Rotting Jungle

The jungle's terrain is highly rugged, comprised of rolling hills, tall cliffs, and ravines, though it becomes more flat the farther west one travels. In addition, scars from the cataclysm, such as craters, blasted debris, and ancient flattened trees cover the landscape. Finally, the jungle's modern flora—giant trees and fungi resilient enough to survive there—make their own mark on the terrain. As a result, successfully navigating the jungle is an incredibly difficult task.

The primary source of the jungle's vitality is the residual magic of the cataclysm—the same magic which causes anomalies and mutations throughout the world. The plants and fungi of the jungle extract this magic from the air and earth, allowing them to grow to huge sizes and giving them especially potent magical properties. The animals who have adapted to eat these organisms similarly absorb this magic, both growing large and developing powerful abilities.

This magical energy which fuels the jungle's growth is not unlimited, and can be depleted. This has already happened in small pockets in the center of the jungle, where the lack of magic leaves these areas barren and dead (there being no mundane species for miles to take hold there). Were the jungle to continue expanding until it covered the entire planet (which it is currently on track to do), it would eventually completely reverse the effects of the cataclysm.

The most numerous organisms in the jungle are fungi. They permeate the soil in large networks, and mushrooms of all shapes and sizes grow from the ground or cover every surface. Some hardy plants survive there, too, especially the giant trees that dot the land. Essentially all of the plants and fungi are incredibly toxic in a myriad of ways. Insects, giant and strange, are virtually the only animals resilient enough to thrive here, as even most dragons are unable to withstand the strong poisons.