Jacho

New Homeland of the Tabaxi

Jacho is a region located on the northwestern coast of Kharza, with The Great Divide (canyon) to the south and the Tapochal river to the north. This rainforest (The Ixil Raniforest) is deep, though not quite as dangerous as the jungles of the south due to the kinder natures of the people here. The trees are much taller than in the south, forming a dense canopy that allows very little sunlight to trickle all the way to forest floor. The Tulen Darah people of the north have long called this region the Night Jungle. The gnomes have always called it Fyrthfugol (Gnomish for Bird Wood), so named for the cacophonous sound of all the colorful birds in the trees. This territory is mostly controlled by Tabaxi (cat people) who came from a place called Ixiltabas during the Event. It is unknown if this place was another continent, another planet, or another plane or even reality altogether. Though originally entrenched in a territory belonging to the Yuan-te, they managed to clear this region of hostile snake-people, driving them south and carving out a bit of the coast for themselves. Though over the next 2500 years their territory would push and extend all the way down to the Great Divide, they never expanded north into the Senja coast, as the Tulen Darah who lived there were peaceful and friendly. Within their territory they have built a large network of hidden tree houses and tree towns that offer safe passage through the forest canopy. Well mostly safe. There are still dangers within the canopy- especially giant snakes. Most, however, are intelligent enough not to dare brave the shadowy forest floor. Within shadows that deep, there is no doubt that sinister and monstrous things are afoot.

Inhabitants

Though the region is largely claimed by the Tabaxi, they are by no means the only folks who live in this region. The Fyrthfugolan gnomes have lived here for thousands of years, their settlements being carved out of gigantic hollowed out tree trunks. These gnomes prefer to remain hidden and unknown- so much so that before the Tabaxi arrived their existence was a myth. They have been isolated from their cousins for so long their gnomish can be hard to parse and due to many generations living in fear of Yuan-te, Grung, and Wild Elves, they tend to be very suspicious and even hostile to strangers. They are amenable to those who have proven themselves trustworthy. Most of them recognize the Tabaxi as non-threats and allies. The lower portions of the canopy are home to the Grung, barbaric poisonous little frog folk. These fellows can be found all the way down the coast and they are like cockroaches that can never be fully exterminated. They are common pests for both gnomish and tabaxi traders and travelers. There are some yuan-te who actually still live here, but they are very small groups who keep to themselves within the Night Jungle below and are unaffiliated with the Sejuk "kingdom" of Sethik to the south.
The tabaxi have no real government to speak of, only towns which govern themselves. These towns are largely socialist in nature with very few holding a any real measure of power among them. Though mostly inhabited by tabaxi, one can also find occasional dragonborn, kenku, and aarakocra as well as a few displaced forest gnomes, wild elves, or even grung or yuan-te. Most tabaxi individuals rarely stay anywhere for long- they have an innate wanderlust that often keeps them traveling- but these home towns exist as a sort of headquarters they can always return to when they need a rest or to regroup with family. A small number of Tabaxi settlements lie on the coast as port towns, just outside of the treeline. These ports have even greater diversity and include humans, genasi, dwarves, tieflings and others who are generally only passing through. The main reason one might come to this region is for the rumored treasures to be found in the Night Jungle- extremely rare plants, mushrooms, creatures, and magical components. These towns are generally full of explorers willing to plunge into the depths and face its horrors for one reason or another.

Life in the Treetops

The treetop towns of Jacho are called world wonders by some. They are sprawling, labyrinthine multi-tiered cities, some buildings carved straight into the trees and some balanced atop the boughs of these massive trees. Everywhere are ladders, rope bridges, and ziplines which assist in navigating from tree to tree. The tabaxi people are by nature cunning, curious, and innovative and it shows in their design aesthetics. Many of the dwellings are artful and naturalistic and even playful. They favor curves and arches to corners and lintel doorframes. Most are open air but built to be rainproof. Most tabaxi homes are carved out and built by the tabaxi families who live there as woodcraft has become a time honored tradition among them. Many generations share the same home, with individuals coming and going (though generally choosing to return home to have children or perform marriage ceremonies). Elder tabaxi make up the majority of the population as it is typical for them to retire home and often open a shop of some kind or train the local youth in whatever trades they took up in life
Though generally friendly (despite often being notorious pranksters), the tabaxi of Jacho can also be fierce warriors and they protect their homes viciously when threatened. They are talented and acrobatic fighters and hunters who favor stealth attacks and guerilla warfare. In order to survive in a place as dangerous as Jacho, one must be naturally dangerous themselves. The tabaxi are also shrewd merchants and talented in the art of bartering. They tend to prefer trade over coin. Their towns are full of markets selling tropical fruits, fowl, woodcrafts, and rare silken garments and textiles spun by the moths native the Night Jungle below. The largest structures in these towns tend to be the temples to Xulash, their cat god and guardian. Most Tabaxi are followers of Xulash to some degree and true atheists are very rare among them. Only those that leave home for a very long time and that are perhaps introduced to other gods might convert.
There are no truly quick paths through the canopy. Merchants must carry their wares on their backs- they cannot rely on pack animals unless that animal is a large flying creature. They cannot use wagons as traversing the region requires occasional climbing and even zip-lining. The bridges, ladders, and ziplines that make up these "highways" connect all the major tabaxi towns and also lead to pully-elevators on the outskirts of the Ixil Rainforest that lead to the forest floor. Another common contraption for traversing these woods are "Canopy Gliders", essentially hang gliders used by the daring to swoop from tree to tree. They were developed after watching the antics of the native gliding monkeys. Some tabaxi have become incredibly comfortable using these methods and even have gliders built into their day to day clothing.
Though most residents of Jacho will go their entire life without ever seeing the forest floor, there are some who brave the dangers of the Night Jungle below in order to scavenge and sell rare finds in far away places like Luxumu or Va'Sehir. Outsiders at times come here to hunt down these goods themselves but it's not incredibly common as it is in the Meliferan Jungles to the far south. Those jungles still see daylight, after all. Jacho is actually quite difficult to reach from the east. The adjacent mountains (Called the Spires) to the east are sheer and jagged with no mountain passes. On foot one must cross the Sunset Mountains through the Dorjii pass to the north within the Senja territory or across the "Titan's Table" south of the Great Divide. Both require trekking through huge tracts of hazardous, humid jungle on foot. Most who come here arrive by ship, arriving at Port Xultuntika. They usually come from one of several sea ports along the Senja coast or they are dragonborn arrivals from Port Orenzim or Illudva Point.

The Culture of the Old World

The Tabaxi of Jacho are one of the few culture groups who are largely monotheistic, worshiping the one god they brought with them from their homeland- Xulash. This deity is neither male nor female and comes in the guise of a great tiger. It is their patron god who created them and watches over them. They believe this deity brought them from their homeland to this place on purpose. According to some accounts and prophecies the world they left behind was destined to be destroyed. They are the saved and the chosen. It is a religious belief shared by the loxodon who also came from that war-ravaged world. According to the oldest tabaxi texts that speak of their native homeland of Ixiltabas, it was a world devoid of humanoid types like elves and men. All people there were risen by their respective gods into sentience and sapience from the wild beasts native there. They rose up to such heights of intelligence that actually their arcane and technical prowess greatly exceeded that of this world. And with these technological achievements, some beast-folk nations went mad with power. They waged war, each race hoping to be the dominant inheritors of the world- the top of the food chain so to speak. This war poisoned water sources, burnt huge swaths of land, and left areas fully irradiated with wild magic. The Event that miraculously brought them here was the result of divine intervention to spare the meekest and noblest of the beast-men- the only ones worth saving. In addition to the Loxodon, this also included the kenku, minotaur, and tortles who arrived with them.

The Night Jungle

The Night Jungle, the forest floor of the Ixil Rainforest, is shrouded in mystery. Very few venture within and even less tend to leave. It is nearly pitch black within in most places and all the foliage to be found has adapted to survive without direct sunlight- as have the creatures, most of which can appear quite alien. It is a biome in and of itself and home to many creatures not found anywhere else in the world. It is always misty and laden with dark pools and swampy regions. There are a great number of phosphorescent algaes, fungi, and insects, which provide the only actual light seen in here. Some have called it The Overdark, as a play on the Underdark, and they arent far off. There are tunnels in the Spires which lead to the underdark and many creatures have found their way up over the past few centuries, unaware that they are even on the surface. Though always fairly shaded, these rainforests weren't always this dark. The trees did not grow so incredibly tall and dense until after the Event. Prior to this, these jungles were just another claimed region of the dragonborn nation of Hathasir which encompassed most of the northwestern coast, The Western Isles, and the then-dry regions or rivers that are now the Sungai Channel and Spiraling Sound. It was technically a contested region as they were nearly always at war with the Yuan-te of Sethik. After the Event, this portion of the coast was mostly abandoned by the dragonborn as they reconvened upon the new isles of Hathas Rhogan and Vaythera, leaving it to the snake people they no longer had to deal with. Ruins and artifacts of their former towns and temples can still be found within the Night Jungle- some of which are valuable historical artifacts. There are also long lost ruins of the Yuan Khun empire waiting to be rediscovered.

The Canopy Towns

Yolwara
x

Emergence
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Port Huekama
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Port Xultuntika
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Kulkan
x

Government:
The Ixil Magistrate (Parliament)

Leaders
One magister from each of the largest five towns in Jacho makes up the Magistrate. These are voted in every five years. There is no leader, but the current speaker is Kuttilak the Eloquent of Yolwara.

Military
The Claws of Jacho (city guard), The Wings of Jacho (guards who are equipped with gliders who usually patrol the canopy highways)

Largest Populations
Tabaxi (85%), Forest Gnome (10%), Other (5%)

Common Languages:
Common, Ixilian, Gnomish

Trades & Exports
Silks, Seafood, Dyes & Paints, Tropical Fruits, Mushrooms, Spices (Tumeric, Cardamom, Clove, Coriander), Rice

Large Settlements
Yolwara, Emergence, Port Huekama, Port Xultuntika, Kulkan