The Residents of Storywood

Northern Highlands

Fern has been wandering the trails around Foxpine Ridge for as long as anyone can remember. He keeps old maps in his satchel, but he has a habit of leaving the marked trail whenever something interesting catches his eye. Fern is brave, adventurous, and sometimes a little too curious for his own good. He loves discovering places no one has noticed before, and almost every adventure eventually becomes a story he can’t wait to tell. His favorite phrase is, “There’s only one way to find out. Let’s go.”

Northern Highlands

Wren makes her home in The Melody Tree, where music seems to drift through the branches even when no one is singing. She collects old songs the way Acorn collects old stories, listening carefully so melodies are not forgotten. Wren also loves creating songs of her own and sometimes sings a thought before she says it. The Songbirds live around the Melody Tree too, so it is rarely a quiet place. Wren believes some stories are meant to be told, and others are meant to be sung.

Heart of Storywood

Acorn is the Keeper of The Story Archive, hidden beneath The Great Story Tree. The Archive holds much more than books. Old maps, letters, photographs, forgotten objects, records, and treasures from Storywood’s past are all carefully kept there. Acorn knows where nearly everything belongs and becomes mildly flustered when someone puts something back in the wrong place. She believes even the smallest object may be worth keeping because you never know what story it might hold.

Western Woods

Pip lives in Maker’s Grove, where scraps of paper, pencils, string, fabric, paint, and half-finished inventions seem to cover nearly every surface. She is happiest when she is making something and frequently begins a new idea before finishing the last one. Pip sketches her ideas everywhere, including occasionally on things that probably weren’t meant to be drawn on. Her best friend is Timber, and the two make a perfect team. Pip dreams it up, and Timber figures out how to build it.

Western Woods

Timber lives in his own little shack at Maker’s Grove, just down the path from Pip. He is practical, dependable, and happiest with a project in front of him and a tool in his hand. Where Pip sees possibilities, Timber sees how all the pieces might actually fit together. He saves useful bits of wood because he is absolutely certain they will be needed someday. Strangely, he is usually right. Pip is his best friend, even if her projects occasionally make his workshop much messier than he would prefer.

Heart of Storywood

Ollie lives high in The Great Story Tree, surrounded by old books, maps, lanterns, notes, and curious things collected over many years. He has spent much of his life learning the stories and secrets of Storywood, which is why everyone seems to find their way to Ollie when they need advice. He rarely gives someone the answer right away. Ollie would much rather ask exactly the right question and let them discover the answer themselves. He is also known for staying up far too late with a warm drink and a very good book. Ollie loves his goggles more than almost any other possession, and if you ask him very nicely, he might one day tell you the story of why one of the lenses is green.

Heart of Storywood

Daisy lives among the wildflowers and quiet fields of Clovermore. She has a wonderful way of making people feel like whatever they are saying is worth hearing. Daisy loves collecting memories and often asks older Storywood residents what things were like when they were young. She remembers tiny details from stories that everyone else forgets. If you tell Daisy something important, there is a very good chance she will still remember it years later.

Eastern Woods & Waters

Pockets lives at Buttonwood Bend, although his collection of strange treasures has slowly taken over quite a bit of it. Buttons, keys, feathers, bits of ribbon, tiny boxes, old coins, and objects no one can identify regularly disappear into his pockets. The best part is that Pockets immediately invents a story for nearly everything he finds. A rusty key is never simply a rusty key. It probably opens a secret door in a castle no one remembers. Pockets tells his stories with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, sometimes pausing just long enough to make you wonder if he has actually been there himself. Whether he believes every tale he tells is one of Buttonwood Bend's greatest mysteries — and Pockets wouldn't have it any other way.

Western Woods

Thistle lives along Windword Lane and knows nearly every trail, shortcut, bridge, and hidden turn in Storywood. She carries messages between its residents and takes the responsibility very seriously. Thistle moves quickly, talks quickly, and generally assumes everyone else can keep up. She has delivered letters through rain, wind, mud, and more than one completely unnecessary detour. Thistle believes stories are a little like letters. They are meant to be carried until they reach someone else.

Southern Hollows

The door to Heartberry Den is rarely closed for long. Nutmeg believes there should always be room for one more person around the table, and somehow she always has enough food when someone unexpected arrives. No one is entirely sure how. She loves baking, gathering friends, and hearing what happened on everyone’s adventures. Nutmeg is also famous for packing far too many snacks whenever she leaves home. Her reasoning is simple: adventures are unpredictable, but muffins help.

Southern Hollows

Moss lives inside Quietstone, a great moss-covered rock tucked into one of Storywood’s peaceful corners. Moss never seems to be in much of a hurry, which means he notices things everyone else walks right past. Interesting leaves, unusual stones, ripples in the water, tiny tracks, and changes in the weather rarely escape him. He carries a little notebook for things worth remembering and is perfectly content to sit beside a stream doing absolutely nothing for quite a long time. According to Moss, doing nothing is often when you notice the most.

Eastern Woods & Waters

Dot lives near the rushing water of Echo Falls, where she is constantly discovering something wonderful. A sparkling drop of water, a tiny flower growing between two rocks, or an especially good echo can stop her completely in her tracks. Dot is excitable, energetic, sweet, and very easily delighted. She also loves to sing, especially when she discovers that Echo Falls will sing something right back to her. Dot’s gift is reminding everyone else that wonderful things are often hiding in very ordinary places.

Eastern Woods & Waters

Reed lives at Blueberry Bog, where the water is quiet, the blueberries grow wild, and there are plenty of good places to sit and think. Reed loves riddles, wordplay, puzzles, and questions with answers that are not immediately obvious. He is a true wordsmith, choosing each word as carefully as a baker chooses berries. He has an irritatingly cheerful habit of answering a question with another question, especially when he already knows the answer. Reed would much rather give someone a clue than solve a mystery for them. He also claims blueberries make you better at riddles. No one has been able to prove this.

Far Horizon

Alder is a warm and wise badger with a gift for storytelling. He lives at Hearthwood Hollow, where the great hearth has never once gone out, and he spends his evenings telling tales to anyone who wanders close enough to listen. Alder collects moments the way other folks collect stones — he remembers what matters and helps everyone else see the wonder hidden in their own stories. Whether he is beside the fire or walking a forest path with his good walking stick, Alder always has a tale ready. He likes to say, “Every life is a story worth telling.”

Far Horizon

Cedar is a wise and gentle stag with a gift for storytelling. He keeps the old stories close, honors the new ones, and reminds everyone who gathers near that every story matters. With a calm heart and a steady presence, he helps others see the beauty, wisdom, and hope hidden inside their own adventures. Cedar walks the long roads of Storywood with a satchel, a lantern-lit book, and a trusted walking stick, and he always seems to arrive right when a story needs finishing. His favorite thing to say is, "Stories have a way of bringing us home to what matters most."