Davania's Western Jungle Coast

Davania is the massive continent to the south of Brun where the Known World is, across the Sea of Dread. It is alien to most Mystarans and almost entirely unexplored. The closest civilized land masses are Ochaelea (the southernmost island province of Thyatis) to the north-east and Thanegia Island, the large island at the south of the Serpent Peninsula that is now the homeland of Yavdlom  the nation of Prophets. The western jungle coast is the part that borders the Sea of Dread, from opposite Thanegia to the Thyatian claims in the east near Ochalea. 

1 hex: 72 miles, adapted from this source by Mark Howard

Despite what some Thyatians say, the Thyatian Empire has only a very tentative grasp on the jungle coast - there have been some coastal  colonies established but any advance inland quickly runs into trouble and the surviving settlers retreat back to the coast. The more serious efforts have left Thyatian ruins appearing incongruously in the jungle. The two towns of Cittanova and Raven Scarp are the most notable and most stable of Thyatis' settlements on this wild continent and they have only populations of about 2000 each. The supposed borders of Thyatian influence in the jungles of Davania are really just claims with little power to back them up. Nonetheless, the Thyatian towns of Cittinova and Raven Scarp are still the best jumping off point for adventurers seeking to explore this untamed land. There are also smaller outposts of Thyatian expansion, such as Herakanthia. 

The landscape and vegetation is both immense and challenging. It is mostly tropical rainforest growing across rugged and broken landscapes. Jungle trees cling on to steep escarpments while plateaux with precipitous cliffs tower over lush river valleys. Just moving in a single direction is both difficult and exhausting with numerous detours and ways around geographical obstacles all part of travel here. 

And in the hinterlands the trees grow more enormous the further south one travels. The giant Galthorn trees reach up to 30ft in diameter at the trunk base and are up to 350ft tall. Their mighty boughs can support multi-storied treehouses for intelligent denizens or huge nests for creatures much larger than humans. Many natives will tell you that in Davania the underbrush reaches up to 50ft and the canopy only really starts beyond 100ft off the forest floor. The underbrush includes a wide range of shade-dwelling bushes and shrubs as well as ferns, bamboo, cycads and the occasional carnivorous plant. The vegetation often has its own defences, including poisons, thorns, cutting leaves, stings like nettles and the like. There is food to be found but it takes an expert familiar with this jungle to know which fruit and nuts are safe to eat and which are dangerous. 

Then there is the local wildlife. This is believed to be the origin of many of the monsters found on the Isle of Dread further to the north. Giant reptiles known as dinosaurs are found here, roaming free in herds and packs, including species not seen on the Isle of Dread. These include the top creatures of the food chain here but by no means the only things that will try to kill human-sized prey. The sheer diversity of animals in the jungle means that there are dozens, perhaps a hundred species of animal and monster that will prey on humanoids if given the opportunity.

It is telling that although there are both black and green dragons here, many of these creatures prefer to make their lairs atop massive trees or in the sides of huge cliffs because it is safer from other wildlife such as the infamous Tyrannosaurus Rex. Other dragons of Brun would not even consider showing such weakness or fear about mere wildlife, but then they have not tried surviving in Davania's Jungle Coast. 

Huge herbivorous dinosaurs including brontosaurus, triceratops and stegosaurus all roam the jungle floor in herds, feeding on the lush vegetation. Gargantua have been found here, including massive versions of horned chameleons, rock pythons and pit vipers. There are some large arthropods here, including driver ants, giant black widow spiders and giant scorpions but they do not dominate the jungle the same way the dinosaurs do - they tend to hide in nooks and crannies until night time. 

Though humans have barely hung on by the fingernails to their coastal colonies there are other intelligent races that have adapted and fared better in the Jungle Coast. 

• Rakastas, the cat-people found on the Isle of Dread are from here. As on the Isle of Dread their culture here is tribal, not civilized. They are nomadic within traditional hunting territories. They have several subraces distinguished by different pattered fur, with tawny light brown ones in the western hills and savannah, golden yellow with black spots in the ruggedest jungle and further to the east the orange with black stripes ones in the slightly lighter forest south of Ochalea. 
• Jungle Elves are similar to Wood Elves. Their warriors are mostly Elven Rangers - only a few of them have mastered magic. They generally make their homes in treehouses in the boughs of the tallest Galthorn trees. Although other elves who encounter them consider them uncultured, almost barbaric, these jungle elves have developed excellent tribal knowledge of the jungle and how to survive in it. 
• Phanatons are small agile creatures that can glide using flaps of skin between their limbs. They have a tribal lifestyle and generally get on well with the Jungle elves. Phanatons rarely go down to the jungle floor - they consider it much safer to spend as much time as possible in the canopy gliding from branch to branch. 
• Gatormen are large powerful reptilian humanoids who prefer freshwater environments including swamps, rivers and lakes. They are vicious towards all warm-blooded creatures though they tolerate each other enough to form tribes up to 50 strong. They sometimes have crocodiles as pets, even the largest giant crocodiles they call deinosuchus. 
• Aranea are spider-like creatures that are skilled at magical disguise and illusion. They are hated and distrusted by most other intelligent creatures. They particularly enjoy deceiving, trapping and devouring humans from the Thyatian colonies who in turn will try to kill araneas when the opportunity arises. 
• Minotaurs have adapted well to the jungles of Davania and roam in tribes up to 80 strong - far more numerous and sociable than their cousins in the Known World. But in Davania even minotaurs need to find safety in numbers. These tribes include bosses and kings larger and more ferocious than normal minotaurs. Some minotaur tribes specialise in hunting dinosaurs. 
• Decapi are octopus-like monsters with multiple tentacles, weird writhing hair on their green torsos and vicious carnivorous maws. They are more intelligent than most give them credit for but they tend not to be sociable, prefering solitude. They are most at home in the canopy, catching birds, monkeys and occasional jungle elves. Some have suggested they are not native to Mystara but come from some alien realm, but even if this were true they have adapted well to the Jungle Coast. 

There was an expedition of Alphatian scholars and explorers, focused on academic study not conquest, who spent two months in an Alphatian Skyship hovering over the jungle, touching down occasionally when safe to do so. One scholar who had studied other jungles said that the ecology didn't make sense - there were too many big animals, especially predators. But another who had talked to many druids had a different idea. She believed that in the Davanian jungle, nature is "turned up to 11", or greatly intensified. Life here in all its forms is bigger, more populous, more diverse, more fecund. Even though there is plenty of death, it is death as part of a food chain, providing food for others and nutrients returning to nature, rather than the nihilistic entropic death espoused by necromancers and death priests. The fact that there no undead have been found here is telling - it may be that the life-force of this ecosystem is too strong, though this is speculation. It is as if in the Davanian jungle coast, life has run riot.  

Chaos in the Black Eagle Barony

The Black Eagle Barony, ruled with an iron fist by the power-crazed  Baron Ludvig von Hendriks, is the most obvious centre for villanous humans in Karameikos. The Baron commands a sizeable army and a fortress, Fort Doom. The Cult of Chaos operates in a very different way, generally lurking in the shadows of towns and cities, seeking to infiltrate, corrupt and subvert the lawful rule of Stefan III of Karameikos. So how do these two chaotic groups view each other? 

They are in an alliance of convenience. They have no real love or trust of each other, but each can provide the other with assistance. The Cult has a cadre in Fort Doom, and the Barony provides them with a level of security that chaos cultists rarely have outside of Hule. A combination of Karameikos officials and most lawful clerics leaving the Black Eagle Barony alone and also the Baron's army of soldiers keeping the borders secure means that as long as the Chaos cultists do not upset the baron and his officials they have a safe base of operations, launching missions and infiltrators into Karameikos and other nearby lands. 

In return the cultists provide the Baron and his higher-up officials with clerical spells, albeit with a chaotic bent. Most cultists do not go around anouncing their allegience to Chaos to all and sundry as this would be disconcerting even among those as morally dubious as the Baron's household. Instead outside of their own base they hide their chaotic symbols, refrain from preaching chaotic teachings and simply describe themselves as clerics of foreign deities, and many common folk assume they are neutrally aligned. However, there are those who have guessed the true nature of these strange clerics.The cult also provides a certain form of international contact, at least through the network of chaos cults dotted around the Known World. How much information they pass on to the Baron is really up to the cultists. 

The cult has at least three separate bases in the Black Eagle Barony. The Chapel of the Viper is actually within Fort Doom and is the official base of the cult in the Barony. It is not just a chapel but several nearby buildings and a network of cellars and basements underneath that some might describe as a dungeon. Occasionally slaves and other captives are taken down into these cellars never to be seen again. There is also Vlastag Mine, an abandoned silver mine in the hills to the north of Fort Doom, near the road to Luln. This mine has been repurposed by the cult and there are no baronial troops or officials here - the Baron does not even know about this site. Thirdly there is an inn run by the cult in a fishing village on the coast called Ivanov. Of course this inn appears harmless and many patrons are unaware of its true nature. Its purpose in the cult is primarily a safehouse for those entering and leaving the Barony or Karameikos via the sea. The beach where the fishing vessels are pulled up is occasionaly visited by larger, darker vessels hailing from sinister places such as the pirate ports of Ierendi or the Hagiocracy of Hule. Because baronial troops only occasionally pass through Ivanov, these larger ships are rarely noticed by the authorities. The villagers of Ivanov know better than to talk about such matters - they just keep their heads down and hope these strangers just leave them alone. 

The lack of trust between these two groups means that although they are not hostile towards each other they certainly keep an eye on each other, and both have contingency plans if this relationship deteriorates. The Barony has plans to arrest and prompty execute as many of the the Cult of Chaos as can be caught (the Baron's agents monitor known cultists), and the cult as a whole would be banished from the Barony on pain of death. The cult have their own plans - they know they don't have enough on their side for a coup-d'etat so are planning to assassinate the Baron and his immediate heirs and successors, leaving the Barony tearing itself apart in a leadership battle. Chaos will reign indeed. 

NPCs of the Cult of Chaos in the Black Eagle Barony

The following have been borrowed and updated from DDA3  Eye of Traldar by Carl Sargent. 

Torstor Malenkov, human male F4, chaotic. Torstor is both a chaos cultist and  a lieutenant in the Iron Ring slavers. He is a despicable individual, untrustworthy, vicious, cowardly and cruel. He will only fight those unable to fight back properly - if his opponents seem competent he will not risk his own life. He is actually the cult's eyes and ears within the Iron Ring, and although the cult of Chaos and the Iron Ring have no formal agreement, they are aware of each other. 

Gebhard the Torturer, human male F5, chaotic, Gebhard is a chaos cultist who has infiltrated the Baron's organization. Although nominally loyal to the Baron, his true allegience is to the cult. He is a true sadist, which is why he has been given the job of the Baron's torturer. He would like to become the Baron's Jailer, giving him authority over even more helpless victims. Unlike Torstor, Gebhard is quite willing to fight, and gets quite angry at either escape attempts or acts of defiance from his prisoners and their allies.  

Paurillian, the Cleric of Chaos, human male C4, chaotic. Paurillian has now risen to be both the master of undead creatures in Fort Doom and also the main official representative of the cult of Chaos in Fort Doom. He has recently acquired a ring that allows him to animate a humanoid skeleton once per day and he has been putting this to use. Some of the animated skeletons stay on guard at Fort Doom, but some have been sent marching to Vlastag Mine in the nearby hills. 

art by Thomas Baxa

Completely new NPCs

Mahktal the Unworthy. human female C3, chaotic. Mahktal has been relegated to looking after the Rusty Anchor Inn in Ivanov after an incident where several captured enemies escaped from her. This incompetence has given rise to her new epithet. Nonetheless, she is now determined to do a good job in looking after the cult interests in Ivanov. She knows she needs to maintain a balance between keeping the villagers in line but also not attracting Baronial attention.  

Garrlon Irontooth, human male, T4, chaotic. Garrlon is a henchman in the Fort Doom Thieves Guild - the Night Spiders. He has recently turned to the Cult of Chaos after seeking allies in the internal politics in the Night Spiders. He now provides the cult with "street level" contacts and information in and around Fort Doom as well as being a skilled assassin. Garrlon is ruthless and ambitious, willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead in the guild, in the cult and in life in general. 

Zastable Nekrol, human female, MU5, chaotic. After a stint within the Iron Ring slavers, Zastable defected to the Cult of Chaos. She is now in charge of Vlastag Mine in the hills between Fort Doom and Luln. She has a number of cultist minions as well as orc mercenaries but she would like to control her own band of monsters and is looking for ways to become a Twisted Summoner. She has mixed relations with her previous associates. Some in the Iron Ring consider her to be a traitor marked for death, but others still respect her as a competent and dangerous mage who did what was best for herself. 

Kelshane the Vociferous, human male, C3, chaotic. Kelshane is Paurillian's assistant in Fort Doom, and he has a role as the cult's preacher, proselytizer and recruiter. He is certainly charismatic, with both a way with crowds and also talking to individuals. Although there are very few actual members of the cult in Fort Doom, Kelshane's work means that a number of the townsfolk (his parishoners) are certainly sympathetic and may help. As indicated above, Kelshane does not regularly announce that he is in the Cult of Chaos, but that he and his colleagues are foreign clerics here to bring solace and support to the Black Eagle Barony, so terriby oppressed by the wicked Duke Stefan and the rest of Karameikos. He has noticed that some of the townsfolk and garrison actually prefer having some sort of religion and ceremony to follow, so he is considering a toned-down version of chaotic rituals. 

Tormius Sevarak, human male, T7, chaotic, is described in my post about Luln 

Goblins of the Dymrak Forest

External sources: For this post I have borrowed from the following resources from the Vaults of Pandius:

The main description: http://www.pandius.com/dymrakf.html

The accompanying map: http://pandius.com/dymrak_forest_by_6inchnails_ddaqgvd.png

Deep in the heart of the Dymrak Forest of eastern Karameikos a vicious horde of goblins has lurked for centuries, scaring, attacking and raiding anyone near by. Even during the ancient past of Traldar this place was considered cursed and troublesome, with the human Traldar tribes leaving it alone. Any human entering these dark and twisted woods could expect to wind up dead with goblin arrows in their backs. 

When the Empire of Thyatis expanded westwards from their homeland they tried to settle here, but the goblins were having none of it. Although defeated when caught in open battle, the goblins tried to avoid confronting the Thyatians head-on but used guerilla warfare to great effect, particularly raiding settlements of the expanding Empire. There was one particularly brutal battle where the Rugalov River meets the Lake of Lost Dreams where the goblins did in fact defeat a Thyatian regiment in battle by dint of overwhelming numbers as well as attacking from all directions at once. Bones of the fallen can still be found today among the forest litter. Thyatian ruins of abandoned farmsteads, watchtowers and the like can still be found in the forest. Some of these have been incorporated into goblin outposts. 

The Goblins and other Races

Image by Sam Wood from D&D 3E
Monster Manual

Humans of Rugalov Village & Keep: The Karameikos humans view the goblins as dangerous bandits - not capable of overrunning their settlements but enough to kill travellers and steal livestock. The humans are wary of goblins but have no respect for them - goblins are disgusting, violent, untrustworthy. Goblins in turn view the humans as usually soft and easy to kill unless prepared, and also foolishly naive, actually expecting goblins to tell the truth and keep promises. There are frequent skirmishes and violent encounters between the two sides. 

Gnomes of the Haven Hills: Although only a few hundred strong, the gnomes of the Haven Hills are fierce opponents of the goblins, second only to the elves, with both their warriors and tricksters taking on goblins where odds seem reasonable. They are rivals in many ways, both being excellent miners and excavators. The goblins view the gnomes with a fierce hatred bordering on obsession. Similar to the humans of Rugalov, the gnomes view the goblins as disgusting, treacherous bandits. 

Callarii Elves & Sylvan Folk: These are actually the most frequent opponents of the goblins. Goblins and elves frequently clash, and elves will always try to kill any goblins they catch out in the open though they are loathed to go down into their dark lairs. Sylvan folk including dryads, pixies, sprites and nixies avoid goblins altogether though a few of the braver individuals may try to play tricks and pranks on the goblins. The wiser fey creatures discourage this as spiteful and angry goblins have been known to burn and chop down patches of forest where these pranks were pulled. 

Orcs & other chaotic humanoids: Orcs, kobolds and bugbears have all been encountered by the goblins in the Dymrak. Because the goblins are so often fighting humans, elves and gnomes they are prepared to consider other chaotic creatures as potential allies or at least mercenaries. Such humanoids are approached with caution but with a goblin leader ready to parlay. Sometimes this goes well and the band of orcs or bugbears join the goblins, usually temporarily, adding much-needed muscle to goblin fighting strengths. But often things degenerate into a brawl, so goblins never approach such humanoids solo - they always bring enough tribal warriors to defend themselves and drive off the intruders if necessary. 

Drezzalnith the Toxic: This large female green dragon dominates the northern part of the Dymrak Forest. Most goblins stay away from her though when they do interact the goblins either try to flee or act as submissively as possible. Drezzalnith has been around long enough to know that such small creatures can be useful and although she hates elves and gnomes, she will usually spare goblins especially if they bring her food, gold and information. As such several tribes have agreed to serve her when called upon. 

Goblin Social Structure 

The Goblins of Dymrak Forest are not one single hierarchy, but a confederacy of smaller tribes. They share the same language and culture but they owe very little loyalty to each other, only teaming up in times of severe danger from a common enemy. These goblin tribes are led by warriors supported by shamans - the bigger the tribe, the more of these leaders can be found. A tribe will usually be defended by typical goblin infantry, with hand-axes, shields and leather armour, but the larger a tribe is, the more specialised troops it can field - goblin archers, wolf-riding cavalry and even stealthy scouts. 

Goblins inevitably form a hierarchy, with the stronger ruling the weak, and generally males dominate the females and cubs. Note that if a goblin female can prove her worth through shamanic magic or combat prowess she may gain some status though there will always be some misogyny from more conservative members of the tribe. 

Goblin religion is led by the shamans. Exactly who or what the shamans worship varies from tribe to tribe though most acknowledge Maglubiyet as their patron deity. There are some minor goblin demigods with narrower portfolios, essentially the same as those worshipped in Zugguth Peak, though their worshippers within the Dymrak Forest are few and far between.  

Other goblins beyond the Dymrak Forest are of little interest to these tribes. Most are entirely ignorant, though the more powerful chiefs are vaguely aware of other tribes of goblins beyond Karameikos, including the Broken Lands and Zugguth Peak in southern Rockhome. There is no significant exchange of information, trade or military support. 

The goblin tribes include:

• Green Raiders Tribe: known for their bitter hatred of elves, both Callarii and Vyalla. Despite their chaotic alignment, the Green Raiders can be surprisingly loyal and disciplined, partly due to the strong influence of shamans of Maglubiyet.   
• Jaggadash Tribe: The most frequent raiders of human settlements, and also among the sneakiest and stealthiest of goblins. They are also the most prone to a variant of lycanthropy causing infected goblins to turn into giant weasels. 
• Kloss-Lunk Tribe. Due to their copper, zinc and malachite mines they are the wealthiest tribe but they also clash with gnomes. In return they have thrown their lot in with a green dragon, Drezzalnith the Toxic. 
• Kosivikh Tribe: The most bloodthirsty and aggressive. Their shamans are believed to be Chaos Cultists, viewing Maglubiyet as being too restrained and moderate. 
• River Wolves Tribe. As their name suggests they have many wolf-riders. They are also river-warfare specialists, with a fleet of canoes and coracles. They will roam eastwards across the river into the territory of Vyalla elves. 

There are other smaller tribes beyond these big five, usually with 150-300 goblins each. Any fewer than 100 are unlikely to survive - inter-goblin warfare does occur if a chief of a more powerful tribe sees an opportunity to either conquer and incorporate or simply exterminate a smaller rival. Some outposts of the larger tribes were once independent tribes who have been taken over. 

Goblin Infrastructure

Nearly all the goblin lairs and outposts are underground. Goblins are naturally nocturnal, only emerging into the forest at night, sheltering in caves and tunnels during the irritating day. A goblin tribe will typically consist of a central large lair where up to a hundred goblins may reside, and many (perhaps a dozen) smaller outposts perhaps several miles from the central lair. These outposts typically hold 20 or so goblins. Despite their distance from the main lair, they often have tunnels running under the forest to the main lair, allowing goblins to move between outposts and main lairs without being seen or suffering sunburn. Goblins are also very skilled at setting booby traps to ensnare, kill and maim any intruders - they have learnt from their cousins in Zugguth Peak. Most of these traps are in their lairs to defend against intruders but they do occasionally set traps within the forest, either to catch intruders or food. 

Goblins are skilled miners when motivated, and the goblins in general are self-sufficient in iron and bronze that they forge into weapons. These goblin mines may sometimes be extensions of lairs when a valuable seam or vein is serendipidously found while excavating new rooms or passages. Other mines are the reason for outposts being established - the ore is found and a mine is started, then living quarters and defences are added later on. The Dymrak Forest is dotted with mines, some of which are still occupied by goblin miners, while others have been abandoned to less intelligent denizens. 

Food supply is a combination of hunting in the forest and growing fungi in cavernous chambers in their lairs. This is usually sufficient, though when forest game and fungal farms run low, hungry goblins can get desperate and launch serious assaults on human towns including Rugalov village and surrounding farmlands. Livestock are the primary targets, but humans can be eaten if seasoned properly.