Sunken Thicket
Sunken Thicket
“In shadowed root and sacred pool, the old ways breathe.”
The Sunken Thicket is a veiled jungle realm hidden deep in the southern reaches of Gretego Island. Home to the enigmatic Grung, this flooded rainforest network thrives in rhythm with the land's arcane pulses, sacred pools, and caste-bound traditions. A place of poison, prophecy, and spirit-warded growth.
Settlement Type
Jungle Collective – Caste-Governed Clan Network
Region
Southern Gretego Island – Mangrove Wetlands, Bioluminescent Rainforest
Demonym
Thicket-born, Rootkin (common term), Grung (ethnospecific)
Population
~6,000 (divided across multiple semi-autonomous enclaves)
Inhabitants
Grung (primary), jungle familiars, Grove-Kin, spirit-touched creatures
Alignment Tendencies
Lawful Neutral, True Neutral, Neutral Evil (some factions)
Government
Caste-based Theocratic Oligarchy led by Gold-caste priest-kings, advised by Orange-caste seers and Grove-Kin mediators. Represents the Root Voice in the Circle of Harmony.
Description
The Sunken Thicket is not one city but a dense and sacred web of Grung enclaves, hidden beneath veils of mist, overgrown mangroves, and spiritually-charged fungi. The Grung who dwell here have cultivated the jungle not by clearing it, but by becoming part of it—constructing tree-platforms, mycelium bridges, and sacred pools used for ritual governance and spiritual communication.
Outsiders are not forbidden—but to enter without invitation or proper cleansing is to risk disorientation, spiritual rejection, or worse.
Geography & Climate
- Terrain: Flooded rainforest, mangrove groves, glowing mushroom jungles, tidal sinkholes
- Climate: Constant humidity, high rainfall, seasonal flooding, warm fogs
- Notable Features: Bioluminescent canopy blooms, leyline-root convergence zones, fungal geysers
Governance & Caste Structure
The Grung of the Sunken Thicket live by an ancestral caste hierarchy:
| Caste | Role |
|---|---|
| Gold | Sacred rulers, divine interpreters of the jungle’s will |
| Orange | Prophets, dreamcasters, fungal lorekeepers |
| Purple | Alchemists, sporechanters, medicine makers |
| Blue | Warriors, beast-tamers, guardians of sacred pools |
| Green | Builders, foragers, low-caste workers and runners |
Grove-Kin, neutral spiritual intermediaries of mixed background (Grung or otherwise), serve as adjudicators and ecospiritual interpreters during clan councils.
Culture & Customs
- Spiritual Belief: Deep animism and caste-bound ancestor veneration
- Sacred Sites: Pools, mycelium vaults, and root hollows where spirits dwell
- Customs:
- Spore Dances – trance-inducing rituals to commune with spirits
- Trial of the Throat – caste-ascension rite involving poison and jungle trials
- Tattoo-Glyphs – caste and spirit alignment are marked with glowing ink patterns
- Dreaming Burrows – personal sanctums for deep meditation and ancestral contact
Ritual cleanliness and caste order are considered essential to spiritual and ecological harmony.
Economy & Trade
The Thicket is semi-autarkic but engages in ritualized trade under strict oversight. Trade is rare and often seasonal.
| Exports | Imports |
|---|---|
| Alchemical salves, venom distillates, dreamspore incense | Obsidian tools, woven goods, skyfruit, spirit-dyed cloth |
| Carved idolwood charms | Ritual pigments, windglass, exotic herbs |
| Bioluminescent inks and dyes | Glider silk, volcanic minerals |
Barter-based exchanges are sanctified by Orange-caste priests using moss tokens and spore-seals.
Infrastructure & Technology
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Fungal Bridges | Woven root-paths reinforced with cultivated mycelium |
| Sacred Pools | Natural and enchanted water bodies with spiritual functions |
| Glowroot Lighting | Bioluminescent plants and fungus used for ambient light |
| Breath-Tunnels | Underwater passages for stealthy travel or water migration |
| Sporecasters’ Towers | Tall fungus structures used to disperse defensive mists or call rain |
The Thicket does not build in the imperial sense—they grow, shape, and infuse.
Defense
The Sunken Thicket is protected through natural camouflage, hallucinogenic mists, and spiritual deterrence. Direct assault is nearly impossible without magical means.
| Defender Type | Function |
|---|---|
| Grove Sentinels | Jungle rangers trained in ambush, poison use, and beast communication |
| Sporecasters | Purple-caste magic users who wield fungal spells and fear-mists |
| Beastbound | Warriors mounted on spirit-linked amphibians or swamp beasts |
| Illusion Pools | Trap-pools that confuse, drown, or mislead invaders |
| Ancestral Wards | Leyline-based magical defenses controlled by Gold-caste seers |
Notable Locations
- The Verdant Maw – Central sacred pool used for prophecy and offerings
- Spore Pyramid – A growing fungal temple that spirals higher each year
- Vault of Blooming Silence – Meditation cavern said to reveal voices of the First Ancestors
- Cradle of the Deep Green – Beast nursery where spiritual companions are raised
- Chorus Nest – Elevated meeting hall for caste councils and Grove-Kin negotiations
History
- Mythic Origins: Grung claim to have emerged from the “First Pool” in the Age of Magic
- Hidden Vigil: During the Age of Dragons, the Thicket withdrew and warded itself from all contact
- Age of Restoration: Joined the Circle of Harmony as the Root Voice, offering ecological insight and spirit-magic support
- Modern Day: Serves as Gretego’s ecological memory, alchemical center, and southern-most defense node
Tourism & Access
Visitors must be invited and undergo ritual cleansing before entering the Thicket.
- Unauthorized entry often results in sickness, spirit affliction, or complete disorientation
- Tourism is spiritual or academic in nature—cultural pilgrims, druids, and alchemists may be permitted under oathbound agreements
Adventure Hooks
- Echoes in the Pool: One of the Sacred Pools begins showing visions of a burning jungle—future, or forgotten past?
- The Gold Has Fled: A caste ruler vanishes during a fungal eclipse; suspicion blooms among the clans.
- Root of Corruption: A mysterious sickness spreads through the mycelium bridges, weakening the spiritual defenses—was it sabotage?
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