Shizumori

The Quiet Forest, Shizumori (静森), is an ancient evergreen forest, and probably one of the few such forests to survive the Tenpenchii largely intact. Its borders begin on the holy slopes of Seichisan, and then grow outward towards the coastal plains and Amatsu-Kyo. These borders are largely sudden, with little small growth between the mammoth trees and grasslands outside of the occasional bamboo grove. One must travel through Shizumori to reach Toutoichi Jinjya, and from there, the summit of Seichisan.

Spiritual Significance
This is a forest known for harboring sensei and sages, allowing one the opportunity to reflect in relative safety, so long as one respects the present dangers (see below). So close to the Eternal Pillar of Earth, its gravity tends to sap aggression (and emotion in general) from the forest and its inhabitants, and is a major factor in the forest's quiet nature. Hence, it is considered a serious transgression to hunt in this forest, as while the fauna is not incapable of fighting back (and is quite terrifying when it does so), it is not known for acts of violence. The monks of Toutoichi Jinjya would like them to remain that way.

However, the forest also has a darker side in the form of mystery and death. Over its lifespan, the forest's quiet nature and aggression-inhibiting atmosphere has lead to quite a quite a few instances of lost souls due to over-reflection and suicide. These events have created pockets of Usuginu as well as stories of restless ghosts, unable to act out their aggression or deal with the emotions that have them trapped due to their proximity to the Eternal Pillar. It is one of the duties of the monks of Toutoichi Jinjya to help these spirits pass on.

What these lost souls brought with them before they died is an oft-discussed subject amongst the peasantry and common folk, who see a potential windfall in finding a lost noble's effects. Many tales also speak of temples and shrines deep in the forest, lost to time, but full of treasure. Those who adventure after these relics, however, often do not return, as the mists of Seichisan roll down into the forest as the sun fades, obscuring paths and hidden environmental dangers. The mountain protects its own, some say.

Wildlife
Fed by the holy river Midokawa, the flora and fauna of Shizumori tend towards the immense and robust, rendering the trees extraordinarily tall and wide, and the animals large and enduring. While not the rampant growth attributed to the Eternal Pillar of Wood (population numbers are relatively normal), the animals remain exceptional specimens of their kind, and are known to accidentally terrify (and even wound) the uninformed and disrespectful.