The Fantasia

**The Fantasia** is a peninsula encompassing the majority of the south leading up to the The Treelands. It's notable for its intense foliage, high demon activity, and unfriendly denizens. What once was a bustling landscape of commerce, dyes, and fabrics, has degraded away since the White Doom.

## Overview

The Fantasia is one the most—if not *the* most—fantastical and dangerous places within Azuria. Once a bustling fabric and dye region named **Cimmeria**, during the White Doom the region fell victim to a swathe of intense magics and demonic influence. The result of this catastrophe was a deep welt in the land, one that has lasted throughout the century. The trees grow tall enough to touch the sky, large trunks bleeding rust red sap and sporting purplish-grey leaves—their roots tear deep into the soil, burying into stone as the gravity of this region is much lighter, causing chunks of stone to float in midair. The air is unbearably thick in moisture, so much so that within its deeper sectors fish swim through it uninhibited. Birds sing in odd tunes, and strange animals beat their tails against the ground. The deeper one ventures into the Fantasia, the darker it becomes, until all one can do to flee the depths is to climb up, praying to see the sun once more.

## Inhabitants

The Cimmerians who once made their home in Cimmeria fled the Fantasia upon its inception. They abandoned everything: their homes, their livelihoods, some of them left their families. They now reside on a small colony on the Fantasian outskirts named **Mossbone**. While generations have passed since Cimmeria's destruction, many of the youth still follow the stories of their ancestors—fields of gold that stretched into the ocean, brimming with rich plants harvested for brilliant dyes. While they have no power now, the Cimmerians still maintain a veneer of pompousness—they are haughty and narcissistic, hostile to unknown individuals. However, despite this, they still lust to return to their former glory, and are willing to do anything to accomplish that, even trust an outsider.

### True Cimmerians

There are vague whispers of **“true Cimmerians”** who live as one with the Fantasia, though any in Mossdown would vehemently deny this notion. Nevertheless, stories persist of cats who ride green-mouthed feathered lizards, scaling the Fantasian trees to their shadowy peaks.

## Settlements

### Mossdown

The primary settlement of the Fantasia is **Mossdown**, a relatively small colony in the Fantasian Outskirts. It's primarily comprised of logs—though none of it originating from redblood trees—and more essential buildings build with mud and stone. Large lanterns hand overhead constantly lit—as if any trace of shadow would summon the Fantasia inside. Upon entering Mossdown, all people must undergo a sanitization ritual to scrub their fur of any foreign elements. Items from the Fantasia are to be left outside in specific storage facilities—those found to be in violation of this law are strictly punished. The only exception to this rule is **redraker**, a type of alcoholic drink created from the suger-rich sap of redblood trees. However, no natural sap is permitted inside Mossdown, and the production, consumption, and selling of redraker is strictly controlled.

## Subregions

Instead of the traditional subregions that divide a region, the Fantasia is split up into **"zones"**, with each one descending further and further into deepest sections. Like the levels of the ocean, they are defined by depth rather than geographical area. If one were to traverse the Fantasia—as discouraged as that is—it would be best to stick to the Outskirts and *maybe* the Neritic zone.

### Fantasian Outskirts

The Fantasian Outskirts are just as it sounds: outskirts to the Fantasia. It circles the majority of it, the highest in terms of elevation—the rest of the voyage into the Fantasia is a downhill walk. Bogs dot the area, and the vast majority of the landscape holds some manner of thick trees—though no redblood trees dwell here. It's relatively safe, and most Cimmerians forage for fruits and hunt standard prey here.

### Neritic Zone

The Neritic zone is the outermost zone of the Fantasia, and takes up the majority of it. Existing on top of the other zones, it ranges from the top of the trees to where the sunlight dims, though most adventurers ensure to stay close to the light. Small vats are left within the Neritic zone, along with trail markers. Together they assist in the collection of redblood sap, which is then distilled and fermented to create redraker.

### Aphotic Zone

The Aphotic zone is where the sunlight fades. Torches and lanterns are a must here. Thick sunstealer leaves coat the sky indigo and small bioluminescent bugs take up the mantle of stars. While beautiful in its own way, the animals within thunder loud with their noises; leafrocs scream from the lower branches while beetleapes beat their hardened tails against the trunks. Natural tree-borne swamps are a common occurrence, the sap from redblood trees coagulating into glue-like pits suspended from vines. To traverse here would be to carefully scale between branches, vines, and large leaves.

### Benthic Zone

There is no light in the Benthic zone. While little testimony of this area exists, the foliage within is said to be horrifically thick, sunstealers enveloping and swallowing light from even the brightest of beacons. It would be best to navigate in darkness, however, strange monsters unknown to Mossbone dwell within, and the Fantasia only seems to go deeper from here.

### Hadean Zone

The Hadean zone is rumored to exist and is not at all fully understood. While the other zones rely on travelling via branches and foliage, to walk the Hadean zone is to walk along the Fantasian floor itself. Some Mossbone Cimmerians state it's a vast sea of sap, whilst others think it's a portal to another realm, one of demons and monsters. Whatever the case, all things that fall to the Hadean zone never resurface. No Cimmerian has ever ventured into the Hadean zone and returned alive, and no Cimmerian would ever dare to venture into the blackened pits.

## Exclusive Wildlife

### Fantasian Tegu

Fantasian tegu, oftentimes just shortened to "tegu", is a type of wild lizard that first appeared with the arrival of the Fantasia forest. They live deep within the forest Thick-scaled and colored with shades of brown, grey, and copper, they navigate through the Fantasian thicket with their nimble, double-jointed limbs and prehensile tails. Their necks are long, and their mouths are extremely large. Aside from this, not much is known about tegu. Their diet, living spaces, and methods of procreation are all unknown to the citizens of Mossbone. If one was to encounter a tegu in the Fantasia, fleeing is recommended, as their temperaments are volatile and their reflexes quick.

### Leafrocs

Leafrocs are large, plume-tailed birds that dwell in the Fantasia. Nearly cat-sized, they hop about the trees squeaking and cawing at high volumes, seemingly at all times. Leafroc's birdsongs are extremely special, as each individual's call is unique from the rest. Their coloration also varies from bird to bird; you would be hard-pressed to find two birds alike in hue. Like ravens and other intelligent birds, leafrocs are mischievous and quite smart.