"Because no wizard, even one of legendary power, is so directly tied to the land itself." Arlo says, his voice firm. "The Shadow Man is the Whispering Woods, and the Whispering Woods are the Shadow Man. They are one and the same."
He gestures to a shelf across the room. "There is a book over there. 'The Ecology of a Forest.' It is a dry and tedious read, but it contains a very interesting passage. It speaks of a rare phenomenon, a symbiotic relationship between a forest and a sentient being. A being that is not a part of the forest, but is so deeply connected to it that it becomes a part of it."
He looks at us, his eyes grave. "I believe that is what we are dealing with here. The Shadow Man is not a wizard who lives in the forest. He is the forest's will made manifest. He is its guardian, its protector, its memory."
