Eldritch Jungle

The **Eldritch Jungle** lies in the far south of Giantstep. As its name suggests, it's covered in sinister jungles, ridden with plague and horrifying creatures.

## Settlement History

These jungles have been known to everyone in southern Giantstep since the dawn of time, yet they still remain largely unexplored. Only parts of the eastern and western coasts have been mapped, with expeditions leading to the interior of the jungle being met mostly with death and disease.

The only cities built by humans in these accursed lands have been on the coast, mostly by the Chugaranni, humans native to the Terrania Freeholds. The biggest one of those being Zamondar, somehow still surviving to this day. According to Aruandan legends, they also built colonies on the eastern coast of the Eldritch Jungle, although none of those have ever been found.

The western coast was home to small colonies founded by the Asvaran Confederacy centuries ago. Nowadays only ruins can be found there, as the few settlements were sacked a long time ago by corsairs and pirates, who enslaved their inhabitants. Asvaran soon gave up all efforts in colonizing and exploring these lands. The eastern coast is home to small trade towns of mud, mostly habited by the descendants of the Chugaranni, as well as some charcoal skinned natives not so different than those that dwell in the island of Kinalonga. Zamondar is the largest town in the Eldritch shores, but compared to large cities in Azan or Changrila it is only the size of a hamlet. It is full of misery and it is frequented by adventures, exiles and rogues from all over, particularly Drunigzar. These towns survive on trade and fishing.

Disease is less common in the coast than the jungle interior, so outbreaks are rarer as well, making them slightly easier to explore. This has lead to the people living there basically refusing to accomodate or trade with anyone that has ventured in the jungle in fear of the plague, as not even they dare to venture too deep in the jungle.

The interior of the Eldritch Jungle is also known as the "**Green Hell**". No humans or other sentient species have been documented living or settling there. Despite that, many ruins have been found scattered around, some not resembling any known human architecture in the slightest. The most infamous one is the city of Terminus, made entirely of oily black stone. Its ominous location at the edge of gargantuan waterfalls combined with the fact that the jungle around it has scarce touched it has earned it a sinister reputation.

Hundreds of expeditions have been lost in the Eldritch Jungle, be it from disease, monsters or worse. It's said that nine out of ten explorers who set foot in the Green Hell perish before being able to escape it. It is no wonder that these jungles make even the most seasoned of warriors tremble at the idea of exploring it, as no fame nor any riches are worth venturing into this hellish place.

## Geography and Climate

There are countless rivers that run through the Eldritch Jungle. The largest one of them is Orrothos, a river that runs eastwards, forming a delta before emptying into the Sea of the End. Many scholars claim that Orrothos is the deepest and widest river in the world, although very few have had the privilege of witnessing it for themselves. The interior of the jungle (known as the Green Hell) is home to many cliffs and mountains that are always covered in thick vegetation., although there's much more about this place we do not yet know, as large parts of it remain undocumented and uncharted. The jungle is extremely hot and humid, with rainfall and storms being relatively common.

## Dangers

The dangers that lurk in the Eldritch Jungle are countless and are more frequent the closer someone gets to the center of the rainforest. Due to the extremely hostile nature of the jungle, few of what we know of its creatures can be credited to credible eyewitnesses, with most hailing from hearsay, rumours and oral stories. Nevertheless, it's important to mention them, as even the wildest legends have grains of truth hidden in them.

Orrothos and other streams are home to huge crocodiles and swarms of carnivorous fish capable of stripping a man's flesh in minutes. The rivers are also home to stinging flies, bloodworms, fifty meter long snakes, huge leeches and deadly mosquitoes. Even the herbivores of this land are extremely dangerous, as large hippos and jungle elephants could tramble an entire battalion. But not even those can compare to the Uon Longele, a quadripedal lizard-like creature with smooth skin that sails down rivers with such grace that not even crocodiles dare to harm it.

Deeper in the jungle one can find the mighty Lhaza Tiger, as well as humongous cannibal apes, which use tree logs as weapons, taking down large animals such as elephants. Dwelling in the Green Hell are tattooed lizards that run down their preys and rip them apart with long curved claws on their hind legs, man-eating ghouls and large, white vampire bats that can walk on two legs and completely drain one's blood in seconds. Even the rainforest's flora is not friendly, as some plants (such as the Cannibal Orchid) have developed an affinity towards meat. Not only that, but berry bushes and trees often carry flesh-eating insects, as well as disease covered murk.