The Phantasma Jungle

Overview

The Phantasma Jungle is a sprawling, menacing rainforest that spreads across central Suriima, forming a formidable and natural border between The Couvalon Kingdom of North Suriima and the Quitapha Dynasty of South Suriima. Choked in mists and steeped in legends, the Phantasma Jungle is a mythic force in the region. Few who enter return unchanged, and many never return at all.

Geography

An oppressive tangle of colossal trees, thorny underbrush and rain-slick stone, the Phantasma Jungle is a place where sunlight barely penetrates and even sound behaves unpredictably. The forest floor is a mess of roots, fallen trunks, and sudden sinkholes. Whilst above, dense canopies block light and trap moisture, creating a stifling, unending humidity. Sudden rainfall is common, as are storms.

Many believe the jungle is a fluid, almost sentient entity. Paths marked by hunters are known to vanish overnight. Entire camps have been found, emptied of people but with meals still warm, campfires in embers, but with no signs of struggle.

On the northern side of the jungle lies the Couvalani town of Calzamara, a frontier town built close to the border. Calzamara serves as a launch point for hunts, expeditions and the occasional foolhardy pilgrimage into the jungle. The town thrives off the danger, with a booming trade in exotic trophies, rare poisons and jungle lore, though the strength of that trade relies entirely on how dangerous the jungle decides to be at any given moment.

Myths & Legends

Few places in the world, let alone Suriima, are as deeply woven into myth as the Phantasma Jungle. Chief amongst them are The Lumina Caverns. Said to lie at the jungle's heart, the Lumina Caverns are rumoured to be a sanctuary amidst the dread of the jungle, with crystalline caves glowing with gentle light, where the air is clear and no beast dares to follow. Some claim the Caverns are a relic of forgotten ages, others believe them to be the grave of a fallein deity whose breath still lingers in the light. Whether they are myth or mirage, the hope of their existence continues to lure the desperate and the bold, as many expeditions have vanished in search of them.

In a sense linked to the Lumina Caverns, is the force that is Zhal'vorth, in the sense that the Caverns could be the only refuge from his reach. A shadow-forged warrior said to haunt the jungle's deepest regions. Zhal'vorth is depicted as a towering figure clad in darkness, wielding a glaive of living shadow. Some say that Zhal'vorth was once a mortal protector, now cursed to guard something buried beneath the jungle. His story is especially popular amongst Quitaphan oral traditions, though even Couvalani trophy hunters carry charms that supposedly ward off his gaze.

Flora & Fauna

Surprisingly, despite the dangers presented to sapient creatures that dare to forge an expedition into the jungle, it seems to be more accommodating to other flora and fauna. Naturally, creatures that thrive in shadows, such as the Shadestalker, fare well in its mists. It is also home to the deadly Widowmaker, whilst Cryptroot spreads amongst its ruins. But these creatures, that are found elsewhere in the continent and world, make up a presumed small fraction of its potential bestiary as many species there remain undiscovered, or at least news of their existence has yet to make it out of the jungle.

Culture & Significance

To the Couvalani, the Phantasma Jungle is a challenge to be met, a perilous region from which to extract prestige and profit. Hunters from noble houses sponsor expeditions from Calzamara, and a trophy from the jungle is among the most coveted marks of status.

The the Quitaphans, the jungle is sacred and cursed in equal measure. It features prominently in their ancestral songs and cautionary tales. Entering it without purpose is considered a grave taboo, and only specific castes are permitted to tread its deeper paths during rituals.

Across Suriima phrases like 'Phantasma-bound' (or destinar vor'velo - 'Veil Bound' in the Suriima tongue) are used to describe the reckless or the doomed. The Phantasma Jungle is referred interchangeably by the natives, particularly the Quitaphans as either the Phantasma Jungle or the Veiled Jungle - Selanti ol'Phantasma or Selanti ol'Velo, respectively, reflecting their superstitions about it being a 'veil' between the living world and the world of the dead.