The Myth of Arden:
The Lonely Woodie

Once upon a time, Arden the tree lived happily with his friends in The Wondermist Forest. It was a wondrous place where the birds chirped and the forest friends scampered and scurried along the limbs of the friendly trees. Every day was filled with joy and fun under the canopy of their lovely little world.

Breezy spring mornings shifted to the longer days of summer. One warm morning the birds chirped louder and the forest friends scurried faster. Something was different, and they were scared.

Arden opened his eyes and once they adjusted to the much too bright sunlight, he couldn’t believe what he saw. All of the other trees had vanished! He could see the sky and an open field all around him.

“What the fungus!? Where is everyone?”

“The logger! He came in the night!” replied Sparrow.

That’s when Arden saw the horrible truth. Under the leaves and broken branches that littered the forest floor he saw the only thing that remained of his tree friends. Stumps. They didn’t leave, they were taken! Now Arden was the only tree left.

He tried for days to shelter the animals but the harsh sun scalded his leaves, and little by little, most of the animals had to leave to find new shelter. Days turned to weeks and Arden grew sad and lonely.

One crisp fall day, Arden lost his first leaf of the season. Soon it would be winter. The remaining birds would fly to warmer climates and the forest friends would hibernate and Arden would truly be alone. His friends weren’t coming back. Arden knew what he had to do. He would have to go out into the world himself, searching high and low, to find his tree friends. Only they weren’t tree friends anymore since they’d been removed from their roots. If Arden wanted to find them he knew his time as a tree was over as well.

Arden would have to become… A 𝕎𝕆𝕆𝔻𝕀𝔼.

He called over his forest friends to tell them of his plans. The forest friends were sad Arden was leaving too but Arden promised they’d see each other again. The forest friends helped him by gnawing at the base of his trunk until… TIMMMMMBERRRRRR!!!! thud

“Oww!"

Arden said as he stood, wobbling as he adjusted to his new mobility. He looked toward the tire tracks on the north side of the forest and began to walk, following his only lead.

…and that is the story of Arden the Woodie, who is now searching for his friends. Nothing is going to stop him. As for that logger… well… let’s just say the logger better hope Arden doesn’t find him too.

Arden followed the tire tracks as far as he could but when he reached a road, he didn’t know which way to go. He closed his eyes and tried to listen to his instincts. He looked both ways, and then decided he’d go toward the sun. Luckily for Arden, it was the right direction.

Arden stayed alert as he traveled for any sound or any sighting of the Woodies, but to no avail. But then, just as his new legs couldn’t take him any further, he heard something. He looked toward the sound and saw…a person.

At first Arden was a bit scared. He didn’t know if this was the horrible logger he’d been told about, but then the person smiled.

Realizing this person was friendly, Arden decided to take a leap of faith. “Excuse me, can you help me please? You see, I’m trying to find my friends. They were taken by the logger and I need to find them before it’s too late,” said Arden. He looked up at the person with hope.

“Yes, of course I’ll help you find the Woodies!”

Arden was filled with glee! Surely his search would go faster with some help. Before he knew it, a whole group of wonderful people formed a search party and were out searching for the Woodies. They searched high and low, and for a long time there was no sign of his friends. Even so, Arden and his new friends would not give up.

Arden traveled the world, staying with kind hosts who even took photos of him out having what was turning out to be a rather wondrous adventure!

Finally, one day after everyone’s diligent efforts, the clues led Arden and the search party to a small group of his Woodie friends! Although they were a bit shaken, they seemed to be unharmed.

“Arden! You found us!”

“We found you! These are my friends who helped me search. We've been looking all over the place! But where are the others?” asked Arden.

The Woodies looked sad and one of them said, “Well, it’s a bit of a long story.”

Willow

It was getting dark and all of the Woodies were bundled together on the back of the logger’s truck. They were feeling so wilted, tired, and scared.

“Oh Willow, I didn’t see you there,” said Laurel. “You’re so little.”

Willow was wriggling between between Douglas and Laurel. She was smaller than the other Woodies and had been making her way around the truck throughout the day.

“Have you seen Arden? I can’t find him anywhere. I don’t think he’s here or he would’ve responded when I called for him” said Willow, sad and anxious about her best friend.

“No, I haven’t seen him, but I can’t see much from here to be honest. I can’t move around like you can with your thin, bendy branches.”

Those words gave Willow an idea! She was the only one limber enough to maneuver herself to the back of the truck where she could squeeze through a gap in the truck's gate. She could go back to the forest to find Arden and the two of them together could get help and save the rest of the Woodies! The other Woodies tried to talk her out of it. She’d surely get lost, or run out of sap, or trip and become a fallen log, but Willow was determined and very brave! She had the ability to help, and so she must.

“I’ll get a good look at the truck once I get out! I’m pretty sure there was a picture on the side of it. I’ll use that to find you all!”

They said their goodbyes, Willow wedged herself through the gap, and as the truck sped off, did her best to remember every detail about the picture on the side of the truck, which happened to be just like the Logger’s face!

With that image burned into her memory, the search began. Willow followed the road until she came to a place where it split in two. She’d have to pick a direction. Unfortunately, it was the wrong one, and Willow soon got lost. She wandered, searching for Arden or the Woodies until one day she decided that the best course of action was to stay in one place. Surely Arden was looking for her and the Woodies by now too. She’d make herself as easy to find as she could, leaving notes about her location scribbled on leaves and passing messages along to forest friends.

A lot of time passed, and though she hadn’t completely lost hope, sad and lonely Willow set up a neat little home for herself, doing her best to hide from hikers and unfriendly creatures. One day, however, she was caught off guard and was spotted by someone walking the trail. She was scared at first, but then the person smiled wide before turning back and yelling—

“ARDEN! Arden, come quick! I’ve found one of your friends!”

Arden and Willow were thrilled to be reunited. They sat outside giggling as Arden shared stories of his search party adventures, until the time came for Willow to tell him of that dreadful morning the logger arrived.

“It was still dark. His rusty old truck woke the others and me. He smiled at our forest and then lifted a gleaming, heavy axe. He was chopping us down! He was methodical, strong, and fast, as if he’d done it a million times before.

“Thankfully, Merkle knew we were in trouble through the root network. She told us we would be alright. As each of us fell from the logger’s axe, her magic took over. We were transformed into Woodies!” Willow said. “We tried to run away, but our legs weren’t ready.”

“He was about to swing at you, but realized you wouldn’t fit in the back of his truck. We were piled high, tied down and held in by rails to either side. The logger put his axe in the back, and closed the gate. We all rumbled away, out of the forest. That’s all that saved you. He’s a bad, bad man, Arden.”

Arden couldn’t believe he had slept through all this. He was even more surprised to learn that Merkle, the mother tree, was also the one responsible for his transformation, when the forest friends cut him down.

“If not for her magic, you would have become a log instead of a Woodie,” Willow said. “Oh, Merkle Tree! I can’t hear her anymore. I’ve tried to connect to the root network but I can’t understand. Can you?”

“No, she hasn’t spoken to me since the Logger came,” Arden replied, thinking back on that lonely time.

“She was probably weak without the energy we normally send to our roots,” Willow said.

Arden perked up with a newfound motivation: “We’ll go help her once we find the others!”

“Yes! There’s so much to do! I think catch up time is over, Arden. Hey, Woodies!” Willow hollered. “Can you come out here?”

Hoping for more clues, Willow convinced the found Woodies to finally share details of their escapes. A revelation came: Willow’s brave escape from the truck made enough room inside for another Woodie to wiggle their way out, then another, and another after that. However, they didn’t know how many had escaped.

“Even if everyone escaped, we still have to find them,” said Arden. “They may be camping near the lumber yard.”

Each Woodie added details and landmarks to the collection of clues on the Logger’s whereabouts. Together with their search party friends, they narrowed down the area of the lumber yard until finally there was a lead. One of the search party members discovered the Logger’s website with a nice colorful picture of the Logger himself.

“That’s him!” squealed Willow. “This is it! We know where to find them!”

They hopped up and down in an excited huddle, and Arden shouted, “Let’s go save the Woodies!”

The Logger

The search party took a caravan toward the Logger’s lumber yard in a small mountain town. It was far away in a place they had not yet searched. As predicted, they found more Woodies along the way! Most of them had escaped the truck but a small group had made it all the way to the lumber yard that night.

One Woodie told Arden the story. “When the Logger opened the door a bunch of us jumped out of the truck and ran into the woods! He immediately slammed the gate shut and plugged the hole with a piece of wood board he had nearby, trapping the remaining Woodies in the truck. The Logger was so surprised. We’d still resembled logs when he’d last seen us.”

Before they ran into the surrounding forest, they managed to see endless piles of logs and stacks of wood sheets and planks from different regions the Logger had visited.

“Oak Arrow stopped running and told a few of us to find the escaped Woodies and get help. They were going to save those trapped in the truck. We eventually found some escaped Woodies, but never found the lumber yard again,” said the Woodie.

The caravan finally arrived at the lumber yard. A painted wooden sign by the driveway read “Exotic Woods and Furniture”. All four tires on the Logger’s truck were flat and there were no Woodies in sight. The cut lumber was still there but only a couple of piles of logs remained. The Logger was outside sanding a raw edge tabletop with a large dog lying beside him.

The search party approached through the forest, careful not to make noise, but a single twig snapped underfoot. The dog ran toward the forest barking and gnarling his teeth. The Logger spun around and picked up his axe.

“I know you’re out there. Show yourselves!” yelled the disheveled Logger with madness in his eyes. Everyone stood still. The dog stopped barking and the Logger returned to his work, grumbling.

“Psst.”

Arden and Willow turned to see some masked Woodies step out from behind some trees, including one tough looking Woodie carrying a bow and arrows.

“What are you doing? You’re going to ruin our ambush!” whispered the Woodie, removing their mask.

“Oak Arrow? Is that you? We’re here to save you all! Who are you ambushing?” asked Willow.

“The Logger! We’re here to recover the last of the logs!” said Oak Arrow, looking suspisiously at the search party. “Who are they?”

“They are my friends. They helped me find everyone. Who are they?” asked Arden, looking at the unfamiliar Woodies.

“They are my friends. They’re from the other regions. They’re helping me steal all the logs back from the Logger. Merkle and the other Elementals have been working to revive the Woodie spirit from each one,” said Oak Arrow.

“That’s wonderful! What can we do to help?” asked Arden.

“Just stay out of the way. We’ve got this planned. Ok, Woodies. Ready? ATTACK!”

Arden and the search party hid as the masked Woodies charged into the lumber yard. Oak Arrow and some others went toward the Logger and the dog. The rest went to the log piles.

“No! Not again! I won’t let you take everything away from me!” shouted the Logger, swinging his axe at the Woodies. They fought and circled around him, harnessing the dog and avoiding the axe while the others carried the logs into the forest, prompting everyone hiding in the forest to run over and help.

Willow and Arden were halfway to the log pile when they saw the logger’s axe strike a Woodie, immediately turning her into a log.

“No!” yelled Willow.

The logger turned to glance at the woods, and the Woodies were able to knock him down.

He got up and ran toward his house but Arden blocked his way.

“Stop right there! You hurt my friends! You destroyed my home! You are a monster and I won’t let you get away with this!”

Arden charged at the logger but he was much too small. He fell back onto the ground. The logger picked up his axe over his head and stepped over Arden, ready to swing his axe. For a moment, Arden was terrified, but then the whole search party and all of the Woodies ran up behind him.

“Enough, Logger!” shouted Willow, as she helped Arden stand.

“Put the axe down, man!” added one member of the search party.

The Logger stood in the middle of his lumber yard, completely surrounded, with Oak Arrow’s bow aimed at him. He slowly lowered his axe, still grimacing.

“Fine. Take all the wood! But know that I’ll just get more. I’ll cut down every rare forest I can find, little tree man. Now get out of here. You’re all trespassing!” shouted the Logger, as he hurried over to his house and slammed the door.

The search party and the Woodies left, taking the last of the logs with them, including the one struck by the Logger’s axe. Oak Arrow led them on a long journey to the big camp, where all of the rescued and revived Woodies had been living.

There were so many Woodies, they almost looked like a forest; A short, fidgety forest with feet. Merkle and the other elementals still had many logs left to turn into Woodies, but for now, they were found, and safe.

Arden sat beside Willow and some search party members in the camp. “Willow, I’ve been thinking. I don’t think I can live in the forest anymore. There’s this whole world out there, and I don’t have roots anymore anyway. I need to help protect other forests from the Logger and others like him. I think I can convince one of my search party friends to let me stay with them.”

“I’ve been thinking the same thing, but we can’t just go live with them,” said Willow.

“Sure you can!” said one person.

“You can absolutely stay with me,” said another.

All the search party members were in agreement. They would adopt one or more Woodies and take care of them!

“It’s settled then! We’re going to live with our new friends!” said Arden.

So the Woodies went to live all over the world. They go on new adventures, learn all sorts of new things, and teach everyone they meet about caring for nature and each other.

The Mask Maker of Muckshire

The bogs of Muckshire are filled with soggy mud and rotting plants, but also where the rich earth is perfect for new growth. These constant cycles of life and death, beginnings and endings, are overseen by Yanu, the mischievous earth spirit who lives in the peaty land.

Like other spirits, Yanu can take on a physical form, but he particularly adores shape-shifting. He spends his time sourcing vibrant clays, minerals, and other natural pigments to use as paint on enchanted masks he crafts for himself. On any given day, Yanu skips around playing pranks and scaring the animals by embodying the creatures they most fear.

There was only one being who could keep him in check, and she was on her way to Muckshire. He could sense her approach through the root and fungal network that permeated his earthy domain.

He and Merkle butted heads often as they worked closely together over their shared tasks of decay and rebirth. He hid, planning to frighten her when she arrived.

“Yanu, I know you’re there. Come on out,” said Merkle as she materialized into her physical form and stood on a squishy patch of moss. Yanu emerged from the murky water, wearing a complex mask with horns and hypnotizing eyes.

“Ruining my fun again... What brings you to my abode? Have you brought some truffles for your dearest old friend?” asked Yanu in a mocking voice. He shook like a dog, spattering mud on Merkle, but she was unfazed.

“No nonsense today, please. I need your help.”

“Oh! What a glorious day it is. Merkle finally admits to needing little ol’ me! Follow me to my hut. I need to paint this beautiful scene on my walls,” gloated Yanu.

“There’s no time. You know if I’m here then it must be serious. Something terrible has happened in the Wondermist Forest.”

“I don’t care,” said Yanu, who was now picking bright red berries and putting them in his pouch.

Merkle rolled her eyes. “I know you don’t, but your land is in danger too. Have you seen a man with an axe wander through here? Likely exploring off the main roads.”

“Maybe.”

“Look, Yanu. This man chopped down an entire forest, leaving only one tree. I managed to turn the trees into Woodies to save them, but there are thousands of other logs at his home! My magic alone isn’t enough to save those that aren’t freshly cut.”

“What’s in it for me?” asked Yanu.

“If you don’t, I’ll release the branches that dam the river and have your water drained into the Samacaha Swamp. You should also know that all the other spirits are on board so you will end up helping us,” said Merkle.

“Threatening me already, Merkle? You’re skipping the nice part where I get the things I want first. Maybe you could owe me a favor...”

Just then, a downpour of rain fell only on him, washing his dirt away. “Hey! Who invited you?!” he yelled at the water spirit from Samacaha. “You lousy liquid— Aaargh!”

The rain stopped as a forceful gust of wind whistled through the bog, drying him off. In its hiss, Yanu heard the voice of the air spirit from the Aurumis desert. “I will dry out all of your quicksand patches, Yanu! Now come. We’re wasting time.”

The wind stopped and Yanu switched his mask to an angry looking one and plopped down in the mud like a petulant child.

“Fine. I’ll come, but I’m not going to enjoy it and you’ll have to carry me the whole way.” He faded out of his physical form and became part of the earth. Merkle pulled a jar from her pouch and scooped up some mud before also fading away. She reentered the root network so she could travel to The Logger’s home.

Once at the lumber yard, Merkle released Yanu from the jar, pouring the mud onto solid ground in the woods, just out of view of the Logger working outside.

“How dare you?! I can’t believe you put me in your pouch you rude wretched—” Yanu shouted, stopping when he saw the endless piles of logs in the lumber

yard. In one corner near the back were several large piles of trees he recognized from the western side of Muckshire.

“Well, Merkle. It’s been fun tormenting you but I’m afraid you’re no longer my least favorite being,” said Yanu.

“Thank you, I think,” she responded.

“This vile human doesn’t know what’s in store for him. I’m thinking elaborate ruses to scare and confuse him. Strategy, armor, masks... I’ll need to make a lot of paint,” he said as he pulled out the berries he’d found earlier.

So Yanu, for the first time, willingly worked with the other spirits to help save the fallen forests. For weeks he made mask after mask, enchanted with protective powers of stealth and trickery to help the Woodies fight against the Logger and rescue the logs. Suddenly one day, he was nowhere to be found.

Irvet knew her gut feeling was telling her something important. Sure enough, Yanu disappeared soon after that. And just as she had done before, Irvet stepped up and took the lead on the search for a missing spirit.