The Lore & Land

Many moons ago, this land was inhabited by humans—at least to some degree. A lumberjack lived within Sawtooth forest, cutting down trees; a construction crew tried to drain the swamp so it could be used for housing; and the mountains and valley below were used by humans as a place to hike. It was a world ruled mostly by man, with only the odd canine companion with them from time to time. It wasn’t until about 240 moons (20 years) ago that things started to change. It was determined that new land was needed to make a wildlife refuge, and this area was perfect for it. So this land became a haven for wildlife, safe and secure.

After the area was made a refuge, the lumberjack decided to retire. Unfortunately he was already old, and passed away before he had a chance to leave the place. His dog, Hugo, continued to live in the woods and would become known as the first “civilized wild dog” of the area. It was soon after this that a pack of wolves scaled the mountains and climbed over Heaven’s Peak, a mountain tall enough to reach the clouds, and decided to settle at the base of the mountain. The top was simply too high, the air too thin, and would cause problems for their pups, and thus they found the base of the mountain much safer. They did not yet know that there were no humans, but after months of not seeing a single one, they thought this must be a paradise. It would be a while before they ever met Hugo, and when they did, they were kind and courteous. They had no reason to fear him, and as he said he lived in the forest they didn’t touch, he was no concern to their source of prey. They did however let Hugo return as he pleased, since he was the only dog living in the area at the time.

Hugo wouldn’t be alone much longer, though. Twelve moons in to this being a refuge, a car drove along the usually abandoned road. The road was in poor condition, but that didn’t stop the driver. They stopped by a tree and got out, walking around to the back door of the sedan. A Dalmatian joyfully bounced from the back seat, wagging her tail as her owner attached a leash to her collar. Then her owner brought her to the tree, put the leash around a branch and said, “Stay.” Being a good dog, the Dalmatian listened. Her owner got back in the car and drove off. Hugo found her there later and heard what had happened. Saddened, he offered her a place to stay within the forest “until her owner returned.” At first the Dalmatian refused, but as dark clouds began to gather in the sky, she decided perhaps it was best if she did. Hugo learned that her name was Lydia, and she became the second member of what would eventually become Sawtooth Forest Pack. Unfortunately, Lydia would not be the last dog that Hugo encountered this way.

Farther into the refuge’s life, perhaps after 24 moons or so, a wolfdog by the name of Limber was dropped off. They were not met by Hugo, and instead wandered fearfully around the refuge. They came upon a swamp, stinking of sulfur but seemingly a good place to hide from the scary humans that had brought them to the area. Soon they became lost, confused, and night began to fall, sending them into even more of a panic. It was in the dim twilight that a light appeared, a small glowing bug flitting about. It seemed to want them to follow it. Having no other real choice, Limber followed the creature and miraculously, it lead them out of the swamp! They thanked the creature, which blinked at them as if to say, “You’re welcome.” Limber decided to continue venturing into the swamp each day until they became quite familiar with it and the glowing creatures—fireflies—that lived within. The swamp was later named Limberlost, to commemorate how Limber had gotten lost within.

Time marched slowly on, and more canines came into the area. Many were dropped off by people, but some were strays that had wandered out of the city or were escaped “exotic pets” that had sought to return to the wild. Things were, for the most part, fine.

This changed when a new group clambered over the mountains. Half starved and mad with fear, they saw Heaven’s Peak Pack and attacked without warning in the middle of the night. The howls could be heard across the refuge as the once peaceful pack snapped back, terror gripping their hearts and driving them to fight off their attackers. Hugo and Limber heard the commotion and rallied their packs to come with them to Heaven’s Peak’s aid, but by the time they got there half the pack had been destroyed, though at the very least the intruders were all dead or defeated. Heaven’s Peak’s leader at the time, Frost, saw the other two packs and snarled, “Do you think we’ve been weakened? We have not! We’ll fight you too if we have to!” Both Hugo and Limber tried to explain they were there to help, but Frost wouldn’t hear it. She chased them off herself, insisting that no pack, canine, or creature would ever destroy her home. From that day on, the pack at the base of the mountains was warier of outsiders and much colder to the other packs, viewing them as rivals rather than friends. They became known as battle hungry and bloodthirsty, all from a single battle.

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The climate for this roleplay is set in Lithia, Virginia, a small town located at the base of the Appalachian Mountains. However, this map does not accurately depict this area of Virginia nor is Heaven’s Peak a peak in the Appalachians (that I’m aware of). The map used is from a game called Cattails made by Falcon Development and is entirely fictional. Any animal that you can find in Virginia you can find here, even if it wouldn’t really make sense in real life. This is so that we have plenty of critters that can be hunted or possibly creatures that could cause some mayhem—like bears.

Below are the locations of things on the Cattails map. Not all "tiles" have been unlocked yet.