Serpentis

🐍 Serpentis

 

🌿 Overview

Serpentis covers a tremendous amount of land on the Eastern continent.

Home to not only Port Linhud and Port Sumbley, but also Rumbaron Key, the majority of Serpentis is covered in dense rainforest that thickens into jungle in the southern portion and becomes more of a swamp to the north, where it abuts Dunegrave.

There is a decent amount of industry in Serpentis, though it is a dangerous business. Various worksites exist deep in the rainforest, with clearly delineated paths cut from either Linhud or Sumbley. These worksites—whether felling trees for lumber, raising sugarcane, or gathering exotic fruits for trade—are guarded by groups of armed men to protect the workers.

Serpentis exports the majority of the lumber for the rest of Skalmarune, rivaled only by Cascadia in the west. Among its other products, Serpentis cultivates vast amounts of sugar—and therefore, rum. There is a special, very dark, aged rum called Dead God’s Piss that is prohibited from leaving Serpentis. Some sneaks out, but for the most part, you must voyage to one of the forts (or Rumbaron Key) to sample what the locals call “The best damned thing you’ll ever put in your mouth!”

Far beneath the floor of the Krait Rainforest, something lies in a deep slumber and has for millennia. The native inhabitants of Serpentis, the Vaki, call it Tuntematon. Decades ago, the Vaki worshipped this thing. In recent years, settlers from Cascadia and Amarok came to Serpentis to build Port Linhud and Port Sumbley, easing the plundering of the vast resources Serpentis had to offer. When they did, they attempted to enforce their brand of civilization upon the native peoples.

The worship of Tuntematon was branded a cult and forbidden in the port cities. Attempts to suppress it at the various worksites deep in the Krait met with mixed success. Due to their faith being treated as heresy, the “Veljet” or Brethren were forced into secrecy—developing hand signs, covert meetings, and hidden rituals.

While the colonists’ laws concerning the local religion seem oppressive, in truth they have slowed the foreseen awakening of Tuntematon. It will rise eventually, but not tomorrow—or even next year—as long as the actions of the Veljet remain contained.

While Tuntematon sleeps, it dreams. And above, in the land of men, those dreams manifest in a wide array of mutations and monstrosities. Men who stray too far from their fellows or travel the Krait Rainforest alone begin to change. They become bestial—growing fangs, claws, tails, or worse. Their skin shifts into fur or scales, and their higher reasoning erodes, leaving behind only cruel cunning. The Vaki call these poor souls Haarko, or Pigs, for they are no longer men.

In addition to the Haarko, there are things born directly from the slumbering mind of Tuntematon. Dark, terrible creatures with too many limbs, the wrong number of eyes, and wet, slimy appendages capable of crushing and draining a man dry. These abominations have no name—for while some indeed worship the dreadful sleeping god, and the Haarko were once men, these are pure nightmares of a dreaming mind. To name them is to give them strength—and perhaps draw their gaze.

 

⚓ Landmarks

Port Linhud

 

A busy port essentially owned by Cascadian enterprises. Cascadian humans occupy this port and use it as a trading hub for sugar and bamboo. Linhud is a fairly cosmopolitan port city, home to people from across the world—from Cascadians and Amarokans to Scorrhans and Dunegravers. Even Vaki natives live and work here alongside more exotic individuals from Crescent Isle and beyond.

Among the many establishments of varied cultures is The Accidental Parrot, a tavern run by a local known only as “Ziggy,” perpetually accompanied by a foul-mouthed parrot who neither leaves nor grants him peace. Those seeking information or directions into the depths of the Krait Rainforest often begin their search here.

 

Port Sumbley

Less frenetic than its northern neighbor, Port Linhud, Sumbley is mainly inhabited by Vaki and Scorrhan business interests. The Kayu Company out of Scorrah effectively owns the port. Their primary focus is lumber from the verdant Krait Rainforest, with a secondary trade in harvesting exotic fruits from the trees before culling them.

 

Nomadic Temple

A temple to Tuntematon exists deep within the Krait Rainforest, but it has no fixed location—moving mysteriously through the jungle at random intervals. Travelers who stumble upon it may find temporary refuge from the monsters lurking within the dense vegetation of Serpentis.

 

Poison Brake

Lying along the eastern border of Dunegrave, the wetlands of the Poison Brake are home to the most toxic flora in Skalmarune—and the skeletal remains of a massive, ancient battle fought before the fall of the God-King Adon. Low-lying vegetation grows thick through the marshy waters.

Travel through the Brake is perilous. Skeletons of long-dead warriors, rusted weaponry, and spectral ghouls haunt the terrain. To reach the far side of the Poison Brake is an accomplishment few can claim.

 

Veridian Bay

Port Sumbley lies nestled within the pincers of two southern peninsulas creeping into the sea. The Kayu Company employs privateers to safeguard Scorrhan trade vessels laden with lumber and fruit from the grasp of unnatural vines that stretch from Serpentis’ shoreline into the deep blue-green waters of Veridian Bay.

The fleet is led by the frigate Green Aegis, commanded by Captain Beulah “Dead Eyes” Upton, accompanied by a pair of fireships and a bomb ketch. Under Dead Eyes’ direction, the smaller vessels scour Veridian Bay, burning away the encroaching plant life to keep trade routes open.

 

Abyss of the Mothers

Hidden deep in the heart of the Krait Rainforest, the Abyss of the Mothers is the holiest site to the Veljet and their worship of the sleeping god, Tuntematon.

The Abyss is almost impossible to find unless one is guided by a devoted Veljet. Within its cavernous entrance lies a great temple filled with cult regalia and attended by three elderly women, known as The Mothers. They baptize new believers, instruct followers, and ordain ministers to spread the word of the dreaming god below.

A massive emerald curtain hangs at the rear of the temple, concealing a sacred passage said to lead deeper toward Tuntematon itself. Only the Mothers may enter—those who try are never seen again.

 

☠️ Additional Important Characters

Bryn’s Bastards

Captain Malachai Bryn and his ship, The Broken Crown, are infamous across the Grand Strait and beyond. Their primary ports are Linhud and the Storyteller’s Haven in the Teak Isles.

Reckless even by pirate standards, Bryn and his crew chase profit, adventure, and legend across the Wyldelands and beyond. Tales of their exploits—monsters faced, treasures claimed, and near-deaths survived—fill the firesides of the Storyteller’s Haven. When pressed for details, they simply grin and say,

“Come to the campfire.”