The Chull Lands occupy a relatively low basin in the western Dalizi Highlands, a pocket of broken terrain surrounded by mountain walls on three sides. The region takes its name from the chulls—large, aggressive crustaceans that infest the wetlands and caves throughout the area. The Chull Lands are the closest thing to accessible terrain in the highland interior, which means they're merely very dangerous rather than impassable.
Geography
The Chull Lands form an irregular basin roughly thirty miles east to west and twenty miles north to south, wedged between the Titan Stairs to the west, the Thundering Mountains to the north, and the Jackal Mountains to the east. The southern boundary is less defined, transitioning into the Hills of False Rubies and the northern approaches to the Cerulean Crests.
Elevations range from 3,000 feet in the basin floor to 5,000 feet where the terrain rises toward the surrounding mountains. The landscape is a mix of marshland, rocky outcrops, cave-riddled limestone formations, and scattered patches of stunted forest. Water is abundant, too abundant, with numerous springs, seeps, and small streams that keep much of the basin perpetually wet.
The Rivoleta River drains the eastern portion of the basin, flowing south toward the Cerulean Crests. Several smaller streams join it from the mountains, creating a network of waterways that the chulls have claimed as their own.
The Chulls
Chulls are freshwater crustaceans roughly the size of large dogs, with hard-shelled bodies, powerful claws, and an aggressive territorial nature. They're amphibious, equally capable of operating in water or on land, and they're found throughout the Chull Lands wherever moisture is present.
Physical Description
An adult chull measures three to four feet long, not counting the claws. The shell is dark gray-green, providing excellent camouflage in the muddy terrain. The claws are disproportionately large; the major claw can be a foot across, and they are powerful enough to sever limbs or crush armor. The creatures move with unsettling speed despite their bulk.
Behavior
Chulls are primarily nocturnal, spending daylight hours in underwater dens or cave systems. At night, they emerge to hunt, taking fish, amphibians, small mammals, and anything else they can catch—including humans. They're not intelligent in any meaningful sense, but they're cunning predators with excellent senses.
Chulls are territorial and will attack anything that enters their claimed areas. Unfortunately, their territories overlap in complex ways, and what seems like empty ground may be a boundary zone where multiple chulls respond to intrusion. Travelers through the Chull Lands learn to move during daylight and to seek high, dry ground before dusk.
Reproduction
Chulls reproduce in the cave systems, laying eggs in protected pools. The young are vulnerable for their first year, during which they remain near the spawning caves. Adult chulls become increasingly aggressive during spawning season, which occurs in late spring.
Navigation
Crossing the Chull Lands is the most practical route between the Titan Stairs and the central Dalizi Highlands. The alternatives—climbing the Thundering Mountains or pushing through the Jackal range—are worse. But "practical" is relative.
The standard route runs east from the Titan Stairs' Third Step, skirting the wettest areas along slightly higher ground, before descending toward the Rivoleta River and continuing into the hills beyond. The journey takes three to four days for a careful party. The key precautions:
- Travel by day. Chulls are less active in sunlight, though not entirely dormant.
- Avoid water. The streams and pools are chull territory. Cross quickly when you must.
- Watch for dens. Chull burrows look like muddy holes; stepping near one invites attack.
- Camp high. Sleep on rocky outcrops above the waterline. Chulls don't climb well.
- Don't linger. The longer you're in the Chull Lands, the more likely you are to encounter something.
Harvesting
Despite the danger, the Chull Lands attract occasional hunting parties. Chull shells make excellent armor components—light, strong, and resistant to piercing. The claws are valued as trophies. The meat is reportedly edible, though few are willing to risk death for a meal.
Harvesting chulls is specialized work. Professional hunters know the territory, the chull behavior patterns, and the techniques for killing a creature that can survive most wounds. Amateur expeditions occasionally enter the Chull Lands seeking quick profit; some of them return.
The Spawning Caves
A cave system in the northwestern Chull Lands where the creatures congregate to breed. The caves are absolutely off-limits during spawning season—hundreds of chulls in close proximity, all aggressive, all defending their young. Outside spawning season, the caves are merely extremely dangerous.
The Bone Marsh
A section of wetland in the southern Chull Lands where skeletal remains accumulate. The marsh is a feeding ground; the bones are what's left. Human bones are visible among the animal remains.
The Dry Ridge
A limestone ridge running east-west through the central Chull Lands, elevated enough above the waterline that chulls rarely venture there. The ridge is the safest route through the region and the site of the only regular camping spots. Competition for space on the ridge can be fierce during busy travel seasons.
Related Locations
- Titan Stairs — West, the primary approach from the lowlands
- Thundering Mountains — North, rising beyond the basin
- Fool's Pass — Northeast, visible from the northern edges
- Jackal Mountains — East, the central highland spine
- Hills of False Rubies — Southeast, transitional terrain
- Rivoleta River — Draining the eastern basin
- Cerulean Crests — South, where the Rivoleta flows