Pa Saksiid

This Oresian jungle is part lush paradise, part overgrown hell. The jungle is said to judge the heart of whosoever enters it, and only those with pure intentions leave unscathed. In recent years, the elven societies which exist on its fringes have noticed the jungle encroaching on their villages month by month and week by week: people will wake up in the morning to find the edge of the jungle has moved to subsume their home in its tangle of vines and shrubs, and no one is sure why. Moreover, the jungle seems to have gotten more dangerous and violent recently, with the lianas and proproots becoming more gnarled, with thick sharp thorns. The elves living in and around Pa Saksiid have interpreted this as some sort of failing on their part, some sort of displeasure from their gods that they must atone for.

Geography

Pa Saksiid is a lush monsoon forest, situated on the southern, most equatorial part of Oresis, and along its eastern coast. Indeed, trying to approach Oresis from the east is a fool's errand: the jungle is far too thick and dense to be traversed without elven guidance, and the elves of Pa Saksiid are not usually keen to provide such guidance to those who would plunder their jungle of its natural beauty.

Climate

Possessing a monsoon climate, the jungles of Pa Saksiid are thick and healthy, rendering travel through the region difficult. There are also flash floods thanks to the monsoon rains, which can cause rivers to overflow and cause even more treacherous conditions. It's extremely hot and muggy, with all of the moisture in the air, and given Pa Saksiid's equatorial location.

Fauna & Flora

Everything in Pa Saksiid is beautiful to behold, but dangerous to be holding.

— Bao Xiuying, president of the Orchid Empire Botanical Society

The flora and fauna of Pa Saksiid seem to work together in a sort of immune system for the jungle as a whole, as a sort of natural defense mechanism by a larger living organism against foreign entities. Almost every single animal is poisonous or venomous in the extreme, or otherwise incredibly resiliant to physical harm: giant apes with multiple arms swing across the treetops, bird-eating spiders nest at the base of trees, and snakes of all shapes and sizes slither along the forest floor.
The plants found in Pa Saksiid are equally as deadly to those who don't suspect their true nature: assassin vines, man-eating plants, sumptious fruits and flowers that will melt the innards of any who ingest them, and the occasional shambling mound are but a few of the vicious vegetables that await the unlucky in Pa Saksiid.

Natural Resources

Several forms of magical lumber can be found in Pa Saksiid, and the surrounding elf communties often use the wood and bark of these trees to carve beautiful and ornate objects, as well as functional ones. Here, ironwood is milled and carved into armor plates, and darkwood is used for spears and arrows. Though there are no precious metals surrounding the jungle of Pa Saksiid, there are trees with lustrous bark and sap which are equally as beautiful as the finest gold and jewels.
The elves are very insular, however, and not much trade occurs between the nearby human kingdoms and the jungle elves.

History

The jungle of Pa Saksiid has, as far as any human kingdom knows, simply always been. The earliest recorded histories of of the Empire of Lao Tzu and the Vedic Raj of Devataon speak of a great jungle to the southeast, populated by half-man, half-snake abominations, and some of their mythological heroes were said to have explored this place and brought back flora of cultural significance, such as the Bodhi trees and Marigolds of Sakhric practices, or the mythical Immortal Peach trees of Laozi myth.

Alternative Name(s)

The Green Inferno, Where the Guardians Dwell

Type

Jungle

Location under

Oresis

Owner/Ruler

Sinat Phracêā