Swamp of Wydmoor

The Swamp of Wydmoor is a large expanse of wetlands east of Wydmoor Free City. The area has a dramatic, or perhaps even tragic, history, and it is widely regarded as cursed. It is a dangerous place full of terrible monsters, mysterious sites, and ancient magics, and is widely avoided by the people of Wydmoor.

History

The Wydmoor swamp came into being during the Prophets' War (???) at the hands of Sorcerer Marrwyn Teldandilion using the power of the Northern Obelisk. Prior to the war, the area was home to a massive lake system and a successful freshwater maritime city. However, as conflict between the armies of Alexandria and the followers of the Turtle Priests (???) escalated, Marrwyn was forced to destroy the city. The magical cataclysm she summoned transformed the area in the swamp we know of today.

For centuries, this swamp remained largely uninhabited by the Goodly Races, and was home to little more than a few hardy fishing villages. The only significant exception was Wydmoor, at the time a minor Ubrekti city with a strong claim as a Tragidore shrine (although an unpopular one due to the significant dangers of the swamp). This changed during the Third Interregnum, when Ubrekti heretics occupied Wydmoor and cleared the appreciable areas of the swamp for mining and agriculture. In the 700 years following the Interregnum, the swamp has become generally much safer to travel through, although no less mysterious or dangerous outside a relatively tight perimeter of Wydmoor city.

Dangers

There are a number of considerable dangers in the swamp that prevent the vast majority of the Wydmoor region from penetrating it. A significant number of these are mundane--quicksand, venomous snakes, carnivorous plans, flammable swamp gasses, and treacherous terrain. There is also a large population of Servitor Races. The most notable among these are orcs, that reside in the swamp and harass travelers, but there are often incursions of hobgoblins from the Jonvranth Canyon in the Bloodmane Hills. Recently, a tribe of Lizard Men has arrived in the area, and although it is not certain whether they are friend or foe, they are probably best avoided.

Outside of these more mundane dangers, there are a significant number of fantastical dangers, many of which hail from pre-Alexandrian times. The southern edge of the swamp has long been home to the Many-Headed Wyrm--a giant, cold-breathing hydra. In recent weeks, the swamp has also seen the return of the Temple Guardians, monstrous turtles with powerful breath weapons, most likely related to the Turtle God that used to reside in the area. Finally, while not an active threat, the Wydmoor Swamp Temple is home to a sinister elven figure and a hanged corpse, both encased in a glass-steel vault.

Bog Wraiths

Despite the fact that much of the swamp is too dangerous to traverse or explore, there are still a number of significant interactions between the people of Wydmoor and this geographic feature. The vast majority of these interactions are done with the support of the Bog Wraiths, a mercenary organization on joint retainer for the Alexandrian Church and the First Families of Wydmoor. The Wraiths are soldiers and naturalists trained specifically to operate in the swamp.

Resources

In the areas near Wydmoor, there are a number of important resources that the swamp provides to the city. First and foremost, drained swamplands are excellent for traditional agricultural use, and a wide range of crops are grown in the immediate vicinity of the city. In addition, a number of edible swamp fauna like marshberries are grown in inundated land. Finally, there are a minimal number of peat deposits near the city that are still productive, which provide fuel and fertilizer for Wydmoor industries.

Deeper in the swamp, where only a few hardy or well-funded organizations can afford to go, there are a number of other resources that can be gathered. The most common, by far, are wild animal pelts and valuable flora gathered by hunters and trappers that operate solo and are (usually) quick and stealthy enough to avoid the dangers. Larger organizations can also afford to sponsor mining operations, and often speculate and mine large peat or bog iron deposits quickly and efficiently, although not without sponsoring significant military and labor forces.