Tepest Land of the Fey

We recently received a copy of this Tepest report here enclosed. Please note that it contradicts previous information on file for this forsaken and backward place.

Viktor Hazan's note to the Fraternity (Note: Quotation was not written by article writer. I don't know whether it was Joel or someone else and I don't want to steal credit but I like the idea. I wish I had it)

In many places Tepest Land of the Fey is a place of breathtaking beauty. Outside the Hagwood and some other places it appears to be a lovely forest with stately trees, burbling brooks and rolling hills of green. Don't let it fool you as it as deadly a place as any in Ravenloft. Shadow Fey are everywhere and have no love for man. The road through it is safe as any though, its supernatural inhabitants (Save the Three Sisters) can not enter the road.

The Hagwood is a big exception. It is a really spooky forest full of dead trees , undead treants, death's head trees and other nasty dread plants. It looks like a place only a fool would enter and that impression is very correct. Only truly powerful and well equipped parties can enter and come back out alive without a lot of luck on their side. The Three Sisters live in the heart of it and only the truly stupid or stupendously powerful will dare enter without their leave. There are no settlements anywhere near the Hagwood as Tepesti are neither stupid or suicidal. The road going through the Hagwood is fairly safe however, if you stick to the road you only have to worry about typical dangers such as highwaymen or normal wolves. All hags there are Ravenloft Hag.

The Goblinwood is safer as goblinoids are the most common creature here. Goblins, orcs, hobgoblins and bugbears all make their home here but the Tepesti don't differentiate between them, they are all goblins in their eyes. The Shadow Fey are a bit rarer here as they find the goblinoids both uninteresting and loud. They fight mainly amongst each other . The road is the most dangerous here as goblinoids aren't supernatural but since they fight mainly with each other and are no tougher than standard goblinoids they aren't much of a threat to any armed party. A standard guarded trade caravan will get through undisturbed. Keleeis in the Goblinwood.

The Wytchwood is the heart of the fey. It is the area most full of fey of various sorts. It is second only to the Hagwood in danger and that is because no hags live here. Despite the lack of hags the locals consider it near certain death to enter and they are right. There may be no hags but plenty of Sith and Black Sprites. Except for very powerful parties only fools and madmen wishing to die enter the woods here. There is a clearing that is safe however and that is where Vikita is. The hills that are part of the clearing are rich in copper and tin ore.

Brujamonte is clearly the safest of the forests with less fey than elsewhere outside of Bruja which are no more evil than elsewhere.The only lycanthropes in the domain dwell here, a pack of werewolves and a den of werebadgers. Brigdarow is the settlement here and is full of grapes. Not the tastiest grapes but certainly edible.

Tepesti are considered unfriendly by most as they never invite anyone anywhere. This is a misreading of the Tepesti who are actually quite friendly. Those who know them know it is to guard against the fey. They have no problems with people they know dropping by unannounced , they simply don't invite them as they could be actually inviting a fey in disguise. In Tepest no fey can enter a building uninvited. As such no inn rents rooms, they rent cabins. If a fey is accidently invited to a visitor's dwelling only the cabin is at risk not the whole inn.

The Tepesti take a good deal of pride that their work is mostly for the poor and lower middle class. Their jewelry , instead of going to a relative handful of nobles and merchants, are sold to thousands of peasants and workers all over the core. Their clothing is cheap, rugged clothing that is well suited for the hard work done by the poor. Their wine is a cheap way for the working class stiff to get drunk. It is production for the masses instead of a relative handful of snooty nobles. Tepesti tend to be a hard working , rugged people.

Even the nobles can't be too showy as that would be a major cultural sin. Their main benefits are power, a good number of servants, good food and a well kept up dwelling not fancy jewelry or clothing although they are a cut above the masses. Still their jewels and clothing are considered good for middle class and lower upper class merchants not nobles in other domains.