The Warm Glade
One of the natural wonders of the world, and considered a holy site for Tutella. The warm glade is a small isle within the borders of the outlands that betrays the overwhelming presence of peace and tranquility.
The natural geisers that dot the landscape send up boiling water hundreds of feet into the air. This has been shown to warm up the isle, making the entire island a veritable jungle. Because of the islands tranquility, and separation from most other sources of life throughout the world, the island boasts a wide assortment of creatures, none of which are capable of violence towards one another.
Tranquility of The Glade
Any who touch the land of the glade cannot feel rage or hatred, nor can they act to purposefully harm another. This purposeful avoidance of harm extends not only to people on the island, but creatures and their bodies as well. Carnivorous creatures will find that they cannot bring themselves to eat their normal source of food, be it alive or dead. As a result, creatures with an entirely meat based diet will slowly starve to death. Herbivores have no issue on the island, and thrive with a large amount of flora available throughout.
Even for those who die on the island, their bodies may decay naturally, but even prepared and cooked, none affected by the tranquility can bring themselves to bite a previously living creatures flesh. Creatures on the island instead are usually buried by the Genera tribe who reside there, but if left to their own devices will simply rot away as normal, or be pushed off the island by other creatures irritated by the smell.
Fauna
Due to the tranquility, the jungle like setting in an otherwise frozen north of the world, and a lack of carnivorous creatures, everything that exists on the glade naturally is a strict vegetarian, and usually smaller than average. The exceptions to this are the fish and wildlife outside of the island, and the giant bright banana yellow glade slug.
Glade slugs are plentiful on the island, requiring a large amount of nourishment from the plantlife, and taking any nutrients they can from the foliage they crawl over. Unlike most slugs from around the world, glade slugs have learned to jump between one tree and the next, alowing them to gain their nutrients faster so that they can eat all day without slowing down.
The Genera have even bred these slugs to be able to ride without a saddle up and down the trunks of the great trees around the island, though going along the ground from tree to tree proves excrutiatingly slow.
Alongside the glade slugs, species of lemur and numerous insects have learned to co-exist throughout the glade. Populations are small, and those that do live on the island that can subsist on meat as well, will take to the waters surrounding the glade in desperate times to grab fish or crustaceans.
Purpose / Function
It is tradition within the outlands that warring factions looking to seek a peaceful end to a conflict will travel to the warm glade, to ensure that neither is capable of violence against each another. At the center of an island lays ancient stone worked table and twenty one chairs of unknown origin, said to be older than the last consumption for sure, but potentially tens of thousands of years old at best.
This central location is nearly overgrown with ancient trees and vines. At least once every day a small rain of dew scatters among the stonework, cleaning it free of debris. It has become the perfect location for peace negotiations.
Outside of the center of the island is a veritable jungle, filled with edible foods and beautiful flowering plants that you can observe throughout the year. In fact, because of this there is a small tribe of outlanders who welcome newcomers to the isle, give bountiful feasts, and ensure their safety. Additionally, they farm and train the different creatures on the island to help with a variety of jobs and tasks.
History
Though unproven, it is believed that the glade was home to the Centarial Crowning, where the The Pondarac Pantheon came together and determined how the world was to be divided and worked. This rumor is unsubstantiated, but it is still considered an unofficial pilgrimage to make ones way to the island. Those that traverse the ancient stones can delight themselves in walking in the presence of where the divine may have thousands of years before.
The current occupants of the island are known as the Gerena tribe. A group of like minded individuals who passivly occupy and protect the island as necessary. They have been known to occupy the island since at least the last consumption, and some verbal tales claim the history goes back since nearly a thousand years before the consumption.
Composed of a wide variety of races, the Gerena tribe is widely regarded as one of the weakest of tribes in The Outlands, but having a completely inpenetrable island where violence is impossible has allowed them to maintain not only moderate numbers, but a wide variety of people. It is not uncommon to find orcs, elves, humans, and even some aquatic races doing their best to help fend for one another. Unlike most other tribes of the outlands, the Gerena tribe is more of a philosophical commune. They make simple buildings, have sparse rituals, and spend most of their time trading resources, creatures, and guidance to visitors of the Glade.
In the case of hostile or beligerant visitors, the Genera have developed a private agreement with The Troublefindersfor aquatic based threats, and a small guard force of 3 wooden golems that are able to "escort" people out of the island. It is believed that their leader is in fact a druid, who keeps the knowledge of their construction a secret.
Tourism
Worshipers of The Pondarac Pantheon are known to make pilgrimage in the name of Tutella. There, they experience the local food, the culture of the tribe, and learn what they do on a regular basis that actually harms a living creature. Most are humbled by experience, taking back with them a pacifistic outlook on life.
With the volcanic activity of the isle in the form of geisers, there are plenty of hotsprings for locals or tourists to visit and enjoy. Several distinct species also congregate around these hot springs, including lemures, that enjoy picking dirt out of hair.
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