Map of the Forbidding, which debuted in 2004 with the publication of The High Druid of Shannara: Tanequil and was illustrated by Russ Charpentier.
The Forbidding is a powerful, world-encompassing magical enchantment that was created in the Age of Faerie to banish the Demons to a timeless, dark, limbo-like world.
Creation[]
Demons were a class of creatures from the Age of Faerie who sought to ravage the land, kill all manner of life, and overrun the world without regard to the consequences. This put them in opposition with the Elves and other creatures of Faerie who sought to preserve and cherish the land and its life.
Eventually the conflict between the Faerie creatures intent on preservation and those bent on destruction culminated in a massive war. Those belonging to the former group were both unable and unwilling to annihilate their Faerie brethren completely, and so they ended the war by sealing the Demons within the Forbidding, a realm of darkness where only the cursed dwell.
Characteristics of the Forbidding[]
Originally described as a dark limbo world, the Forbidding is expanded in later stories and is described as a dark mirror world of the Four Lands, a desolate place where little grows and there is no sun, moon, or stars.
The Demons call themselves Jarka Ruus, which means "banished peoples" but which they translate as "the free peoples."
The Forbidding is maintained by the Ellcrys, a magical, sentient tree. The Demons remain locked away so long as the Ellcrys remains standing and does not fail. The Ellcrys was created through a combination of earth magic from the Bloodfire and Faerie magic involving the transformation of a young Elven girl called Aleia Omarosian into the tree. The Demons have attempted to escape the Forbidding on a number of occasions, usually when the Ellcrys begins dying and needs to be reborn.
History[]
War of the Forbidding[]
The Demon's Siege of Arborlon, illustrated by Marc Simonetti for the cover art of the Grim Oak Press limited edition of The Elfstones of Shannara.
The Demons threatened the Four Lands when the Ellcrys began to die in the time of the Druid Allanon, and despite the united efforts of the Elves, Trolls, Dwarves, and the Bordermen of Callahorn, those battling the Demons nearly lost the war. Under the leadership of the Dagda Mor, the Demons had almost made it to the Gardens of Life where the dead Ellcrys resided when Amberle Elessedil, aided by Wil Ohmsford and the Rover girl Eretria, was transformed within the Gardens into a new Ellcrys, banishing the Demons into the Forbidding once more.
Escape of the Moric[]
With the help of mutinous Druids who had turned against their controversial leader Grianne Ohmsford, the Demons attempted to escape the Forbidding once more. Shadea a'Ru used the Liquid Night potion to send Grianne into the Forbidding but was unaware that the potion acted as an exchange, bringing the changeling Moric into the Four Lands. The Moric took the forms of several people, eventually taking the form of Sen Dunsidan and intended to used the Federation's warships to destroy the Ellcrys. This effort was thwarted when Pen Ohmsford created and used the Darkwand to rescue Grianne and send the Moric back into the Forbidding.
War of the Straken Lord[]
Six centuries after Amberle Elessedil was transformed into a new Ellcrys, the tree started dying again. Under the leadership of the Straken Lord Tael Riverine, the Demons attempted to escape the Forbidding once more. The demon army initially escaped near Arishaig and completely destroyed it before moving toward Arborlon. They were ultimately banished back to the Forbidding after Arlingfant Elessedil became the new Ellcrys. Just before they were banished, Grianne Ohmsford in her reincarnation as the Ilse Witch had killed the Straken Lord and taken his place as leader of the Demons. Because the Ilse Witch had chosen to become one of the Demons, she was banished along with them when Arlingfant was transformed.
Grianne's Escape[]
After being trapped in the Forbidding for more than three hundred years, Grianne reigned as Straken Queen from the fortress of Kraal Reach, but longed to return to her life with Mother Tanequil. When Drisker Arc is banished by the rogue druid Clizia Porse, Grianne becomes desperate to find the lost Darkwand and finally be free of the Forbidding. Drisker discovered that Weka Dart had the Darkwand hidden for some time, desirous for Grianne to stay in the Forbidding forever. Drisker hoped to reconcile with the Ulk Bog by convincing Grianne to at least try to bring him into the Four Lands. The Darkwand, however, burnt Weka when Grianne summoned its magic, denying Weka escape from the Fobidding but accepting Drisker and Grianne. Just before the Darkwand had taken the two humans out of the Forbidding, Weka stabbed Drisker in the chest, blaming the druid for taking his mistress away.