Emerald Forest


 * For the episode of the same name, see The Emerald Forest.

Emerald Forest is a location in RWBY that is first mentioned and briefly shown in "The First Step." It also serves as the main setting for most of the Beacon Academy Initiation.

Description
The Emerald Forest serves as the location in which the initiation of new Beacon Academy students takes place. It extends away from the Beacon Cliffs on top of which the academy is situated. Ozpin informs the students that those who enter the forest will meet 'opposition,' which is revealed to be the monsters known as Grimm. In order to monitor the forest and its hostile inhabitants, the school has installed cameras in several locations throughout the woods.

It is unknown exactly how many types of Grimm live in the forest, but it is revealed that Beowolves, Ursai, King Taijitus, Nevermores, and Death Stalkers are among the inhabitants. There is an abandoned temple at the northern end of the forest from which the students have to retrieve relics and bring them back to the cliffs.

The First Step
Ozpin explains to the new students that their first test is to team up into pairs in the Emerald Forest and retrieve a relic from the temple to the north. Each team will be graded according to the relic they choose. He then starts launching the students into the forest one at a time in varied directions, despite Jaune Arc asking him questions at the time.

The First Step, Pt.2
Each student enters the forest using their own landing strategies - except Jaune, who is saved by Pyrrha Nikos - and quickly start pairing up. Ruby Rose starts looking for Yang Xiao Long as soon as she lands, but ends up running into Weiss Schnee instead. Weiss originally walks off without her into the forest, but when she sees Jaune still pinned to a tree, she decides to go with Ruby.

Meanwhile, Pyrrha finds Jaune and the two become a team. Weiss and Ruby begin to travel through the forest to the temple, but when Ruby shows how fast she can be, she runs off just as Beowolves appear from the shadows to attack Weiss.

The Emerald Forest
As Yang walks through the forest, she encounters two Ursai, indicating that there are more creatures of Grimm in the forest. Elsewhere, Jaune and Pyrrha hear the sound of gunfire, and Jaune gets a scratch on his face after Pyrrha accidentally hits him with a branch. Pyrrha asks Jaune why he didn't activate his Aura, to which he responds that he's not familiar with the concept.

Pyrrha explains that Auras are manifestations of souls, created from the understanding of both light and darkness in every being, and can be used by any living being. The Grimm are the one exception, as they lack souls, and are instead considered beings of darkness and manifestations of anonymity. With practice, Auras can be utilized as a shield, or even as an efficient fighting tool. This concept is demonstrated when Lie Ren uses a combination of his Aura, weapons, and martial arts skills to slay a King Taijitu that attacks him.

Pyrrha utilizes her Aura to unlock Jaune's, which immediately heals his cut. She notes that Jaune has a vast amount of power in himself. After Ren slays the beasts, Nora Valkyrie calls out to him, attempting to utilize the secret signal she devised earlier. Ren comments that it doesn't sound very much like a sloth, and the two officially become partners.

Players and Pieces
The members of teams JNPR and RWBY meet up chaotically at the Temple containing the relics needed for their test. They fend off the Death Stalker and Nevermore attacking their position long enough for the remaining initiates to grab their pieces.

They then unanimously decide to hightail it back through the forest seeing as defeating the Grimm is not a requirement of the mission. However, the two monsters chase them relentlessly through the Emerald Forest, forcing the students to take a stand at abandoned ruins right by the cliffside.

Trivia

 * Its name may be a reference to the Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz.