Vongaro Crater
It's beautiful, but there is a common saying amongst the people that live there- the most beautiful things can hurt the most. If contending with the high heat and humidity wasn't enough, the plethora of deadly plants and creatures would be enough to put off any sane explorer. After all, it hasn't changed since the dawn of the known world, and it's not planning on being changed by outside forces anytime soon.
Geography
Everywhere you look is thick, lush flora. The trees stretch overhead and funnel rainwater downwards; brush on the floor is tangled and widespread. Hills dot the landscape. Winding, roaring rivers occasionally cut through the wilderness, but still water is rather rare and tends to be temporarily created during the rainy seasons. As the name suggests it is bordered on all sides by mountains, with very few possible passes.
Fauna & Flora
An area with such a variety of flora leads to a variety of niches for different creatures. Insects are everywhere in the humid airs, and so are birds and occasional small beasts that feed on them. There are also larger predators, some large enough to pose a serious danger to the people that live in the forests. Quite aside from the large cats who tend to lurk near the waters, there are also scaled beasts in the rivers- and bigger lizards, with very sharp teeth and very fast strides, who wander the bases of trees.
For this reason, most peoples live high in the trees, where they only have to contend with smaller creatures and can collect water and fruits. A number live on the ground, however, and those have managed to tame the large lizards in the same way other lands tamed wolves into dogs.
Natural Resources
As dangerous as the crater can be, there are important herbs in the wilds (and poisons, which can serve of course as medicines), and of course the large expanse of huge trees cannot be ignored as a source of wood. There are some tribes near the borders to other nations that have marked out areas where logging is allowed and that trade with them.
Alternative Name(s)
Tangled Wilds
Type
Forest, Jungle (Tropical)
