Black Forest
In a World of Eldritch Horrors, I Ascend with the Fourth Calamity
Contents
Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Black Forest (黑森林) |
| Type | Vast, corruption-infested forest 11 46. |
| Location | In the Wasteland World, directly north of the Ash Church 17 21. |
| Size | Nearly as large as a province on Blue Star 46. |
| Role | Early resource-gathering and leveling region for the Ash Apostles; training ground for the planned reinforcement of Fog Town 21 46. |
| First Appearance | Depicted in the opening cinematic 8. |
Geography
The Black Forest stretches across the horizon beyond the Ash Church. The first players initially work along its southern edge, moving east through relatively open ground rather than entering the woods themselves 11 21 22.
| Area / Landmark | Description |
|---|---|
| Southern outskirts | Black mud, half-meter-high withered yellow grass, scattered dark-barked trees, and a dried-up stream. The grass provides cover for approaching roaming monsters 14 22. |
| Eastern swamp | A muddy swamp bordered by dead trees and dark red vines; Ma Lou’s squad encounters a Human-Faced Poison Spider here 49. |
| Interior boundary | Fog becomes thick enough to obscure nearby objects, and the air smells of blood. Lu Ziye’s squad encounters Knight Kyle and his pursuers here 49. |
| Forest core | Several miles beyond the early wood-gathering area; the depths contain far more dangerous creatures than the outskirts 14 46. |
Nearby Settlements
- Ash Church — Stands at the forest’s edge beside coastal cliffs. Its Sanctuary Barrier provides the players with a protected base outside the surrounding wilderness 21 32 47.
- Abandoned Village — Lies southeast of the church. The first party initially avoids its elite monsters by hunting along the forest boundary instead 17 21.
- Fog Town — A settlement on the forest’s edge, protected by the Weeping Madonna. Its messengers are ambushed by aberrations near the forest 25.
- Winterhold — Located hundreds of kilometers away, across desolate hills and beyond the snow-covered Death Canyon 32.
Environment and Hazards
Landscape and Atmosphere
- Withered trees rise dozens of meters high, with twisted branches resembling hands clawing at the sky 47.
- Gray mist hangs over the outskirts, while thick black miasma fills the woods 22 47.
- The forest smells of rotting, fermenting earth and carries piercing howls, low roars, and bone-chilling winds 11 47.
- Some trees ooze black slime. A newcomer suspects one is alive, but this is not confirmed 48.
- Faint crimson lights flicker in the depths, accompanying sounds that make the first players suspect powerful monsters are nearby 11.
Corruption and Nightfall
- The forest’s miasma infects local corpses, producing Corrupted Villagers 12.
- After nightfall, thick black mist spreads from the depths, accompanied by howls and increased monster activity 16 29.
- Outside the church’s barrier, Darkmoon Mist Corruption can drain Sanity and cause hallucinations and whispers. Ma Lou’s nighttime expedition demonstrates the danger, though his fighting takes place in the nearby village 18.
- Lord of Ashes’ Blessing costs 10 Ash Coins and grants one hour of immunity to Darkmoon Mist Corruption. It does not protect against stage-two Mutants or stronger creatures 44.
Exploration Limits
- Beginners are advised to form squads of 5–10 members and travel with experienced players 47.
- Environmental sounds can attract monsters; Lu Ziye instructs his squad to move quietly and avoid stepping on random vines 48.
- Zero-tier enemies remain dangerous to unarmed players. Coordinated attacks, weapons, and crowd control are essential to the newcomers’ successful hunts 47 48.
- Monsters do not respawn. Clearing one stretch of forest permanently removes its existing population rather than resetting it for another farming session 32 33.
Known Creatures
| Creature | Documented Tier | Presence / Traits |
|---|---|---|
| Corrupted Villager | Zero tier | Roams the outskirts and nearby village. These infected corpses move slowly, lack a sense of pain, and possess a keen sense of smell 12 21 48. |
| Mutant Hound | First tier | Tumor-covered hounds are lured from the forest into the players’ killing pit 27 28. |
| Mutant Werewolf | First tier | Roams deeper in the forest; joins Flesh Fusion’s beast tide against the Ash Church 35. |
| Human-Faced Poison Spider | Not stated | A calf-sized spider with a human face on its abdomen, encountered near the eastern swamp. Its appearance initially resembles a human-head fruit hanging from a tree 49. |
| Rift Ghoul | Not stated | Two accompany three Fallen Cultists pursuing Knight Kyle near the boundary with the interior 49. |
| High-tier Evil God’s Servants | High tier; exact ranks unspecified | Identified among the threats lurking within the forest 46. |
Resources
- Wood and Blackwood Trees — Used for construction and crude weapons. The first party gathers timber at the edge after losing access to further revivals; Ma Lou later tests Ashen Missile against a Blackwood Tree 14 23.
- Stones, flint, vines, and resin — Used to assemble spears, stone hammers, axes, and Lu Ziye’s stone-shard spiked club 21 22.
- Herbs — Ma Lou reports picking every herb in the locally cleared area 33.
- Monster materials — Jiahao searches slain creatures for usable remains; later squads target unfamiliar monsters for their materials 23 49.
- Experience and Ash Coins — A zero-tier Corrupted Villager yields 10 experience and 2 Ash Coins in documented kills 18 48.
History and Major Events
Early Outskirts Expeditions
Before the players’ arrival, the old priest protecting Sivir dies at the forest’s edge. Fallen Cultists later declare their intention to eliminate the weakened gods whose temples stand around its boundary 30 33.
After their disastrous encounter with the Cave Stalker, the five first-test players gather wood near the Black Forest to complete a house-building quest and earn revival money. Ji Luo subsequently redirects their expeditions along the outskirts, combining resource collection with attacks on isolated Corrupted Villagers 14 21.
Ma Lou reaches First Tier, level 1 through these coordinated hunts. The other four reach the same stage by evening, giving the entire party access to Ash Apostle combat skills 22 23.
Clearing the Local Population
The party builds a concealed, stake-lined pit beside the church and repeatedly lures forest monsters into it. In one day, they kill 214 zero-tier Corrupted Villagers and 12 first-tier Mutant Hounds, reach level 3, and earn more than 100 Ash Coins each 27 28.
The following morning, Ma Lou searches a full kilometer without finding another Corrupted Villager. The party discovers that its victims do not respawn; Lin En recognizes that they have eliminated several years’ accumulation of low-tier monsters in that locality 32 33.
This clearance affects only a small patch near the church, not the immense forest as a whole 46.
Beast Tide
Flesh Fusion gathers nearby aberrations into an assault on the Ash Church. The attacking force includes first-tier Mutant Werewolves from deeper in the forest, surviving villagers from the abandoned settlement, and other large monsters 35.
Lin En grants unlimited free revivals for the defense. The players hold the breached barrier and eventually kill Flesh Fusion with a coordinated, enhanced Ashen Spiral Spear 36 40.
Second-Beta Exploration
Lin En chooses the forest’s outer fringes to train fifty newcomers before sending them toward Fog Town. Their beginner quest, Trial of the Black Forest, requires killing any one zero-tier Mutant and rewards 10 Ash Coins 46.
The five veterans each lead ten newcomers, supplying weapons and guidance in exchange for 30% of their squads’ Ash Coin earnings. Their combined fifty-five-person force enters the forest and divides into separate hunting teams 47 48.
As exploration extends farther from the church, the teams encounter unfamiliar threats. Ma Lou’s squad finds the Human-Faced Poison Spider, while Lu Ziye’s reaches the interior boundary and intervenes to save Knight Kyle from Fallen Cultists and Rift Ghouls 49 50.