To the south and west of Tarima are wildlands, devoid of civilization. Ranging from wealds and scrublands to full-on jungles, the wildlands are difficult to transit and full of dangerous predators. Jaguars, ettercaps, shadowcats, anacondas, and worse abound. To the west of the wilds eventually rise the Burkhdyn Gazar mountains. To the south, the forests give way to scrublands and the Strait of Shandar. A few hearty souls, though, do live within the region.
While lacking in civilization, the elves of the wildlands are a far cry from the savage Rovers to the south of the Strait. Living a simple hunter-gatherer existence, they nonetheless maintain contact with their cousins in Tarima — indeed, one of their most revered elders is sent to the city to serve as the Dreamspeaker there. Talented hunters, the elves move from region to region with the shifting of the seasons. Furs, fruit, and hardwoods are often traded to Tarima in exchange for arrows, needles, and other metalwork. Many of the wild elves are talented guides, sometimes making money leading hunting expeditions from eager but unversed nobles from Moru Kel. The elves are fiercely territorial, defending their land from those who enter it unannounced, but they are generally open to small groups passing through for a reasonable fee.
The Bird People, or Ahwee, are not literally birds: rather, they are a group of humans who adorn their dress with brightly colored feathers. Only known in recent years, they are elusive and seem to have either come to an understanding with the wild elves about sharing their terrain or managed to keep out of their way entirely. Tent dwellers, they are at least sometimes friendly to travellers and have been known to engage them in song and dance during a happenstance overnight stay.
One of the westernmost large cities of the Urek Empire, the lost city of Tegu Han is believed to sit somewhere within the western wilds. Lost when the Urek were ravaged by the Gamaal, the city is thought to be situated “where the sun watches the moon.” In addition to being an important stopover between the gold and silver mines of the Burkhdyn Gazar and the Urek Empire, Tegu Han was also home to countless invaluable relics of the old Urek.
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