Lacuna Rambles/Thoughts/Gif Reacts #1: A Sinister Beauty 🍓

I wanted to revisit a setting that features quite frequently in the Returning Visitor's (off-screen or off-page) nightmares following the events of Book One: the sunken clearing.

This is a clearing all of you have endured at least once, if not multiple times, to complete the first book's story. There is more to it than meets the eye (besides the corrupted spriggan seemingly waiting there for you 😃). Part of its description is below to serve as a refresher!

The trees are surreally lush here.

Fernweh is known for its verdant forest, but the sunken clearing is bursting with life ranging from hardwoods to pines and brambles to wildflowers. You notice berry bushes that are laden with tempting fruit. It's surprisingly easy to navigate this part of the woods as if it's a natural garden with paths visitors are encouraged to walk along to enjoy all of the flora.

This^ could almost make up for the damp soil your MC's feet sink into with each step and the metallic edge to the floral scent of the area. There are hints that something is amiss in the area before the discovery of the plant pod and the reveal of that very unusual tree. The sunken/lush clearing has a sinister quality to its beauty; it's a lure. You have the choice later on to select your MC's conclusion about this place (a hunting ground, home, pantry, etc), but the lure part of this along with what we know about the spriggan's victims is unsettling. All of those berries tempted animals to eat, the walls/bushes could be viewed as a safe haven, the stillness may be a nice break for a jumpy deer, and it seems pretty on the surface. Then you have the predatory vines with their friend, the corrupted spriggan, just waiting to harvest blood—to rupture that sanctuary.

Honestly, I feel bad for the animals…

Things start to tear through the plant pods like they are made of cheap wrapping paper that easily rips under paws, claws, and talons. It seems that warm-blooded animals were preferred. The clearing is starting to dry up as if rapidly dehydrating without the creature to tend to it.

See? It's okay! They survive, except for maybe the baby deer, but that wasn't me. Was it? 🙃

Drawing attention to this setting is to highlight how its description serves a purpose. I'm not sure if everyone made the connection of it being a lure on a first read through, maybe the second? It also contributes to the spriggan's character. Think about what happens to R: the treeture went to flay the Verner heir (with varying degrees of graphic descriptions. It's choice-dependent!) If it really wanted to, it could have likely managed a cleaner swipe, so why did try to be so exacting with its fingers to tear away layers of skin? We also learned more about the grandfather's manner of death from Dr. Brentwood (his struggle, how his eyes were wide from terror, etc). So, that along with the sinister setup of the sunken clearing all plays into the horror of this tree creature. 🌲

It might be a good idea to consider the corrupted spriggan's actions/behavior along with what the ??? can tell the MC at the end of Book One. I'm pointing out one side of it. There are others.