Pantano

**Pantano** is a Garra-inhabited universe in the Anima Project Series. It is known for being home to the majority of the Garra, the natives who make up over 80% of the planet's sentient population. It is also known for its extreme heat, particularly in the depths of its swamps which can exceed 250 degrees Fahrenheit. It also hosts numerous human settlements, though they are not the high point of Pantano's sights.

The Garra actively worship a being known as Sangriento which dwells in the sun looming in Pantano's skies. paying tribute to it in exchange for it remaining as Pantano's lifegiver. Some tribes, such as the Ortega, reject Sangriento. However, they are in the minority.

## Other Universes

Pantano's relations with other universes are often misunderstood. Garra, while confrontational and aggressive by nature, are willing in most cases to interact with other races economically. However, with foreigners being denied access to Garran cities, the Garra instead leave Pantano in order to conduct their business.

In Shadow of Ares, the Garra acquire a very negative relationship with Agni as a result of the intrusion by the Ares Company, giving weapons to the Ortega tribe so that they are able to force their rival Cortes tribe out of Pantano and into Agni.

## Structure

The Garra settlements number in the hundreds, with populations ranging from ten to ten thousand. Each settlement is the property of its leading tribe, and the borders between each are known for being extremely fluid. Due to the Garra understood rules and laws wherein the strong are on a higher rung of society than all weaker than them, this leads to larger tribes absorbing many of the smaller tribes surrounding them and becoming small nations.

This is especially true in the Cortes and Ortega tribes, which are by far the largest tribes on Pantano and are known for their intense rivalry. This rivalry is often the only interaction with the human settlements by the Garra, who usually stay to their own land and avoid the cooler parts of Pantano where the human settlements are.

The human settlements are low in number and are isolated to local government structures, and serve simply as makeshift settlements for travelers, biologists, mercenaries, and hunters with varying levels of knowledge of the surrounding swamplands.

## Countries & Features

### The Cortes Tribe

The Cortes tribe is the largest single region in Pantano, encompassing a lake of sulfur. The Garra within the under-sulfur structures and the land structures alike are very self-serving, generally content to fight and drink among themselves rather than deal with its neighbors. The settlement is also the religious capital of the primary Garra religion worshiping the sun god Sangriento.

### The Ortega Tribe

The Ortega tribe is the second largest region in Pantano, separated by a large swath of dark swamp. Unlike the Cortes, their settlement is protected by an enormous metal shell constructed from imported materials. The Ortega tribe actively seeks to conscript and brutalize its neighbors, though often will be successfully intimidated from action by the Cortes tribe.

### The Dark Swamps

The lower marshlands of Pantano around which its settlements are build. The swamps have their name largely from the dark, immensely humid heat beneath the canopy as well as the mysterious creatures living within. Garra and humans very rarely brave the dark swamps, due to the multitude of creatures dwelling within. Giant spiders, rot dragons, wraith bats, and even the souls of the dead revived by the swamp's own malevolent energies are all known to dwell within the murk.

### Human Settlements

The human settlements are few and far between, skirting around the dark swamps and steering clear of most Garra settlements. With no true political structure, each settlement is different from one another with regard to the people residing there and the quality of the settlements themselves. While some are minimally functional outposts for scientists, some are essentially hovels for travelers.

## People From Pantano

* **Zenaida Cortes** - The Sapphire Tide. An acolyte and the first child of Victor and Estrella Cortes.Victor Cortes - The Snake King. An acolyte and most infamous patriarch of the Cortes tribe.

Estrella Cortes - An acolyte and one of Victor Cortes' numerous suitors. The mother of many of his strongest children.

Ramon Cortes - The Venom Dealer. An acolyte and the strongest son of Victor and Estrella Cortes.

Alarico Ortega - The Languid Snake. An acolyte and patriarch of the Ortega tribe.

Hector Aquilar - An acolyte and hunter living in Pantano's human settlements.

Scarecrow - A malevolent anomaly born from a Pantanian artifact called the Ace of Spades.

Garrick - The avatar of the Garran sun god, Sangriento.

Sangriento - A powerful god living in Pantano's sun.