Mystic Woods

The Mystic Woods are a location in Epic Battle Fantasy 5. It is the sixth location visited by the party.

Description

The Mystic Woods are a large forest west of Greenwood Village. While the environment seems normal enough at the edge of the woods, it becomes increasingly ominous as the party progresses deeper, with orange trees, purple swamps, and another mysterious monolith at the center of the forest. It is also literally haunted, with a curse that appears to turn people into zombies (fortunately, the party is unaffected). The Mystic Woods are also suffering from heavy pollution from the Iron Fortress built on its southern edge, leading to an increase in the population of Gloops and only adding to the degradation and danger of the Mystic Woods.

Several trees have been hollowed out into living spaces and passageways, with ladders allowing traversal between the canopy and the forest floor. There are also boardwalks in the treetops to enable passage between them; while in a certain degree of disrepair, they are still safe for the party's use. Additionally, the Mystic Woods has a number of blocked paths that lead to treasure or shortcuts through the forest floor, usually requiring obstacles to be pushed out of the way or levers activated to lower spikes.

Despite the hostile conditions, some people continue to eke out a living in the Mystic Woods. A few witches operate a small shop in one of the trees, selling the same items as the Greenwood Village Misc Shop (one of the witches Bella being formerly one of Lance's victims); the bottom floor also has a few chests protected by Wooden Blocks that can be opened by the corresponding Keys. Some sort of tribe or cult has also established itself in the woods; members can be identified by their Death Mask headgear, their guttural voices, and their slightly broken English. Finally, a raft maker lives on a pond at the western edge of the woods; when the party reaches him, they will finally receive the Raft they need in order to cross the Rainbow River and reach the southern continent.

In order to traverse the woods, the party will need to find the Leafy Boots in order to cross the lily pad paths in the water. They will also need the Stepladder to bridge small gaps in the treetop walkways.

After defeating Laurelin, one of the Glitch Areas will appear in the Mystic Woods, one screen east of the local monolith and Slime Cat. After the v2 update, a secret passage can be found behind one of the trees, leading to a hidden Arcade.

Foes

The vast majority of foes in the Mystic Woods are either Bio or Dark based. Many of them are undead (such as Wraiths and Dolls), while others are dangerous wildlife (like Bears and Creeps). Still others are the result of pollution from the Iron Fortress, which has caused the appearance of several Gloops and Purple Squid. There is also a large clowder of cats in the area, mostly due to the presence of Laurelin outside the raft maker's home. Additionally, Chibi Knight is travelling through the woods, and will battle the party while they explore the treetops.