Plagued Zone

A small but planet-spanning region, the Plagued Zone sits beneath the Sky Islands and shares their fundamental structure of floating sky islands, but where the Sky Islands are grand and thriving, the Plagued Zone's islands are rotting — corrupted by mysterious "plagues" that have left them withered, dilapidated, and decayed, giving the entire region a sense of something that was once greater but has been slowly consumed by an unseen and creeping sickness. Rather than the mountainous terrain common to the Sky Islands above, the Plagued Zone's geography leans heavily toward lush forests and ruins, suggesting a region that was once populated and perhaps even civilized but has since been reclaimed by nature and decay, with overgrowth swallowing whatever structures once stood. Despite its corrupted nature, the region is surprisingly resource-rich, containing substantial deposits of rare ore comparable to the Sky Islands, and boasting even greater vegetation, making it a land of hidden material wealth buried beneath its diseased and deteriorating exterior. The climate is persistently stuffy and humid, reinforcing the oppressive and rotting atmosphere that defines the zone, and the region is home to the Tarkan — powerful flying creatures that the The Virethorian Empire, which calls this region home, has learned to tame and weaponize as biological aerial vehicles known as Tarkan Jets, making the fauna of the Plagued Zone not just a feature of the environment but a cornerstone of Virethorian military power.