The Verdant Expanse

**The Verdant Expanse** is a region of Chrysanthia.

## Description

Amongst vines and towering karsts a vast overgrown jungle houses creatures from the furthest corners of your imagination. Barbaric tribes of uncivilized folk and a hidden monastery available to only the most determined of pupils. The Verdant Expanse is an unforgiving place where one peak behind the bush could get you eaten. At the eastern most side of The Verdant Expanse there are a collection of floating islands that none have ventured to for thousands of years. Well at least they never came back.

## Key Locations

### Basalt

Located in the caldera of a dormant volcano amongst The Dragonring, Basalt is a medium-sized city ruled with an iron fist by King Orrik The Ruthless, an absolute despot who along with his Lieutenant Mithos The Black and their Child Army. The city has extensive subterranean caverns that connect at various places to the Underdark. The peaks of The Dragonring are accurately described as a hive of evil, a treacherous landscape made worse by the presence of giants and fire-loving abominations. The steep walls of The Dragonring are reliably reputed to hide many cavernous entrances to the Underdark. On the good side, The Dragonring shields The Verdant Expanse from the horrors of The Wastes beyond to the south. The legendary Passage of Vysaavia, a tunnel from Basalt to The Wastes is located in this area and is host to much mystery.

#### The Vied Viper

Eccentric adventurer and archaeologist Fandenor Kryll owns and operates this inn and tavern atop a massive karst. The tavern itself is a massive hollowed out snake fang covered in engraved runes of an unknown language. The tavern also hosts relics of the area and a small shop of basic supplies. Wild boar and fruit centric dishes.

#### The Temple of The Noble Coautl

The monks of this Temple pensively care for the flora growing here, wondering at the tender life surviving the searing sun and savage predators. They’ve built a massive Temple on the floating Karst, comprised of several ramada-style shelters around a central great hall. The great hall’s floor is a made of pressure plates tethered to crossbows. This is used to train to be light on your feet and soft footed. The Temple is protected from incursion by The Monks and Quetzacouatl himself.

#### Temple of The Night Serpent

The Temple of The Night Serpent is one of the oldest structures in Chrysanthia. The temple complex emerges from the surrounding jungles and banana orchards like a great coiled serpent of dingy gold. Eight carved gateways open up into a towering circular temple with open arcades and ornately carved pillars. As stratified as the Yuan-ti culture, the many layers of the temple each welcome only certain worshipers. All feature massive golden altars on raised dais, with deep channels tracing the sloping gold floors and gruesome hieroglyphics carved into the walls as backdrops for the countless bloody sacrifices that take place here. The drained humanoid sacrifices are then peculiarly mummified: the corpses are fed to a rare carnivorous plant on the temple grounds, which desiccate the bodies of all remaining moisture before depositing what remains in hard, glossy red pods. Not many people know how to enter the temple and the Yuan Ti presence there has dissuaded many adventurers from exploring.