Keeper of the Forbidden Wilds

Spirit Overview — Framing

Wiki-printed playstyle note:

A slowly growing wall - expanding can sometimes be difficult, but the Invaders will have an equally difficult time penetrating wherever the Keeper plants itself. In larger games, it may be useful to spread to one of the two far-distant lands early on, to have multiple points from which to slowly grow.

Strategic framing [VERIFY: enhance with play experience].

Starting Setup

Put 1 Presence and 1 Wilds on your starting board in the highest-numbered Jungle.

Growth Options (two)

Growth token reference (Wiki shorthand):

• reclaim — Reclaim all discarded Power Cards.
• gain1p / gain2p — Gain 1 or 2 Power Cards (Minor).
• addpresence1 / addpresence2 / addpresence3 — Add 1 Presence from track, Range N.
• energy1 / energy2 / energy3 — +1/+2/+3 Energy.
• card1 / card2 — +1/+2 Card Plays this turn.
• (Other tokens documented on Wiki Spirit template reference pages.)

Presence Tracks

As Presence leaves each track, these values are revealed:

• Energy track: energy2, sun, energy4, energy5, plant, energy7, energy8, energy9
• Card-play track: card1, card2, card2, card3, card4, card5reclaim1

Core Mechanics & Special Rules

Special Rule

FORBIDDEN GROUND After you create a Sacred Site, Push all Dahan from that land. Dahan Events never move Dahan to your Sacred Site, but Powers can do so.

Innate: PUNISH THOSE WHO TRESPASS

• Speed: slow · Range: 0 · Target: any

Level	Thresholds	Effect
1	2 Sun + 1 Fire + 2 Plant	2 Damage. Destroy 1 Dahan .
2	2 Sun + 2 Fire + 3 Plant	+1 Damage per SunPlant you have.
3	4 Plant	Split this Power’s Damage however desired between target land and another 1 of your lands.

Innate: SPREADING WILDS

• Speed: slow · Range: 1 · Target: noblight

Level	Thresholds	Effect
1	2 Sun	Push 1 Explorer from target land per 2 Sun you have.
2	1 Plant	If target land has no Explorer, add 1 Wilds.
3	3 Plant	This Power has Range +1.
4	1 Air	This Power has Range +1.

Unique Cards (all, Wiki-verified)

Boon of Growing Power

• 1 Energy · Slow · Range No Range · Any Spirit · Sun, Moon, Plant
• Target Spirit gains a Power Card. If you target another Spirit, they also gain 1 Energy.

Regrow from Roots

• 1 Energy · Slow · Range 1 · Jungle or Wetland · Water, Earth, Plant
• If there are 2 Blight or fewer in target land, Remove 1 Blight .

Sacrosanct Wilderness

• 2 Energy · Fast · Range 1 · Land with no Blight · Sun, Earth, Plant
• Push 2 Dahan . 2 Damage per Wilds in target land. OR Add 1 Wilds.

Towering Wrath

• 3 Energy · Slow · Range 1, from your Sacred Site · Any Land · Sun, Fire, Plant
• 2 Fear . For each of your Sacred Site in/adjacent to target land, 2 Damage. Destroy all Dahan.

Card Priority Ratings

Uniques

The spirit’s own 4 Unique Power cards (always in hand; always A-tier by default — see Uniques section above for full text):

• Boon of Growing Power
• Regrow from Roots
• Sacrosanct Wilderness
• Towering Wrath

Top 10 Minor Draft Picks (from full pool)

#	Card	Cost	Speed	Elements	Effect (truncated)	Why this pick
1	Sear Anger Into the Wild Lands	0	Slow	Sun, Fire, Plant	Add 1 Badlands. OR If Wilds and Invaders are present, 1 Fear and 1 Damage.	elements fire+plant+sun → 13.2
2	Purifying Flame	1	Slow	Sun, Fire, Air, Plant	1 Damage per Blight. If target land is a Mountain or Sands, you may instead Remove 1 Blig…	elements air+fire+plant+sun → 13.5
3	Gift of Living Energy	0	Fast	Sun, Fire, Plant	Target Spirit gains 1 Energy. If you have at least 2 Sacred Sites, target Spirit gains 1 …	elements fire+plant+sun → 13.2
4	Pact of the Joined Hunt	1	Slow	Sun, Plant, Animal	Target Spirit Gathers 1 Dahan into one of their lands. 1 Damage in that land per Dahan pr…	elements plant+sun → 11.1
5	Enticing Splendor	0	Fast	Sun, Air, Plant	Gather 1 Explorer /Town. OR Gather up to 2 Dahan .	elements air+plant+sun → 11.4
6	Favor of the Sun and Star-lit Dark	1	Fast	Sun, Moon, Plant	Defend 4. Push up to 1 Blight .	elements plant+sun → 11.1
7	Absorb Corruption	1	Slow	Sun, Earth, Plant	Gather 1 Blight . OR Pay 1 Energy to Remove 1 Blight .	elements plant+sun → 11.1
8	Like Calls to Like	1	Slow	Sun, Water, Plant	If target land has Explorer, Gather up to 1 Explorer . Do likewise for Town, Dahan, Blight…	elements plant+sun → 11.1
9	Song of Sanctity	1	Slow	Sun, Water, Plant	If Explorer(s) are present, Push all Explorers. Otherwise, Remove 1 Blight .	elements plant+sun → 11.1
10	Teeming Rivers	1	Slow	Sun, Water, Plant, Animal	If target land has no Blight, add 1 Beasts. If target land has exactly 1 Blight , Remove i…	elements plant+sun → 11.1

Top 5 Major Draft Picks (from full pool)

#	Card	Cost	Speed	Elements	Effect (truncated)	Why this pick
1	Forests of Living Obsidian	4	Slow	Sun, Fire, Earth, Plant	Add 1 Badlands. Push all Dahan. 1 Damage to each Invader. If the origin land is your Sacr…	elements fire+plant+sun → 13.2
2	Unrelenting Growth	4	Slow	Sun, Fire, Water, Plant	Target Spirit adds 2 Presence and 1 Wilds to a land at Range 1 of their Presence.	elements fire+plant+sun → 13.2
3	Unlock the Gates of Deepest Power	4	Fast	Sun, Moon, Fire, Air, Water, Earth, Plant, Animal	Target Spirit gains a Major Power by drawing 2 and keeping 1, without having to Forget an…	elements air+fire+plant+sun → 13.5
4	Twisted Flowers Murmur Ultimatums	5	Slow	Sun, Moon, Air, Earth, Plant	4 Fear . Add 1 Strife. If the Terror Level is 2 or higher, Remove 2 Invaders.	elements air+plant+sun → 11.4
5	The Trees and Stones Speak of War	2	Fast	Sun, Earth, Plant	For each Dahan, 1 Damage and Defend 2.	elements plant+sun → 11.1

HoSI Beginner Deck Bundle — for reference only

No HoSI beginner-deck bundle for this spirit.

Cards to Avoid (anti-synergy flagged)

Key Strategic Principles

[VERIFY and enhance] — strategic principles should be derived from Wiki-verified mechanics above.

1. Use the Special Rule to its fullest (see above for exact text).
2. Element thresholds drive innate firing — see the innate tables above.
3. Suggested draft cards are Wiki-recommended; pattern-match to your matchup.

Opener Mechanics — starter reference

Starting state

• Setup: Put 1 Presence and 1 Wilds on your starting board in the highest-numbered Jungle.
• Starting income (from presence_energy_track[0] = energy2, presence_cardplay_track[0] = card1): 2 Energy · 1 Card Play
• Hand at start: 4 Unique Power Cards (listed below)
• Growth type: two — (see spirit panel)

Growth options

• G1: reclaim (Reclaim all discarded+played Power Cards); energy1 ((track slot showing 1 Energy))
• G2: gain1p (Gain 1 Power Card (Minor unless otherwise noted))
• G3: Keeper ((spirit-specific: Keeper — consult spirit panel)); energy1 ((track slot showing 1 Energy))
• G4: Keeper3 ((spirit-specific: Keeper3 — consult spirit panel)); noblight ((spirit-specific: noblight — consult spirit panel))

Presence-track reveal rules: placing Presence (via a growth option with addpresence*) reveals one track slot — either the next Energy slot or the next Card-Play slot, not both. The choice determines your permanent-income trajectory from that turn onward.

Energy track

energy2 · sun · energy4 · energy5 · plant · energy7 · energy8 · energy9 — income as slots reveal: 2 → sun → 4 → 5 → plant → 7 → 8 → 9

Card-play track

card1 · card2 · card2 · card3 · card4 · card5reclaim1 — CP as slots reveal: 1 → 2 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5

Innate Powers

• PUNISH THOSE WHO TRESPASS (Speed: Slow · Range: 0 · Target: any)
  • L1 — 2 Sun + 1 Fire + 2 Plant: 2 Damage. Destroy 1 Dahan .
  • L2 — 2 Sun + 2 Fire + 3 Plant: +1 Damage per SunPlant you have.
  • L3 — 4 Plant: Split this Power’s Damage however desired between target land and another 1 of your lands.
• SPREADING WILDS (Speed: Slow · Range: 1 · Target: noblight)
  • L1 — 2 Sun: Push 1 Explorer from target land per 2 Sun you have.
  • L2 — 1 Plant: If target land has no Explorer, add 1 Wilds.
  • L3 — 3 Plant: This Power has Range +1.
  • L4 — 1 Air: This Power has Range +1.

Fast-phase element ceiling from Uniques

Fast innates resolve in Fast phase and can only see elements from Fast cards played before the innate. Slow-card elements arrive too late to feed a Fast innate. This is the element ceiling Fast plays from your Uniques alone can contribute each turn:

• Fast-phase Unique elements: Sun ×1, Earth ×1, Plant ×1

Unique Power Cards

Card	Cost	Speed	Range	Target	Elements	Effect
Boon of Growing Power	1	Slow	No Range	Any Spirit	sun, moon, plant	Target Spirit gains a Power Card. If you target another Spirit, they also gain 1 Energy.
Regrow from Roots	1	Slow	1	Jungle or Wetland	water, earth, plant	If there are 2 Blight or fewer in target land, Remove 1 Blight .
Sacrosanct Wilderness	2	Fast	1	Land with no Blight	sun, earth, plant	Push 2 Dahan . 2 Damage per Wilds in target land. OR Add 1 Wilds.
Towering Wrath	3	Slow	1, from your Sacred Site	Any Land	sun, fire, plant	2 Fear . For each of your Sacred Site in/adjacent to target land, 2 Damage. Destroy all Dahan.

Invader phase by turn (base deck)

Adversary escalation can shift this — check the adversary JSON for deviations (Sweden front-loads a Build; some Habsburg levels add early Builds).

Pause-point before writing T1 prose

Adversary Matchup Matrix

[VERIFY all grades] — template only; fill in per-adversary notes after play.

Strategy Cliffs — per-adversary-level shifts that change Keeper of the Forbidden Wilds’s math

England L5 — Buildings +1 HP

What changes: Towns become 3-HP (was 2), Cities become 4-HP (was 3). Damage-only Powers dealing 2 or 3 may no longer kill a Town/City in one go.

Mitigation for Keeper of the Forbidden Wilds: Stack damage from multiple plays or use downgrade Powers (Crops Wither, Tangled Trees) to soften before finishing.

England L3 — Coastal Lands build faster

What changes: England’s L3 escalation adds an extra Build in coastal lands. Ocean-adjacent spirits see compounded pressure on their home terrain.

Mitigation for Keeper of the Forbidden Wilds: Front-load coastal defense or disruption before T3’s first Ravage.

Brandenburg-Prussia — Cities drive Fear-per-kill (favorable swing)

What changes: BP’s escalation puts Cities on the board early, and each destroyed City dumps Fear into the pool. Damage-dealing spirits benefit from an inflated Fear curve; weaker spirits may struggle against pre-City pressure.

Mitigation for Keeper of the Forbidden Wilds: Aim at City-dense lands with your highest-damage plays for outsized Fear returns.

Board / Map Configuration

[VERIFY via play] — base boards A–D, Jagged Earth E–H, and thematic ratings pending per-spirit play experience.

Game-Phase Strategy

[VERIFY: needs play data].

Synergy Partners (Multiplayer)

[VERIFY: needs multi-spirit play data] — archetype-based hints from Archetype Index are the starting point.

Common Mistakes

[VERIFY: collect from play].

Tempo Profile

[VERIFY: per-round targets need playtest].

Expansion Sensitivity

• Base only: core Uniques + Innate + Special Rule functional if expansion = Base.
• + Branch & Claw: events + blight deck introduce variance.
• + Jagged Earth: Major/Minor pool deepens.
• + Nature Incarnate: additional aspects may unlock; check the aspect column above.

Per-expansion specifics [VERIFY].

Stat Snapshot

Source Notes

Chapter draft generated from Wiki data 2026-04-19. Strategic prose needs enhancement from play experience. See templates/SPIRIT_TEMPLATE.md for the full Rei-format spine.