Sierra Muerta Raid

At the central lands of the Verônia Island - the biggest from all the islands that compose the Republic of the Veronesia Islands - lies the mountain range of Sierra Muerta, right after the darkness of the Tragueiros Rainforest. Despite being a small piece of land, its strategical geography was disputed by some of the main indigenous tribes that once inhabited the place since the 14th century.

History tells that King Hozok, leader of the Xeixwa people, once built the biggest temple in the whole island right at this place, looking to take advantage of the fertile lands of the jungle whereabouts and the complexity of the chain of mountains that would make a natural wall against enemy invasions. However, the more the Xeixwa people thrived, the more enemy invasions they had to face. Despite successfully containing the onslaughts of the Axakoré and the Zungu'uxe people, in the beginning of the 15th century they finally succumbed to the overwhelming warriors of the Kumaratá people, and the surviving population was forced to leave.

It wouldn't take long until further power-hunger tribes would try to conquer the place. But the Kumaratá people would have other problems to face rather than the invasions of the Karatu-Aty, the Uatau and the Ijuapó people: the lands began to lose their fertility, and if losing their crops wasn't enough, a storm of epic proportions caused the natural walls of Sierra Muerta to collapse and ruin the village almost completely, while the concave formation of the terrain was "just right" for a violent flood that swept most of what the landslides didn't take, leaving little to no traces of settlements and hundreds of victims in the process. Word has it that since then the place got a fame of being cursed, that anyone who tried to set foot on Sierra Muerta would face either irreversible bad luck or even death. Fame that would carry on with the attempts of Portuguese and Spanish colonists to explore that land in the mid 16th century. Even aware of the history of the place, several expeditions took place to try making the most of the place, also sending thousands of their men to enter the abandoned temple after any treasures or any other legacy left by the tribes that once ruled that land. Very few came back alive, although becoming quite disturbed or plain crazy for the rest of their lives. Many didn't even made through the jungle. Since then the place inherited its current suggestive name.

Such tales attracts plenty of greedy treasure hunters, from ragtag bounty hunters to renowned archaeologists after fame and fortune. Our Zilly¹ giant otter girl Zuleika sure doesn't give the slightest for all that "bedtime story to scare tourists", as she puts it herself. But for her own luck (or not) she got company, as a whole group of raiders hired by some unscrupulous American tycoon is also laying eyes on the prize.



'Sup, everyone? To send the message my art block is once again overcome, here's a more complex drawing (compared to my usual stuff). Something that I think my gallery lacks currently, so expect to see more of them eventually: random action scenes. And of course, couldn't help but tell a little story along with. This time I decided to pick Zuleika, for being one of my long-time OCs that I've been featuring not as much as I should. (And let's say, she's not the only one )

_{¹Fictional informal term in the Homeheroes universe, sort of an ethnic slur to refer to Brazilians (portmanteau of the words "silly" and "Brazilian")}