Numerous fey creatures live within Darkmoon Vale, especially in Darkmoon Wood. Most of the fey in the vale bow to the beautiful and beneficent nymph queen Syntira, but enough do not that the people who live near the wood mistrust any creature even resembling fey. An ongoing cold war exists between the fey (even those loyal to Syntira) and the humans, with each side secretly (and not-so-secretly) killing off its opponents. Syntira continues working with the Greenfire Circle in the hopes of making a peace, but as of yet her efforts have proven fruitless. Syntira and her subjects watch in agony as humans cut away at her domain, squeezing the fey into a smaller holding with each swing of the axe.
Numerous kinds of fey live throughout the wood and the vale, and up until very recently all of them were a friendly but ribald bunch. Many nights, particularly those of some celestial significance (such as solstices, equinoxes, full moons, new moons) and many of no significance at all (cloudy nights, starry nights, moonless nights) found the fey of Darkmoon Wood partying into the wee hours of the morning. These loud, boisterous celebrations of life occasionally spooked jittery and superstitious lumberjacks, who reported the noise and lights to their Lumber Consortium bosses. In order to ease the minds of his simple employees, Thuldrin Kreed sent a contingent of enforcers into the Wood. The Lumber Consortium mercenaries had little effect, and several of them never re-emerged from among the trees. Thus began the barely tenable situation that exists today.
Although fey and humans still mostly tolerate one another, rumors of strange deer-riding fey entering the northern reaches of the Wood have lumberjacks concerned of a build-up of war-oriented fey. Druids of the Greenfire Circle have also reported that some fey seem on the verge of rebellion against Queen Syntira. Among those listed as agitators include her own sister, who the Greenfire believes could bring many other fey to her side, should she rebel against Syntira’s rule.
Syntira - The Mysterious Queen
Nymph queen of the Darkmoon Vale fey and direct emissary of the First World, Syntira is one of the Eleven Eternal Monarchs of the fey. As an Eternal Monarch, Syntira and her court lived in Darkmoon Vale long before even the first dwarves looked upon its verdant green.
A peace-loving and fair-minded queen—rare gifts among the Eternal Monarchs—Syntira constantly seeks diplomatic solutions in her dealings with mortals. She speaks softly and quickly, but she never sounds or looks hurried or rushed. As an immortal being, Syntira takes her time to weigh options and seeks multiple solutions for any presented challenge.
Unfortunately, though, mortals prove remarkably adept at rejecting reason when presented with the promise of wealth. As such, Syntira has on more than one occasion led her fey in short guerilla wars. When roused to such anger, Syntira becomes a cold and frighteningly effective warlord, leading her subjects in a series of precise hit-and-run strikes throughout Darkmoon Wood and its surroundings. Even when roused to anger, though, Syntira avoids bloodlust and insists on showing mercy to noncombatants and those warriors who surrender or who are too injured to fight.