The Forest Queen

There was a time when the world was the wood, when there were no towns or steel. The Forest Queen ruled the Endless Weald, maintaining peace between people and beasts. But as ages passed, her children grew restless in the shade of her leaves. Her eldest son came to her and said, "Mother, I dream of war! I want to build a fortress and wield a blade of steel." The Queen replied, "Then leave the wood, but do not bring your metal into my domain." And so he left the wood and founded the kingdom of Karrnath. The next day the eldest daughter came before the Queen. "Mother, I dream of magic! I want to build a tower and conjure fire!" The Queen replied, "Then leave the wood, but do not cast your spells in my domain." And so she left the wood and founded the kingdom of Thaliost. One by one, the Queen's children left her, until she was alone in the woods with the spirits and the beasts. And as each child raised a kingdom, the woods grew smaller and farther apart, and the heart of the Forest Queen grew bitter and cold. The people are her great-grandchildren, and she will not harm those who stay on the path and respect the beasts of the forest. But those who stray from the path, who conjure fire or hunt with steel, those fools will be lost in the Endless Weald and never again see the light of day.
From the Towering Wood in the Eldeen Reaches to the Harrowcrowns of Thrane, from the Greenhaunt of Breland to the Shadowmount Forest of Karrnath, wherever people dwell by the deep forest, they share stories of the Forest Queen. She is the archdryad, linked to every root and bough. She is proud, and when protecting her subjects, she can be ruthless; but she shares many wonders with those who enter her woods with empty hands and open eyes. The story above is clearly apocryphal, but it's a common tale with many variations, such as her children founding nearby towns instead of nations. Regardless, the message is the same: there is a power that watches over the woods. Stories often depend on the character of the local forest; near the Towering Woods, the Forest Queen is often depicted as benevolent, while near the Nightwood of Karrnath, they talk of how the betrayals of her children froze the heart of the Forest Queen, leaving her cruel and hungry for revenge.

The Queen of Weald and Wood. The Forest Queen rules the Endless Weald within Thelanis, an arboreal realm inhabited by dire beasts and wild fey. The Weald often leaks into the world through manifest zones found in deep forests; in such places, dryads lurk in the trees and beasts may possess unusual cunning. Under the right circumstances, travelers passing through a zone might even slip into the Weald. Such forests typically have well-worn paths that avoid these pitfalls, thus strengthening the story of stay on the path. The Greensinger druids know rituals to connect a forest to the Endless Weald, establishing a temporary manifest zone in any deep wood. The Queen's influence can also be felt in any forest in times when Eberron and Thelanis are coterminous. Just like the stories, the Queen's personality often reflects the forest where she's currently manifesting; the Forest Queen is more likely to be benevolent in the Twilight Demesne and cruel in the Nightwood.
The Queen as Ally or Patron. The Forest Queen has close ties to the Greensingers, and any Greensinger Druid or Ranger could have the Forest Queen as a patron. She's an option for a Warlock with an Archfey Patron, but the magic she teaches is primal in nature, not arcane. This doesn't change the spells available to the Warlock; their spells simply draw on elemental forces and the power of the fey rather than arcane formulas. As a more exotic option, a character with the Guide background could have slipped into the Endless Weald as a child and been raised in the court of the Forest Queen.
Regardless of origin, any character allied with the Forest Queen is expected to follow her rules.

• Don't use weapons or armor of metal.
• Don't kill a natural beast with magic or for sport.
• Protect those who travel on a marked path, unless they harm the forest with their actions.
• Help any fey of the forest who comes to you in need.