The Scour Fields

The Scour Fields are based upon a large stone foundation, a great, massive rectangle, similar to the other regions of the Room, jutting out of the misty clouds of the Shroud. It is a massive stone structure. but with a large flat plateau on top. Great and terrible vines and roots of maniacal trees and plants twist and move all around the top and sides, glow green and yellow and horrid color, with terrible stench, and bathing the top in eerie light and shade. The elven, in their cruel and horrid experiments, often perform on live subjects and animals, corrupting and mutating them with untested spells and potions, most of which are killed in the process, or mutated into monsters and beasts. These creatures, if they serve no purpose, are cast onto the Scour Fields, to be observed in the wilds. Many die, but a few hardy ones survive, namely the tuskal, who live in crude shelters on the top, or deep in the winding caverns and tunnels below.   The insides of the Scour Field are four different layers that descend downward, excluding the top. Immediately below the man-eating plants and giant serpents of the top layers, is a large cavern, roughly squarish in shape, said to have been carved out by Mig when once it ruled here. Here the untold numbers of sentient creatures live in hard homes and rough caves, fighting and quarrelling for food and resources. This is generally called the First Ring.   Below that, the Second Ring is formed of vast tunnels that twist and turn, and send all explorers lost in the dark. These tunnels often connect into small caves, where packs and wild monsters roam. The further one descends, the more crazed the creatures get, with many strange beast-hybrids crawling in the dark, as more intelligent, if savage, monsters live by their warm fires.   The Third Ring is placed below the Shroud, and very, very few have ever returned from there, and if they do they are broken, mad, or on the brink of death. It is formed of an endless amount of tunnels and caves, rocky slopes and crystals, and terrible night beasts that strike from the darkness and feast upon flesh. Monsters of any and every kind live, fight, and breed here in the darkness, far from the light of the great Sol.   And finally, there are the great legends of the last and final level, the Fourth Ring. While it is not even proven to exist, the Fourth Ring is said to be a vast cavern of ancient marvels, and to the weary explorers who lives to find it, home to a vast treasure of infinite amount. but guarded by the most fierce some and evil beasts, great giant monsters that can crush the all of Nephinal with their fists. These legends of gold and treasure has sent untold legions to their death, an unknown grave in the depths of true darkness.

A true description of the flora and fauna of the Scour Fields is completely impossible, for the continual addition of new grotesque and biologically diverse & unique creatures and plants makes any attempt to classify all to difficult and dangerous, and far to lengthy. Instead, it is suffice to say that there are several typical species of monsters and plants which have survived the best, such as the tuskal or trolla, or the greenthorn plants, giant tree-like plants which have huge vines and thorny roots that overlap and grow all over and snatch unsuspecting travelers, which form the majority of the top forested area of the Scour Fields.   However, there is one source of literature concerning the beings and biology of that region, the very, very long and exhaustive Book of Monsters, currently in its fourteenth edition. The Book of Monsters was first began by the now-legendary sage and scholar Kurian Espino, who began to write and describe nearly everything about the various monsters and creatures of the Scour Fields: their physical and mental descriptions, features, abilities, dangers, weaknesses, biology, counter-measures, origins (if possible), and any other related information that could be found. Over the centuries, untold numbers of other scholars continue to add and edit old pages, and add new descriptions of the new monsters added on to it, making the book a continual task of adding and editing, always getting bigger. The task of studying and describing such creatures is very dangerous, and many sages have perished attempting to learn more about the monsters of the Scour Fields. However, much information recorded has proved vital in allowing Nephinal to defeat dangerous and deadly monster threats, such as the Winged Wyvern over three centuries ago. The Book of Monsters continues to gain new content, thanks to the likes of brave mages such as Lyn Caala or Wooda Springfire, and it remains one of the most read and published books in all of Nephinal.

As travel is deadly and dangerous inside the Scour Fields, little is known about the natural resources of the Scour Fields. Certain plants and creatures offer unique chemicals that allow for the alchemical creation of special potions. However, the risks of surveying for special information are very high, and few have ever travelled very deep into its dark core. However, the master spellspeaker, Lyn, has recently delved further than few ever have before, and discovered a great secret indeed. Deep at the bottom of the Scour Fields lies the largest collection of magite crystals, which have grown over a thousand years. This supply could be the key to the next war, as the magite supplies of Nephinal are slowly draining, and if they could get their hands on that collection, than they could create the most powerful supply of magical spells and weapons  ever seen in all the Room.