Table of Contents

Black Lands

The Black Lands are located in various areas around Vuronu.

Slowly seeping though the lands like a disease, the back lands are sparse and hardly alive at all. Nothing can survive save for a few slow-growing species of plant, most of them carnivorous to make up for the lack of nutrients in the soil around them. For example, black lands near sea level are deadly swamp-like areas, guarded by ancient groves of Poison Swamp Willow. These trees survive by filling the water around them with corrosive acids, then absorbing what remains of anything trying to approach them. Although the back lands are devoid of much life, they are home to Rogue Elementals and Vengeful Spirits, making them even more dangerous.		 The Black Lands
The Black Lands

Common Features

Biomes

Woodland

Carnivorous Swamps

Most of the Black Lands are near sea level, which is where this biome is predominate. These swamps are flooded areas, often extremely humid. They mark the last breath of life of the sort found in the Grey Lands, and introduce new methods for surviving off what little nutrients are offered.

Desert

The deepest and oldest areas of the Black Lands are completely barren and arid; having no resources to offer, they support no life. The growth of these areas has been unnaturally fast, as the Low Chromatic draw heavily on the island's resources for their purposes. With little or no magic or life to speak of, these areas can and do hold a great deal of spiritual forces.

Flora & Fauna

  • Poison Swamp Willow:

    Attributes

    Na: Nakoro
    Frequency: Common in The Black Lands
    No. Appearing: 2-10
    Armor Class: 6
    Secondary Armor Class: 7 (produce)
    Hit Points: 2 HD
    Move: None
    Special Defenses: Poison (see below)
    Magic Resistance: 5%
    Size: Large (avg. 19 ft., max 28 ft.)
    Growth cycle: 1 yr (woody perennial)
    Production: 20(+4 per yr of age up to 10)/cycle
    Lifespan: unknown
    Lethality: Very dangerous
    Toxicity: Lethal / None (see below)    		 Swamp Willows
    Adult Poison Swamp Willows

    Description

    Poison Swamp Willow Leaf
    Leaf    		 Despite the name, the Poison Swamp Willow is not technically a willow tree- it only resembles one in arrangement of leaves. It has a normal growth cycle. The bark of the tree is an ashen gray color, with a lighter gray papery outer layer. The leaves are a very deep, saturated green, with a few sharp spikes that protrude from the joining point of stem and leaf. The tree is also often host to Black Moss, which is immune to the poison sap of the tree, and is therefore able to hang feely in its branches. The roots of the tree extend up above ground, often accounting for about a fourth of the tree’s height.

    		 Poison Swamp Willow Flower
    Flower
    Adult Poison Swamp Willow Pods
    Growth with seed pods    		 The produce of this tree hangs on small growths about 6 inches long, which hide in the interior of the tree, hanging form branches. These growths are long and skinny, ending in a very hard spike, which is always wet with the poison sap of the tree. On each of the growths, there is potential for 8 pods to grow. In spring, 8 small white flowers bloom, 4 in a column on each side of the growth. If pollinated, the pods grow to be about 6 inches in length each. The pods are a dark green color, nearly black. When the time comes, only the pods fall from the tree, not the entire growth. A growth will fall from the tree after 4 years of production. Each pod usually contains four iridescent seeds, each with a slimy outer layer of the tree’s poison concoction. If consumed this way, even a miniscule fraction of one seed is enough to cause death. However, if the seeds are left in running water for at least 48 hours, they become completely harmless and edible. The taste of a leeched seed is very similar to that of a cashew, fatty and slightly sweet

    		 Adult Poison Swamp Willow Growth
    Growth with flowers
    Adult Poison Swamp Willow Pod
    Seed pod cross-section    		 If the tree is disturbed in any way, poison sap form various growths will drip down, causing corrosive burning on contact with flesh. Without being disturbed, the poison sap usually drips from one pod about once every 2 hours. On a full-grown tree, this can be quite often. Because of this, the water around the tree can often be unsafe to walk in. In areas with a large concentration of these trees the concentration of poison sap in the water is high and walking in it for only a few minutes can begin to cause serious harm. However, chromatic weave together Black Moss into crude boots, allowing one to walk through the water unharmed for about an hour, until the moss becomes saturated. Even though the sap has a very subtle odor, in groves the air has a sour smell, leaving the eyes, mouth, and nose burning and itchy. Adult Poison Swamp Willow Seed
    Seed

    (...)

Landmarks

In the heart of the Black Lands lies Suvayu, an ancient city built with the Obsidian Gate and it's center.