| Category | Forests |
| Continent | Brucrumus |
| Region | Northern Hordelands |
| Map | Zyrath |
Hlothangi is a forest located within the Zyrath region. Situated between the mighty Anassúmë and Ithen rivers, the forest floor is frequently inundated by spring flooding. Occasionally, the Primordial Storm causes the rivers to overflow, submerging large portions of the rocky woodland.
The perpetual flooding in Hlothangi is a well-established phenomenon, with the forest dwellers adeptly navigating the low-lying areas and recognizing the slowly draining pools left in the wake of past inundations. However, these pools can harbor perilous inhabitants, such as water weirds and water elementals - entities foreign to the surrounding realm, hailing from the Chaos or the Elemental Ring Worlds. These otherworldly creatures are drawn into the Primordial Storm, ultimately deposited within the landscape of relentless rainfall and tempests.
The new arrivals are not to be taken lightly. They are apprehensive, on the defensive. Those who have remained in a pool for months or years tend to behave normally for their species. The water weirds that accompany these floods are perhaps some of the most unpredictable to encounter. Majority of them are viscous, unintelligent creatures that solely aim to drown those who venture near them. Yet, a rarer variety of water weirds exists, ones that are intelligent, wiser and older than the eldest treants of Hlothangi. A few of these special water weirds have imparted druidic, shamanic, or necromantic knowledge, whether out of goodwill, payment or duress. Early in the First Epoch, gnoll tribes learned the initial aspects of druidic lore from the water weird Helamex. Much of the basic druidic principles I have acquired were likely derived from the teachings of Helamex.
When the Kashu'khas were in power, the water weirds possessing shamanic knowledge were perceived as a threat. In one instance, upon discovering that a water weird was instructing the Belo'gah tribe in shamanic spells, the Kashu'khas apprehended the water weird Fihr'tira. This water weird was then forcibly transported back to Broken Teeth. It is said the poor creature was "persuaded" to divulge all its knowledge. Fihr'tira, now over a millennium old, still resides in a basin near the center of the Howling Hole, either senile or with a mind crushed into subservience.
Antasalax, gnoll Nature Protectorate - "Water Weirds of Hlothangi"
Hlothangi is home to numerous dire creatures. The druid Antasalax, former Nature Protectorate of the region, possessed ancient scrolls from the Horgon Era which claimed that the waters of the Primordial Storm caused these animals to grow to an immense size. The scrolls state that when wolf pups or other young beasts are brought to Hlothangi, they become larger and more brutish if allowed to drink from the contaminated streams and pools. The gnoll tribes of Hlothangi favor dire stags as mounts. Those tribes with shamans often inscribe magical runes upon the stags' antlers. Some of these rune-carved stags are so formidable that even a medium-sized dragon would hesitate to attack them.
The gnolls of Hlothangi have long been perceived with suspicion, fear, and mystery. Their tribal-like customs and wild attire and behaviors set them apart. Their widespread practice of what the uninformed may call witchcraft, such as druidism, shamanism, or necromancy, has only heightened the apprehension felt by the other tribes of the Northern Hordelands. This has undoubtedly contributed to their marginalization by the Drugnod Dynasty, culminating in the Hlothangi Insurgency.