The Lost Wilds

Geography

The island is a dense jungle, with rugged, hilly terrain, and a lot of the land is nothing but bogs and swamps, some if it fed by the only river that runs through the island from the mountains to the north.

Ecosystem

Given how humid The Lost Wilds are--not to mention the prolonged rainy season--the island is a hot bed for insects and other parasites. But these are the least of anyone's worries, for the island is home to ravenous beasts that fight with one another for food, and there are rumors of sapient, man-eating plants.

Ecosystem Cycles

Though rain is constant on the island, there is is five month long period where it rains non stop, starting in late spring, and stopping at the end of summer. Because if this the island is prone to flooding, and much of the wildlife flees to higher ground, specifically towards the mountains, where the more dangerous carnivores lurk. These animals seize the opportunity to prey upon some of the weaker species during this migration, and some of them receive enough food from this that they go into hibernation till the end of the rainy season. Aside from this the only other season of note is summer, which is called the boiling season due to the extreme rise in temperature from the rain, and winter, which can prove to be unbearably cold--again, due to the constant rain.

Localized Phenomena

The few expeditions that have come back alive from The Lost Wilds have reported a strange sound coming from the mountains, described as sounding like a war horn, but much deeper. Some believe this to be the hoax, or a hallucination caused by delirium and exhaustion, while others believe it to be wind blowing through a system of caverns within the mountains. The more supernaturally minded have attributed this sound as the wails of those who have died by the island, their souls trapped in the mountain and begging for release.

Fauna & Flora

Like everything else on the island, the plant life is dangerous, most of it being poisonous or inedible, with the "blood tree" being the dominant plant life on the island. The fruit from this tree, as well as its sap, is poisonous, and even the most resilient of omnivores on the island can get sick. Though it's humanoids that are most effected, most of them dying from the poison, not just from the blood tree, but from all plants. Though it is wildlife that should be looked out for, as the island is home to a number of prehistoric species long thought to be extinct, such as dinosaurs, and even the bunyip. Though it is the parasitic organisms that reign supreme, such as the infamous "leechapus," a starfish like octopus that lies in the water, and latches onto an unsuspecting swimmer before draining them of their blood.

Natural Resources

Because so few brave the island, very few try to plunder the island, save for the merchants of an assassins guild that put a high price on the various poisons that can be found, such as poison secreted by the sloth spider, which is used to make blood nectar. The mountains are rumored to have precious materials such as gold or iron, but few have ever reached the peaks to find out.

History

The island was once part of the continent of Xullotin, before breaking off and developing its own unique ecosystem over a period of a thousand years. Attempts were first made to explore the island during the First Campaign, and again during the Age of Unrest, but both times the expeditionary parties never returned, and were presumed dead. More expeditions were launched during the late 1700s, and again during the Third Campaign, but unlike earlier attempts, these parties returned, though with a significant number of their group diminished, and with mental scars as a reward for their troubles. Along with the flora and fauna they recorded, they also reported seeing strange shapes in the wilderness, and twisted abominations that crawled out of the river and lakes. Because of this the island has been a place of superstition and dread, and few dare to brave that dense jungle, save for those who wish to harvest the resources the jungle hoards, though those who do gain little of what they find.

Alternative Name(s)

The Red Hell, The Bastard island

Type

Island