The Untamed Valleys
Forming the core of Drumis, the Untamed Valleys is a stretch of largely unexplored lands that reach from the Shattered Bay, through the Wall of Drumis, and up into the Fields of Frost. Much of its surface area is dominated by the Ix'thraka Jungle, while the portion north of the Wall is known as Arncona Valley. It is unknown how or why the Untamed Valleys became so lush -- especially the Arncona Valley, which is well-above the frost line in Drumis -- but it is believed that Ix'kythael had something to do with it. Thus, the naming conventions.
Arncona Valley
Akin to a wide bowl, the Arncona Valley is a massive basin that begins with the valleys of the Wall of Drumis and then ends with the Fields of Frost. The Impossible River flows through these boreal forests, heading north towards its unknown destination. This nearly one thousand mile wide basin is almost completely unexplored, so there is little more to say on this biome.Ix'thraka Jungle
If the Wall of Drumis is a great barrier that prevents the exploration of northern Drumis, then the Ix'thraka Jungle is the moat, the archers along the walls, and the war magic that cuts down any would-be assailants of the great unknown. Unbelievably lush, filled with horrid creatures, and packed to the brim with killer plants, almost everything in the Ix'thraka Jungle seems to crave mortal blood. Much like the Arncona Valley, the Ix'thraka Jungle is a near-complete mystery. What is known is that strange ruins dot the jungle, nearly imperceptible in their foliage cover, and horrible monsters roam the many shadows of this overgrown region.Black River
Of the three rivers in the Ix'thraka Jungle, the Black River is the easternmost. Considered the most cursed of the three, the name of this river is no joke -- the water does indeed run black. Those explorers who have seen and noted this phenomenon have no explanation for it. The Black River is otherwise a wide, slow-flowing river. Yet, the water runs black as pitch until the instant it empties into the Shattered Bay. At that point, the water becomes indistinguishable from the teal-blue coastal waters it joins.Kirthon River
Westernmost of the three jungle rivers, the Kirthon is a rapid-flowing river that winds its way from the Wall of Drumis and then empties out into the Overgrown Gulf. Like the Raging Run, the Kirthon River is too fast-flowing for explorers to navigate its waters, and so it remains largely uncharted to this day.Raging Run
Of the three Ix'thrakan rivers, the Raging Run occupies the central position. Like the Kirthon River, the Raging Run is an incredibly fast-flowing, dangerous river that remains uncharted to this day; however, what is known about the Raging Run and that differentiates it from the Kirthon River is that it is actually two large rivers that join at a junction -- a junction which, if those few people who have seen it and survived are to be trusted, is a massive whirlpool.The Shattered Bay
The Shattered Bay is the largest inlet in Emaxus, believed to have been created by the sundering of a huge portion of Drumis during the Reckoning. It is dotted by islands ranging from several hundred mile wide landmasses to small jutties of rock, all of which still bear varying signs of devastation upon their surfaces. The Bay's waters are unpredictable and dangerous. Explorers have recorded rounding a calm channel only to discover a raging whirlpool many would be hard-pressed to escape, among countless other dangers and nautical phenomena. And that's just the features that explorers survive discovering. As one approaches the shores of the Ruins of the Reckoning, the amount of information available becomes increasingly small as the Bay becomes more and more dangerous.Ix'athron Inlet
The larger and westernmost of the two subsidiary inlets of the Shattered Bay, the Ix'athron Inlet is a jagged body of water into which the Farthen Beck empties -- when it's flowing. Records are largely limited on this inlet as few explorers have found it fit to navigate. They claim the waters to be unnaturally choppy and that dark things dwell in its depths. Who knows if they're telling the truth or if they just need a reason to pursue even greater glory closer to the Ruins of the Reckoning.Overgrown Gulf
The smaller and easternmost of the two subsidiary inlets of the Shattered Bay, the Overgrown Gulf is an aptly named body of water. It is rather narrow and completely unexplored by way of sea due to the fact that the Ix'thraka Jungle literally continues on the surface of the water. The Overgrown Gulf is completely, well, overgrown, and covered by thick vines, huge lily pads, and some have claimed that entire trees even grow out on the water. And who knows what lives beneath that canopy?Syluru's Tears
North of the Wall of Drumis, hidden in the westernmost portion of the Arncona Valley and protected by the Iron Slopes, is a site that has only ever been successfully recorded by a single explorer: a lake known as Syluru's Tears. Whether or not that explorer -- an elf named Ayre Ercnye -- was telling the truth is unverifiable, but her journal detailed a place of unrivalled somber beauty, of how the dark ridges of the Iron Slopes gave way to a glistening basin of crystal-blue water, which seemed to shine no matter the light and was supernaturally still. She believed that this valley was where Syluru herself died and that the lake began with the goddess' final tears. And until someone else verifies -- or disproves -- Ayre's discoveries, no one knows the whole truth of this place. But if Ayre was right, then this basin is the only known location of a god's death in the Reckoning. And the implications of that discovery are utterly astounding, and perhaps the beginning of the end.Flow of Divinity
Ayre's journal also talked about a beautiful river that sloped down from the open side of the valley Syluru's Tears rests in, a river she dubbed the Flow of Divinity. She noted how it winded peacefully through the crags and lightly-forested cliffs of the tail-end of the Iron Slopes, and believed that nature itself was giving reverence to the river and giving it the space it needed. But, like Syluru's Tears itself, who knows if she was telling the truth?
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