Southern Wilds

In the 500 years since the colonization of the Archipelago, the more dangerous aspects have been driven out. Many monsters, demons, and lawbreakers fled to the vast expanse of jungle to the south. The Southern Wilds. This place is much like pre-colonized Archipelago, full of danger and mystery and magic. Much adventure tourism has shifted from the Archipelago to this area.

The Kingdoms of the Southern Wilds
Despite the danger, many people have attempted to settle the Southern Wilds. However, it wasn't until 294 RE that a settlement survived more than one generation. Advances in technology and magic allowed more and more people to settle, but the danger that lurks in the jungle has yet to be defeated. Many prefer it that way, and encourage the more skittish settlers to travel to the calmer Archipelago.

As of 540 RE, there are several dozen 'Kingdoms,' broad swaths of jungle loosely civilized and ruled by whoever claims the land. This causes frequent land disputes between kingdoms, and war is often waged these days in the jungle.

The five most populated kingdoms are as follows:
 * 1) Calden, the Old Kingdom, encompasses the mouth of the Culst River. Deep Vale is the capital city. Because of the river's strategic importance to trade, Calden is often under attack by lesser kingdoms seeking to wrest control of the waterways.
 * 2) Miserth, the Swamp Kingdom, lies deep within the Southern Wilds. The Duskgrove Stockade is the capital city, elevated with damp wood over murky and mysterious waters. Known as the home of witches and sorcerers of ill repute, few kingdoms face Miserth in open battle.
 * 3) Madhorn, the Dead Kingdom, controls many of the minor islands and beaches along the eastern coast of the Southern Wilds. While initially controlled by a powerful necromancer that threatened all kingdoms of the Southern Wilds, he was slain by a group of adventurers and his kingdom left to rot. However, his legions of undead servants regained their free will, and those that retained their sanity afterwards formed filled their masters void. The capital is the Shadow Keep, a overgrown castle overlooking the dead forest that surrounds the land.
 * 4) Edgewood, the Blessed Kingdom, controls a large swatch of the thick jungle of the Southern Wilds. Siezed in the name of their lord, this kingdom is ruled and filled with acolytes, pilgrims, and priests. They are the most warlike of the kingdoms, proclaiming that all of the Southern Wilds belongs to their lord. The capital of Edgewood is the Watcher's Sanctuary.
 * 5) Darkcross, the Young Kingdom, splintered in various uninhabited sections of the Southern Wilds left unclaimed by the other large kingdoms. While clever, this leaves Darkcross in the tenuous position of relying overmuch on its various neighbors. It has no true capital.