Welcome to the Jungle
Elyrion's Verdant Shroud is a wild stretch of dense tropical jungle and one of the world's most persistent mysteries. Thick canopies and tangled thickets keep the land under nature's own rule, untouched by any other world power. The ground beneath those resources is dangerous all the same, crossed by countless monstrous beasts that answer to no one.
Civilization has not skipped the Verdant Shroud entirely. Two peoples make their home among the trees: the Sylvans, tribal wood elves who move unseen through their surroundings, and the Kitsune, spellcasters settled in scattered hidden strongholds across the region. Both keep their settlements concealed throughout the hostile landscape, and it is their deep familiarity with the jungle that lets them survive there at all.
The Inhabitants
The Sylvans, marked by pointed ears and a life lived in step with nature, make their homes in treetop villages and tents strung through the canopy. They rank among the jungle's finest hunters and assassins, moving through its dangers with a light step and near-total camouflage. Their villages stay hidden through a combination of natural cover and technical means, including mist generators, light reflectors, and foliage.
The Kitsune, distinguished by their fox tails and ears, keep to the caves and mountains hidden throughout the forest. Among them, the Inagaki Clan holds a notable place, settled deep in the Verdant Shroud's mountainous cliffs. Few outside the clan know the location of their strongholds, and fewer still are willing to risk the terrain to find them. The Kitsune are known for potent magic and illusions used to turn away intruders, and their society raises warriors bound to a strict code of honor meant to protect their people.
The jungle's monsters and giant beasts go largely unchecked, whether tame or otherwise. Even the plant life poses a threat — stray vines and clouds of hazy pollen are as dangerous as any creature, and both are simply hunting their next meal. Chief among the reasons the Verdant Shroud remains uncolonized by powers such as the Valrath Dominion, the Republic of Concordia, or the Aetherion Empire is the ferocity with which its inhabitants defend it, backed by nature's own defenses.