Wilhelm Wood

Wilhelm Wood is a living forest that harvests the souls of the dead, be they curious wanderers or complete madmen. Wandering into Wilhelm is easy; its path is often marked in cursed places around the world, either by posts or warning signs such as writing on the wall. Legends regard a certain area of woods to be evil and associated with witchcraft and the like. When said area is coincidentally given the title of Wilhelm its presence is strong, and communities that live by it are occasionally victims of unnatural disasters.

Getting lost in Wilhelm is not an automatic death sentence, as it often forces the traveler to undergo a journey of spiritual awakening. Travelers must face supernatural manifestations of their darkest fears and desires. The line between hallucinations and incarnations are often blurred. It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done, if anything, the powers of Wilhelm are not picky and will torment any plucky traveler that strays into it. The nature of the things you encounter are subjective to what kind of person you are, and what kind of person you want to be. More benevolent souls will come out stronger and better people should they overcome their inner conflict. The selfish often stay lost forever or if they do escape they live out the remainder of their lives with the bleak memory of the horrors they faced. The irredeemable and truly depraved never get out of Wilhelm Wood alive. The truly innocent however, as rare as they may be, will never learn of Wihelm Wood's existence for as long as they live.

Notable Locations
Wilhelm is divided into several areas and populated by its own bizarre denizens:

The Cold Wood
The Cold Wood is the most commonly explored area. It is comprised of many kinds of trees that are out of place, many of which are leafless or dead. Naturally the place is often shrouded by a thick fog. The Wood operates on a peculiar day and night cycle. Weather can change in an instant, and the position of the sun often shifts under the cover of storm clouds (the sun setting in the north for example). Compasses are also useless here. It is the home of a mysterious group of mute strangers known only as The Weird Folk. They are rumored to be manifestations of Wilhelm Wood or psychopomps, and are always dressed in black robes or coats and animal masks. When they aren't praying, dancing or wandering the Wood, they generally stand motionless, watching people's movements. They will follow people around if they allow them to and sometimes even let outsiders dance with them.

Like the Weird Folk, this area of the forest is dead quiet: there are no bugs, no birds, or any other animals to be seen anywhere for miles. The Weird Folk don't always make themselves known either. One can be wandering in the empty vale for hours and never find anything but miles of trees. A sense of abandonment hangs in the air.

The Swamp
The Swamp is a large forest that shifts and loops. An individual could be walking past the same set of rocks and trees for hours before despair sets in. Depending how well one reacts to the visions they've sure to had by now, or if you're just plain unlucky, they'll find the Swamp. It is in the center of Wilhelm Wood and is alive. All manner of freakish bugs and lizards can be found creeping around here.

The Swamp is dangerously close to a cave that leads to the Evil Caves.

The Frozen Wastes
As the name implies, it is always snowing in The Frozen Wastes, though oddly enough it is not unbearably cold. This largely depends on what the person who enters it is like, as people with dark histories or malicious intent will feel the full brunt of the weather while innocent people are left mostly unaffected. Scattered throughout this snowy landscape are ancient stone ruins of different time periods and timelines. The expanse of the wastes are huge, a great sweeping flat plain of snow and the occasional moth.

One might run into The Mad Beetle here, a gigantic man beetle who stupidly wanders the wastes in search of a love he forgot. He mostly speaks in riddles, but is probably the most benign creature anyone can run into, unless they're totally heinous. He'll earnestly try to help travelers find their path home, but will confuse facts and ramble on useless tangents before shambling off again singing nonsense. The Weird Folk never appear in his presence.

The Evil Caves
The Evil Caves is the most dangerous place in Wilhelm Wood. It is a series of pitch black, underground caverns full of nameless monsters that may or may not be real. Should a traveler exit the Caves unscathed, they will find The Temple of Flesh, a disturbing structure made from the combined flesh, bones and organs of various species. It is both a prison and a gateway to yet another, more horrible dimension whose nature is shrouded in mystery. It is protected by a threshold guardian to ensure that the realm beyond is never released. This dimension is said to be the home of a nefarious god that lives in the darkness beyond the stars, completely oblivious of our universe.