The Village of Darkmoss

        Deep within the Mistwood lies the ancient village of Darkmoss, home of the Leafshadow Tribe. Darkmoss is a place of shadowy forest pools and small, trickling waterfalls, hidden among the dense jungle vegetation all around it. The lutrai here inhabit a network of shallow limestone caves, their walls decorated by countless murals, a time line that dates back for centuries. The village is very secluded and difficult to find, as it is nestled within perhaps the most dangerous territory on the island. Lutrai here learn to avoid the many perils of the Mistwood from an early age, including which plants are deadly, which animals are poisonous, and how to outwit the wide variety of jungle predators that lair all around them. They are often more cunning and wary than their beach-going cousins, and less talkative, though they still share the inborn lutraic love of fun and games. Members of the Darkmoss Tribe can be identified by a single black raven feather done up with green beads.

        The chieftain of Darkmoss is a rather gruff old hunter named Paluk (Granite), his grey pelt covered with scars from frequent clashes with the marauding czath clans to the north, who prey upon the lutrai. These raiders are able to swim just as well as their prey, and do not require boats to cross the Coral Maze. Moving up and down the great river that bisects Solair from north to south, they are perhaps the most significant threat to both the lutrai and the koba. Both are readily captured by the czath and dragged back to Moorfang's island for a variety of rude purposes, or else sold to the Tamarans as slaves. Paluk was the first of his kind to stand up to their bullying, and defeated an overconfident Moorfang in single combat through cunning and determination. He spared the humiliated czath king's life, but took away his enchanted spear, and now wields it for himself. Moorfang has sworn revenge, but czath raids have diminished significantly ever sinse his defeat at the paws of a creature one third his size. Paluk himself is short, husky, and an exceptional fighter when he has to be. His enchanted spear, Typhoon, makes him even more formidable, even though the weapon appears far too large for him to wield properly.

        Another major fixture of the village is Paluk's mate, Nami. Perhaps even more indominable than the old hunter, she alternates between tender affection and blazing willpower. Raised by koba monks, she is amazingly strong and agile in spite of her pudgy frame, and posseses a certain inner calm not seen in many of the otter-folk. She tempers her mate's bull-headedness, and is typically the one to help him mend after encounters with marauding czath. Nami is also a mother of six, which has only served to enhance her already near-endless mental fortitude. She will even pretend to crack now and then just to keep other lutrai from being too creeped-out by her zen-like demeanor.

The Rootwater Corridor

        Along the banks of the great, nameless river that bisects the isle of Solair lie vast regions of dark, shaded rootwater. Here, the trees are almost perpetually inundated, anchored by bare roots that stretch down through the slow-flowing river. In some areas, these bayous stretch all the way to the island's interior, and are thus ideal territory for the koba. Unfortunately, they are also used by czath raiders, who would otherwise have quite a hard time sneaking through the dense, dangerous woodlands.

        The rootwater corridors are almost as dangerous as the Mistwood around them. Most are very dark, home to schools of small carnivorous fish, deadly constrictors, and numerous species of carnivorous aquatic plants. Most of these predators are too small to impede the hulking czath, but will spell doom for lutrai and koba who venture through the corridor unprepared. The otter folk have found that sheer speed is the key, which means running a high-velocity slalom among the forking roots, in near darkness, to avoid anything hungry. These are the scouts who watch out for czath intruders, a pack of youths known as the Rootwater Relay. Members of this group are astounding swimmers, even among lutrai, and know the corridor like the backs of their paws. They deliver messages and warnings with amazing speed and at great personal risk, using a relay tactic and a system of wordless communications - underwater sign-language.

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