Sylvan is another word for Elven. Since most elves are stereo-typically "good", these truly evil creatures don’t mind hauntings much, but "good" beings known for strong magics? Scary!
In fact, it's even worse – the sylvan is closer to the Fey. Elves has Fey ancestry, but their being is too entwined with the material plane. Satyrs are lesser Feys by the way.
In Old School Dungeons & Dragons, "Sylvan" and "Haunted" would have been two different "Encounter Tables" that one would commonly come across under the broader categories, like, say for instance, "Forrest". These would be charts one would use to randomly determine the "Wandering Monsters"/Events that a group of travelers might have "Random Encounters" with, respectively referring to færy-type areas like where Lucas is currently wandering…typically filled with creatures aligned with the forces of Nature or Goodness, or areas filled with the Undead, such as the woods that Lewie’s translucent floating friend normally haunts.
Jayyson is quite right; a party of "Aberations" and "usually Lawful Evil Monsterous Humanoids" like this would find a "Sylvan Wood" as alien, unfriendly, and frightening as a group of Nymphs and Elves riding on Unicorns would find the Black Mountain.
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Hm, I know jokes should not be explained, but since I’m not a fantasy gamer, I gotta ask anyway: What is "sylvan"?
Sylvan is another word for Elven. Since most elves are stereo-typically "good", these truly evil creatures don’t mind hauntings much, but "good" beings known for strong magics? Scary!
Ah, I see. Thanks a lot!
In fact, it's even worse – the sylvan is closer to the Fey. Elves has Fey ancestry, but their being is too entwined with the material plane. Satyrs are lesser Feys by the way.
I would expect it to come from "silva"/"sylva", which is Latin and simply means forest. So a sylvan forest would be a forest-like forest I guess?
In Old School Dungeons & Dragons, "Sylvan" and "Haunted" would have been two different "Encounter Tables" that one would commonly come across under the broader categories, like, say for instance, "Forrest". These would be charts one would use to randomly determine the "Wandering Monsters"/Events that a group of travelers might have "Random Encounters" with, respectively referring to færy-type areas like where Lucas is currently wandering…typically filled with creatures aligned with the forces of Nature or Goodness, or areas filled with the Undead, such as the woods that Lewie’s translucent floating friend normally haunts.
Jayyson is quite right; a party of "Aberations" and "usually Lawful Evil Monsterous Humanoids" like this would find a "Sylvan Wood" as alien, unfriendly, and frightening as a group of Nymphs and Elves riding on Unicorns would find the Black Mountain.
OH NOES!
But it could be worse.
The forest could be…PASTORAL!
So… full of herders and livestock? Doesn't sound too bad.