strengthen ties. Believe it or not,
the improved trade relationship between Aman and Tavaly was sped up by
Aislings easing tensions in Aman. Aislings successfully convinced
Vortigern and the Hostile Chief to apologize to each other (A History of
Medenia, Brittany). According to the Amanite chief Vortigern, creating new
trade routes let Aislings to travel deeper into north Salaime and find
safe passageways to Plamit in Nageling. But these routes were also made
out of fear of Tavaly falling to the forest baem. You can see on my map
below that the Amanites and Tavalians created an underground trade route
along the Nageling Ring to the right.
The forest baem continue to encroach on Tavaly. If Tavaly falls, their
earth kin to the south are exposed. Is this fear exaggerated? I do not
think so. If Chief Quinn’s comments about the forest baem’s attitude
towards the earth peoples are true, what stops the baem from going on a
crusade against Aman to conquer the Crystal Caves and turn it into a holy
sanctuary? The earth tribes struggle against their natural weakness, the
wind element.
In the map above, I drew lines to show three trading routes in Selaime.
Aman is represented by the white circle because it is becoming the centre
point for commerce in Salaime. The light red circles show the open trade
route between Tavaly and Aman. Popular Amanite exports include their
delicious Aman frog legs, swamp flora with medicinal properties, dendron
flowers, crystals, and timber. Tavaly exports a lot of industry supplies
for building, like stone, marble, and composite materials. Tavaly harvests
less of their own crystals these days because of fighting with the forest
baem. Tavaly and Aman also trade special tools for things like mining and
harvesting crystals.
The dark red triangles along the Nageling bowl show the underground trade
route that is very guarded. I think this route is used to transport
armaments to deal with the threat of the forest baem. The chiefs of Tavaly
and Aman will not reveal more about it. I found out about it by watching
goods getting transported.
The purple trade route is between Aman and Hwarone. Amanites have a
distant but peaceful relationship with Hwarone. Hwarone recently started
importing more goods from Aman. Hwarone’s exports include ginseng, black
sun tea leaves, and ore collected from battles with the creatures of Andor
and Veltain Mines.
Unlike Aman, Tavaly did not enjoy peace since the Tenth Aeon when the wind
baem descendants settled in north Salaime. Whether because of crystals,
territory, or their connection to different elemental spirits, the forest
baem and Tavaly have not gotten along at all. This might not be their
fault if the forest baem really are related to the wind baem who violently
attack every living being.
If you enter the first area of Sacred Forest, you will see the ruins of
Tavaly’s greatest achievement in architecture below:
The first thing every Aisling sees when passing through Tavaly is the
beautiful architecture. It is unrivaled in Medenia. Chief Quinn held back
tears when he talked about the great citadel that got ransacked by the
forest baem in the area outside Sacred Forest entrance. It is a miracle
that the Tavalians have been able to hold their ground after losing the
citadel. Enlisting the help of Aislings gave the villagers enough
resistance to stop the forest baem from intruding deeper in their town.
Sacred Forest Daily Quest
At the entrance to the Sacred forest you will find Chief Quinn. He has
enlisted the aid of Aislings to defend against the forest baem. If you
have reached the 20th ability, he will offer you daily mercenary
contracts. Speak with him and he will give you the task of killing twenty
of one of the three creatures: Guardians, Warriors, or Barbarians. The
creature you are asked to kill depends on which are found harassing
villagers on any given day. You have 8 suns (( 24hours )) to complete the
assignment. The reward is 150million experience and a legend mark
"Completed Sacred Forest Daily Quest". This quest can be repeated every 8
suns (( 24 hours )). Kills are shared by the group, so each person in the
group will receive credit.
Sacred Forest: Creature Index
Forest
Warrior
Hit points: 822,930
Level: 99
Attack element: Lightning
Defense element: Lightning
Experience: 4,000,000 / Ability:
10,000
Gold drop: 3,700 coins
By chanting the tune of the wind, this creature glides effortlessly
through the Sacred Forest. In the blink of an eye the Forest warrior will
launch an assault onto any trespasser in sight. Armed with a two-handed
spear and the force of the wind, the warrior unleashes devastating
attacks. Do not be fooled by the leather armor. The warrior's real defense
comes in the form of magic protection. The warriors move with such haste
that they generate cyclones that reflect the assails of any Aisling who
dares strike them. Less violent than the barbarian, the warriors always
keep their composure on the front line of battle, which lets them maintain
their defensive positioning.
They are of the highest ability like the creatures you find in the Red
Dragon cave. It goes without question the species of wind naturally have
powerful abilities.
Forest
Barbarian
Hit points: 1,273,912
Level: 99
Attack element: Lightning
Defense element: Lightning
Experience: 4,500,000 / Ability: 12,000
Gold drop: 5,000 coins
The term barbarian refers to their violent and energetic nature. They
are not outcasts of the tribe. Quite the opposite. Barbarians are no
ordinary warrior. Their zeal breathes fear into enemies. They are the most
elite hunters in Salaime. One does not not simply outrun their onslaught
if they have the speed to escape their field of vision. Unless you can
leave the area (( room )), the slaughter continues from a great distance.
The barbarians are one with the wind and the wind always outruns you.
If provoked they go into a fit of rage, harnessing the wind to silence
their foes. One swift swing of their blade forged from the depths of the
Red Dragon cave will suffocate an Aisling's will, rendering their magic
useless.
Only the female warriors have the potential to reach the state of
barbarian. Female warriors go through a ritual aided by the Guardians to
become empowered by the Wind Spirit. This ritual happens very deep in the
centre of Sacred Forest.
Forest
Guardian
Hit points: 832,860
Level: 99
Attack element: Lightning
Defense element: Lightning
Experience: 3,500,000 / Ability: 15,000
Gold drop: 2,500 coins
Stewards of all that is sacred in the forest. The guardians are looked up
to for their magical abilities and wisdom. They serve as the herbalists,
magicians, healers, and sages of the forest baem. When not training
barbarians, they spend their time researching ways to gain more energy
from the crystals. A guardian uses all her willpower to keep the crystals
safe and untouched by anyone who might seek them out for their own
possession.
Beware: they only need to come into arms reach to drain your life. With a
touch of their staff, an Aisling's health withers by half. With one deep
breath and a chant, the guardian can mend her wounds during battle in a
flash. This is a last resort to keeping all that is holy to her safe from
intruders.
Group Hunting Guide
Feeling up to the challenge of defeating the hostile creatures of the Sacred Forest? The popular name for the hunting area is Tavaly, but that is a misnomer. Tavaly is the village that is under siege. Sacred Forest is the hunting ground.
Forming a party:
The typical party consists of having a caster and a basher. Multiple
casters and bashers are needed at lower health and ability level to be
successful. The reasoning behind this is explained below. Remember each
party member must be of the 20th Ability insight to enter.
Casters:
A "Caster" consists of the classes such as bard and summoner. You should
have beag, mor, or ard fas as a buff and debuff. Each creature you
encounter must be fassed to amplify the bashers' attacks. Each party
member also needs fas for greater defense against attacks. Ard cradh is
also a great debuff on the creatures as it lowers their armor class by 65.
You will be responsible for healing the party members.
Bashers:
A "Basher" consists of the classes such as Archer, Druid, and Gladiator.
As a basher, you will be the main leader of the party. It is suggested you
spend time beforehand in the Training Dojo to gain the highest rank of
your Medenian skills. Strong physical damage is a necessity when hunting
in the Sacred Forest.
For Sacred Forest you want the caster of the group to be the highest
health. The forest barbarians always attack the lowest health of the party
and drain mana at a fast rate. If no caster with higher health is
available I suggest having a summoner in the party for flower.
Being prepared:
Once you have found some fellow companions to adventure into the Sacred
Forest with, the party should be prepared in advance.
Your first stop should the Loures Underground Jail to visit Marlin to
receive dia noahm aite. Dia aite lasts 2 hours and reduces the damage you
receive by half. You can do this if you have completed "From the Heart
Quest", or by grouping with someone who has. While in the castle you will
pass Marlon the weapon smith, make sure to repair all of your items to
full durability. The species of the wind baem have been known to break the
strongest armors crafted by Aislings.
Be sure to stock a full supply of beothaich deum or komadium potions.
Skulling can and will happen unsuspectingly at any given time in this
dangerous area. Scrolls for fast travel are also handy, be sure each
member of the party has these. You never know when you might become
ambushed and need to flee.
Before entering Sacred Forest:
Meet at the entrance and make sure everyone in the party is fassed and has
aite. For the bashers of the party I suggest wearing a necklace of the
Fire element. A Blackstar or Metal necklace is most commonly used. A dark
belt is a must have each member.
Now that your party is well prepared for the battle ahead, it is time to
enter the first hunting ground and face these hostile creatures. Here are
some tactics that can be used and what to expect.
Fighting the Forest Warrior:
The warriors will teleport to you, or land directly on top of you. They
cast asgall faileas and perfect defense. These are two spells a warrior of
Temuair can learn at master. They spam perfect defense granting themselves
immunity to spell damage, making all caster attacks useless against them.
It is best to kill them with strong skill attacks such as cyclone kick,
raging attack, or rear strike. Assailing them when they have asgall up can
lead to you killing yourself. Only assail damage is reflected, skill
damage is not.
The warrior can also cast pramh upon an entire group in a single cast.
Should one of the casters in the party become pramhed, try throwing them.
This usually works since they become a target for melee attacks by the
warrior. The warriors also use execute "Plamit Crasher" on Aislings.
Execute is a strong physical attack gladiators can learn by completing the
Plamit Quest assigned by Maria Christine.
Fighting the Forest Barbarian:
The barbarians are relentless in attacking you. Once you aggravate them,
or "aggro" for shorthand, it is best that you kill this forest creature
first. They will drain all of your mana. They also have strong
regeneration. They ao sith spells also, which removes any debuffs you cast
upon them, such as fas and cradh. A caster might have to respell them if
they are not defeated fast enough. Their attack pierces through dion and
also poisons you. They also possess the skill ambush, allowing them to
jump over you and avoid your attacks.
Some bashers use a skill called frost strike to slow their movements down,
which they learn in Aman Jungle. Like the warrior, the barbarian also
casts perfect defense. Strong skills such as stab twice, duneswipe, and
double rake will come in handy in defeating a barbarian.
Fighting the Forest Guardian:
The guardians can be just as deadly as the warriors and barbarians. They
will attack you with an ability very close to the Dark Ring Spell, which
is a spell that Aisling wizards can gain by completing the Demon Lord
Notes quest. The guardian's spell reduces your health by half with each
cast. Suppose your health is 100k, then it will descend to 50k, then 25k
and so on.
The guardian does not have perfect defense like the warrior or barbarian.
With no protection against spell damage, spells such as torch and
deception of life are ideal to use against them.
Guardians can instantly heal themselves to full health when they lose half
or more than half of their health. This is a lot like the Aisling pure
bard's salvation spell except it does not drain all of guardian's
willpower. If you fail to defeat a guardian and turn your attention
towards another creature, prepare to battle them from the start again.
Strong skills are also useful in defeating the guardians.
Choosing a room:
There are nineteen hunting grounds to choose from. Each ground offers a
different amount of creatures. No two grounds are the same for this
matter. During my adventures in the Sacred Forest, I found hunting grounds
one, five, and fourteen to be the best to optimize your returns on
hunting. In ground one, you often find other parties so do not be afraid
to explore to see what is best suited for your party.
Group Hunting Rates and Rewards
Why is Sacred Forest so attractive to hunters? The Sacred Forest can be
an excellent place to gain experience and ability points. It is also a
good place to help aislings with lower ability insights to advance. In
other words, it is a good spot for leeching. The bigger the party is, the
less experience one will gain per each kill. However, size has no effect
on the ability points you receive. You read that correctly: group size
does not diminish ability points received by group members with lower
ability levels. This is not the case for most other areas in Medenia and
Temuair.
Below is the data I compiled on returns from hunting as a four person
group (( for one hour)). As you can see, the experience for four people is
still very high. This makes Sacred Forest an ideal hunting area for
experience. The returns on ability points are also decent. The archer in
my group increased their ability level by eight levels. Gold drops, on the
other hand, are very modest. Bear in mind that the three million gold we
acquired was split four ways.
Credits
Mundanes
Chief Quinn of Tavaly, Maria Christine of Plamit Village, Chief Vortigern
of Aman, and Hostile Chief of Aman.
History essays
"The
History of Medenia” by Brittany.
Lectures
"The crystals of Salaime" by Laurier.
Big thanks to Wizadrian, Giggles, and Zuru who hunted with me and helped
me collect my data. I would also like to thank them for proofreading my
work.