Jungles of Xeti

There are areas of this world, where time seems to have stood immemorial since the earliest days of creation, the Jungles of Xeti are one such place. Scholars believe that the civilizations which once resided deep in the teeming and uncharted jungles date back to the Age of Arcana spanning the 1st and 2nd Epoch. These ruins, and whoever still resides in them, remain largely unchanged since the earliest records of time, and possibly remember times that even the long lived elves have forgotten…

Welcome to Xeti

Wrapping around almost the entire south end of Esseas, the region is filled with treacherous vine-covered trails stalked by all manner of jungle monster, enormous reptilian beasts, and venomous vermin. The mist-filled air smells of ancient earth and fresh rain, while carnivorous plant life hides among the roots and brush, waiting for a foolish meal to wander by. Vast mountain ranges, deep jungles, disease-ridden swamps, volcanos, submerged limestone caverns, and more greet all who venture into the depths of the jungles. The farther one moves from the coast, the more humid, hot, and inhospitable the land becomes. With the exception of a few coastal settlements, Xeti is untamed tropical wilderness; dense jungles and snaky rivers ringed by mountains, volcanoes, and sheer escarpments. The interior and lowlands are shielded by the Great Barrier Peaks and the Mountains of Emerald Mists in the North and South, and the Serpentine Hills in the East. The Dragon Coast and Serpentine Coast are ill explored realm of treacherous waters, great sea beasts, hidden reefs, and an unforgiving coastline. Explorers tales go that the rivers are so sluggish that it can be difficult determining which direction is upstream and which is down. The rivers pick up speed only where they thunder down through steep-sided gorges.
Numerous secrets lurk within the ravenous rainforest, from vast city ruins, to smuggler dens abandoned by brigands who were unprepared to survive in the hungry jungle. There is growing interest in the jungles as a source of adventure, a last frontier to stake ones name, but also from recently excavated writings ruins of long lost civilizations that seem to hint that they might have existed in this place far longer than many scholars had previously believed.
The safest entry points into this overgrown realm (“safest” is a relative term in this context) is on the west and North. The coastal area of the Wild Coast offers beaches on which to embark into the uncharted jungle, or sail up the great Xen'Drik River. Along the entire coast, the Gulf of Xeti is the only spot where travelers can find welcoming civilization, mostly in the form of now independent colonies left behind after the fall of the Zentherian Dynasty.

Climate

Xeti is hot, humid, and rainy throughout the year. The temperature regularly climbs as high as 35 degrees C during the day and seldom falls below 20 degrees C, even at night. A day without rain is rare, but rain varies from a steady mist to drenching downpours. In such times, visibility in heavy rain, mist or fog tend to be limited creating a labyrinth of trees and bogs. Full-blown tropical storms featuring sheets of rain, high wind, lightning, tall waves at sea, and immense surf along the coast are common place. Guides who know the conditions in Xeti recommend hunkering down and staying put on these days.

The People's of Xeti

Members of every race and nationality of Esseas can be found in the Wild Colonies. This collection of seven independent island colonies started out as colonies of major powers like the Zentherian Dynasty, but gained their independence during the war when they were cut off and survived on their own. Aside from the colonies there are several remote trading posts which act as the launching points for expeditions into the jungles.
Of the native people's little is known. The fringe jungles where the explorers live is largely devoid of their presence, either by design or by accident. Encounters between the locals and explorers often turn violent in dispute over an excavation site, or removal some resource from the ground. The native peoples must be divided into those that are commonly known and those whose presence is legendary or only suspected. The first group consists of Lizardfolk, Dragonborn, Aarakocra, Goblin, Kobolds, Bugbears, Yuan-Ti, and Tabaxi. In the second category, Weretigers are suspected to be present in small numbers; explorers and hunters sometimes report seeing Grungs (frog folk) deep in the jungle; stories persist of lost Dwarven and Elven cities, Elephant people, and of walking plants.
Finally, some areas of the deep jungle are overrun by skeletons, zombies, ghouls, and other types of undead; although none know the reason for their presence.