A colossal expanse of jungle in southeastern Ve, consumed by the Krell over the past three centuries. What was once a patchwork of human kingdoms, elvish enclaves, and free cities is now a chitinous nightmare—millions of insectoid creatures serving their queens beneath the canopy.
The Consumption
The Krell arrived from somewhere else. No one knows where—the swarmings simply began appearing from the deep jungle around 3100 SD, overwhelming settlements faster than messengers could carry warnings. Within two generations, every civilization east of the Suki Hills had fallen.
The pattern was always the same: scouts first, then workers preparing the ground, then the swarm itself—a tide of clicking, chittering bodies that stripped a settlement of everything organic. Buildings left standing. Fields reduced to bare soil. People simply gone.
The old kingdoms—Theoron, Valifax, the Jaipon Confederacy—exist now only in histories and the memories of refugees. Their ruins dot the jungle, slowly being digested by roots and fungus, occasionally explored by the suicidal or the desperate.
Geography
The Krell Lands span roughly three hundred miles from the Suki Hills to the eastern coast, and perhaps two hundred miles from the Dygon Beastlands border in the south to the edges of Shyona's jungle in the north. The terrain varies:
The Hardshell Mountains — A diagonal range running through the northern Krell Lands, so named for the thick mineral deposits that give the peaks a shell-like appearance. Multiple Krell hives are carved into these mountains, their tunnel networks extending miles underground.
The Winger Mountains — A smaller range in the central-south region. Less extensively colonized by the Krell, possibly because something in these mountains makes them uncomfortable. Local legend speaks of "the stone that burns," though no expedition has survived long enough to verify.
Snakemarsh — A vast wetland in the western Krell Lands, fed by streams from the Hardshell Mountains. The Krell avoid deep water, making Snakemarsh one of the few refuges within the territory—though what lives in the marsh is not necessarily friendlier than the insects.
Blisterswamp — A caustic wetland near the Chimean border, where geothermal activity creates bubbling pools of acidic water. Another Krell-free zone, for obvious reasons.
Raptor Hills — The southeastern corner, where the jungle thins into savannah-like hills. Named for the predatory dinosaurs that hunt here—creatures large enough to be threats even to Krell swarms.
The Hives
An estimated twelve to fifteen major hives operate within the Krell Lands, each centered on a queen and her attendant population of workers, soldiers, and drones. The hives compete as much as they cooperate—territorial wars between queens are common, and the resulting battles devastate whatever jungle lies between them.
Border-watchers at Yuki and Garlow have given names to the hives they can identify. The names reflect observable characteristics—soldier appearance, behavior patterns, territorial location—but the Krell themselves may have entirely different concepts of identity.
Major Hives
The Mother of Shells — The largest known hive, occupying the central Hardshell Mountains. Her soldiers display distinctively thick, iridescent carapaces that deflect arrows and resist blades. She has ruled for at least three human generations, suggesting Krell queens can live centuries. Population estimated at 200,000+.
The Burrower — A southern Hardshell hive that specializes in subterranean expansion. Her tunnel network extends far beyond her surface territory—possibly reaching beneath the Suki Hills themselves. Yuki's "Burner" teams spend most of their time collapsing her exploratory tunnels before they breach the city's perimeter.
The Clutch Sisters — An unusual arrangement in the southern mountains: three smaller queens maintaining cooperative territories. Whether this represents genuine alliance, mutual weakness preventing dominance, or something stranger, observers cannot determine. Together they control perhaps 25,000 individuals.
The Hollow Queen — A lowland hive in the eastern jungle, named for the distinctive sound her warriors make—a hollow clicking that carries for miles. Her soldiers are lighter, faster, optimized for pursuit rather than siege. Raids attributed to her hive penetrate further into surviving human settlements than any other.
Ironjaw — A northern hive whose soldiers develop enlarged mandibles capable of severing limbs. Smaller than the Mother of Shells (~80,000) but ferociously territorial. The ruins of Jaipon sit within her claimed territory—she posts guards around the old city walls but never enters.
The Weaver — A hive specializing in web-like structures made from secreted resin. Her territory in the eastern lowlands is almost impassable—sticky threads span between trees, anchor to the ground, create three-dimensional mazes that trap prey and invaders alike. Smaller than most major hives but nearly impossible to assault.
The Brood Eternal — A hive in the far eastern jungle known for prolific reproduction. Her soldiers are individually weaker but she produces them faster than any other queen. Border-watchers believe she's lost three territorial wars to neighboring hives but rebuilt her population within a decade each time.
The Silent Swarm — A hive whose soldiers make almost no sound—no clicking, no chittering, no warning. Expeditions have been overwhelmed without any auditory warning. Her territory in the western Krell Lands borders the Snakemarsh, and her scouts probe the wetland edges constantly, testing whether water truly stops them.
The Sculptor — A hive whose workers create elaborate structures from chewed wood and secreted adhesive. Her territory contains the most visible Krell architecture—spires and domes rising above the canopy, visible from miles away. Some scholars believe she's attempting to recreate something the species remembers from wherever they came from.
The Pale Tide — A coastal hive whose soldiers display bleached, almost white carapaces. She controls territory along the eastern shore, including approaches to Chitin Cove. Her swarmings follow tidal patterns—most active during new moons, nearly dormant during full moons. The reason is unknown.
Lesser Hives
Beyond the major queens, dozens of smaller hives persist in the spaces between—some with only a few thousand individuals, perpetually struggling to grow before larger neighbors absorb or destroy them. These minor hives represent opportunity for the desperate: smaller, less organized, theoretically assailable by well-equipped expeditions.
No such expedition has succeeded.
Hive Dynamics
The queens don't coordinate. Territorial conflicts are constant, with battles consuming thousands of soldiers on both sides. These wars benefit everyone outside the Krell Lands—resources spent fighting each other aren't spent expanding westward.
But the border-watchers have noticed a troubling pattern. The larger hives grow larger. The Mother of Shells has absorbed at least two minor hives in the past decade. If one queen eventually dominates the others, unified swarmings would follow.
The Krell haven't tried to push west in force since the Consumption ended. Yet.
What Survives
Not everything died when the Krell came. Some creatures proved too dangerous, too fast, or too unpalatable to consume. The Raptor Hills still host their namesake predators. The swamps shelter their own ecosystems. And deep in the jungle, certain things have learned to coexist with the Krell—or to hide from them.
Rumors persist of survivors within the Krell Lands: isolated communities that found ways to avoid detection, refugees who never made it out, even collaborators who've reached some form of accommodation with the hives. These stories are impossible to verify without entering the territory, which few attempt.
The Ruins
The old civilizations left behind cities, fortresses, and monuments that the Krell have no interest in destroying. These structures stand empty, slowly decaying, occasionally raided by treasure hunters willing to risk the swarms.
Jaipon — A fortress-city near Blisterswamp, once the seat of the Jaipon Confederacy. Its walls still stand, its towers still visible above the canopy. No one has entered and returned in over a century.
Tomb of Theoron — The burial complex of King Theoron III, last ruler of the kingdom that bore his name. Located in the Winger Mountains, supposedly containing the accumulated wealth of a three-century dynasty. The Krell show unusual interest in this site—workers patrol its perimeter, though they don't seem to enter.
The Border
The Suki Hills mark the western edge of the Krell Lands—the frontier where Chimea's expansion meets the insects' expansion. Two city-states, Yuki and Garlow, have established themselves in these hills as watchposts and trading centers for those foolish enough to venture into Krell territory.
The border is not stable. Krell scouts probe westward constantly. Occasionally a small hive attempts to establish beyond the hills, triggering military responses from Yuki and Garlow. Larger swarmings—when a queen leads her followers to establish new territory—have not occurred in the direction of Chimea yet.
Yet.
Chitin Cove
The only safe landing point on the Krell Lands coast, Chitin Cove is named for the shells that wash up on its beaches—cast-off exoskeletons from Krell molting cycles. Ships occasionally anchor here to trade with the coast-dwellers who've survived by staying mobile and watching the treeline.