The Vestibular Wood

According to legend, the Vestibular Wood was created when a forgotten goddess of thieves, trickery,
and travel stole bits and pieces of countless forests from across the different spheres and planes. The
goddess assembled these pieces into a plane of her own, the vestibular wood. Now, the Vestibular
Wood is a place where wanderers from any realm may become lost, perhaps forever, but also provides a
way for those in the know to travel the planes. However, such travel is never easy…

Traits
 Normal Gravity
 Infinite: While there may be some limits on the actual volume of the Vestibular Wood at any
one time, the plane’s shifting nature makes it effectively infinite.
 Timeless: Travelers do not need to eat or sleep in the Vestibular Wood, and do not age.
However, travelers also do not heal naturally unless they choose to eat and sleep, and
spellcasters must still rest for eight hours to regain spells.
 No Elemental or Energy Traits
 Highly Morphic: The vestibular wood is always changing
 Forbidden Magic: Spells that are used to find a specific location, direction, or path, fail to
function in the Vestibular Wood. Spells that allow travel to any plane other than the border
ethereal fail to function in the vestibular wood.
 Impeded Magic: Divination Spells (other than those outright forbidden; see above) are impeded
in the Vestibular Wood. Spells that summon monsters other than the Summon Nature’s Ally
series fail to function in the Vestibular Wood.

Features
The appearance of the vestibular wood is highly variable, but a few generalities hold. The Vestibular
Wood always appears as a vast forest, thick with trees other than in the occasional clearing or path. The
ground is relatively level, or at least not mountainous. Those who manage to see over the trees find that
the forest extends to the horizon in every direction. It is always night in the Vestibular Wood, from a
clear night with a full-moon to a moonless, overcast night.

Beyond these generalities, the appearance of the Vestibular Wood varies wildly between visits. On one
visit it may be a tropical jungle; on another it could be an icy taiga forest; on yet another it may appear
as a beautiful forest of autumn oaks and maples. The Vestibular Wood often matches the forest from
which a particular group of travelers originated, but not always. On rare occasions, the Vestibular Wood
(or portions thereof) may be a swamp, with water and mud rather than solid ground. Even more rarely,
the Vestibular wood may appear as a forest of giant mushrooms rather than a forest of trees.

There is usually a trail through the forest, ranging from a simple game trail to a crude dirt road.
Characters who venture off this trail either find that no amount of apparent travel moves them more
than a few hundred feet from the trail, or else vanish entirely. When there is not a trail, it usually means
that travelers must follow some sort of sign or series of signs in order to figure out how to proceed (see
Encounters, below).

Travelers can climb to the top of a tree and look out over the forest, but anyone who does so will be
unable to spot any trails or landmarks that could help them find their way; it will even seem like the
forest is constantly shifting wherever they are not looking. Attempts to fly over the trees never lead
anywhere; flying characters will be unable to see any paths below them through the canopy, and no
amount of flight in any direction will take them out of the woods. Even if characters fly straight up, they
will find that no matter how much they try they cannot get further than a hundred meters or so above
the tree tops.

Specific Locations

The layout of features within the Vestibular Wood is always changing, as are the features themselves.
Nonetheless, there are a few somewhat predictable sites that have been encountered by multiple
travelers.

The Weeping Rock

This is a large boulder that visibly and audibly weeps constantly. There is really not much else to say
about it. Attempts to destroy it usually fail, and even if they seem to succeed the boulder will be fully
intact when next encountered. Attempts to use spells such as Stone Tell reveal nothing; the boulder’s
“dialogue” is just constant weeping. Using Rock to Flesh on the boulder just results in a weeping blob of
flesh, which is probably worse; the boulder will have reverted back to stone when next encountered.
Most travelers agree that they encounter this boulder “far too often”.

If the Moaning Diamond is every brought near the weeping rock, something very bad will probably
happen.

The Shadowed Depths

As one enters the shadowed depths, the ground of the Vestibular Woods begins sloping downwards, but
the trees become taller so as the keep the height of the canopy constant. As a traveler moves further
and further into the deep woods, the trees keep getting taller, and the wildlife keeps getting stranger
and more dangerous. As the from the sky grows dimmer and more distant, travelers may eventually
start encountering monsters that normally live underground.

By the time the ground evens out, the trees are several kilometers in height, and the only light comes
from occasional patches of phosphorescent moss. Creatures encountered in the Shadowed Depths are
almost never below CR 15, and often mythic/epic encounters. It seems as though the Vestibular Woods
itself recognizes the danger of this place, almost never sending travelers here unless those travelers
have already demonstrated immense power.
The Library of the Wood

In one particularly unusual section of the Vestibular Wood, the trees abruptly become flat and wide, and
develop regular indentations in their trunks; they effectively become shelves of living wood, filled with
books. These shelves form regular rows, roofed by green arches of leafy branches, and with a floor of
moss, roots, and smooth stones that look like they came from a river bed. In contrast to the rest of the
Vestibular Wood, the Library of the Wood is well lit thanks to regularly placed torches topped with
masses of phosphorescent lichen rather than flame.

The books in the library are themselves are surprisingly mundane; though they cover a variety of topics,
few if any contain any truly rare or powerful knowledge. Many of the books are fiction, especially
collections of children’s stories. The books will mostly be written in the native language of one of the
travelers who come to the library.

The library is ruled by the librarian, a treant with reading glasses and several levels of wizard. Travelers
who encounter the library usually wind up given a quest to recover a book that was stolen from its
shelves. More rarely, they may be called on to return his stolen reading glasses. Travelers who have
succeeded in this quest are free to stay and browse the shelves of the library for as long as they wish,
but the librarian may become aggressive if they try to remove a book from the library; travelers who
take a book from the Library of the Woods will be unable to exit the Vestibular Woods until the book is
returned.

Connections
The vestibular wood seems to be able to connect with any forest in any plane. How this is possible is not
certain, but the most common theory is that just as the interior of the plane is constantly changing, so
the actual location and boundaries of the Vestibular Wood within the larger multiverse are also
changing. The Vestibular Wood can thus be imaged roughly as an amoeba; sliding between and around
the other planes, expanding and contracting to depending on which planes it wants to be touching, and
extending pseudopods of itself to connect to other planes.

Walking into the Wood

Anyone traveling through a dark forest can potentially enter the Vestibular Wood. A “dark forest” can be
any forest at night, or it can be a forest so dense that the forest floor is in shadow even during the day.
Those drawn into the wood unintentionally typically experience a mental fugue that causes them to
forget what was happening right before they entered; this fugue continues to blur their thoughts and
memories and they travel the wood until something happens to snap them out of it. Those entering the
Vestibular Wood experience a lesser version of this fugue; they still forget what was happening right
before they transferred into the woods, but immediately regain clarity upon entering the woods
themselves.
It is unclear exactly how or why the Vestibular Wood chooses who to “pick up”. Still, a few general rules
usually apply. The Vestibular Wood prefers to pick up people who will not be particularly missed, people
whose disappearance will not cause too much concern; it is not limited to picking up people who won’t
be missed at all, but avoids people whose disappearance would trigger searches lasting more than a few
days, or whose vanishing will have serious and obvious consequences. The forest also prefers to avoid
picking up those who can already travel the planes under their own power, though it is somewhat more
likely to break this rule. The Wood is also unlikely to pick up someone whom has already been picked up
by the Wood before and escaped.

Perhaps most importantly, the Vestibular Wood usually refuses to pick up “city folk”. Anyone who lives
in a large city, or spends most of there time in such a city, is unlikely to ever be picked up by the
Vestibular Wood. The Vestibular Wood is particularly reluctant to pick up anyone associated with the
city of Sigil. On the rare occasions that the Vestibular Wood does pick up such an individual, or if such an
individual enters the Wood through the Yggdrasil portal, that person is bound to have an exceptionally
dangerous encounter, or must go through many more encounters than most travelers; it is as though
the Wood resents their presence. It is rumored that some “city folk” who enter the Wood through the
Yggdrasil Portal are never allowed to leave.

Those who have already been through the Vestibular Wood before can thereafter return at will. To do
so, the character must be in a dark forest, and must carry out a ritual requiring the expenditure of 10gp
worth of materials. Multiple individuals who have been to the Vestibular Wood before can participate in
the same ritual, but each must provide their own material. The ritual takes 5 rounds, at the conclusion
of which all involved make a DC 10 Will save; those who succeed are taken together to the Vestibular
Wood.

Alternately, a character can use Plane Shift or equivalent magic while in a dark forest. With the latter
method the character can choose to bring others who have never been to the wood before along, but
this will make the challenges they face significantly more dangerous; the Wood seems to be upset by
such attempts to let those it did not choose itself make use of its ability to link distant locations. Also,
those who harm the Vestibular Wood (see below) may lose the privilege of traveling there under their
own power.

For leaving the Vestibular Wood, see “Encounters”, below. If a character was picked up by the Vestibular
Wood, they will usually be returned to the plane and world they came from, especially if that individual
lacks knowledge of the planes. Individuals with more extensive knowledge of the planes, or the ability to
plane shift under their own power (though the latter are unlikely to be picked up in the first place) could
be dropped off in any dark forest on just about any plane.

When an individual who has been through the Vestibular Wood before returns there, they can make a
will save (DC 15) to make be dropped off in a forest of their choosing if and when they leave; it must be
dark in the forest in question (sometimes the Wood simply “shifts” a departing traveler through time
slightly so they come out at night), and the traveler cannot control where exactly in the target forest
they will come appear. In cases where a patch of trees is particularly small, and might arguably only be a
“grove” rather than a true forest, the Will Save DC raises to 20.
Fixed Links

There in only one permanent, fixed planar connection to the Vestibular Woods. This connection takes
the form of one of the portals found among the branches of Yggdrasil, the world tree; the portal in
question is located at the tip of a hard-to find branch that extends out from the bottom of a much larger
branch, and thus requires flight or careful climbing to reach. This portal is only open at night.

Other Connections

It is rumored that those traveling through the portal of an Irminsul are occasionally redirected into the
Vestibular Wood.

It is especially easy to travel between the Vestibular Wood and Karasuthra, third layer of the beastlands,
or between the Vestibular Wood and any dark forest in the realm of the fey; the will save to be dropped
off in these locations is DC 10.

The Vestibular Wood has its own border ethereal, but individuals in the border ethereal of the
Vestibular Wood cannot travel to the deep ethereal. Astral travel also does not function in the
Vestibular Wood.

Inhabitants
Any monster native to or associated with forests can potentially be encountered in the Vestibular Wood.
Fey and plant creatures are especially common. Giants of less than huge size, particularly ogres and
trolls, are also common encounters in the Vestibular Wood; such creatures seem to be permanent
residents of the forest, and are typically hungry when encountered.

It is rumored that some powerful fey can use the Vestibular Wood to travel without having to pass any
challenges; this is said to be the result of a bargain struck with the Vestibular Wood itself. The fact that
fey are often encountered as part of a challenge may be some sort of “payment” for this service.

Encounters
It is clear that the Vestibular Wood is self-aware and sentient, and could therefore be considered a living
plane. Those using powers meant to allow communication with nature may wind up talking to the
Vestibular Wood itself. Such communication tends to be very confusing, featuring many riddles, taunts,
and cryptic messages; the Vestibular Wood never provides clear answers.

The Vestibular Wood is capricious, mischievous, enigmatic, and perhaps slightly sadistic; it seems to
mainly be interested in its own entertainment. In order to leave, travelers must pass some kind of
challenge, or even a series of challenges. A challenge could take the form of combat, this is far from the
only option. Challenges are effectively treated as encounters. It should be noted that the Wood seems
to have a sense of “fair play”: it will usually choose a challenge appropriate the power of those
participating, such that the challenge is neither easy nor completely impossible.

The Vestibular Wood may also trigger encounters in response to anything it perceives as a threat. This is
rare, but characters who destroy or otherwise damage large numbers of trees may have such an
encounter. In some cases, individuals triggering such an encounter for the first time will be attacked by
something that causes them more humiliation and inconvenience that actual harm, but repeat offenders
or serious offenders are likely to be attacked by powerful fey or plant creatures. There is a limit on the
strength of the monsters that the Vestibular Wood can control however, so if an individual or group
causing harm proves too strong the Vestibular Wood will simply deposit them in some other plane
(usually somewhere very unpleasant); the characters can use a will save to control where the Wood
drops them off as described above, with a -5 penalty to the save, but no mortal can prevent the
Vestibular Wood from making them leave.

The Rule of Residence

Those who use the Vestibular Wood often, or otherwise wind up spending a great deal of time there,
had best remember the rule of residence. If travelers set up or create some sort of enclosed shelter,
typically a tent, they will not have any encounters so long as they remain in that shelter. It should be
noted that this does NOT apply when travelers instead enter a pre-existing shelter that they encounter
within the Wood; indeed, it is wise to steer clear of any cabins one might stumble across in the
Vestibular Wood. Also, if travelers have already begun an encounter and not yet resolved it, they cannot
gain respite from any dangers simply by retreating to their tent.

Other Travelers

It is fairly rare for travelers in the vestibular woods to encounter other traveling individuals or parties of
travelers, but it does happen. In particular, travelers who have been unable (or unwilling) to pass their
challenges and leave the woods are much more likely to meet other travelers. It should be noted that
most travelers through the Vestibular Wood will be inhabitants of the material plane, owing to the
criteria by which the Wood chooses who it picks up.

Because it rarely picks up individuals who already know how to travel to planes, and especially avoids
individuals from Sigil, knowledge of the Vestibular Wood tends to be fairly rare on the outer planes.
Exceptions include powers of nature or travel, Azatas, some Guardianals, powerful inhabitants of the
Beastlands, and a few of the leaders of the Ratatosk. Knowledge of the Vestibular Wood may actually be
more common on worlds of the Material Plane, but most of those who know of the Wood fail to realize
that it can take travelers to other planes and worlds.

Example Encounters

 The travelers encounter a monster, and must defeat it, escape it, or negotiate with it in order to
proceed.
 o A sleeping giant blocks the path of the travelers; if they try to go around it, they will
travel only a short distance before encountering the giant once again. The travelers
must awaken the giant, preferably in a manner gentle enough that it does not attack
them upon waking.
 The travelers must solve a riddle or logic puzzle in order to proceed.
o The trees abruptly shift their branches to form an impenetrable barrier across the
travelers’ path, and begin speaking to the travelers, presenting them with a riddle or
puzzle.
o A treant, or a fey that is closely associated with trees (such as a dryad) appears and
declares itself to be an emissary of the Vestibular Wood, presenting the travelers with a
riddle or puzzle. If the monster is ignored or attacked, the travelers will not make any
progress towards their destination until they have had another (much more dangerous)
encounter.
 The travelers encounter some sort of environmental hazard that must be avoided or overcome
in order to proceed.
o Spots of yellow moss that deal acid damage to anyone touching them.
o
 The travelers encounter some sort of puzzle, and must solve it in order to proceed.
o The characters find themselves in a maze whose walls are formed by tress that grow
closely together and have interlocking branches. Attempts to fly over the maze just get
characters more lost, and attempts to cut through the trees prove futile. The travelers
must navigate the maze in order to proceed.
o
 The travelers are presented with some sort of quest, the accomplishment of which can be
carried out entirely within the confines of the Vestibular Wood. The travelers must complete the
quest in order to proceed.
o A treant, or some fey associated with trees and forests, appears and declares itself to be
an emissary of the forest. It tells that characters to travel to the cabin of a powerful ogre
fighter, and bring back a magic item that it stole. The characters must fight the ogre,
steal the item from the ogre using stealth or guile, or convince the ogre to relinquish the
item in exchange for treasure or massive amounts of food.
o An oversized, talking mole wearing clothes emerges from underground. It explains that
its precious silver vase, a family heirloom, has been stolen by goblins, and requests that
the characters reclaim the vase. The goblins have set up an encampment down a dirt
road that intersects with the path the characters were following.

Other Notes
Some of the abilities of druids and rangers, or other nature-oriented characters, may fail to work in the
Vestibular Wood, or not work reliably. Animals native to the Vestibular Wood will not provide any useful
information if contacted with Speak with Animals, animated trees may ignore the commands of the
character who animated them, and so forth. In general, nature-oriented characters cannot use their
abilities in ways that would allow them to “get around” the challenges of the Vestibular Wood (It may be
up to the DM to judge what counts as a sincere effort to pass a challenge, and what counts as “getting
around”). Such characters may find it disturbing that nature seems to be giving them the cold shoulder;
nature on other worlds may bestow power on those who protect it, but the Vestibular Wood seems to
think it can protect itself just fine.