Forest Realm

The Forest Realm is the southwestern quadrant of the re-established kingdom of Hyrule and the first region to be explored by Link in Spirit Tracks.^[1]

Features and Overview

As is implied by its name, the Forest Realm encompasses many dense forested areas throughout the region (much of which are the Lost Woods), but it also includes a large, grassy plain in the east. It is home to most of Hyrule's Hylian population as Hyrule Castle, Castle Town, and Aboda Village are all located there. It is also the location of the Forest Sanctuary, the home of the Lokomo known as Gage, and the Forest Temple, one of the four special temples scattered across Hyrule that serve as the energy sources for the Tower of Spirits and thus serve to sustain the existence of the Spirit Tracks. Link explores the deepest parts of this forested region after acquiring the Forest Rail Map from the Tower of Spirits which restores enough of the lost Spirit Tracks to meet with Gage at the Forest Sanctuary.

The Forest Temple resides deep within the northwestern forests of the Forest Realm. The temple becomes tainted when a beetle-like creature known as Stagnox takes up residence in the temple and steals the temple's Force Gem from its energy beacon, thus deactivating the temple's power source and critically weakening the Tower of Spirits. As a result, the Spirit Tracks all across the Forest Realm began to vanish, cutting off the only known road to the tainted temple and disrupting trade and communication throughout Hyrule.

The Forest Realm is the region where Link starts his journey, as his hometown of Aboda Village is located on its southern coast. Link lives with the elderly Niko and studies under his mentor, Alfonzo. To the east is the Trading Post, home to the Linebeck Trading Company and a bridge the connects the Forest Realm to the Ocean Realm. To the north is Whittleton, a quaint forested village apparently inhabited solely by single male lumberjacks who provide much of the lumber used in New Hyrule. To the west of Whittleton lies an enchanted maze-like forest called the Lost Woods. Successfully passing through the Lost Woods leads to a clearing, which holds the Forest Sanctuary, the home of the Lokomo sage known as Gage. By continuing northwest, Link can find Rabbitland Rescue, which, as explained by its owner, is a haven for all the rabbits in Hyrule without a home. In the far north of the Realm is Castle Town, the seat of the government and the largest city in the land.