The Great Jungle

It was said by many that the jungles of Chult were the most dangerous places in Faerûn. The plants were intelligent predators while the predators themselves were massive and armed with huge teeth and claws. Insects bit and stung travelers almost constantly, the heat and humidity were almost unbearable and the undergrowth contained a multitude of poisonous snakes. Worst, however, was the disease that ran rampant in the area. Most things in the jungle had some sort of illness or parasite and it was very easy to catch such illnesses off them. Even the water was tainted and had to be boiled if it was to be drunk. On top of all this, the intelligent creatures that eked out an existence in the dense foliage were perfectly happy and sometimes went out of their way, to track travelers in order to hunt them down and kill them. Yuan-ti, batiri, and other species that have learned to survive in this place needed food; adventurers would tend to suit that need nicely. Yet those adventurers kept on coming in their droves to the Chultan jungles as rumors of endless veins of gold, huge gems and ruined empires stuffed to the brim with magic and riches kept surfacing in taverns across Faerûn and many were willing to brave the dangers of the jungle for a slice of that fabled wealth.

Geography

Location: The very South-western corner of Faerun. Chult is located off the Southwest coast of Calimshan between the Trackless Sea and the Shining Sea.
Area: 340 miles by 840 miles (approx. 286k sq. mi)
Area - Comparative: About twice as large as California or Japan

Ecosystem

The Chult jungle is a vast lowland. Water basins drain out through the jungle starting at the high ground of the Peaks of Flame and draining in all directions to the coastlines in the East and West. The landscape of the lowland undulates creating complex and unpredictable streams draining down to the major river system. The jungle is not impossible to traverse. The jungle floor is relatively unblocked in most places. Clumps of vines and broad leafy plants do block a straight path but allow a party to meander their way in any general direction. Above the floor, there is a light shrub layer. This includes massive fern and palm plants but doesn’t get too thick as the vast variety of huge herbivores eat anything that gets too established. At around 60’ above the floor, the Understory and Canopy form a dense roof to the jungle. The densest tangle of foliage is found along the banks of rivers. This mix of trees, vines and heavy brush often make getting to and from rivers impossible without significant work to chop through 10’ of blocking plant life.

Type

Jungle

Location under

Chult

Included Locations

• Chokemist Cave
• Chultengar
• Dungrunglung
• Firefinger

Related Myths

• Uluu Thalongh