Grasslands

From HollowWiki

Overview

The wildlands. Upon first arrival here, it seems the perfect place. Tall, golden grass, waving gently in the comfortable breeze, the sun shining warmly down, large blossoming flowers wafting sweet scents from tall trees. A lost paradise, just waiting for your arrival. But hidden in the undergrowth are creatures not seen anywhere else, huge lizard-like beasts, just waiting for you to misstep and fall into their trap.

Geography

South of Venturil Castle, the wildlands are almost completely cut off from the rest of the world by a circular canyon, and the entire area sits atop a large plateau. If you filled the deep trench with water, the overgrown place would be an island in the middle of a deep lake. A small forest, more of a brake than an actual wood, grows in about the center, stretching to the eastern edge of the small tableland. The rest is rolling grassland, with tall wildflowers and wonderful verdure.

Climate

Most of the time, these grasslands are warm, sunny, and calm. There is the occasional huge rainstorm, but mostly the daystar shines brightly. It seems to be perpetually the middle of Spring here, with flowers blooming year-round.

History

The wildlands have remained practically unchanged for millennia. The pleasant climate is the reason for the ancient creatures of long ago to still be in existence in this place. It's also the site of the first preklek portal, the place where the alien beings first decided to come through from their own dimension. A second portal blocks the first, however, keeping the preklek who had come through stuck in Hollow. The upshot of all this is that preklek number in unusually high numbers here, so travelers be warned.

Inhabitants

The preklek are the only intelligent beings who make a habit of living there. Besides them, the only creatures that you will find there are monsters, the like of which died out many thousands of years ago elsewhere. In the old tongue, they are called dinosaurs, “thunder-lizards” would be an approximate modern translation. Some are the size of houses, and most are hungry carnivores. A few odd-looking birds flap through the skies above the mesa, the winds directly over the canyon keeping them contained there.

Hitchhiker's Tips

A hitchhiker traveling here must be wary of ambush at all times. The raptor packs are everywhere, and they can smell you from miles away. Don't let your guard down.

If you are attacked, running won't do you much good. Dinosaurs are much faster than you, unless you can fly. The best way to survive an attack by the giant theropods is dodge and hide until the wind changes. They hunt primarily by smell, so if you can stay out of sight, you'll probably survive. If not, you won't be around to complain about the bad advice this guide is giving you.

Possibly the best way to avoid getting attacked is by wearing something with preklek scent on it. The alien smell acts like a repellent to the gigantic beasts.

And, as always, DON'T PANIC and always know where your towel is.