Port Hope temple

[Fox Mc Cloud]

Wondrous Plant Life - Jungle edition Vol.1
(In memory of Mandol the priest - Sadly this work was left unfinished due to his untimely end by a carnivorous plant.)
The threadlike vegetation of the thread tree can easily be cut off and, if woven with moderate skills, can be used to make ropes. These ropes are especially useful when it comes to simple constructions that only have to last for a short period of time.
The jungle dweller bush is quite a common plant. It's the home of a variety of insects and small animals.
The green wig bush is mainly known for its long, threadlike roots. Although those roots are edible it is not advisable to actually do so. They have an extreme bitter taste and need to be boiled to reach an edible state. The green wig bush got his name from the sad fact that sometimes the murderous dworcs use its roots to bind them to their heads as some kind of camouflage during their sneak attacks.
The lizards tongue is quite an unremarkable plant. It grows quickly but there is no real use for this resource and it does not please the eye enough to be worth growing it. It can be easily recognised by the slimy coating of its leaves which partly led to its name.
The jungle crown is somewhat rare. Still it's quite an unremarkable plant considering its majestic name which probably originates from its unique ringlike growth pattern.
It is unknown if the name of the green fountain bush was chosen deliberately or rather accidentally, but the name is well to the point for two reasons. Firstly, it does indeed resemble a frozen green fountain and secondly, like a cactus it is able to accumulate a substantial supply of water in its thick leaves.

[Fox Mc Cloud]

Wondrous Plant Life - Jungle edition Vol.2
The dragons nest tree is neither a real tree nor does it even remotely have something to do with dragons. Probably the first explorers were shocked when they first saw the thick round blossoms of this giant flower. Obviously, those explorers knew little about dragons and even less about plants, naming it a tree.
The purple kiss bush is a plant that pleases the eye and the nose alike. Sadly it seems impossible to cultivate it yet and so we have to live with the fact that we will only meet its beauty by chance.
The jungle umbrella in its many varieties is extremly common and only the fertility of the other jungle plants prevents it from becoming a pest. It grows faster than bamboo but lacks its usefulness. Its wood is thin and breaks easily when dried.
On touch the chill nettle injects a very mild poison that let the skin feel somewhat numb and cold. Although some people try using it to fight the heat, it actually does not prevent overheating and also the production of sweat is not reduced. Given the threat of possible long-term damage, it's not advisable to use the nettle for this purpose.
The monkey tail plant is most likely related to the chill nettle. It is also possible that one plant is disguising the other one for some unknown reason. Before the monkey tail blooms, the two plants almost look alike. Only when the monkey tail reveals its purple blossom does the difference become obvious, even to an amateur.
The fairy queen is one of the most beautiful plants in the whole world. Unfortunately it needs an insane effort to grow them away from their natural habitat. To grow one, expensive supplies and a group of specialists are needed that only kings and queens could afford. Therefore, the fairy queen will only be found in company that fits her royal title.

[Fox Mc Cloud]

Wondrous Plant Life - Jungle edition Vol.3
Even though, one could assume that the crane plant obtained its name because it looks remotely like a crane, it was named after its discoverer Malcom Crane. Crane used to be a rather unremarkable student of mine who tended to overestimate his abilities and who flattered himself by giving this plant his name. Fittingly, the crane plant is a rather pompous plant.
Jungle bells are lovely, small plants that need much light and water. Still it is possible for a dedicated botanist to grow one or two of them if he really puts effort into it. Unfortunately, the jungle ants are as eager of this plant as the forementionend Malcom Crane was eager of some recognition.
The dawn singer is a plant that opens its blossom by the first sunbeam in the morning. Its blossom looks very close to an open mouth which probably led to its name. However, one might wonder if a less flattering name would have been more appropriate considering the awful odour that emanates from it in the morning hours.
The turtle sprouter can be cultivated quite easily since all it needs is much sun and warmth which can be easily provided in an environment like the jungle. It is somewhat more difficult to grow them in other regions although not impossible if mainly grown indoors. The name was derived from its sprouts that have the shape of small orbs.
The bees ballroom does not only attract bees but all kind of flying insects with its strange but not unpleasant odour. Usually you hear this plant before you actually see or smell it because there is a constant buzzing and humming of insects around it.
The jungle rose is a relative of our ordinary rose. Unlike the known roses, some plants of this species can reach impressive proportions while others do not exceed the size of an ordinary rose. It has not been discovered yet if this giant version is some subspecies or if its tremendous growth is influenced by other means.

[Fox Mc Cloud]

Wondrous Plant Life - Jungle edition Vol.4
The titans orchid is rare and quite a sight. I have no idea how long it takes until a plant reaches its full size which even dwarfs some trees. I have not been able to grow one to its full size yet, and I begin to wonder how old those full grown plants we encountered might have been.
The purple cardinal is a plant that looks very different from any other plant. It grows to enormous proportions and it is the only plant that jungle ants avoid in their ravenous hunger. If we could figure out how the plant protects itself, we might be able to use that knowledge to cultivate the area.
The witches cauldron is quite an eye-catcher. It is extremely big and has its own beauty. The traveller should be warned that it is not advisable to drink the rainwater that gathers in the big blossom. The plant seems to poison the water in some way and severe stomach pains are the most harmless ailments that occur after drinking it. So the conclusion can be drawn that the whole plant is uneatable due to its poison.
The velvet petal is another giant plant of the jungle. Its smell is surprisingly unremarkable but the plant's colourful petals catch easily the attention of the wanderer. They are somewhat hairy and soft and indeed feel like velvet to the touch. The plant is very fragile though so caution is advised. How such a plant manages to survive in the harsh jungle remains a mystery.
The devils tongue flower is another remarkable species of Tiquanda. A man feels quite dwarfish next to this impressive flower. The fact that its leaves, after being dried and grinded, give a spicy substance has led to numerous attempts of Venoran traders to cultivate this plant. It must be feared that they start harvesting that plant in the jungle and destroy the complete species if their efforts in growing this plant stays unsuccessful.

[Fox Mc Cloud]

The Pyramids of the Apes Vol.1
Having experienced the apes as a very primitive culture, the rumors and stories about them living in a pyramid city, not unlike that of the far away Ankrahmun, seemed unbelivable at first. On second thought though we have to admit that we have seen stranger things than this in our lovely world. But how could those primitive apes build a pyramid city like this? How could they aquire such heights of architecture while they can hardly wield a weapon and have only a remote grasp to the concept of clothing? The answer is quite obvious though.
We know that the pyramid architecture of Ankrahmun has been used for its spiritual value long before the reign of Arkhotep. We also know that Ankrahmun is a city of the dead. As a matter of fact it is also true that in Ankrahmun the wisdom of many ages has been gathered and philosophy and science prospered like nowhere else in this world. It is obvious that the pyramids are linked to death and to wisdom somehow. If you put two and two together, you can easily figure out that those pyramids act as a collector of spiritual energy and probably even literally as houses of the dead. Imagine a civilisation that could have conversations with its dead ancestors and draw from the enormous source of their wisdom! Would such a civilisation not prosper like that of Ankrahmun? For sure it would.
But how is this connected to the apes and their pyramids one might ask. The answer is simple: being the primitive beings they are, the apes are unable to build such structures but some spirits of the past with the wisdom of millennia might have that knowledge. We all know that a primitive mind can be easily controlled. So it would be easy for such a spirit to take over control of the simple mind of one or more apes and give them orders. Without knowing what they were doing such mind-controlled apes could have built this city of pyramids. Of course the apes would have no need for such a city, but surely the ghosts or spirits would like to call such a place their home.

[Fox Mc Cloud]

The Pyramids of the Apes Vol.2
After obtaining their base, the spirits must have stopped controlling the apes which resulted in random raids that are too well known by the inhabitants of Port Hope and that formed their opinion about those creatures. The lack of organisation and control in those attacks makes it obvious that there is no higher power behind them. It seems that the spirits have now left the pyramids since the rare reports we receive from that place, tell us that the once grand structures are now overgrown ruins. Would the spirits allow their home to decay in such a way? I would highly doubt that. There are only two explanations for this phenomenon. The first possibility is that the spirits have left our world. This would be reasonable if you assume that taking control over a living being costs some powers and might have drained all energy from the spirits. But wouldn't those pyramids cancel this effect? For sure they would. So another reason for the spirits' departure could be that the spirits gathered enough energy through the pyramids that allowed them to travel to another dimension or reach a new state of being (or death). So the spirits have no use of the pyramids anymore. The second theory for the spirits' disappearance is much more worrying: the spirits are only asleep. Perhaps the process of becoming one with the field energy of the pyramids was so exhausting that the spirits had to take some rest. If this is the case, they could wake up anytime. And nobody can foresee how they will react to us living intruders who could pose a dangerous threat to their spiritual home.

[Fox Mc Cloud]

The Ghosts of the Jungle
Even though it is true that many people who have not returned from the jungle have fallen prey to animals and other natural dangers, it is quite sure that not in all cases this explanation is applicable. For all we know it is quite certain that there have to be other dangers in the jungle than such mundane ones. How can it be explained that several watchmen of expeditions have vanished over night while none of the people asleep in the camp was harmed? How is it possible that well armed and seasoned adventurers got lost in the jungle? Considering the expertise of some of the victims this jungle has taken, it would be highly ignorant to assume that a simple beast of some kind could be the source of their ultimate doom. In conclusion we have to assume that 'something' is out there. A malicious, unseen power. Never seen but often felt. Noticed only by the 'inner eye' but never actually seen. Everybody that has ever set foot in the jungle knows this eerie feeling of being watched and traced. Sometimes you can almost imagine the movements of something invisible in the bushes.
And do all those glowing eyes in the darkness belong to animals? I don't think so.

[Fox Mc Cloud]

The Lizard People
It seems the lizards we encountered in the jungle are some sort of civilised culture. When I speak of culture, I relate them only to primitive orcs and minotaurs of course. During our expeditions to the jungle we learned that they are hostile to humanity like most of the vile creatures of this new land. Their animosity also spreads to most other races we encountered here. They seem to be a warlike race, searching for conflicts and fights with each and everyone they encounter. Obviously this mindless aggression leaves little room to develop a culture like the human one, achieved due to a long history. It is unlikely those primitive brutes even know the very concept of history at all.
This leaves one to wonder who supplies them with their exotic weaponary and armor. Perhaps they are some minor race of a greater dark power that lurks in the deepest depths of the jungle. The magic I have seen performed by those lizards was far from impressive. They use a very limited variety of shamanistic tricks that are insignificantly more powerful than the powers those average orcish hive shamans hold.
To sum things up, the lizard people are another hostile race that might be seen as a hindrance for humankind but they do not pose a threat. On the other hand they are of no use to us and a timely elimination could only be helpful.

[Fox Mc Cloud]

My Travels by Ploch Pridestride (Volume 17)
After stocking up supplies in Port Hope we immediately focused on the next step in our plans. It was our goal to reach the haunted ruins of Drefia using small boats that would allow us to stay close to the beach which had some major advantages: while exploring the coastline we could gather food and water in the jungle and avoid the dangers of the treacherous reefs of the northern coast at the same time.
Of course this would still be a dangerous and daring enterprise - else it would have been done before -, but we were sure that it could be done. Indeed the voyage started smoothly. We grew accustomed to the difficulties of the coastline quite fast and none of the giant sea creatures that were rumoured to plague the reefs were sighted. The first actual threats we faced were quite ordinary beasts of the jungle which - although dangerous - did not turn out to be of greater danger than the animals we had encountered during other travels. However we did not expect at all the very jungle to turn against us. We were setting up camp on a clearing that seemed peaceful, even idyllic. With hindsight this fact should have alerted us, but we were exhausted from a lengthy trip and relieved to get some rest without having to drive some beasts away first. All of a sudden, thorns shot all over the clearing and the previously calm jungle ground came to violent life. Plants we had never seen before were biting our feet with the ferocious greed of a rabid hyaena. Complete disorientation and panic took over and there was yelling and running everywhere. When we finally made it back to the boats, most of the equipment we had carried with us was lost and there was no one among us who was not injured, some were even poisoned. We spent a hard night directly on the beach and woke up drenched, covered with sand and salt all over, our wounds burning like fire. Yet we decided to continue our expedition.

[Fox Mc Cloud]

My Travels by Ploch Pridestride (Volume 18)
Bandaged as good as it was possible under the prevailing circumstances we continued to follow the coastline. We reached an area where the reefs made it almost impossible to stay close to the shore and thus forced us to make a decision. We could either try to continue our voyage through the treacherous reefs by boat, or head for deeper water and travel across the dangerous ocean for an indefinite time or, as third alternative, continue by foot along the beach with the boats on our backs until it seemed safe enough to use the boats again. Under normal circumstances I would have opted for the latter, but me and my men were wounded and tired and the jungle had already shown us its ugly face in a way which made none of us want to see more of it. Heading for the ocean was no real option either. Not only that our small boats were not built for that kind of travel - reaching Drefia via the high seas had already been accomplished before and doing so would contradict the intention of the whole expedition. Thus we dared to stick to our original plan as closely as possibly and to try finding a path through the reefs. Shortly after we were rewarded for our bravery with a breathtaking sight.

[Fox Mc Cloud]

My Travels by Ploch Pridestride (Volume 19)
Unexpectedly, pyramid-like ruins appeared at the horizon breaking the eternal green of the jungle. Already half taken over by the all-devouring jungle vegetation but still clearly recognisable there was an actual city - ancient, but obviously populated. Having heard about the pyramids of the southern desert we instinctively related the jungle monuments to the same culture and to the people settling in the city of Ankrahmun. While we cautiously steered our boats closer to the beach and wondered about the mysterious origins of this jungle city, more and more apes showed up on the beach, yelling at us in threatening poses. Strangely enough, they were wearing various kinds of equipment - actually wearing it, not randomly strapped to the body like some mindless beast might have done. Due to the obvious hostility we stayed far enough from them to avoid the coconuts and stones they hurled in our direction. I was left solely with the option to examine the strange apes and the ruins through my spyglass and was able to spot different kinds of apes which wore sparse clothing and equipment such as weapons in a way that made clear they knew what they were doing. However some - if not most - equipment looked odd on them, as if made for creatures of a completely different build. A closer look at the ruins revealed that they were not as ruined as I had thought at first, in fact most were only overgrown by the jungle. The visible remains displayed impressive work and art. Oddly, most patterns on the walls showed serpents and lizards of some kind which for sure did not fit the hairy humanoids inhabiting the city. Then I saw the first statues. Although obviously damaged on purpose and turned into almost unrecognisable heaps of stone, some of them showed features of two legged, upright walking lizards complete with weaponry and other equipment. Instantly I remembered the stories of intelligent, yet savage lizard men which were rumoured to live somewhere in the deepest jungle.

[Fox Mc Cloud]

My Travels by Ploch Pridestride (Volume 20)
I recognise a mystery when I encounter one, and this was a mystery for sure. Although a good mystery can fascinate me a lot more than most women I met in my life, I was responsible for this expedition and for my men which stopped me from changing our plans right there and then. Instead I started to make up a plan for a later expedition which would lead me to the area where the lizard people possibly could be found in order to learn more about them. Thus we left the strange pyramid city behind us for now and continued our passage through the reefs. Shortly after, we eventually made it and the shoreline became safe once again. We decided to take a break and set up camp, even more careful than usual, securing it with everything we had at our disposal since we needed some time to repair our boats and equipment as well as to heal our wounds. We camped there for two days and - thanks to the gods - had to face only minor nuisances. During the night the same jungle which could turn dangerously silent in the daytime became a symphony of screams, screeches and howls of creatures no one of us could even imagine. When the sun set, the sky seemed to explode with massive rain as if the gods were pouring down a whole ocean on us. Even with our full equipment we would have had a hard time to keep ourselves comfortable and with a significant amount of our stuff lost to the jungle, it was almost impossible to actually recover. As we took off for the sea again we were all glad to escape this green hell once more. We followed the shoreline to the next impassable reef formation, however, this time the reefs were close to the beach, so it was easy enough to find a way around while keeping the land in sight as well as avoiding the depths of the sea. Using my spyglass, a wooden structure blending almost perfectly with the jungle caught my attention. It reminded me of an enormous fortification of some sort, yet there seemed to be no defenders, just thickest jungle surrounding it.

[Fox Mc Cloud]

My Travels by Ploch Pridestride (Volume 21)
Since there was no reasonable possibility to reach this structure at this time or even just the shore, we continued our voyage through the night. It was about midnight when a roar of some sort interrupted the cacophony of the jungle, and then silence remained. The waves of the sea and their gentle lapping against our wooden boats were the only sounds still audible. From what I can tell, the cause of this roar must have been something we had never encountered before. We had seen and heard dragons, even the majestic dragon lords, but this had to be something which would dwarf even them. I am not ashamed to admit that my hands were trembling when I took my spyglass and searched the night for any sight of the creature we had just heard. Of course I did not really hope to actually spot something in this darkness, so again I was more than surprised when I indeed detected a shadow moving through the jungle. I hardly could have overlooked it since it towered even above the giant trees of the jungle. I was not able to see anything more of it than its rough shape, but for all that I saw I swear to the gods it was the shape of some brutish humanoid. No one of us felt prepared to investigate this mystery in that night, and as the sun rose once again we had already left the sandy part of the coastline and followed the jagged mountain range which seperated Drefia from the rest of the continent. Our destination was near.