Murcidia

To the west of the Dragon Spines lies the vast, untamed land of Murcidia. Due to the danger inherent in traveling through the area, it is still very much shrouded in mystery. It is a land of tangled jungles, frozen heights, and overgrown depths, filled with creatures great and numerous. It is ancient, serving as a graveyard for more than one ancient empire. Strewn across the land can be found fragments of the late world-tree, Illuvyssirin, whose presence imbues the local plant and wild life with power.   When speaking of Murcidia, however, all of this history and culture must take a secondary role to the regions most prominent residents: dragons. Nowhere in the world has such a population of dragons been seen, not since they once roosted in the high reaches of the Illuvyssarin. They shape the land, dominate the ecosystem, and define the local power dynamics. In Murcidia, those who thrive are those who understand the ways of the winged kings.   Beyond them, the major cultures in Murcidia are:  

The Yuan Ka

  Without a doubt, the most powerful military and cultural power in Murcidia is that of the Yuan Ka, the dominant clan of the Yuan Ti empire. Yuan Ti once ruled all of Murcidia, their lands extending as far west as (what is now) Hu Ayola, though in those days the territory was split among many different clans. They, of course, competed and warred and fought constantly and bitterly, but it was not until the plague of dragons came to their lands did a true dominant faction emerge. The Yuan Ka were the only clan ruthless enough to use the existential crisis faced by the Yuan Ti as an opportunity to exterminate their rivals. Consequently, there are far fewer Yuan Ti alive today, though it could be argued that none may yet live if not for the mercilessness of the Yuan Ka.   The Yuan Ka are secretive and greedy, willing to perform any number of atrocities to maintain their supremacy. Their people have a long history and a longer memory, secrets engraved in amber and bone that hold unimaginable magical power. They are crafty and unendingly patient, content to hoard their sorcery until the time is right to strike. They make no secret of their hared for dragon kind, and the practice of dragon worship is punishable by death within their domain. They enforce their rule primarily through the use of pawns. Among them, the Pureblood spawn, human servants, and most importantly their prize hobgoblin armies.   More than any army, however, the power of the Yuan Ka comes largely from the territory they control. At its heart is Zhan Ankharam, the largest port in Murcidia and the only city of significant size for many leagues in any direction. The naval might afforded by Zhan Ankharam ensures that Murcidia's vast southern coastline remains under the Yuan Ti's exclusively control. By carving such a large chunk out of the Rebelaut, they funnel trade goods from across the sea of malfeasance into their domain.    

Wingshadow Pact

  Those humans wishing to live outside of the control of the Yuan Ti must travel north into the wastes. A large swath of Murcidia is firmly beyond the control of the serpentine overlords, as it is the hunting grounds of the larger and more dangerous dragons. Throughout this vast expanse of jungle, swamp, river, and plain are an array of settlements living either in subservience to, or symbiosis with, the dominant dragon(s) of the area. This loose array of villages and towns form the Wingshadow Pact, an alliance of humans, half-orcs, and a smattering of other humanoid races. Increasingly, dragonborn have been leaving their enclaves in the mountains to the east and venturing down into Murcidia, seeking knowledge of the world beyond.    Dragon worship is common among the people of the Wingshadow, who carve their temples into hillsides and build ziggurats in jungle clearings to honor their winged rulers. Sacrifices and offerings are the most common forms of worship, though for some dragons they find knowledge and stories more satiating than gold or food. Some settlements live in close communion with the dominant dragons of the area, working and living side by side to create prosperous city-states replete in knowledge and bounty. In the next town over, people may live as little more than slaves, offering sacrifices and appeasement to a dragon content to abide their presence until the day comes that it grows bored of their supplication. Either way, the people of the Pact rely on the dragons for protection from the local wildlife, other dragons, and the Yuan Ka.   There exists an order of Pact priests of Bahamut that are so beloved by dragons that they are entrusted  with young or ailing dragons. The location of this hidden Dragon sanctuary is perhaps the most closely guarded secret in all of Murcidia.    

Clans of the Roitziquchtli

  In the heart of Murcidia is a jungle, deep and ancient and tangled beyond belief. It is home to some of the most dangerous creatures on the continent, dangerous enough to give dragons pause when entering its depths. The creatures who live within it call it Roitziquchtli, or "The Forest of Gods". As the lizardfolk tongue can be difficult for outsiders, the great jungle is often referred to as "The Roil" by Murcidian humans. The denizens of Roitzquichtli would be classified as "lizardfolk" by the outside world, though they take offense at this term. They call themselves "Ahuat", a word which they seem to use begrudgingly. Little is known of them outside of what can be gleamed from occasional interactions at the edge of a clearing.   They are a clan, or perhaps series of clans, who reside within the Roil and the surrounding boughs. They seem to have no formal writing system, no complex technologies, and no desire to attain such things. They are creatures of intense focus, who interact with outsiders only if it will be beneficial for themselves. They barter for weapons and supplies with pieces of slain prey, whose fortuitous size offers many opportunities for creative craftsmen.   The Ahuat do not care for intruders in their jungle, be they massive wyrms or curious humans. They will mercilessly hunt those who trespass on their territory, or else-wise capture and offer them up to whatever lives in the heart of the jungle. It is said they once worshipped the elegant couatls, celestial guardians and heralds of peace. When the dragons came, these gods were usurped, and only the most faithful Ahuat still clings to the old ways. Even their homeland changed with the Scourging. The influx of energy caused by the scattering of the Illuvyssarin's corpse triggered a dramatic change in the Roitziquchtli, causing it to grow and twist in unforeseeable ways. Something now lurks within that jungle which keeps both the Yuan Ti and the dragons at bay.