Dridder forest
Danger : Hazardous
Inhabitants : dridders, chilotaurs, earth mouths, tonorions, titan chameleons, podmaws, sack vines, doormat plants, gloomlotus
A vast and very ancient forest, south of Negav city and the Ascarlin mountains, and west of chidokai forest. As it's name suggests, it's now home to several large tribes of dridders.
Many great trees of the area have white trunks and seems petrified, as if some unseen force was literally sucking the life from them. The tree limbs and canopy are thick with webs, obscuring what little light makes its way through the tree tops. As such, the forest is a very dark place and it lends to it's gloomy atmosphere. The forest borders a swamp on it's eastern edge, which causes the ground to become moldy and uneven and the air humid and oppressing in that region. It should be noted that this area has the least concentration of dridders, as they prefer to dwell underground and the damp soil makes tunneling nearly impossible.
Traveling through this forest is very dangerous. Even if you were able to avoid all the giant dridders roaming the place, the forest holds many other deadly creatures and natural traps such as massive spiders, monstrous worms and various carnivorous plants. Furthermore, the areas that are the most free of vegetation tend to be the most dangerous, as they are frequently filled with webs intended to trap hapless victims. This forces many people to chose the more sinuous, overgrown paths through the forest, which slows travel and increases the likelihood you will run into trouble.
The swampy region likewise has its own perils. Many monstruous species of insects inhabit this area as there is less webbing and quick mud is another danger, sucking many unwary travelers to their doom.
Beneath the forest, spreads a complex system of caves and tunnels. Some are natural, and some are not. The dridders inhabit this complex, traps ridden labyrinth, using it not only as their main home but also as a means of quickly moving from one area to the next, often with the purpose of surprising victims passing through the woods. Indeed, travelers are advised to avoid these cave entrance at all costs. While dridders are the primary cause of concern, many predators can lay in wait within them.
It should be noted that Naxyla Dridders tend to avoid the forest if possible, as they dislike the company of their more warlike cousins.
There is a rumor that somewhere, deep within the forest, stand a majestic mansion. The structure is beautiful and its quiet, flourishing garden make a striking contrast with the eerie air of the surroundings. A magical force field forbid any access to the mansion and the incredible power of this protection leads many mages to wonder who exactly inhabit the place. The local dridders frown in anger when they look at it or attempt to ignore it, adding even more to the mystery.
- Credits to Veeshan123 for some ideas of the zone.