The eastern coastal jungle, running from the Eskagon Hills down to the southern waters. Dense rainforest, heavy with moisture from the Alrock Ocean, where the canopy grows so thick that twilight reigns even at midday.
This is werewolf territory.
The Ulvsjael
The werewolves of Traevluong are not the cursed monsters of northern legend. The Ulvsjael are something older—werewolves who never transform to human form, remaining always in wolf form. They were born this way, their parents were born this way, and their ancestors have hunted these jungles since before human memory.
They are somewhat feral but not evil, living in harmony with the deep jungle. The Ulvsjael tolerate human presence at the jungle's edge but kill anyone who penetrates too deep into their territory. They don't negotiate, don't trade, don't communicate in ways the Sylthik understand. They simply enforce their borders with casual, efficient violence.
Sy has the misfortune of sharing a border with them. The city-state maintains a perpetual defensive posture along the Traevluong boundary, rotating patrols and watching for incursions. The werewolves rarely attack in force, but individual packs probe the defenses regularly, picking off isolated travelers and small parties who stray too close to the trees.
Silver helps. Sy's economy has pivoted toward silver extraction partly for this reason—a silver-bearing soldier stands a better chance against an Ulvsjael raider. But there are many werewolves in Traevluong, and even silver can't save you if you're outnumbered in the dark.