The Gallows Swamp

The Gallows is the land to the southeast of Haven, and is a massive swamp. 
The entire continent believes The Gallows Swamp to be haunted. Because it is. Countless forms of undead make this foreboding place their home, and those who venture in are never seen again.
The Gallows has actually been revealed to be the ancient forgotten land of Rodinfall. Thousands of years ago during the reign of Queen Calliope, it was one of the most prosperous lands in the world. A shining beacon of harmony, peace, and justice, the country flourished. Sorry folks. This apparently can't last. Ten years after the Queen's betrayal at the hands of her sister, darkness, madness, vengeance, would be unleashed upon the land. Over 90% of the population was lost to the shadows within 48 hours, and the land began turning into the desolate, haunted realm it is now. 
Hundreds of thousands of souls remained in the land that was once their home, wandering about aimlessly for millennia. With Alessia's ascension as the new Queen of The Damned, she and her mother have begun the extremely long process of restoring the ruined country to life. After countless ages wasting away and suffering in undeath, the lost souls of the land are finally being freed from their torment, and delivered through the veil at last, with several actually getting a second chance at the life they once lost. 
Castle Cloudsmith is currently the first bastion to have life ever since the darkness came, with a large town being built around it that is quickly growing in size. 
Even the land itself fell victim to the Curse of Madness. As such, it too, has a dark shadow of itself, known as the unholy, nightmarish realm The Mad World.
==Notable Locations==
===Castle Rodinfall===
Castle Rodinfall was the crown jewel in the capital city of the land. Thousands of years later, this mighty keep has stood tall despite being taken by time, nature, and darkness. It served as Alessia's base of operations in her campaign against The Mad Lords, and has since served as a garrison and housing for both The Damned and the Darkwalker Pack.
===Castle Cloudsmith===
Castle Cloudsmith is a great keep erected as the symbol of Alessia's ascension to Queen of the land. Dark, foreboding, and bustling with dark magics, it is her seat of power, and has become the first place in the great swamp to be full of live and thriving. A large town has already been built around it, and is quickly expanding as the nearby area is restored.
===The Bayou===
Far to the southeast of the swamp is the area known only as The Bayou. Practioners of voodoo and other dark arts lived here thousands of years ago, and had relatively peaceful, occasional trade with the rest of the land. After the darkness fell, thanks to the power of their voodoo, their spirits remained untouched, and have remained here ever since. There is only one person living here now, an ancient witch doctor who regularly communes with the spirits present. She is rumored to actually be a survivor of the dark downfall. It's Mad World counterpart is The Starving Bayou.
===Crystal Lake===
Located far in the northwest lies the great Crystal Lake, home to the Crystal Lake Manor. Crystal Lake Graveyard lies beneath the waters, and this was the domain of the Mad Lord Doom. A dark cursed was placed upon the manor and all its denizens. Forced to relive a horrid massacre that claimed the lives of all present, some of the souls here claim it is a far better fate, for this curse is what actually kept Doom dormant. With the mighty undead dragon destroyed, it is unknown what has happened to those who haunted the manor. Crystal Lake in its entirity exists in a constant flux in the Mad World, with it regularly being partially pulled to the other side and vice versa. 
===Lake Serenity===
The largest lake in all the land, even after the darkness came this lake has remained a peaceful, serene area. Its Mad World counterpart is Lake Dread, domain of the Mad Lord Dread.
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Category:Place