Lesser Faydark

The darker forest

Lesser Faydark lies south of the Greater Faydark and is sandwiched between two gentle zones, Greater Faydark and the Steamfont Mountains. That made it the site of many a newbie death, because gnomes and elves crossing it met the undead, shadowed men and brownie guards. Allakhazam rates it for levels 10 to 35, and the Project 1999 guide lists creatures from 10 to 30 with a few from 40 to 50.

It lives in constant darkness. Players who could bear that found good hunting for the mid-levels, money from the orcs who fill the southern half of the zone, and something rarer still: relief from the constant chatter of Greater Faydark.

Sources: Allakhazam: Lesser Faydark (zone) · Project 1999 Wiki: Lesser Faydark

Brownies, bandits and the fae

Most of its dangers keep to their camps. The great exception is the brownies. Their town lies to the north, they are aggressive and kill on sight for almost everyone, and their scouts wander the middle of the zone. Pixies, faeries and fae drakes are generally neutral to their neighbours but turn hostile as you kill their kin.

The wider forest holds a faerie village, a pixie tower, gnome huts, a haunted shrine, several orc camps (one with an orc chief), bandit camps including the Bandit Sisters, a wood elf ranger outpost that sells food and buys at good prices, a wood elf temple overrun by shadowed men, and a stone ring held by the fae royal court. Named creatures include Mina Glimmerwing, Whimsy Larktwitter, Crookstinger, Priestess Llandra and the Orc Chief.

Sources: Project 1999 Wiki: Lesser Faydark

Equestrielle the Corrupted

The forest’s saddest wanderer is Equestrielle the Corrupted, a unicorn who roams the whole zone and attacks everyone she meets; the bards will not help you fight her. Unicorns are Tunare’s favoured creatures, the guardians of her purest forests, and the dark gods have long sought to corrupt them. A tortured unicorn and a pained unicorn also appear in the zone’s creature lists.

Along the southern border, the abandoned camp of the legendary Wu is now held by Teir’Dal elites and dragoons, aggressive enough that one careless visitor can send a train across the whole forest.

Sources: Project 1999 Wiki: Lesser Faydark · Allakhazam: Lesser Faydark (zone)

Roads south and east

The pass back to Greater Faydark is in the northeastern corner. The Steamfont Mountains, and through them the gnome city of Ak’Anon, lie to the east and southeast. In the south is Castle Mistmoore, home of Mayong Mistmoore. For years it was a dungeon with a single way in, which made its trains infamous.

Sources: Project 1999 Wiki: Lesser Faydark · Allakhazam: Lesser Faydark (zone) · Allakhazam: Steamfont Mountains (zone) · Allakhazam: Castle Mistmoore (zone)