The Sovereign Forest

From the depths of Sherwood at the dawning of the year, comes an avenging force. A hooded man, raised from the dead by the powers of the forest, is brought forth to do its work. He gathers to his side outlaws, those whom the brutal Forest Law has placed beyond the reach of society. Harnessing the mysterious energies of the forest, they strike out from their refuge to free those unjustly imprisoned, or ambush wealthy travellers and share the spoils between the local villages.

Among them are Will Stutely, once a feared and brutal Forester until a patrol went desperately wrong; Much, a timid youth whose one act of bravery has made him a fugitive; Little John, whose readiness for a fight may finally prove a force for good; Mowren, the runaway daughter of a local landowner; and Will Scathelocke, a man forced by starvation to kill the King’s deer. Guiding and inspiring this disparate bunch, and keeping the peace between them, is the hooded man, at once human and forest spirit.

Returning from war overseas, callow but ambitious, comes Sir Guy of Gisburne: with the Sheriff of Nottingham he plans to carve up Sherwood for their own enrichment. Meanwhile, the common people have nothing: hope of neither change or justice. But now comes word of resistance, of Robin Hood’s band.

But Robin’s life is tied to the seasons, and the year grows old. When the forest itself is threatened, who can defend it?

This is not the Robin Hood of a good King in whose absence the land is misruled. In this England, all who have wealth or power are complicit. Only those who can tap the dark magical power of the forest can find the strength to resist, and to struggle for change. But can such a war ever be won?

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