The longitudinal border between the Kingdoms of Estion and Danaen is the longest undefended border in all of Enayra, and one of the few in Enayran history. But it is not because of any mutual trust between the two nations, or a long-standing relationship between monarchies.

No, the history of Estion and Danaen had been, until the days of the original Dragonkin, quite antagonistic.

Until the Dragonkin arrived to pacify the near six centuries of endless warfare and bloodshed Enayra had come to know since the collapse of the Enayran Empire after the assassination of Emperor Gaius.

The Gerovian Empire, as Estion had once been known, had once held deep, and brutal military, political and hegemonic control over the northern half of Danaen during the middle of the Age of Conflict (not unlike the rule modern Altimaran attempted to impose upon Xiar), and this tyrannical rule was not quickly forgotten by the Danaesh people.

So why leave such an important border so undefended and unprotected? Surely it would be a haven for smugglers, illicit activity, or clandestine raids and invasions into each nation.

In that case, you are wrong.

The creatures of Danaen are large, hardy beasts that are more dangerous than any army could ever be.

Yet, aside from four, well-reinforced, and jointly run border checkpoints along each of the major roads between both nations, no other guards are posted along the border, and any who seek to cross at any other point along the borders do so at their own peril.

These beasts eat human for sport, and include humankind as part of their daily diet. Only a fool would enter the untamed jungles of Danaen without reason, and even then that reason had better be damned good.

Only the stench of reekweed, also called stinkweed, shitweed, or corpse grass (ibu’temba in the Danaen language), keeps these creatures away from human settlements or fortifications. The reekweed plant is a naturally occuring plant that grows along the riverbeds in Danaen, and when plucked and dried produce a smell not unlike a mountain of rotting corpses.

It’s unknown why this smell wards off scavengers, predators and other creatures, but no one’s going to argue with results when they could get eaten just trying to visit their family the next town over.

Knowing the importance of reekweed, the Danaen Crown holds a tight and jealous monopoly over the cultivation, processing and distribution of this commodity.

Anyone entering the country must pass through one of the four border checkpoints run jointly by the Estian and Danaesh governments. Estion supplies the half of the soldiers and supplies, while Danaesh provides the remaining soldiers, the funding and the reekweed.

Travellers who wish to travel along the road are must purchase, at their own expense, as much reekweed as is required to reach the next fortified position along the major roads. Those travelling for business, such as trade, are sold reekweed at a discounted price, compared to those travelling for pleasure.

Being that the Danaen government holds a monopoly on the reekweed, prices change like the weather. Some more cynical historians can always tell when something big is about to happen in Danaen (either the building if a new fleet, recruiting more soldiers, a coronation, a declaration of war, or even the funeral of an old king) because the prices of reekweed will suddenly shoot up.

Because of the dangerous creatures in Danaen, people will never plan to camp by the roadside when travelling through the country, and so are always forced to buy small amounts of reekweed at a time to get them from trading post to trading post along the road.

Travelling merchants and traders will travel between the trading posts along the road, as well as towns and settlements, to sell their wares, and buy their reekweed to keep travelling.

It is a joke among commerce guilds that when one is travelling by land to Danaen to trade or peddle their wares, they are “going out to buy reekweed” or “feed their reekweed habit” as any profits made at the trading posts or town are often cut into by the high cost of the reekweed needed to keep moving. It doesn’t help that the Danaen government demands their fair share in taxes on all foreign merchants peddling foreign wares in their lands.

Below are some of the most dangerous, and most famous, fauna that call the Danaen jungles their home:

Death Birds (Kuku’nemba)

The death bird, known in Danaesh as the kukunemba (literally death bird), is one of the more famous, dangerous denizens of the Danaesh jungles.

This large, flightless bird stands at about 2.15 metres from their clawed talons to the top of their head.

These creatures are normally solitary, and hunt alone, but should never be taken lightly. Their large, hooked claws have been known to tear through chainmail. and their serrated beaks are known to bite through almost anything.

They attack by charging out of the thick, dense jungle, and jump-kicking their opponents, raking them open, and sometimes apart, with their long talons before finishing them off with their beaks by snapping their query’s neck. These birds kill on average four hundred people a year, and are even a challenge for most of the large predators of the region to take down.

Terror Birds (Betu’nemba)

These creatures are not as large as their death bird cousins, but terror birds (betunemba in Danaesh), are just as vicious. What they lack raw strength and size, they make up for by hunting in packs as small as fifteen, and as large as forty. These creatures are about the size of a swan.

With long, toothed beaks, short-but-sharp talons, and claws coming from their pinion joints, these creatures resemble something between a medium sized bird and a lizard. They work together to pick off their prey, and pick them clean.

They are covered in bright emerald green feathers, with beautiful tail feathers that resemble a cross between a peacock and a pheasant tail. The tail feathers of these creatures are prized among the kings and chieftains of Danaen, and are often seen gracing their most formal and expensive of their clothing.

It was send that King Yoru IV the Great had a collection of betunemba feather quills, and even kept a breeding pair as pets. Some of his detractors say he kept this breeding pair to feed his political rivals to.

Bifurcated Leopard (Bi-qu Shubaa)

The bifurcated leopard (bi-qu’shubaa in Danaesh, meaning “two headed beast”) is a two-headed megafauna leopard that lives in the deep jungles of Danaen.

These two headed, sabre-toothed leopards are 1.25 metres at the shoulder, and can grow as heavy as eight hundred pounds.

These two headed creatures are vicious, and will not hesitate to make humans a part of their daily meal. They are one of the few creatures that can even attempt to take down a death bird, though it is a rare sight.

The bifurcated leopard is said to have two separate brains and two separate hearts, though the two heads share a stomach and don’t normally compete for resources against one another like other two headed creatures in Enayra.

The two heads work in perfect harmony to keep the body alive. They take turns sleeping, eating, and watching for potential enemies. They’re incredibly cunning creatures, and seem to take pleasure in making their meals suffer before they devour them.

The bifurcated leopard is the official animal of the state, and can be seen on the Danaen flag.

Sabre-toothed Jaguar (Kitu’bakku)

The sabre-toothed jaguar, known in Danaesh as kitubakku (sword teeth), is a large (1.5m at the shoulder) predatory cat that stalks through the jungles of Danaen, picking off prey animals and unfortunate travels alike.

Using it’s black as pitch fur to blend into the unending darkness of the thick jungle, provided by the dense canopy, the creature is lithe, quiet, and able to sneak up on most prey. They have foot long sabre fangs, and three to four inch claws that have been known to slice through even the finest armours–not to mention their bite force.

It is one of the few creatures that can somewhat resist the affects of reekweed. While normally, a sabre-toothed jaguar will stay far away from any processed reekweed, a hungry sabre-toothed jaguar will force itself to ignore the offensive stench to attack caravans for food.

No other animals in Danaen, hungry or otherwise, will do this.

The mounted forces of the Danaen cavalry have managed to domestic several of these creatures for use as war mounts and as mounted cavalry. Well bred sabre-toothed jaguar go for high prices as military mounts in Danaen.

Titanocobra (Bishagwa)

The titanocobra, in Danaesh called bishagwa (“shadow or spectre”) is a massive cobra, as its name would suggest.

Not much is known about the creature except how large it is, how deadly its venom is, and how rare a sighting one is. It’s said that it can inject a variety of venom that affect different parts of the body, and can also spit a corrosive acid up to 10 metres that can dissolve anything.

These claims are based on several centuries of encounters between humans and the creatures, though it’s unknown if these are embellishments or the truth. Enayran scientists believe the answer lies somewhere between fact and fantasy.

The largest specimen known to exist was killed for the safety of the people of Danaen by King Imbadwa II in 882 Ruin, and was approximately 20 metres long from head to tail. It’s bones are on display within the royal palace, and its skin was used to gird the scabbards of the King of Danaen and his royal guards.

Great Daenan Ape (Kimbuwa)

The great Danaen ape, known in Danaesh as kimbuwa, meaning something roughly along the lines of “human-like.”

They are large, brown-furred great apes that stand at about 2 metres tall, with a similar arm span. These creatures are incredibly strong and well-muscled. They’ve been known to uproot trees when enraged or threatened and swing them about as weapons.

They tend to have a more ambivalent relationship with humans, and will stay away from them, so long as the boundaries of their territories are respected.

Some scientists believe these creatures able to speak, and have similar intelligence to humans. Others believe they do not, and are only as intelligent as a toddler. No one has actually been able to get close enough and converse with one to find out, of course.

Despite their incredibly strength and propensity for aggressive defence, they are illegal to hunt and kill in Danaen, by anyone, and to poach one is punishable by death. This has been law since the fifth century Conflict drawn up by Tsem’bashwa I the Liberator. This, in part due to their near-human nature, their purported intelligence, and also because of a tale of unknown veracity.

This tale states when Tsem’bashwa I rose up against the Gerovian Empire in the War of the Grand Alliance and pushed Gerovia from northern Danaen to reclaim their territory, several hundred kimbuwa charged from the forests and fought alongside by the Danaen people, murdering hundreds of Gerovian soldiers and settlers and sending the survivors running back to Gerovia.

Whatever the truth of this tale is, the fact remains that these creatures are respected by all levels of Danaen society, and when one is found dead in the jungles, they are given an honoured burial.

To see one is considered an auspicious sign.

Great Tapirs (Agu Dasha)

The great tapirs, in Danaesh agu dasha (“four tusks”), are larger then normal tapirs about half the size of a Great Asardaean Elephant (1.75m at the shoulder). They also have four tusks protruding from their face–a feature lacking in other

They are normally docile creatures, and are often hunted for their meat and their ivory for traditional and ceremonial use, as ivory is very important to the Danaesh people. Every Danaesh wears at least one piece of ivory jewellery or accessory.

They can, however, in defence, gore a human with their four large tusks.

Some Danaesh have taken up the domestication and farming of these creatures for food.

Land Alligator (Semu’semu Tai)

The land alligator, in Danaesh semu’semu tai (“the running one”), is not quite your average alligator.

At about 15-20 metres long, lifespans of about two centuries, four inch fangs, and powerful legs directly under their body like a mammal that allow them to run at speeds of 50km per hour, these creatures are nightmare fuel to herpetophobics.

Unlike normal alligators, these creatures are dangerous on land and in water. They have been known to hunt in both, and are incredibly dangerous.

In water, the alligators live in the ponds, rivers and lakes of Danaen, and will sit just below the surface with their mouths wide open, waiting for an unsuspecting creature to pass by. Once they feel something brush against their teeth, their jaws snap shut and they drag their prey deeper into the water to drown and devour them.

On land, they hunt one of two ways.

One way, they bury themselves in moss, grasses, or even burrow into loose dirt and soil. When a creature passes by, they launch up from their hiding spot to attack and maul their prey. If the prey is too fast for them to snatch in one bite, these beasts will run after their prey at high speeds and maul them to death.

Their teeth and skin are used for ceremonial clothing by royalty and nobility, as well as extremely wealthy people in other nations in Enayra. The current king of Danaen is known to keep a small number of these creatures as pets in the royal palace gardens.

Bog Bears (Futu Pendu)

Bog bears, known in Danaesh as futu pendu (moss mountains) live near the ponds and lakes of Danaen where primarily hunt fish, but have been known to devour other aquatic creatures and unsuspecting prey.

About 1.75m at the shoulder, these massive beasts are known to grow moss and grasses on their backs. They use this as camouflage when hunting.

They submerge themselves below the water line, revealing only their humped backs to the world. Appearing as if some rock in the pond or lakeside where they wait, they wait for prey of any kind to happen by, at which point they emerge from the water, and swat at their prey with their massive paws, often concussing, dazing, or even drowning their prey.

With their prey dead, these beasts will return to the shoreline to eat, before returning to the water for a new hunt.

These bears are opportunistic carnivores, and will devour anything, so long as it is smaller than itself, and made of meat and flesh.

The chieftains and kings of Danaen are known to often hunt these bears for sport, and drape themselves in the furs of their kills. It’s said there are more bog bear pelts on the walls and floors of the royal palace than any other type of decor.