Unlost Woods

迷（まよ）えずの森（もり） Unlost Woods ma̠jo̞e̞zɯᵝ no̞ mo̞ɾi
A path in the Unlost Woods in Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle
Information
Other Names	Lost Woods (迷いの森, Old Name)
Location	The Sanctuary, on the left side of the Shrine Road
Residents	Shou Amanomori (Known to appear here)
Appearances
Earthen Miraculous Sword (Stage 2, 4 to 6) Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle (Stage 2:-1 to 6:-5)

The Unlost Woods (迷えずの森, Mayoezu no Mori) is a strange forest within the Sanctuary where the trees literally move about. The woods seem to have some form of consciousness, being capable of repelling invaders and leading prey deeper within. It is known as the "Unlost Woods" since the moving trees lead all intruders away. The forest is home to various youkai, such as Shou Amanomori.

General Information

The Unlost Woods made the initial appearance on Stage 2 of Earthen Miraculous Sword, and again on Stage 2 of Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle. The location of Stage 1 is the Shrine Road, where it can be presumed that the woods may not be located far from the road; if one was to look at the cell map of Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle, the woods are located to the left side of the road.

People who call it the "Unlost Woods" are unable to reach the depths of the forest, but those that know it as the "Lost Woods" are who the forest preys upon. During the events of Earthen Miraculous Sword, the clouds gathering above the forest created a haven for nocturnal youkai to run about, specifically gathering around the Sodden Decaying Garden. It is said that they hastily constructed a society there, which would eventually threaten the world order. This, however, never came to pass as it disbanded quickly once the clouds dispersed.

Sodden Decaying Garden

The Sodden Decaying Garden (潤い腐る庭, Uruoi Kusaru Niwa) is a dark garden with leafless, withering, rotting trees within the Unlost Woods. It is unclear whether this part of the forest is always like this or if the decay is due to the clouds blocking out the sunlight, making it so that no light reaches the forest. Not much is known about this area at all. The word for soddening (潤い) could also translate to profitable, which could be a reference to Hibaru Kokutenshi's ability to make a profit, as they showed up here in Stage 4 of Earthen Miraculous Sword.

Road of Haniwa and Ritual Site

The Road of Haniwa (埴輪街道, Haniwa Kaidō) is a long path in the Unlost Woods that is lined with clay haniwa statues on both sides, it is said that the number of haniwa along with road increases from time to time. The road leads to the Ritual Site, which is also located inside the woods. The haniwa are assumed to be made by Sukune Katano.

The Ritual Site (儀式場, Gishikiba) is a strange building completely made out of pottery clay built by Sukune upon Adagumo no Yaorochi's request, resembling a giant haniwa. It's entrance being the mouth of the haniwa, with a spiral staircase leading up to its roof, where Yaorochi transferred the Tasouken's essence was into a clay replica. It is the setting for the final stage of Earthen Miraculous Sword. In all of the Ritual Site's appearances, there appears to be a large cloud split evenly in half. However, it is unknown if this cloud is always present or not. After the events of Earthen Miraculous Sword's main scenario, the interior of the building had been repurposed into a banquet hall.

Outpost Base Camp

The Outpost Base Camp (前哨陣地, Zenshō Jinchi) is an area of the forest that's been occupied by the newly emerged Dragonfly Army, set up as a secondary base of operations in preparation for their war with the capital. Kaisen Azuma has been seen serving within the campsite. It is unclear if the camp remains after the events of Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle.

Dragonfly Castle

Main article: Dragonfly Castle

Prior to the events of Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle, the Dragonfly Castle (蜻蛉乃城, Kagerō-no-Shiro) chose to land before Taira no Chouki in the Unlost Woods, sprouting the Summonsing Fortress as it landed. In a certain ending, the castle is shown to have moved elsewhere, but it remains unclear if the castle is still in the woods after the events of Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle.

Appearances

Earthen Miraculous Sword

The Unlost Woods is a primary location in Earthen Miraculous Sword, taking place on Stages 2, 4, 5 and the Final Stage. The protagonist wanders around the woods, trying to find the culprit of the cloudy weather. There, the hero encounters Shou Amanomori on Stage 2, who wants to avenge Jun Amanomiya for getting beat up by the player character. Shou attacks, but they were defeated. The Sodden Decaying Garden is where the heros encounter Hibaru Kokutenshi on Stage 4, who tried to force them into taking a loan from Gappori. They were defeated and the protagonists moved on.

The Road of Haniwa is most of Stage 5 and the Ritual Site is both the Stage 5 (outside) and 6 (inside and on top) locations Here, the heroes fight Sukune Katano and Adagumo no Yaorochi, the ones responsible for the incident.

Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle

The woods serve as the main location of the Haze (left) route of Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle, with the exception of Stage 1. Starting from Stage 2:-1, taking the Neutral route (middle) from this stage will keep you in the forest at later stages, but the player can go different ways for new locations depending on which route is taken. As such, going left onto the haze route will take the player to the Outpost Base Camp, and continuing on to the Dragonfly Castle, but going right onto the Brilliant route will take the player back on the Shrine Road.

If the player ends up on Stage 6:-1 where the Unlost Woods would usually be, they'll instead be taken to the Ritual Site, where Yaorochi could be found. The stage scenery is the same as that from its appearance from the previous game. Yaorochi hides here to stop both factors of the ongoing war from having them be of help for their military, thanks to the power of the Tasouken. The Teams will come here without much leads to why, leading Yaorochi to be suspicious.

Additional Information

• The woods might be a homage to the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, because in the Bamboo Forest, you can easily get lost, whereas the Unlost Woods, it's the opposite.
• In Earthen Miraculous Sword, the trees in the Unlost Woods and Sodden Decaying Garden are somewhat spaced apart. However in v1.01a of the game, the space between the trees were a lot more dense.

Gallery

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  The woods in Earthen Miraculous Sword

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  The woods in EMS v1.01a, where the trees used to be a lot more dense

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  The Sodden Decaying Garden in EMS

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  The Sodden Decaying Garden in EMS v1.01a, where the trees used to be a lot more dense

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  The Road of Haniwa in EMS

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  The Road of Haniwa in EMS v1.01a, where the distance was more visible

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  Entrance to the Ritual Site in EMS

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  Staircase in the Ritual Site in EMS

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  Rooftop of the Ritual Site in EMS

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  The clouds above the Ritual Site in EMS

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  The Unlost Woods (left route) in Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle

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  The Unlost Woods (middle route) in BPoHC

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  The Unlost Woods (right route) in BPoHC

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  The Outpost Base Camp (middle-right route) in BPoHC

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  The Outpost Base Camp (right route) in BPoHC

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  The Road of Haniwa in Book of the Cafe, within NiLU's Memories