Where the northern road ends, the forest begins to bargain.
SMSplitwood March
Overview
The Splitwood March is a forested border region roughly a hundred miles across, stretching between the Skingrad approaches in the north and the roads toward Arenthia in the southeast. Its scattered settlements cling to clearings, streams, and old trade tracks, while dense woodland separates communities that answer to different customs. Imperial commerce and Bosmeri stewardship meet most openly at Split Ash. Magic is common, useful, and sometimes unsettling, woven into travel, healing, and the region's many local bargains.
Cultures
Bosmeri communities in the southern woods preserve kinship ties, woodland customs, and careful agreements with local spirits.
Imperial families in the north favor paved roads, written contracts, and civic institutions.
Mixed border communities blend both traditions through shared markets, marriages, and bilingual courts.
Places
4 settlements
Small · TownSplit AshBorder market and meeting placeA busy border town built around the split tree and a shared market square.
Small · Roadside townNorth GateNorthern caravan stopA road settlement with a toll station, stables, and several Imperial-style storehouses.
Small · VillageCreek FordLumber and ferry pointA cluster of homes and workshops beside a shallow crossing used by timber carts.
Small · Woodland villageSouth ClearingGuide and herb-gathering centerA dispersed Bosmeri community known for guides, herbalists, and careful woodland stewardship.
How they spread
PatternSettlements cluster along the north-south roads, streams, and dependable clearings, with long stretches of forest between them. Southern communities tend to be smaller and more dispersed than northern market settlements.
Most dangerous · HighRoadside KnivesHumanoid raidersSmall bands of bandits target isolated wagons and retreat into familiar forest tracks.
The FogboundModerateMagical hazard
Unnatural mists recur near the standing stones and draw travelers away from marked trails.
Timberline BeastsModerateMonsters
Large predators and territorial magical creatures range through the deeper woods.
Hazards of the land
Flash floods in narrow valleys
Predatory beasts drawn to livestock
Enchanted fog that disorients travelers
Falling limbs and hidden sinkholes
Plot hooks
1
The Misplaced MileInvestigationA marker stone has been moved overnight, redirecting caravans into a stretch of forest where travelers vanish.Starts: A frustrated caravan master asks for help at Split Ash.Reward: Coin, a reliable guide, and first claim on recovered cargo.
2
Lanterns in the HollowSupernatural mysteryA sudden surge of enchanted fog traps a village and reveals unfamiliar lights moving among the trees.Starts: The village bell sounds at dusk while the road disappears.Reward: A woodland charm and the gratitude of the local council.
3
The Marked TreesDiplomacyA timber crew has cut into a protected grove, and both local wardens and Imperial agents demand the party's testimony.Starts: The party arrives as rival representatives confront one another at a logging camp.Reward: A negotiated payment, faction favor, or a rare carved bow.
4
Circles by the WaterHuntSomething has been stealing livestock and leaving the animals arranged in careful circles near the creek.Starts: A farmstead offers food and shelter to anyone willing to follow the tracks.Reward: A modest bounty and a safe route through the southern woods.
The land
Climate and ground
ClimateVariable, with mild wet seasons, warm summers, foggy mornings, and colder, snow-prone uplands in winter.
TerrainA broad forested belt of low ridges, shallow valleys, clearings, and marshy stream basins, crossed by roads linking Cyrodiil and Valenwood.
The Goldwood Run, The Split Ash Creek, The Reedwater, The Southbound Mere
Borders
Cyrodiil and the Skingrad approaches to the north
Valenwood and the Arenthia approaches to the southeast
The Gold Coast-facing uplands to the west
Deep Valenwood forest to the south
On the road
The main roads are passable most of the year, but rain turns lesser tracks into deep mud.
Local guides mark safe paths through dense woods where landmarks shift or vanish in mist.
Magical lights and sudden animal migrations can make familiar routes unreliable.
Landmarks
The split trunk that marks the crossroads at Split Ash
A ring of standing stones beside an abandoned woodland track
A long, mist-filled hollow where sound carries strangely
Ancient road markers bearing worn Imperial and Bosmeri signs
Landforms
Low forested ridges
Marshy creek valleys
Old-growth groves
Stony road cuts
Resources
Hardwood and resin
Medicinal plants and fungi
Ironstone
Game, hides, and freshwater fish
Power
Rule
GovernmentOverlapping Cyrodilic officials, Bosmeri customary councils, and village compacts share authority without a single regional government.
SeatA rotating border moot held at Split Ash, with local councils managing their own settlements.
StabilityUneasy but workable, sustained by trade and mutual need despite recurring disputes over taxes, timber, and jurisdiction.
Laws
Travelers must declare arms and magical hazards at major crossings.
Cutting marked grove trees requires consent from the local community.
Tolls may be collected only at recognized road gates and ferries.
Factions
The Split Ash WardensBorder militia
Influence: Strong at Split Ash and along the northern road.Keep the border road open while securing favorable tolls and local authority.
The Three-Bough CompactBosmeri local council
Influence: Respected in southern villages and influential among forest guides.Protect customary access to woodland resources and prevent reckless logging.
The Bent Mile FactorsMerchant consortium
Influence: Growing in market settlements and among traveling merchants.Expand licensed trade and magical services without provoking either neighboring power.
Faiths
Green Pact traditions
Influence: Strong among Bosmeri communities and influential in disputes over woodland use.The Green Pact, ancestral obligations, and respect for living forests.
The Eight Divines
Influence: Common in northern settlements and among Imperial officials.The Eight Divines, civic duty, household protection, and lawful conduct.
Wayside offerings
Influence: Practiced across cultures, especially by guides and rural families.Local spirits, boundary stones, springs, and the safe passage of travelers.
People and trade
Who lives here
How manySparse beyond the roads, with compact villages, scattered forest steadings, and a busy border population around Split Ash.
Main peoples
Bosmer, Imperials, Mixed borderland families
Other peoples
Khajiit traders, Dunmer artisans
Languages
Cyrodilic, Bosmeri, Trade Cant, A little Dunmeri
Trade
WealthUneven and modest, with prosperous merchants along the main roads and subsistence households deep in the forest.
Work
Timber and resin gathering
Hunting and hideworking
Roadside trade
Herbalism and practical enchantment
Exports
Hardwood, Resin and medicinal herbs, Leather and furs, Carved bows
For generations, the forest belt between Cyrodiil and Valenwood has served as both passage and buffer. Settlers, traders, and woodland communities established scattered clearings along older trails, while Split Ash grew into a shared border market. Agreements have repeatedly eased tensions without settling who owns the roads or the deep woods. Recent magical disturbances and renewed timber demand have made old compromises increasingly fragile.
Key events
Early border settlement
The Great ScorchA forest fire cleared a broad gap beside the old road, creating the landmark and meeting place later called Split Ash.
Road compact era
The Mile CompactMerchants and local communities agreed to maintain a shared road and settle toll disputes through a recurring moot.
Recent generations
The Lantern SeasonA wave of unnatural lights drew travelers into the woods, prompting guides to establish marked paths and warning signs.
Secret 1 · GM only
The oldest road markers form a map to a neglected crossing that predates the current border.Found by: A carved stone beneath the split trunk matches markings on several old road stones.If found: The markings reveal that the border road once followed a hidden route through the forest, offering a safer passage and evidence in territorial disputes.
Secret 2 · GM only
A dormant magical crossing beneath the standing stones has begun to stir.Found by: The unnatural lights appear most often after rain near the standing stones.If found: The stones conceal a weak magical breach that could be sealed, exploited, or widened by the wrong hands.
Secret 3 · GM only
A secluded grove shelters plants capable of curing a lingering magical sickness.Found by: A resin gatherer finds fresh cut marks on trees that local guides insist have never been harvested.If found: The hidden grove could become a sanctuary, a source of rare medicine, or the center of a bitter land claim.
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