the jungle of Kos (Ko- s)

The jungle of Kos  was once home to a mighty civilization, its remnants in the form of massive buildings and ritual sites  offer a glimpse into the glory and power it once held. Many historians and adventurers seek the secrets of kos, and while many have been unveiled, a lot more is still unknown about the lost civilization.
Blood mages, in particular, have heavy interest in the area, since multiple mosaics and drawings that have been uncovered display detailed rituals and items utilizing blood magic. The ancient rituals and ritual sites are slowly being taken over by aspiring blood mages who attempt to recreate the ancient magic that gave the civilization its power and cultural center.
The reason for the civilizations fall is also unknown, with many historians claiming different theories to be the real one, other nations however each have their prevailing "official" theory for the fall of Kos.  the republic of gruns  claims the reason was a slave revolt, and condemn the civilization use of slaves to create great monument at the cost of moral and physical degradation. Those same historians struggle to prove to existence of slaves, but that does not stop the theory from being the agreed upon "truth" for republic historians. Kingdome placeholder historians claim a magical catastrophe, similar to the one that created the shadowlands befell the Kos, a catastrophe that affected not the material and earth, but one that originated from the decadent blood magic rituals performed by Kos, a catastrophe that affected life itself. Proof for that theory, is the strange lifeforms that inhabit the jungle, and how sparse the few remaining human settlements are in it. most interestingly, the trader nation placeholder claim ethnical and cultural kinship to those in Kos, and throe children stories and ancient books, claim Kos was destroyed by the influence of the great insect, a mythological beast that is blamed for many ills, and specifically the larvae blight that currently affects them. Other historians have other theories, but none  have the support of of king or country, and it seems the truth about what fell Kos will stay buried for a while more.
the name "Kos" originated with the trader nation placeholder it is the word for Forest and is also close to the word sibling Kios over time the name Kos took hold when discussing the civilization althou many in the Kingdome placeholder  and republic of gruns  do not know where it originates from.

Geography

The jungle of Kos is a sprawling mazelike jungle, surrounded by mountainous terrain on two sides. The high density of tree and occasional ancient ruin make the jungle almost impossible to navigate safely and to the unexperienced impossible to escape, the occasional overgrown structures might mean that one second you are on the surface in an easy to navigate area, and one second later you  might find yourself in an underground grotto filled with treasure strange greenery and untold dangers. the earth itself is also attempts to hinder any traveler, with caves cliffs and hills being so common, a traveler might think  the ground was pulled up and down by a madman. many small rivers and lakes web the jungle, with only one major river that was named, both for its size and color, the river is called veinwater river, for its orange red colored water, which many believe is the result of rich mineral earth at its bed.

Ecosystem

the jungle is home mostly to giant trees and fungi along with low reddish bushes, the trees tower for anywhere between 40 and 120 meters, depending on type area and age. the many fungi on the jungle floor and in caves/ ruins, vary greatly, from small nightcaps to 10 meter behemoths of blue color and sticky trapping roots, the fungi can be predators or prey, they have many uses and many expeditions into the jungle do so only to gather specific mushrooms such as blue tingent, high flutty and and night-shell. The "red bushes" are know as blood thorns, a terrible plant that sustains itself on blood, no doubt created by some awful blood magic ritual, those bushes have thin dry branches with reddish hue and thorns of many sizes and shapes, many warn against their poison, a thing that in truth is small blood thorn seeds that can enter the bloodstream and take root inside a living body, many expeditionists advise to burn them on sight since they burn quickly and are unlikely to light the plants around them, although some started to warn against it, after attempts to burn some of the larger bushes resulted in the bush exploding, and sending its thorns flying into those poor enough to be around it.
The wildlife in the jungle is unlike any other in the world, few are the species that exist both in and out of Kos, some animals feature strange textures, shapes or colors for outsiders. Those creature blur the line between beast and monster, with many of them having strange abilities associated with monsters but more bestial forms, or they have monstrous forms but no magical talent, many biologists attemp to categorise and study these creatures and along with the categories of beast and monsters, they also question the category of humans, after all humans posses magical talents but no monstrous form.

Ecosystem Cycles

the areais always humid warm and has frequent rains, despite that, summer and winter do bring their own woes with them, with winter bringing rains so heavy the can flood underground caves and cause foliage to break, making the earth in winter a muddy slippery mess filled with torn leaves and broken branches.
summer is the choice start of most expedition, since it dries up a lot of the areas that are almost permanently muddied, making travell easier, despite that, in summer the bloodthorn bushes normally sprout from the ground and grow rapidly, creating a hazard that can change the landscape and block paths in the matter of a few days.

Localized Phenomena

the water of the veinwater river have turned orange red because o mineral deposits in the ground.
some explorers report that blood spilled on the ground gets quickly absorbed and that bleeding wounds feel like they refuse to close properly without special aid.

Natural Resources

the jungle of Kos is full of large heavy and dense trees, perfect as building materials and high quality funiture, the jungle is also teeming with life, most of wich is considered a noble delicacy and gets hunted either for their meat or their unique hide/bones/colors/other distinguishing features.

Alternative Name(s)

the ruined jungle, heart eater forest, the dark woods, territory of monsters.

Type

Jungle

Contested By

• Kingdome placeholder
• republic of gruns