The Gurdon Wilds

For as long as mortals have remembered, the wilds have called to them. Some would eventually grow weary of this wild nature, and seek to bring order to the land. They would form communities, farm, and learn the sciencies to break free from natures call. However, many, many more either never left, or were dragged back into this fate. For as long as the cities and nations of Nilush have stood, the Gurdon Wilds have existed, a land of savage barbarians and monsters that warp the mind. A source of constant headache for the nations of Nilush, this land has seen countless souls march in seeking adventure or to civilize the land, only to become one of the many hanging and defiled corpses hanging from the trees. Barbarian raids aplenty surge from the Gurdon Wilds, being strange dark hearted men worshipping strange dark spirits in darker forests. They maim and kill and enslave who they run into, and drag them back kicking and screaming into the forests, never to be seen again. However even an area such as this, has its own beauty. The tribes of the Gurdon Wilds are infinetly diverse, and even trying to name them all would take two years and a day, perhaps even longer. Their customs, rites of passage, battle songs, funeral customs, and languages, all unique. This land of unkown and dead gods houses a people both wild but free, unbound by laws of kings and instead by the law of their tribes. It is not unheard of for some of these natives to wander into the wider world, and become adventuerers for whatever reason may suite them. It is not a land one should vist, but if one does, they can expect to find opprotunity and danger in equal measure.

Geography

The Gurdon Wilds are a vast sprawling maze and labryinth of trees and rivers, as well as hills and mountains a plenty. The entire area is covered in forests save for the occasional forest clearing where tribes tend to make camp. Some whisper of ancient ruins from unkown civilizations lie scatterted admist the forests, housing unknowable treasure, but proof of such ruins is hard to come by.

Localized Phenomena

Due to being such a chaotic area, magic runs rampant amongst the trees and forests of the Gurdon Wilds. This can cause several mutations in wildlife and in local tribal groups, and also cause magical storms to rack the area. This has caused the area to be a place of particular intrest for spellcasters and wizards, who wish to study the unfriendly land. This also leads to the many strange appirations seen in the forest, and the dakr spirits that seem to stalk and watch any who walk through the jungle. It has also been a constant superstition of locals near the wilds to say it is a "gateway into hell" from the fact that some descriptions of "hell" describe a vast shadowy forest before one reaches the pits. While this is unlikely, it is ture that demons and devils can sometimes be found in the wilds, either being worshipped by the tribals or fighting with them and each other, or even fighting the angels.

Natural Resources

Despite the treacherous nature of the land, it also houses vast opprotunity for wealth. The countless ruins from long lsot civilizations still reside within the forests, and if one can brave the countless monsters and savage barbarian tribes, one can find vast mineral wealth and relics. However, rare is the expidtion that manages to make it out of the Gurdon Wilds alive, and so their gear and loot simply adds to the spoils that dot the land.

Alternative Name(s)

The Untamed Lands, The Dark Forests, The Gateway

Type

Forest