The Skullfields

The flatlands of the fallen

Written by JRTRPG

The Skullfields were once the site of an immense battle of ground forces. A weapon was used that killed all the troops at once; leaving only skeletons and the remains of weapons and armor. Whatever the weapon was, it poisoned the land deep into the ground - people stay away from the Skullfields, as the gas that creeps from below is known to kill and mutate those afflicted.
Some people choose to risk the dangers of the Skullfields and attempt to scavenge for ancient weapons, armor, and technology. Indeed some have heave made it back, treasure in tow.

Geography

The Skullfields are miles of poisoned flatlands, stretching between mountains, until abruptly ending at the surrounding forests. Across the flatlands are small gas geysers, issuing forth poisonous fumes. There was once a lake near the middle of the flatlands, but that is now a simmering pool of some sort of acid-like liquid.
The Skullfields gets its name from the fact that thousands of skeletons litter the landscape. While most still wear the armor they had on in life, their bleached white skulls can be seen in all directions, reaching far into the distance.
The Skullfields are in an area that would be ideal for travel, but due to its dangers, travelers must take mountain passes instead. Some have put forth plans to rid the Skullfields of the poison gas, but no one has been successful in the least. Even the caretaker robots, the ancients who first reseeded the land after the apocalypse war, ignored these flatlands as irredeemable.

Fauna & Flora

The Skullfields are home to a variety of mutated insects.
Gas bugs live off sustenance gained from the various noxious fumes that exude from the ground.
Death beetles, which can stand 3 feet tall, live below ground. They feed off the animals in the surrounding area that wander too close to the Skullfields. Their front legs are naturally bladed. Their exoskeleton is toxin-resistant, and is sometimes used for making armor.
Poison worms can reach up to 2 feet long and make their tunnels below the Skullfields. They and the death beetles are part of the reason gas geysers can appear seemingly at random; the gas gets into the tunnels and will occasionally burst to the surface.
There are rumors of even deadlier beasts residing within the Skullfields.

Natural Resources

If someone could find a use for the deathly gasses of the Skullfields, there's certainly enough of it.
Death beetles are sometimes hunted for their exoskeletons and bladed legs, but their meet is toxic.
The fields of long-dead warriors offer much in the way of treasure for those brave or foolish enough to try their luck.