Black Jungle¶

The Black Jungle is a relatively large region in southeast Drehmal, mostly covered in dense jungle. The region is also very volcanically active, meaning pits of lava are widely present throughout the terrain. The name "Black Jungle" is most likely derived from the black volcanic sand that exists in some areas, especially the coasts.

Geography¶

The Black Jungle is located in the southeast corner of Drehmal's main continent. The Verdant Range separates the region from Spearhead Forest to the north and the North Heartwood away to the west, although the latter is still directly accessible through the Verdant Labyrinth. The region is also bordered by open ocean to the east and south, and a large gulf called the "Eye of Vir" to the west. The Strait of Vir connects the Eye of Vir to the southern ocean, and forms a narrow division between the Black Jungle's southwestern tip and the southeastern tip of the South Heartwood.

The Black Jungle has a very diverse landscape. Most of the region is a large, thick, tropical forest. The trees here are almost all jungle wood, but there are rare instances of acacia as well. The trees' heights vary, but most are taller than the average trees of other regions. There are volcanic zones on the east coast that are free of any forest cover and have ground of red, orange and black hues. Two separate areas within the jungle also contain pools of lava. The Black Jungle has many cliffs and spires composed of white-and-turquoise striped stone, and other cliffs are striped with black and red/orange. Black sand is present on all of the region's coastlines.

Environmental Sub-Regions:

Turquoise isle home to the Kiln of Virtuo
Clearing in northwest, near exit of Verdant Labyrinth
Swamp/marsh areas (one in southwest, one in far northeast)
Black sand beaches and volcanic plains along southeastern coast
Dense jungle in south, with various combinations of hills, rock spires, and lava flows

Firteid, the largest city on the continent, is located in the region's west. It straddles between the mainland's coast and inland riverbank, and the Turquoise Isle.

History¶

The oldest evidence of civilization in the Black Jungle is of a large, Verrhys-worshiping city that was ruled by a monarch, whose population was mysteriously exterminated.

The region was subjugated under the Empire of Vir in the mid Second Avihm, and the land was held under a firm, protective grip, until the empire's eventual collapse. Due to the new lack of central authority, Sahdan criminals were disposed of by being exiled across the sea to the Black Jungle. These rampant outlaws likely posed a problem for the native inhabitants of the region. The Tidal Dynasty soon rose to power, ruled by the tyrannical Tide Queen from the city Firteid, and established control over the entire jungle. This marked the beginning of a long period of oppression.

The region was never conquered by the Avsohmic Empire, who wished not to engage in a bloody and costly war with the Tidal Dynasty's vast army. In the Third Avihm, the dynasty became isolationist and all foreigners were banned from its lands, other than the Kiln of Virtuo and a designated port. The Tidal Dynasty partook in the Insohmic Civil War, joining forces with the Insohmic separatists against the loyalists, ending in their own defeat. Soon afterwards, the dynasty's abuse of its power to exploit maritime trade prompted Insohm to begin secretly stirring political unrest in Firteid, ultimately leading to the Tide Queen's assassination.

The Tidal War was fought between the Tidal military and Virtuo's Grand Parish (backed by the Insohmic Coalition) to determine the succeeding government. After a long conflict, in which Virtuo was injured in an attack by Maelihs, Insohm and the Parish emerged victorious and founded the Parochial Enclave of Firteid. The Enclave remained as a member of Insohm for the whole duration of its lifetime, which lasted until the Grand Parish and Virtuo's sudden and unexplained departure at the end of the Third Avihm. The Tidal Republic rose in its place, and still governs Firteid today.

Worship of Virtuo is still the primary religious faith in the Black Jungle.

Regional Map¶

Map of Black Jungle (sold by Adventuring Merchant in Firteid):

Terminus Tower¶

The Black Jungle tower.

The Black Jungle's Terminus tower is located in the region's center, atop a miniature volcano with steps near a river bank, with the tower's base submerged in lava. There are no hostile entities present.

Coordinates: (X: 4428, Y: 154, Z: 3273)

Points of Interest¶

Black Ruins¶

The mysterious ruins (still completely intact) of a large city composed almost entirely of blackstone and obsidian, likely from the early Second Avihm, lies deep within the Black Jungle. It is centered around a temple/palace with an elevated throne. The city's inhabitants worshiped Verrhys, evident due to a statue of the Aspect hidden in a large underground cavern. They were the only people who are known to have worshipped Verrhys, and a sign in front of this statue is the only known mention of Verrhys by name in the map. The residents died out for an unknown reason, but were once one of the largest cities in the ancient world.

A Stone of Agony is located in one of the above-ground towers.

The cavern underground can be accessed from a tower in the southwest of the town, which leads down into a pitch-black maze. An unnamed, bizarre artifact is found in front of the statue of Verrhys.

Coordinates: (X: 4145, Y: 70, Z: 4136)

Divination Facility¶

The Divination Facility was a small, one-room Avsohmic facility situated in a cave behind the Kiln of Virtuo. It was used for Project ArkAngel, in which an unknown material was probed with primal energy in hopes of exposing its inner, high-energy core. The facility's location was chosen for its relatively high levels of ambient divine magic. The scientists working inside were killed during the purge that ended Avsohm, just before the machinery's final activation and the project's conclusion.

Pressing the button here will summon a strange structure, whose purpose is not initially clear.

Coordinates: (X: 3197, Y: 87, Z: 3249)

Firteid¶

Firteid (also called the City of Tides) is the largest city, both in size and population, in the game. It is located by the western shore of the Black Jungle, with a small, isolated district on the Turquoise Isle outside of the Kiln of Virtuo. Its buildings are constructed of spruce and dark oak wood, with dark prismarine or carnelian wood roofs. The city is infamous for its history as the capital of the brutal Tidal Dynasty. Today, it is ruled by the Tidal Republic.

Coordinates: (X: 3912, Y: 82, Z: 3482)

Kiln of Virtuo¶

The Kiln of Virtuo is large, ornately decorated temple dedicated to Virtuo that also served as her residence for millennia. Before she left, her followers could make pilgrimages to the Kiln to seek advice or healing from the Goddess herself. It contains statues of several members of Virtuo's Grand Parish, a devotion altar, and more.

Coordinates: (X: 3260, Y: 85, Z: 3353)

Ruins of Vulteid¶

Vulteid was a city in the west Black Jungle that was of religious importance to the local practitioners of Virtuo's faith. The city was also well-known for its fearsome militias. Its architecture is similar to that of Firteid, but the buildings utilize deepslate and blackstone as its primary materials, and the roofs are always carnelian wood.

Coordinates: (X: 3772, Y: 86, Z: 3948)

Ruins of Zovan¶

Zovan was a town on the west coast of the Black Jungle. A large bridge built by Avsohm over the Strait of Vir in the late Second Avihm connected the Avsohmic city of Espinor in the South Heartwood to Zovan, in order to develop trade with the Tidal Dynasty. The town was occupied by the Gozaki army during the Insohmic Civil War, and its inhabitants were subjected to harsh oppression and ultimately massacre.

Coordinates: (X: 3010, Y: 105, Z: 3931)

Sahdan Monastery¶

On an island off the region's south eastern coast is a monastery/library that was built by Sahdans in the mid Second Avihm. It holds two books containing information on Sahd's ancient history, as well as a compass pointing toward Sahd.

Coordinates: (X: 4805, Y: 122, Z: 4567)

Teiruun Monastery¶

Teiruun Monastery is a towering complex filled with hostile Virtuo-worshiping Drehmari priors and monks, located high in the Verdant Mountains to the northeast of the Black Jungle. The monastery's Parish secretly experimented with ways of potentially converting Drehmari into Virmari, without the direct intervention of the Goddess herself.

Coordinates: (X: 5618, Y: 174, Z: 2974)

Virtuo Statue¶

Along the mountainous northern edge of the Black Jungle, a colossal statue of Virtuo's likeness is carved into the mountainside. An altar at its base contains offerings to the Goddess, and some valuable loot can be found in the lantern Virtuo holds.

Coordinates: (X: 4167, Y: 93, Z: 2503)