At the western edge of the world, nestled in the shadow of the Great Shield Mountains, a dark forest spread, unbroken, across hundreds of leagues. Seen from the slopes of the mountains, the forest was covered with snow, but here, beneath the mighty boughs of the ancient trees, snow only appeared on the forest floor in the gaps where rivers and creeks ran, or ponds and lakes created breaks in the dense tree cover.
Even on the clearest of nights, no stars could be seen from within the forest's gloom, nor even the light of a bright full moon.
The cities that clustered along the banks of rivers and lakes glowed like jewels in the night, illuminated by thousands of candles and lamps shining out into the dark, but here, beyond the Still Heart's outermost wall, there was no light at all save for a flickering, iridescent pool of light cast by Answaen's horn and the pale purple shadow that trailed behind her.
