The Burrow

The largest kingdom, if it can be called such a thing, is The Burrow. A series of caves and vast tunnels that spread deep into the earth. It is unknown, even by the countless rats that travel its diverse tunnels, just how deep and expansive The Burrow truly is, as entire sections have been lost to time due to cave-ins caused by earthquakes and careless mole tunneling. Life in The Burrow is harsh and unforgiving. Food and water tend to be scarce, and the dark labyrinth layout is full of dead ends, bottomless pits, and sudden flash floods. But you are never alone. The rats of The Burrow make up over 90% of its population. Fiercely loyal to anyone considered a friend or family, the rats have worked together since The Burrow was first dug into the earth to make survival there possible. The clan of rats that call this place home can be recognized by the dark markings around their ears.

Queen Rodentia acts as guardian for a majority of The Burrow. The Demi-God is among the wisest of the guardians, giving up a large portion of her power to her clan to help ensure their survival in such harsh living conditions. This has led to the rats of The Burrow requiring less food and water to live, as well as giving them a permanent memory of every tunnel they’ve traveled. This ensures that the rats of her clan are never lost in the dark tunnels, no matter how deep they may travel.

Rodentia and the rats of her clan were tasked with the duty of watching over The Iron Doors, two doors of impossibly large size built into the mountains above The Burrow. It is known by few what The Iron Doors are keeping out, but all agree it is best for the world if they never know.

Rats aren’t the only species that can be found in the dark tunnels of The Burrow. Moles can be found by the thousands, digging where they please, often causing cave-ins and damaging ancient tunnels, much to the ire of the rats. In recent years, the moles and the rats have mended relations after Rodentia granted a swathe of territory to the Dust Dragon, Aroma. Many moles have pledged their loyalty to the Dragon Queen, seeing her sulphuric smell as a sign of a potent leader. Rodentia sees this giving of territory as a means of mending relations with dragon-kind, as well as a way to keep the mole population under control. The guardian even went as far as to marry off her favored son as a sign of good faith.

In the deepest depths of The Burrow can be found the guardian Bloom. A mole guardian so lazy and well hidden, that most moles, as well as most guardians, have completely forgotten she exists. In recent years her presence has become known, but she has not been deemed a threat by Rodentia, as any uprising would require Bloom to take action, something the lazy mole would find to be far too much effort. There are some moles who have moved deeper into The Burrow to worship their new found deity, but most have remained with Aroma, seeing her as a leader that is more active.

Far to the West lies the fittingly named Western Burrow, ruled over by the guardian Ara. The hedgehog guardian is one of Rodentia’s closest friends and allies, and considered family by Rodentia’s offspring as Ara has been known to marry rats she finds worthy of a Demi-God. The hedgehogs have been tasked with the important role of keeping dangerous predators from entering The Burrow from The Darkwood, an extremely dangerous forest full of hungry predators as well as the ophiotaurus kingdom. Luckily for those living in the tunnels, Ara and her kin are exceptional at their jobs, repelling all forms of calamities that may try to slither their way inside. This marks one of the few areas of The Burrow that are guarded, as the natural dangers of the claustrophobic tunnels are typically enough to deter any invaders and kill anyone foolish enough to enter. The Darkwood itself is known to never see daylight due to its massive trees. Because of this, the predators of this hostile forest find adapting to the dark of The Burrow to be rather easy, requiring Ara to constantly be on alert.

To the East of The Burrow lies The Burning Ring. This volcanic hellscape has been one of the closest allies of The Burrow. Trading ore for finely crafted tools to make mining safer and more efficient, as well as weaponry. To the South is yet another, more recent ally, The Skunk Kingdom. Thanks to Rodentia’s favored son, Tek, ties to The Skunk Kingdom have never been closer, making food and water far less of a rarity.

To the North, and directly above The Burrow, are the Impassible Peaks. These enormous mountains stretch to the Northernmost point of the planet, and few but the dragons are ever seen flying over the peaks. Few of the draconic beasts ever return, leading many to believe that it is home to a massive dragon graveyard, where the flying reptiles go to die.