Games, all sorts

The Greenwood predates the Satrapy, and is known from primitive pottery and cave paintings. It stretches from the arctic circle several hundred miles to the south, before giving way the Sea of Grass.

Attempts to tame the Greenwood have only been temporary. During the Satrapy, great roads were carved through its boughs, and were kept open at great expense. Spirits were said to lead the unwary astray, even on the brightest day. Since the Sundering, the roads have once again been swallowed by the wood. Paths cut today may be there tomorrow, but may not lead to the same place. Strange creatures, unknown before the Sundering, now lurk in its shadows.

Varans eke out a meager living on its eastern border, bringing in logs and small animal furs for warmth. Even the most foolhardy would balk at losing sight of the edge, however, for the wood has put a high toll on those that would seek to tame it now.

The Greenwood is a dangerous place.

The save DC changes based on where and how deep one is in the Greenwood. The default DC is 6.

If a sentient being is in the 'wood when the sun sets, they make a Wis save. Success means the being is unaffected (and immune to the 'wood for a week). Failure means the being is filled with a deep yearning to protect or serve the wood. Mechanically, this means inspiration is gained by exploring and spending more time in the wood. Any sense of fear or dread of the wood is lessened. This is an opportunity to role play; the wood isn't controlling your behavior, but you should treat it as a friend to be protected, perhaps taking shortcuts or risks you wouldn't otherwise undergo.

The Yearning wears off after a week of not entering the 'wood.

Beings affected by the Yearning that start to spend more time in the 'wood can fall under the Hunger. A yearning creature that is in the wood at sundown needs to make a Wis save. Success means the character remains in the yearning state, and is immune to saves induced by being in the 'wood at sundown for a week.

Failure allows the 'wood to seep deeper into your psyche. Nature, red in both tooth and claw, begin to occupy your thoughts. Dreams drive you to kill and consume animals (and your friends if animals aren't visible) raw. Those suffering from the Hunger tend to develop a thousand-yard stare, as they try to retain control. The feelings toward the 'wood grow stronger, with a mild charm effect that must be overcome to leave or hurt the wood (Cha save to act normally).

Should a victim of the Hunger perceive a dead or Bloodied animal, a Wis save is required to not chase (or pounce if it is already dead) and begin to consume it raw. If the dead or bloodied creature is sentient, they get advantage on this role.

Further, the effects of the Hunger are physical, increasing speed by 5'.

The Hunger wears off after a week of not entering the 'wood.

A creature affected by the Yearning risks plummeting into madness and having their physiology warp to match it. A Hungry being that is in the 'wood at sundown needs to make a Wis save. Success means they're immune to further effects of the 'wood for a week. Failure means they become Ravenous.

Ravenous creatures can only consume raw meat. It seeks to serve the 'wood to the best of its ability. Attempts to convince it otherwise require the victim to overcome the 'wood's magic, but with disadvantage on the Cha save. The Hunger's desire to consume dead and the Bloodied is amplified, granting disadvantage on the save. This may result in a feeding frenzy effect as bands of Ravenous will dogpile wounded characters.

At this stage, the 'wood effectively has adopted the victim. This means victims will generally work together to aid the 'wood. This tends to prevent bands of Ravenous from imploding, but not always…

The base speed increases an additional 5' and gain a +1 to Con or Strength, and -2 to Intelligence.

If a Ravenous creature consumes a sapient creature the effect is, in recent history at least, permanent. A remove curse, wish or miracle is required to remove the effect. If not, the Ravening will degrade to merely being Hunger after a week out of the 'wood. Of course, this requires the creature survive without food for a full week…

The Ferals are a tribe of wood elves that fell to the Greenwood Sickness en masse. Occasionally a non-elf will be seen in one of their raiding parties, as they seem to not attack other Ravenous and will even band together to accomplish their goals (which is usually to find raw meat, though not always).

The wood provides most of their needs, but when food is scarce, they will raid civilized villages along the periphery of the 'wood, dragging back those they do not consume immediately. They also pose a threat to those that work in the wood harvesting the great trees, and many lumberman go missing every year. Of course, some are seen again later with a hungry glint in their eye…

Ferals aren't stupid. Though driven by their hunger, they do trade in furs and other forest products (provided they're well fed and their counterparts are well armed). There are stories of vast villages deep in the 'wood with possibly tens of thousands of inhabitants.

Feral society seems to be united in the worship of some sort of hungry forest spirit. Details, however, are thin.