The land that time forgot

Where is the forge?

Northeast Arizona — so close to New Mexico that the clock changes on the walk to the well. At about 6,000 feet it stays breezy. The hottest it's been so far is the high 90s; winters bring snow and real cold, and the desert swings hard between day and night.

Amateur archaeology

The crew went looking around the property and found a hunter-gatherer site, lightning stones, old animal bones and what can only be described as magical items, all under dark, Seussian trees.

The Whimsydale ruins

A neighbour with a serious interest in archaeology helped date it: a hunter-gatherer site more than 5,000 years old. Around 5,000–6,000 years ago it seems to have been a seasonal camp — a vacation spot people kept coming back to. The finds include flaked stone, coral, manos and metates, and half of an axe (one of the Dragon's favourites).

Troll teeth and other rocks

Agate, red jasper, jet, quartz, granite, amber, garnet, petrified wood and plenty more. Some of the Dragon's hidden gems glow in the dark.

Arrowheads

Made from petrified palm wood, stone and more, from fragments to complete points. Some are around 2,000 years old; others date back to when the property was lakeside, about 6,000 years ago.

Hag stones

Folklore says that if you look through a stone with a natural hole in it, you can see through witchcraft, fae magic and otherworldly illusions. The land is full of them, which convinced the crew it was mystical at some point. Then they found the magic beans.