Burning Woods

The Burning Woods were a forest in the Shadowfell and a reflection of the Neverwinter Woods, a forest on the Prime Material world of Toril.

Geography
The woods stood not far beyond the eastern walls of the city of Evernight. The Shadowfell Road that began in the city traveled through this forest, beginning in a desolate stretch of wasteland with calf-deep mounds of gray ash and faintly glowing embers. Once it reached the woods proper it became narrow forest paths, twisting and turning between the trees, where those who traveled without care could go miles in the wrong direction or end up where they began.

Geographical Features
Portions of this forest were swathed in extreme heat, pervasive smoke, or both due to the active volcano that stood within it. On occasion gouts of fire, lava, or small stones could be found raining from the sky due to it.

Flora & Fauna
The trees that filled this forest were blackened and glowing, in a perpetual state of burning ever since they were saplings. Some of these trees were sentient and quite angry, known to lash out at those who came near them.

Burrowing undead could occasionally be found living within the heavy ash mounds of the forest, such as carcass eaters and corpse vampires. Bandits and other predators could be found lurking near its twisted forest paths, as they were the only truly usable roads.

Notable Locations

 * Den of the Hunters, a small earthen cave in the woods that was mostly protected from the occasional rains of fire. In 1479 DR, it was being used as a temporary home by a small group of bandits made up of mortal humanoids, shadar-kai, and "hunting hounds." These hounds were in fact humanoids that had been corrupted by the Shadowfell into having animalistic minds and deformed into running on all fours. Together they hunted the Shadowfell for mere sport.
 * Mount Hotenow, the Shadowfell's reflection of a volcano of the same name on the Prime Material world of Toril. It was constantly spewing ash and cinder into the air. Rivers of magma flowed down from it into various parts of the Burning Woods, which had fires dancing along their banks and emitted thick gouts of smoke.