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An undead citadel created before the cataclysm, Sahova is devoted to all kinds of magical research. The living may visit the island, if they are willing to obey its rules. [Lore]
Nestled between the Bloodhills and the third Mudpool is an old forest. The trees there stretch up for dozens of feet, looking more Talderan than what one might expect from Sahova. Sounds are muffled and don’t travel as far in the forest, and ever present is a curling white mist that chills the bones. Some even say the mist is alive, and pulls them towards the heart of the forest. This mist also seems to cling and pull on those leaving, though it cannot exert force on solid objects. Projectionists operating in the forest complain that the fog hinders their casting, and those few that can completely exit their physical form sometimes find they can never return.
The Glannoch is older than the research facility, and it was inhabited long before the Nuit colonized it. While one may not recognize the woods as any different from a distance, one will know exactly where they've entered once they cross the boundary of the forest.
Many who die in the Testing Grounds find their ghost go to the Glannoch, and the Glannoch guards its denizens jealously. For while the ghosts of ages past and all their wisdom dwell in the forest, they are not the only creatures dwelling in the gnarled branches and mold-caked underbrush. The Sahovans know that all too well. There have been three excursions into the Glannoch since the facility's founding; all three scouting parties vanished without a trace. Those that survive trips into this haunted woods speak little of what they have seen, and some have been known to descend into madness soon after returning. It is rumored that knowledge older than Sahova itself can be found within the forest, hidden somewhere within the mist.
Flora and Fauna
Ivory Whip Scorpion :
Ivory whip scorpion.
Frequency: Low Threat Level: Very Low Major Features: White blood, Long legs, Multiple eyes Abilities: Powerful hop, Fast-moving pincers Most Common In: Sahova
An insect found in the Glannoch that is relatively unremarkable for much other than its horrible, horrible appearance. The ivory whip scorpion is a simple animal, albeit a rather mobile one. It moves via jumps that can reach up to six feet in height, it feeds on other, lesser insects using ambush tactics, and it occasionally scares the daylights out of a Pulser. In all, what's on the outside of this creature is quite boring.
What's inside this insect is what makes it special. Its remains can be ground up and mixed with water to create a relatively convincing facsimile of Soulmist. Of course, there are a few notable differences. Ghosts can't eat the stuff, the scorpion's remains are not cool to the touch, and the gel separates given a couple seasons. In addition, it can never pass off as anything more than the lowest of low quality Soulmist, made by a truly inexperienced Spiritist. However, it can do its job in a pinch.
Soul Snail :
Frequency: Common in the Glannoch Threat Level: Low Major Features: See through bodies, ghost like characteristics Abilities: Small amounts of soulmist creation, minor soulmist projection Found: Only in the Glannoch
Small, translucent snails, these creatures can only be found in the Glannoch in the Testing Grounds. No bigger than a child's thumb they are one of the few animals that were originally found on Sahova. They were discovered shortly after the first trek into the Glannoch clinging the nearly lifeless trees and rocks. True oddities, these 'soul snails' as they were later called showed many characteristics similar to ghosts themselves. They produce a very unique brand of soulmist which is actually edible by ghosts, though they produce very little at one time, and they have been shown to move small objects out of their way with pseudo soulmist projection. Ghosts tend to aggregate to colonies of these snails, so when large groups of these creatures are seen it is usually taken as a sign that there is, or will be, a significant amount of ghost activity in the immediate area. Some spiritists have been known to keep colonies of these snails, using them as small distractions when need arises. The soulmist that these creatures produce is relatively high quality, but the amount is rarely enough to fill a thimble.
