Legends and Fools

Tales of Scarborough's time in the jungle have attracted adventurers from all over Rathe, drawn by tales of monstrous beasts and incredible battles. The allure of the untamed wilderness proves impossible to resist for many, a mysterious region filled with legendary creatures. One after another, would-be heroes arrive to challenge the wilds within.

For some, it is a chance to prove one's own abilities, pitted against dangerous beasts and the jungle itself in a savage battle to the death. For others, it is a chance for fame, to reach the legendary status that Scarborough has achieved. Yet others arrive seeking fortune, pursuing the lucrative contracts offered by corporations, researchers, and those wishing to cull the beasts within.

Forward Camps

Forward camps have appeared along the jungle outskirts, small makeshift towns of ramshackle huts and tents, built by merchants looking to profit from the high demand for supplies.

A clever trader sets up contracts with the scientific community back home, taking requests from biomancers and alchemists in advance. Then, the trader buys several wagons worth of supplies, and travels to the forward camps, where they set up shop and get settled in. While there, they can not only sell supplies to those who come through, but buy samples and specimens from those returning from the jungle. Once they've acquired all of the items on their list, they simply pack up shop and return home to sell their goods at inflated prices.

This system has become the groundwork for a network of forward camps, scattered along the perimeter of the Savage Lands. Adventurers will trek into the jungle, see what they can salvage, and return to the forward camps to sell to merchants seeking samples from within the jungle. There are also a growing number of mercenaries who travel to the forward camps, looking to accept a contract on a particular beast. These creatures are often difficult to find and incredibly dangerous, but for those willing to risk their lives, these contracts are also incredibly lucrative.

Some researchers come to the Savage Lands themselves, setting up in the forward camps to make contracts directly. Occasionally, one particularly reckless researcher may decide to employ a small team of hired hands and enter the jungle themselves. Sometimes, this is to study their field of research hands-on, looking at plants and creatures in their natural environment. Sometimes, this is because they are searching for a rare item, one that only an expert could identify. Other times, it is to conduct their experiments somewhere secluded, where nobody can hear the screaming...

Of course, not everyone who comes to the Savage Lands is a trader, researcher or fortune seeker. The knights of Solana are also a regular sight within the camps, helping with defense in exchange for a safe place to rest in-between patrols. These knights pursue a nobler cause, hunting down the beasts within in order to protect the villages that lie beyond the outskirts of the Savage Lands.

Those venturing into the jungle must be well-prepared. Whether a mercenary, explorer or a knight, those who enter the Savage Lands all carry the same essential items.