Setting Introduction

In the far away world of Everden, on the eastern coast of a great continent, lies a vast forest nestled between the mountains and the sea. This is the Humblewood, an ancient and magical place that hums an endless song, sung to the Great Rhythm of life and death. The Wood, as it is known to its inhabitants, is not like any other forest. The trees are old and powerful, with rare specimens that reach as tall as small mountains. Here familiar beasts grow to unusual sizes, bearing markings and patterns unique to the Wood. This region is also home to two groups of animal-like humanoid races, the birdfolk and the humblefolk. Together they share the Wood and its bountiful resources.
In the early years, the birdfolk and humblefolk lived close to each other in small villages around the forest. These isolated communities were vulnerable to an organization of brigands and marauders who called themselves the "Bandit Coalition." To protect themselves from the Coalition, the birdfolk built fortified cities in the forest’s canopy. Joining forces with the humblefolk, the birdfolk army, known as the "Perch Guard", drove back the bandits, bringing peace and security to the region. Over time, birdfolk culture spread, and the capital city of Alderheart became the most politically influential place in the Wood.
But the Wood has also known sorrow. Not long after the founding of Alderheart, a massive forest fire known as "The Great Calamity" burned a portion of the Wood. The origins of the fire are unknown, but it left the area permanently damaged. To this day, it is called the "Scorched Grove," an arid field of ash that has since become home to many strange flame-infused creatures.
The Tenders, an organization of druids and mystics, dedicate themselves to healing the Scorched Grove with natural magics. Set up in conclaves around the Wood, they provide aid whenever forest fires strike. Yet, since the Grove’s burning, the Wood has known relatively few fires. Nature’s balance, though, can be disrupted by a single spark.
Recently, fires have begun to rage through the Wood with a strength and fury not seen since ages past. Forest-dwellers are again being displaced from their homes, seeking refuge in Alderheart, and perch-dwellers are doing what they can to keep themselves safe up in their canopy sanctuaries. Relations between the humblefolk and birdfolk are tense. Moreover, a newly invigorated Bandit Coalition swells in numbers. Its sights are set upon Alderheart, where those displaced by the flames seek a means of survival.
You are a citizen of the Wood, caught up in this turmoil. Or perhaps you are a storyteller from another world. Either way, the future of the Wood is yours to write. Within this book you will find all the tools you need to build your character, travel the land, and create your own Humblewood story. Whether or not Humblewood is able to survive the flames is up to you.
Go forth and adventure!
Only you can restore balance to the Wood

The birdfolk races of Humblewood are as diverse and unique as the forest itself. Only the skillful survive the forest,
and the birdfolk have become masters of both the forest floor and the canopies above, creating several settlements (known colloquially as "perches") throughout the Wood. Despite regional differences and cultural peculiarities among the different kinds of birdfolk in the Wood, the birdfolk races nevertheless share much of their culture, language, history, and origin myths. This solidarity has allowed them to work together and prosper, creating a harmony in the Wood which has lasted for an age.
While a diverse group, adapted for a variety of environments within the Wood, birdfolk also share several physical traits which have allowed them to find common ground in the construction of their perches. Beyond the obvious physical similarities, all birdfolk possess arms covered in feathers, which extend into wing-like appendages. While incapable of true powered flight, the strong hollow bones and lightweight bodies
of birdfolk allow them to easily use their feathered arms to glide, and unless severely encumbered, all birdfolk can recover
gracefully from what would otherwise be a deadly fall. In some birdfolk races these wings have grown strong enough to bear
their owners upwards in a mighty flap, while others instead developed talons which make for both deadly defensive weapons and useful tools for scaling tall trees.
The birdfolk have established themselves as a political force to be reckoned with in Humblewood. They shaped their mighty capital from the great tree Alderheart, and from this bastion of safety their ruling body, the Birdfolk Council, makes decisions which impact all of Humblewood. The birdfolk are well-defended from outside threats thanks to the Perch Guard, a force of soldiers trained in both aerial and ground combat, that keeps their cities and the denizens within safe.
While Alderheart has been a beacon of peace and harmony for many years, the coming of the fires has thrown the region
into chaos. The Perch Guard forces are spread thin across the canopy cities, barely able to secure the main roads for merchants while keeping their homes safe from the blazes. Now the great birdfolk cities face more threats from bandits and forest fires than ever before. Through it all, though, the birdfolk trust in solidarity, between themselves and the diverse groups of habitants who call their perches home, to weather the coming storm as they have so many times before.

humblefolk" is used throughout the Wood to refer to the non-birdfolk peoples who live a little closer to the forest floor. Unlike the birdfolk, whose shared language, histories, myths, and culture have allowed them to exist in harmony for most of Humblewood’s history, the humblefolk represent a disparate group of peoples, cultures, and ways of seeing the world, many of whom haven’t always seen eye to eye.Ages ago, an accord was struck between the people of the forest floor to unite against roving bandits and quell the in-fighting that was wreaking havoc across the Wood. This accord was known as the "Humblefolk Treaty" and was witnessed by the birdfolk, who were just then beginning to shape the trunk of Alderheart. The birdfolk offered the humblefolk safety within their great city, and many accepted their offer. Over time, more and more humblefolk migrated to newly-established birdfolk perches, though many found birdfolk architecture to be restrictive for creatures without wings. In the same way, some groups of birdfolk, feeling too crowded within the booming perches, began to spread out and seek shelter within small woodland villages. Even today, the birdfolk who choose to live on the forest floor find themselves stigmatized, as a life in the canopy is considered proper in birdfolk society.
After the establishment of the treaty, humblefolk began to live once again in small woodland villages beneath the trees, although now in more diverse communities alongside some ground-dwelling birdfolk. With the expansion of the Humblefolk Treaty to allow humblefolk to call upon Perch Guard garrisons in times of crisis, and the birdfolk militias keeping the roads safe for merchant caravans, the Wood truly entered a golden age. Life for many humblefolk was peaceful and prosperous…until the fires came. With the spreading flames, humblefolk villagers petitioned the overextended Perch Guard for aid, only to see help arrive too late, if at all. To make matters worse, after many years the divisions between the humblefolk communities have intensified: those who found prosperity in the birdfolk cities have adopted a perch-dweller’s perspective, while those who live in the woodlands face a constant threat from brigands and forest fires. Others have even left to join the newly reformed Bandit Coalition, seeing not only a path for survival, but a chance to get even with the perch-dwelling birdfolk for broken oaths and unequal treatment. Yet, where the treaty holds, vibrant humblefolk communities can still be found. The humblefolk are resilient, and each race will devise a way to survive in this dangerous wood.