**Death Eats Pie is an Alternate Reality collaboration.**
Hellbound
Type: Landmass
Location: Drobec
Description:
Hellbound is the primary continental landmass of Drobec and the center of most known civilization. Every mainland nation—LaShayn, Sanskarth, Drakkesburg, Vallastaar, Marstrom, Zynvalia, and Excessum—exists within land that was once part of the Death Forest.
Hellbound is defined by an ongoing ecological conflict. Civilization does not simply exist on Hellbound; it continuously maintains itself against the surrounding forest. The continent is less a settled wilderness and more a collection of carved-out regions held open through generations of maintenance, expansion, and adaptation.
Geographically, Hellbound is remarkably diverse. Massive mountain ranges divide regions, deserts exist beside dense forests, wetlands stretch across entire countries, volcanic activity shapes southern territories, and two major bodies of water—the Warped Sea and Distortion Ocean—connect the continent to the wider world.
The continent's history is inseparable from migration. Most modern nations were founded by groups moving outward from early settlements and gradually clearing sections of the Death Forest. The result is a patchwork of countries with radically different cultures, technologies, beliefs, and environments existing surprisingly close to one another.
Despite the name, Hellbound is not universally hostile. Most people live ordinary lives. Farms operate, cities grow, trade routes function, and children attend school. What makes Hellbound unusual is that extraordinary dangers exist alongside normal life and are treated as practical realities rather than apocalyptic threats.
Characteristics:
The Death Forest -
The defining feature of Hellbound.
Covering most of the continent beyond settled regions, the Death Forest forms the backdrop of nearly every nation. Its borders represent the practical edge of known civilization.
The forest appears healthy and natural from a distance, yet produces no natural ambient sound. No wind through leaves. No insects. No birds. No ordinary environmental noise.
Many of the continent's creatures, anomalies, and unexplained phenomena are believed to originate from, inhabit, or be connected to it.
Cleared Civilization -
Most inhabited territory exists because people actively maintain it.
If land is abandoned long enough, the forest slowly reclaims it. This creates a strange relationship between civilization and nature. Cities are not separate from the wilderness—they are temporary victories against it.
Many regions still contain abandoned roads, forgotten settlements, collapsed watchposts, and partially reclaimed infrastructure.
The Western Mountains -
A colossal mountain system dominates western Hellbound.
These mountains isolate regions, shape weather patterns, and create natural barriers between nations. Many of LaShayn's settlements exist within these ranges, while other sections remain sparsely explored.
Numerous valleys contain isolated communities, forgotten structures, and local folklore unique to individual regions.
The Southern Mountain Belt -
A second major mountain chain forms much of Hellbound's southern boundary.
This range contains volcanic activity, unstable terrain, and some of the continent's most difficult travel routes. Certain sections remain largely unexplored due to terrain rather than political restrictions.
The Great Wetlands -
Eastern Hellbound contains vast interconnected wetlands stretching across Excessum and surrounding territories.
These marshes blur distinctions between rivers, lakes, and forests. Settlements often adapt themselves to water rather than reshape the environment.
Navigation can become difficult because waterways change with weather and seasonal conditions.
Zynvalian Desert Basin -
A massive desert occupies the southwestern interior.
Surrounded by more fertile regions, the desert appears almost isolated from the rest of the continent.
The contrast between ruins and civilized life is one of Hellbound's most striking geographic features.
Regional Reality -
One of Hellbound's defining characteristics is localization.
Phenomena often remain confined to specific regions instead of spreading continent-wide. A town may experience something completely ordinary to its residents but nearly unknown elsewhere.
As a result, people tend to trust local experience more than universal explanations.
Technological Diversity -
Hellbound contains some of the most diverse technology in Drobec and some of the most traditional lifestyles.
A person may travel from Takato-derived biometric infrastructure and advanced biotech systems to agricultural mountain communities within a relatively short distance.
Neither approach is considered inherently superior; both exist because they function in their environments.
Visibility -
Hellbound is socially visible but not heavily monitored.
People generally know what is happening locally through conversation, observation, travel, and community networks rather than centralized tracking systems.
Information spreads quickly, but usually through people.
Constant Edge Conditions -
Most nations sit relatively close to danger.
Death Forest borders, maritime threats, anomalies, dangerous wildlife, environmental hazards, and regional phenomena are rarely far away.
This has produced cultures that value practical knowledge, adaptation, and self-sufficiency over the expectation of complete safety.
Characteristics -
Civilization exists within territory reclaimed from the Death Forest.
Extreme environmental diversity within a single continent.
Regional cultures developed largely through migration and isolation.
Local knowledge often matters more than universal theories.
Dangerous phenomena are normalized rather than sensationalized.
Strong coexistence of advanced technology and traditional lifestyles.
Large portions of the continent remain poorly understood.
Most threats are localized rather than global.
Continual maintenance is required to keep civilization separate from the surrounding forest.
Daily life remains functional despite the presence of anomalies and hazards.
Ambience:
Hellbound rarely sounds the same from one region to another, but several recurring layers define the continent:
Distant rivers and waterfalls flowing from mountain ranges.
Wind moving through forests outside settled areas.
Harbour bells and ship rigging from the Warped Sea.
Marsh insects and water movement in eastern wetlands.
Industrial hums from urban regions such as Drakkesburg.
Agricultural activity from rural nations like LaShayn.
Occasional distant thunder from rapidly changing weather systems.
Maritime foghorns and ship whistles along northern coasts.
Market chatter, local music, and community gatherings from settlements.
The unnerving silence of the Death Forest whenever its borders are approached.
The most recognizable sound of Hellbound may actually be the absence of sound. No matter how lively a region becomes, many people know exactly what it means when the world suddenly goes quiet.