The Wyldlands
Geography
The Wyldlands is a vast, unforgiving realm of primordial beauty and peril, remaining an unoccupied nation shunned by even the bravest settlers. This untamed landscape is scarred by towering karst formations, honeycombed with treacherous caverns, and turbulent rivers swollen with meltwater and deadly currents. Mire-like wetlands hide giant serpents and lurking horrors, while shattered mountain ranges are home to fearsome wyverns and gryphons.
Rampaging giant golems, crafted by ancient hands now gone rogue, roam the Wyldlands, posing a constant threat to any who dare enter. These colossal creatures, driven by primal fury, leave destruction in their wake. Forgotten cities, swallowed by the land, lie hidden, awaiting discovery. Ancient artifacts and relics lie scattered, hidden within treacherous ruins or guarded by powerful, primeval entities.
Despite the dangers, treasure hunters, scholars, and thrill-seekers are drawn to the Wyldlands' secrets. Rumors whisper of hidden temples, ancient knowledge, and untold riches waiting to be uncovered. However, the Wyldlands' unforgiving environment has claimed countless explorers and adventurers, earning its reputation as a realm of unrelenting danger.
Points of Interest in this nation:
The Golem's Forge
The Golem's Forge is an ancient ruin complex shrouded in smoke and ash, where skilled masters once crafted colossal golems to shape the Wyldlands' landscape. However, their creations turned against them, ravaging the civilization and leaving the forge in ruins.
Today, the forge holds secrets and dangers, including rogue golems, deadly traps, and ancient guardians protecting forgotten knowledge. Key areas include the Crucible, a massive furnace, the Scriptorium with ancient texts and schematics, and the Assembly Halls where golems were constructed.
Explorers seek treasures such as golem blueprints, ancient artifacts, and forgotten knowledge. Rumors whisper of hidden chambers, ancient technology, and the possibility of reactivating the forge. Despite the risks, adventurers are drawn to uncover the secrets of the Golem's Forge.
The Lost City of Arkon
The Lost City of Arkon was once the crown jewel of the ancient civilization of goliath giants that crafted the golems. This majestic city was renowned for its grandeur and beauty, attracting scholars, artisans, and adventurers from far and wide. Arkon was the epicenter of knowledge, magic, and innovation, where the brightest minds pushed the boundaries of what was possible.
However, as the golems began to turn against their creators, Arkon became the primary target of their wrath. The city was ravaged, its structures toppled, and its people slaughtered or enslaved. The once-vibrant metropolis was consumed by the very earth it stood upon, as if the land itself sought to hide the secrets and horrors within. Today, the Lost City of Arkon lies hidden, shrouded in dense foliage and guarded by treacherous terrain.
Explorers who dare to venture into the ruins may discover colossal structures overgrown with vines and moss, towering spires shattered and worn, and grand halls filled with ancient artifacts and forbidden knowledge. Hidden libraries contain ancient texts and scrolls holding secrets of the past. However, the ruins are fraught with danger, including rogue golems, treacherous tunnels, toxic gases, and ancient traps.
Rumors whisper of treasures hidden within the city, including ancient artifacts imbued with primal forces, magical relics forged in the city's heyday, and blueprints for the golems' construction. Some seek the fabled Heart of Arkon, an artifact rumored to hold the city's essence, or the Arkonite Prophecies, ancient texts foretelling the city's downfall. Others search for the Lost Forge, a hidden chamber where the golems' secrets await.
Fleshorb Forest
The Fleshorb Forest forms an eerie, natural barrier between The Wyldlands and Cirith Ungol. Its trees are twisted and dark, with bark the color of charred ash, creating an imposing sight that marks the boundary between the two nations. Their thick trunks rise high, supporting sprawling branches that weave together to block much of the sunlight, casting the forest in a perpetual twilight. Each tree is dotted with clusters of faintly luminescent, bulbous fruits that pulse softly in the dim light, like a heartbeat. Though the forest is visually striking, travelers often hesitate to approach; the trees emit a faint, unsettling musk even before the fruit is disturbed. The presence of these unusual trees, with their eerie glow and pungent aura, serves as both a physical and psychological divide, solidifying the border and discouraging both the golems of The Wyldlands and the elves of Cirith Ungol from venturing too far into each other's lands.
Chaos Pools
In the southeastern reaches of the Wyldlands lies an intricate network of underground cenotes known as the Chaos Pools. These pools are hidden within limestone caverns, easily accessible by navigating twisting tunnels, dense vegetation, and treacherous terrain. Each of the twelve Chaos Pools is filled with mineral-rich, shimmering water, each taking on a distinct hue and magical aura. Each pool provides a unique, temporary buff to a particular stat, imbuing those who enter with enhanced abilities—such as heightened strength, agility, wisdom, or resilience—that last for a limited time.
The pools are renowned not only for their empowering qualities but also for the unpredictability of their effects. The magic of each pool shifts subtly with the alignment of the moons or the passing of certain celestial events, causing adventurers to return seeking different, sometimes unexpected results. Local legends warn of their volatile nature, cautioning visitors that excessive exposure to the pools' magic can lead to strange transformations or lingering side effects.
Unique to this nation:
Fleshorb Fruit
The Fleshorb fruit is a rare and potent resource, coveted by those familiar with its unique properties. When freshly harvested, the fruit’s faint glow intensifies briefly before it shrivels, releasing a pungent scent that deters most creatures. Yet, for those with the knowledge to use it, the Fleshorb offers remarkable properties: its flesh is a powerful substitute in rituals, able to take the place of organic tissue in spells or ceremonies where flesh is traditionally required.
The fruit also contains potent healing qualities; when applied directly to flesh wounds, it rapidly regenerates torn tissue and promotes cellular repair, making it invaluable for healers and alchemists alike. In darker practices, the Fleshorb’s flesh can be used as a critical ingredient in the creation of flesh golems, its regenerative properties assisting in the binding and animation of corporeal forms. These versatile fruits make the Fleshorb Forest a destination for those brave or desperate enough to seek its peculiar bounty, despite the forest’s foreboding reputation.