The Savage Lands

Once the birthplace of all of Edras' beasts, the Savage Lands were eventually claimed by Enmensur, the High Commander, who stabilized and sustained the plane by absorbing its ontology into his own. The Savage Lands are the home of primal natures, sentient beasts, and vibrant ecosystems. This plane is located in the Outer Planes is occupied largely by beasts. All natural creatures and their dire versions from the Prime Material Plane, including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and invertebrates, excluding enchanted creatures and monsters, are represented here. There are very few settlements, as those who live there would rather live with nature than against it. Lush forests of all types cover this plane and its three layers, from giant sequoia forests to snow-laden alpine woodlands to deserts full of cacti and other fauna. The Savage Lands is broken down into three layers, each highlighting a specific time of day, and it never changes on those layers.

The Layers of the Savage Lands

Krigala: The top layer of the Savage Lands is the bright, light-drenched land of Krigala. Here, it is always noon with the sun, known as Selera, hanging high overhead, drenching the land in plentiful light. The beasts that hunt during the day can be found on this layer, from the zebras and lions to fish and eagles. All manner of beasts can be found throughout the expanse of locales that exist across Krigala. Veldts, forests, jungles, swamps, alpine slopes and even deserts chock full of cacti can be found in small pockets across the land, the noon light of the sun decreasing and increasing in heat depending on the environment. While the sun never moves across the sky, time still passes like usual and many rely on the rains to help them determine when a day passes. From moment to moment the weather can take sudden changes from drenching downpours to crystal clear skies, but every day without question a light rain rolls through the plane signifying a new day for the inhabitants.
Brux: The second layer of the Savage Lands is in a constant state of a sunrise, or if you are more pessimistic, you might call it a sunset. The sun, Selera, hangs just above the horizon casting a reddish glow across the entire plane with its opposite, Noctos, the moon, can be seen in the twilight sky. Brux is just as varied as Krigala when it comes to the different ecosystems that can be found throughout, and in fact, the plants and flowers that grow here are all facing the rising sun as they grow. The beasts of this land are the twilight hunters, those who hunt during the sunrise or sunset. Bird calls, monkey howls and other noises are constantly echoing through the forest as these beasts announce the arrival of morning. Foxes, mice, bears, and more fill this layer.
Karasuthra: The third and final layer of the Savage Lands is the eternal night of Karasuthra. Here, the night time prowlers hunt through the forests, their roars and growls can be heard echoing across the plane. This is a land of hunting and nothing stops these beasts from their hunt except when they become the hunted. Jaguars, coyotes, owls, and many others creep through the environments here, searching for prey and the thrill of the hunt. Because all beasts here are more intelligent than their Material Plane cousins, and they have the ability to talk to each other, the packs of hunters down on Karasuthra are incredibly dangerous for an ill-prepared hunter. Being hunted by wild animals is one thing, but being hunted by intelligent animals that can plan ambushes with others of their kind is completely different. It’s no secret why many hunters go on expeditions to the forest with only a small handful ever making it out, and even fewer going for a second hunt.

Most visitors to the Savage Lands are often those seeking the magnificent beauty and views of this plane or they are game hunters looking for the greatest hunt of their life. The Savage Lands can be seen as a paradise for those attuned to nature and it awakens something primal in those who visit the plane. This plane creates a hunger to eat, a yearning to hunt and to become more bestial in nature. This hunger is not a painful hunger, but rather a singular focus to fulfill the needs of hunting and to take part in eating a meal you hunted for. Though, visitors should be very careful because the beasts you hunt in the Savage Lands may appear to be like the typical beasts in the Material Plane, but these beasts are cunning and intelligent. They can speak and form plans among other members of their packs, and they often end up becoming the hunter instead of the hunted. Visitors who bring animal companions, mounts, or other beasts should expect to never see them again. As soon as a beast arrives on the Savage Lands, they immediately take off, their leashes and other trappings magically falling off of them. Their primal urges overcome any training they had had and they begin their hunts throughout the plane. The most well-trained or magically bonded beasts will find their companions when they leave the Savage Lands, but not before. The inhabitants of the Savage Lands are spread far throughout the plane based on their own personal preferences. Of the few settlements, most are made from roughly hewn logs and look more like temporary fortifications instead of permanent settlements. Those who reside in the Savage Lands are mostly the sentient beasts themselves, along with various hunters and wardens. Living in the Savage Lands is about immersing yourself in primal instincts, in glorying in the hunt - whether you are the hunter or the hunted, and taking on bestial traits. The sentient beasts all have the ability to talk, and some can even cast spells though they will only do so in extreme danger. The sentient beasts are the petitioners, the souls of those who died and in their afterlife were carried to the Savage Lands based off of how they lived. This privilege is reserved for the great hunters, the druids and rangers, and any who gloried in bestial quality of nature. The talking beasts are all these souls from the lowly grasshoppers who hop from one tree to another in the top layer of Krigala, to the mighty jaguars who hunt through the night shrouded forests of the bottom layer, Karasuthra.

The Beast Lords

The Beast Lords are powerful creatures that are almost like gods in the Savage Lands. Because gods are given their power through worship, these Beast Lords have been given power by animals of their own kind. They hunt across the plane, protecting their forests from poachers and others who wish to corrupt the Savage Lands, and they provide direction and power in the chaotic wilderness.

Places of Interest

The Forbidden Plateau: Atop this high plateau is a grave secret that few have been able to uncover. It is incredibly dangerous and difficult to climb this plateau and look upon what exists here. Those with the natural ability to fly have an easy time of arriving to the top, while others must climb the multi-hundred-foot tall plateau using climbing gear, finding small tunnels or convincing the giant eagles to fly you up. Once you arrive on this plateau, assuming you didn’t plummet to an untimely death like many others, you are on the lip of a bowl-shaped plateau with its sides gently sweeping down to form a single lake at the very center with a lush jungle surrounding it. The creatures who inhabit the plateau are great lizards of immense size, the dinosaurs, who can only be found on this massive plateau.
Signpost: On the very edge of Krigala is the frontier settlement known as Signpost, it has a rough-hewn wooden palisade, rough inhabitants, and is on the very edge of the layer of Krigala, near to Brux. This creates a ruddy glow of light from Brux, mixed with the intense noonday sunlight of Krigala. Many come to the Savage Lands just for views such as this, being able to witness the noonday sun on one side, and the twilight glow on the other side. Inns, taverns and precious little else can be found here, and many who arrive are only passing through for the views, because of their trade routes or if they got lost in the wilds of the Savage Lands. To journey from Krigala to Brux, you can follow the mountain goat trails that make their way down the steep cliffs that separate the layers.
Al Karak Elam-Jhankhal: High above the forest floor of Brux is a settlement of winged elves who are often mistaken for angels or celestials. They make their homes in the intertwined branches of the forest canopy, watching over the growth of the forest. They share their expansive town with birds of prey and giant eagles, with the sounds of young birds crying for food. This town, at its lowest point, is a mile above the forest floor and is over a mile vertical and a mile and a half horizontal. Despite the size of this town, there are very few of the Al Karak Elam, either because they are so good at hiding themselves or because they have few offsprings. Many are mighty warriors and hunters, while others are gifted artisans and philosophers. Because of their beauty, they can often be mistaken for angels and thus are often killed on sight by fiends, which is why many never leave the Savage Lands. It is said that their wings can create incredibly potent potions of flight.
Labyrinth of Fiery Doom: A massive, ancient red dragon is said to reside here with its demon lover. Their lair is made inside of a complex cave system filled with boiling water, foul odors, lakes of mud, acrid steam vents and more. Many point to this as evidence that they are corrupting the Savage Lands with their presence, but in actuality, it isn’t as simple as that. There is no red dragon and there is no demon. Though they are still lovers. The creature that takes on the form of a fearsome dragon is a celestial, and the demon is actually a succubus. They fell in love many years ago and realized that others of their kind would destroy them if the truth ever got out, they abandoned their roles and missions and escaped to the bottom layer of the Savage Lands where they can hide out and be with each other.