Full (albeit pointless!) disclosure: the concept was inspired by one of those countless drives from Ogden to work when I was doing that. I was coming down that hill on 89 south of the Chevron on a moonless fall night and was overcome with just how dark it was. Reminded me of being tiny and panicking when it was completely black, running around the corner and up the stairs as fast as I could to get to a safe, light place. Twas an uncomfortable and embarrassing memory, but at the same time, it provided contrast to the present, and how comfortable, serene, and safe this darkness seemed.
All of this is pure cheese, but writing involves embracing cheese. My imagination immediately wondered how people might react if that kind of pure darkness were suddenly permanent, and eventually, we came to this concept.
The Dawnless Woods became dawnless through artificial means. When the current grandparents were grandchildren, or perhaps it happened when their grandparents were children, a small and prosperous city-state was nestled in a certain woodlands, surrounded by larger and more militaristic neighbors on every side.
One citizen of that country, a prominent member of the local priesthood, was born with a natural affinity for magic. While priests in this culture become priests because they are able to wield Light magic, this one was famous for being able to use 'all' seven elements; in fact, he was so prodigious, he 'discovered' (it was known to other cultures, but not to his nation or the neighboring ones) the eight element: Darkness. This element carried new and dangerous implications, however, and the priest decided it was best to keep his discovery hidden.
Over a very long lifetime, the man became wise, and though the nation as a whole never quite engaged in a real war, the priest came to realize there may come a day when his precious countrymen would face an enemy they couldn't defeat. After all, should any one of their neighbors become enemies, the lone city would likely be crushed. Though he'd never been beyond those neighbors' borders, he was certain there was a wide world of potential threats out there, and no guarantees that those threats would never find their way to his homeland.
The priest prepared for such contingencies by etching an enormous rune over the landscape, disguising the task as a pilgrimage throughout the nation's borders. Throughout the journey, he marked the landscape in the written language of magic. Should he ever give the signal, the environment would rearrange itself and become something new, allowing him to wield the Darkness without revealing the weapon to any potential witnesses.
One day, the rest of the world woke to find that dawn hadn't come to their inner neighbor. The trees had become tall and thick enough to pierce the thick roof of clouds above them, a ceiling that the wind refused to disperse. Sunlight could not penetrate this new canopy, and to this day, nobody from the outside world knows what changed in that final night. Naturally, rumors and legends were born to explain the change away, but none of the stories mentioned a priest, his preparations for an unknown emergency, or what may have inspired him to put that plan in motion.
It matters little now. A nation disappeared, the world shrugged, and life went on. The Dawnless Woods exist, the world has adapted to them, and the clan thrives at its edge. Their livelihood is defined by what they harvest from the 'monsters' within the woods, and the horrible rumors about what happens in the Dawnless Woods protects the clan from the 'monsters' that inspired them to seek refuge at the forest's edge.
That reads a little closer to an actual story, but try to forgive how rough this is. Comic Con is happening later this week, and it's Labor Day, and I can't motivate myself to give this the editor's treatment it deserves. Thus, it's stuck between blog-speak and actual prose. Anyhoo, feel free to share any thoughts or questions you might have about this little piece of fantasy geography and history, and feel especially free to contribute any "oh, I bet/it would be so cool if *this* was happening in that place!" you may be feeling!
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