Jaxeite Ward

Pronunciation = /JA-see-iet/
The ruined remains of the late Archon Jaxeite's Ward were a result of a disaster born of both hubris and greed. Archon Jaxeite, in an attempt to develop a strategy that could deal with both Veleiuri Ward to the well and expand her influence rimward into The Heraldwoods, developed a unique and deadly strain of plant life which could consume the water in the earth to grow with astonishing speed. This new vegetation she called hellcreeper consumed anything which it could get at, and grew deadly barbs and sharp razor edges everywhere. Archon Jaxeite thought that it could form both as a barrier wall against her opponent, while also choking out wood elven resistance in the forest and allowing her domination of the resources there.
However, before Archon Jaxeite could properly deploy her weapon, something occurred which no one to this day is able to explain. The hellcreeper managed to take root in the heart of Jaxeite Ward itself, and without a proper method to control it in time, it quickly overran the capitol. Now, decades later, there is nearly no water left in the soil in what used to be Jaxeite Ward. Hellcreeper remains, flourishing in deadly starts whenever rain falls or subsisting on predation of any small animals which remain alive in the barren landscape.
It has been theorized that the voracious and seemingly indestructibly adaptive nature of hellcreeper is thanks to inclusion of slime biology by its creator, but no researcher has been willing to take the risks in dealing with hellcreeper in its "native" region to confirm this as even small samples of the plant quickly spread and consume any region in which it is able to take root.
The ruins of Jaxeite Ward are a tempting prospect for particularly brazen or insane adventurers, as the remaining magical artifacts of her dynasty remain virtually untouched since its fall. However, venturing here is suicidally dangerous, as even a momentary rainfall will result in an explosion of lethal hellcreeper from the roots which remain dormant under the soil in almost every square inch of the Lost Ward.

Alternative Names

The Hellcreep Wastes, the Lost Ward

Neighboring Nations

• The Heraldwood