Day 2 of Hex23 - Enter the Kurganov Taiga (B001) - January 2nd, 2023

 Day 2 of Hex23 - Enter the Kurganov Taiga (B001) - January 2nd, 2023


     The taiga forest to the northeast of Aluborg is full of ancient graves. Centuries ago - possibly millennia - an ancient civilization thrived in these lands, and buried their dead in grave-mound barrows called kurgany in the Vylgar language. 

Map Designation: B001

Alignment: Chaotic

Climate: Cold

Terrain: Forest (Taiga - coniferous forest)

Settlements: None

Features: The taiga forest is full of the kurgany (burial mounds) that give the region its name. Anyone exploring these hexes is likely to find several burial mounds. There are no reliable charts or maps to them all. 

     The trail from Aluborg into the forest leads to :

1. The Kurganov Complex - A large clearing  in the forest, almost a mile wide, with exposed ruins - a vast complex of unburied stone that was apparently part of the burials, but somehow unearthed. The tombs have mostly been looted, and encounters are rare, here, but there is an eerie sense of presence here. The stonework shows a surprising sophistication for peoples so ancient, but little of value can be discerned. 

2. Natural Cave Complex with entrance in a hillside, ancient cave paintings and semi-fossilized ancient bones of mammoths and other ancient megafauna. The complex is known to some in Aluborg, but has not been extensively explored. In a region full of artificial burial mounds, the presence of this natural hill and cave complex seems even more unusual. From this area, a rougher trail leads deeper into the forest. 

     Trails lead into the forest, become rougher the deeper one goes. 

     There is a mystical ley line running through this hex, to the southwest and northeast. It can have an effect on magic used in this area. 

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