Undead Grove

Decay, poison sources and rotting wood shape the home biome of Undead.

Barren Undead Grove with splintered deadwood, bare trees and gray-brown rubble

Plate of the Undead Grove · Deadwood and rubble break up the barren ground.

Sustenance from decay

In the Undead Grove, decay is not a passing condition but part of the habitat. Dead trees, bones, dark water and poisonous growths divide the landscape into passable corridors. The climate is cool and fairly dry; its defining feature, however, is toxicity rather than temperature.

Poison as a source of life

Visible poison sources keep their surroundings permanently toxic. Undead are immune to exposure and satisfy their particular need there; their own nest also steadies it. Other slimes accumulate exposure on sufficiently toxic ground. Crossing a single patch quickly is usually possible, while lingering or fighting among several sources can lead to poisoning. The grove's water is poisonous too. Areas around entrances are kept clear of natural sources so that a nest remains accessible.

Wood and carrion

Rotting wood is renewable raw food for Undead. New pieces appear slowly near dead trees, stumps and ruins; unlike mushroom growth, this supply does not depend on rain or light. Carcasses add food after hunting, combat or natural death. Each individual source is finite once used. With little food scattered through the biome, a nest benefits greatly from reachable places where deadwood grows.

Fresh rotting wood lay beside a bare trunk today. The night before I had seen only bones there.

Permanent sources, passing traces

A decaying body or an Undead resting in one place for a long time can temporarily leave poison on the ground. This trace resembles a natural source in the toxicity view, but fades again. It may threaten other slimes after its cause has disappeared, yet does not provide Undead with the dependable sustenance of a source or nest. The absence of a visible cause says little about whether a route is safe.

Rain over the grove

Rain changes the Undead Grove in two ways. It slows Undead on the surface, while below ground they return to their usual movement. It also washes away temporary poison traces more quickly. The permanent growths remain: a shower clears the consequences of decay faster, not the biome's toxic foundation. The grove does not become safe for outsiders; only the pattern of its passing dangers changes.