Dominion of the Bog Witch

## History

### Founding

2.426 ABE. Conquest of the Ogre Kingdoms by the Bog Witch. Date discussed by historians, since some argue that the Bog Witch controlled the land from the shadows beforehand.

## Geography

### Borders

The Swaying Meadows, Fairy Woods, Marsh Kingdom of the Bayukmen, Platanus Bog, The Fungests, The Swamp of Sadness, The Bog of Eternal Stench (North), The Forest if Getting Lost (East), Bhakkari Tribelands, Ogabo, Snoloth Country, Cursed Battlefield, Witchelven Empire (South), Warmog Forest, Stymphalian Swamps (West)

## Society

### Demographics

Witches, Pitchhaulers, Peat-cutterlings, Kikimori, Grützlings, Toadlings, Boglins, Swamp Ogres, Human Slaves

### Biggest Cities

Grundlog

The terrain of the Bog Witch constitutes a series of bogs, stinking marshes and lethal lakes.

*"Like swimming in the witches bog."* - Common proverb meaning to throw away once life for nothing

## **Population**

### Surface Boglins

A type of swamp goblin, they are mostly found in the northeast bogs where they are key to running the economy as well as raiding and hunter-gathering. Most of them live in Grundlog. One half of them is very active on the black market the other half are thieves, brigands, murderers or fishermen.

### Cave Boglins

The Cave Boglin or "Underboglins" are a variant of them is found throughout the bogs, but particularly in the southeast. They live in mud burrows, which they dug into the soft swampy ground or mounds of earth. Often used as servants, fodder, or food, but mostly they just try their best to avoid the attention of the witches and ogres.

##### Fish Grippers

Skritleskree Boglins populary known as known as "Fish grippers" (from Bogspeech: Flublubber). The Skritleskree Boglins are a species of Cave Boglins that live in damp underground caverns. Their burrows are largely filled with muddy, murky waterholes from which they catch pale, semi-transparent cave fish. Skritleskree is swarming with these Boglins that live in rickety wooden stilt structures which they drive into the black rock faces. The Skrittleskree boglins are excellent swimmers and their large eyes emit a slight dim light, making it easier for them to navigate in absolute darkness. The Skritleskree boglins are quick and agile. They are exceptionally good at hiding and climbing along the barren cave walls.

##### Leather Skins

Uggmort Boglins populary known as "Leather Skins" (from Bogspeech: Hordknuck). Uggmort Boglins are known for their, for boglin standrads, relatively burly and stocky physiques. They are the largest and strongest among the Cave Boglins, which allows them to navigate the dense and treacherous marshlands with ease. They construct sturdier cave dwellings deeper within the bog, fortified with interwoven roots and mud to withstand the cold damp environment. Uggmort Boglins are skilled hunters, using their keen senses to track and capture prey. They often emerge from their caves during moonlit nights, silently stalking their quarry in the bog's shadows. Uggmort Boglins are also expert craftsmen, fashioning tools and weapons from the sturdy materials found in their surroundings.

##### Poison Drinkers

Uggersta Boglins populary known as "Poison drinkers" (from Bogspeech: Urghslorb). Are the most nimble and agile of the Cave Boglins. They possess slender frames, pale skin and elongated limbs. Uggersta Boglins prefer to dwell in shallow caves closer to the surface, allowing them to quickly venture in and out of the swamp. Their exceptional climbing abilities enable them to traverse the bog's towering roots and cave systems effortlessly. Uggersta Boglins are mostly gatherers, foraging for mushrooms, berries, and poisonous herbs that thrive in the damp environment. Unless it's human flesh, they really don't care for it and even prefer plant-based foods to meat or fish. Their extensive knowledge of the bog's flora enables them to create deadly poisons and potent drugs. Besides being notorious poisoners they are skilled rogues and assasins aswell. With their nimble frames and exceptional agility, they excel in stealth, pilfering and silent murder.

##### Throat Stranglers

Xort Boglins populary known as "Throat Stranglers" (from Bogspeech: Gnarlygurr). The Xort Boglins, dwelling in the deepest and darkest corners of the bog, possess an uncanny affinity for sadism and cruelty.Despite not being particular intelligent or physically strong they are one of the most feared Boglin species due to their their sheer numbers, ruthlessness and malevolent nature. Deep within the cavern system of the bog, in their lightless town called Xort they lurk, instilling fear in the hearts of those who dare to venture near. The bog echoes with whispers of their evil deeds, and tales of their merciless raids and torment of unsuspecting victims. Bloodless bodies floating in the bogwaters serve as a chilling reminder of their evil presence.

### Grützlings

   Finned waterboglins that can be found throughout the bogs in reasonable numbers. They are hunters, soldiers, and raiders.

### Froglins

Froglins are distant relatives of the Toadlings. They are slightly smaller and scrawny than their toad-faced elders and live in secluded stilt villages. Their appearance resembles erect frogs, although their faces and bodies also bear some fish-like features. They feed exclusively on fish and insects, and they particularly like catching maggotpox mosquitoes with their long tongues. Froglins are usually armed with wooden spears, which they only use for defensive purposes. Unlike the Toadlings, they have no endogenous poison. They are among the most peaceful inhabitants of the swamp, but are shy and generally suspicious of strangers, which may be due to the fact that cooked froglin thighs are a coveted and extremely tasty delicacy not only in the witches' swamps. They don't like violence and if you manage to gain their trust, they might even hospitably grant you shelter and food for a few days in one of their Hidden Villages. Unfortunately, due to the fact that they are at the bottom of the swamp's food chain, their numbers have declined drastically in the last millennium. They call their remaining congregation the Slippery Diaspora since being decimated at large numers by rapacious Kikimori. For every 100 males there is only one larger and fatter female, who lays thousands of eggs per year, from which tadpolings hatch, with at least ninety percent of them usually being eaten by predators. When a froglin broodmother is pregnant, she will eat copious amounts of food brought to her by the males. Due to the fact that they also eat meat and larger creatures during this breeding phase, it is advisable to avoid Froglin Villagers at this particular time, as the survival of their own kind is still their top priority.

### Glubbos

Glubbos are a species of unsightly swamp dwellers. Their body resembles a large, more muscular Boglin while the face looks like a nosed Lamprey. What is special about these creatures, which feed mainly on mudfish, is their ability to camouflage and blend in with their surroundings. Moss, ferns and reeds grow on their backs while their skin resembles dead wood. When lurking for prey, they are nearly immobile, only to suddenly spring out of their camouflage and strike with either their sharp-toothed maw, a primitive knife, or a spear. They generally shy away from humanoid life forms, which has led many swamp dwellers to remain unaware of their existence. However, if you get too close or even accidentally step on them, you can expect to lose at best a toe, finger or hand and at worst an arm or a leg, which will be severed cleanly by the Glubbo's razor-sharp rows of teeth. Very few, however, will then look for a fight. Most will just use the element of surprise to quickly disappear into the reeds. Little is known about their culture and intelligence. Supposedly there are entire villages full of these creatures, but no one has found them yet.

### Gombwoddles

Aquatic hunters related to Grützlings, they fill a similar niche, but are more common in the larger lakes.

### Gryplow

A species of small pond dwellers with sharp fish teeth and six tentacles on their lower body, allowing it to navigate underwater with exceptional speed and agility. The Gryplow has a sickly green colour, with green teeth. It has long, strong fingers which it uses to strangle its prey. It is generally found in still or stagnant water and behaves surprisingly aggressive for its size. It hunts in packs usually strangling its victims with its long fingers and octopus arms. However some of them are tamed by the Grützlings, Pondmaids and Gombwoddles who like to keep them as pets and guard-dogs.

### Human Slaves

Long time residents of the Dominion are known as bog people and have gradually become corrupted by the bog’s magic and/or are of mixed origins. They can be found in most parts of the bog. Despite being called slaves, they are more like serfs. Other longtime residents remain relatively uncorrupted, despite living within the boundaries of the Dominion, mostly because they live in forests and foothills rather than the boglands themselves. They are mostly in the southeast, and although they fear the witches, they are essentially cut off from civilization and have no where else to go. And then there are actual slaves, mostly captured from the Bayukmen or Kalydon. Those in the northeast are generally worked to death in short order, but those in the west are converted to bog people.

### Umuncle

Alchemical hybrid creatures created through black magic from the mother soup.

### Kikimori

Bird headed humanoids who were harsh and cruel even before some became corrupted by the magic of the bog. Mostly found patrolling the northern and western borders. They are mostly hunter-gatherers and raiders.

### Lampreyfolk

Lampreyfolkare a particularly grotesque and unsightly species of Pondfolk. They live in the depths of Lamprey Loch in the Witch's Bog, pursuing a crude and bestial culture full of sacrificial ceremonies and dark old swamp gods. Their society is matriarchal and their leader is a powerful swamp witch herself. In this culture, women are responsible for hunting, and as an initiation ritual, every hunter who has reached the hunting age must drink the blood of one of the males, which she personally killed, sacrificed and disemboweled with a special ceremonial knife. In addition to their circular and razor-sharp rows of teeth, they use long, rusty bidents and nets made of algae ropes for hunting.

### Mirelow

Mirelows are the bigger cousins of the Gryplows. They are about three times the size and have the lower body of a moray eel instead of tentacles. They are exceptionally fast swimmers, more powerful, and will occasionally lead schools of Gryplow, especially when it comes to taking down dangerous aquatic animals. With their bright yellow eyes, they can see pin-sharp even in the murkiest of mud.

### Mirewenches

Mirewenches (also called Mirewitches) are the great-great-grandmothers of the more human looking Pondmaids. They exhibit similar behaviors when it comes to hunting anglers and adventurers, but have significantly stronger magical abilities at their disposal. Luckily there are only about a dozen of them living in the depths of the Witch's Swamp. It seems they neither die a natural death nor reproduce. They are rumored to have been created by Muckra in which case they'd be directly related to the Old Bogwitch, what would explain their dark powers. Her lower body resembles a long green eel's tail while her upper body looks like a pale woman's body, easily mistaken for a drowned corpse. They are capable of commanding large fish monsters such as Bogfishers, giant swamp pikes or the terrifying Swamp Serpents. In addition to all the magic tricks at the Pondmaids' disposal, they are capable of raining black tar, creating illusions in the minds of the weak-willed, and spawning lesser swamp elementals. They are able to leave the damp wet for long periods of time to slither like snakes through the damp swampy soil of the witchbogs, though they do so only very rarely and under special circumstances, as they abhor the aridity of the overworld.

### Moldlings

Small underbog creatures with mold colored skin, large yellow eyes, the snout of a toad, and the ears of a bat.

### Peat-cutterlings

One eyed grayish brutes of unclear origin, they are usually found cutting up and moving peat, but also sometimes serve as shock troops. Mostly found in the west.

### Pitchhaulers

Stocky, peaceful creatures of fey origin, they seem content to harvest and move pitch. Mostly found in the west, and not in large numbers.

### Pondmaids

Pondmaids are omnivorous humanoids that live in small communities in some of the smaller pools of the Witch's Swamp. They love to charm anglers with usual intention of drowning them or taking them as cattle to their murky underwater villages. When they are burrowing, they hide their ugly faces under their long hair to look like a naked human female bathing. They have minor magical abilities, which they use to enhance their enticements or to allow humans to breathe underwater if necessary. Every few years, a pond witch emerges from their ranks, which has stronger witch powers and usually becomes the leader of the group. Such pond witches have the ability to transform entirely into the form of a beautiful young human female, sing hauntingly to hypnotice prey, leave the water for long durations, control aquatic creepevines and lesser sea creatures. Ordinary Pondmaids only speak the mute language of the fish, which is inaudible to humans.

### Swamp Ogres

Includes the pale swamp ogres, and the rarer frog-like green swamp ogres. They are dumb brutes, used as labor and fodder by the hags when needed, and in some territories allowed to hunt and terrorize the bogs and bordering lands when not needed. Mostly found in the eastern bogs, with one large pocket in the north, and some enslaved in the far west. Originally all swamp ogres were green, but the corruption of the bog has made most pale and sickly.

### Toadlings

Toadling are humanoid walking canetoad creatures they are relatively peaceful hunter-gatherers found throughout the bogs. They secret hallucinogenic, highly poisonous foam when threatened

### Ulwogs

Ulwogs are a colossal species of amphibian swamp dwellers. They are distant relatives of the Toadlings but of considerably less intelligence. Their language sounds like deep bubbling and quacking noises and consists of only thirty phrases, the most important being "there food", "attack" and "hungry". Their jaws are extremely muscular and can bite through entire tree stumps. Unlike the Toadlings, their body venom is significantly less toxic, but can cause itchy skin irritations, warty rashes, and fungal-like infections. They feed on leeches, fish and various swamp creatures, basically anything that moves, is smaller than them and stepts into their territory. Some Ulwog tribes engage in territorial feuds with the swamp ogres, who are almost equal to them in terms of strength and physical stature. Their largest settlement is Muckmarsh, a semi-aquatic swamp village consisting of large round mud structures mounted on stilts at various heights, vaguely reminiscent of oversized frog spawn. A slimy secretion that the Ulmogs secrete from their abdominal glands allows them to waterproof the clay burrows and construct these dwellings both above and below the water. The Ulmog are generally antisocial loners and mostly roam the swamps in search of food, since there is hardly any food left for them in the vicinity of their home ponds. During the mating season they collectively return to their foul-smelling home villages and the males engage in brutal fights over the strongest females, resulting in large numbers of dead Ulwogs every year. The horrifying sounds of these gruesome courtship fights alone are enough to send even the most hardened and vicious swamp dwellers fleeing. If an Ulwog cannot find other food, it will resort to cannibalism.

### Witches

Also often known as hags. In some other parts of the world they are separate things, but here anything that is ugly, vaguely female, and not readily identifiable often gets labelled either a hag or a witch. They tend to be the elite of the Dominion. Aside from the Bog Witch and her 13 daughters, there are many more, some of whom are offspring of the daughters, some of whom are true hags from other regions, and some of whom are spellcasters who were gradually corrupted by the magic they use. They are a diverse lot, often copying their behaviors on the daughter controlling their region, but not always.

### Woggies

Small humanoid pseudo-amphibians. They are barely sentient and serve little purpose other than sometimes as spies, but about one in every hundred has the potential to grow into a hag-like creature of moderate magical power. Mostly found on in the larger lakes.

## The Dominion's Realms

### Mutaa’s Realm

The most westerly realm, the most populated surface realm, the closest to major foreign population centers, and the most diverse geographically. Small villages can be found in higher numbers than elsewhere in the Dominion, though it is still quite empty by the standards of civilized nations. Mutaa rules via a feudal system of sorts, with tribal leaders on the bottom, then 2-3 tiers of witches and hags above them. Mutaa also maintains a sprawling network of agents in foreign nations, leading organizations that are halfway between criminal and cult. As a result, slave and drug caravans are a (relatively) common sight along the trade routes of this realm.

#### Bludkove

This cluster of small lakes is home to a high concentration of wisps, firebark trees, and tangle vines, as well a particularly sadistic tribe of kikimori who specialize in using the local flora and fauna to inflict elaborate hunts and torments upon outsiders lured into the region.

#### Byzantir

This sprawling complex of halls, towers, and dormitories was once a magic school and experimentation laboratory during the peak of the Fifth Dynasty. Located on an island in Lake Landerstaat, it is said to still be home to a massive repository of items of value, and has been the target of many failed expeditions.

#### Church-On-The-Lake

This strange compound started out as a chapel on a tiny island, but has since been expanded with rotting wood decks and floating straw mats to handle a number of slave cages and henchman living quarters. Auntie Preach rules here, and in addition to being a leading proponent of the “Witch Church”, she is also one of Mutaa’s main raiders and breakers of slaves.

#### Craw

This small kikimori tribe lives in a deep gully leading down to Lake Malagrite. They are vassals of Auntie Preach and often contribute to her slave raids, but they also occasionally organize their own raids. Captives are typically eaten alive, or worse.

#### Creirsa

This witch-elf border fort is a rather unpopular posting. During peacetime, it is a major trading post, with slaves, poisons, drugs, rare ingredients and other exotic goods from both nations fetching high prices here.

#### Crossings

This foul brothel sits at the intersection of two roads often used to transport slaves and other newcomers. If somehow they hadn’t figured out how horrible a place Mutaa’s realm is yet, a short tour of this festering villa will bring the lesson home as almost anything goes here. Some of the workers are witch-elf “prostitutes”, which is really just anyone on Morwenna’s shit list. For witch-elves, being sent to serve the succubi is a more painful fate, and being sent to Grobianismus is more humiliating, but being sent to Mutaa’s Realm is also pretty bad.

#### Ellena

Former capital of the Ellena province. It became a major center for magical experimentation due to its proximity to the raw magic potential of the Cardammon Plateau Boneyard. Its population plummeted but its status as a major city was partially restored. After this it was soon abandoned due to high percentages of birth defects and other anomalies that were at the time blamed on the Cursed Battlefield. Today it is a partially flooded ruin that is home to a small clan of gombwoddle fishermen and barge operators. Adventurers sometimes sneak in hoping to find loot.

#### Forest of Torments

Long seen as a bad place even before the Orgia Breach formed. Its damp forests are home to high concentrations of bog fairies, rotsuckers, and itch bugs, who take advantage of prey trapped by swaying willows, colossus slug trails, and strangle vines. It is also now home to assorted succubi from the Orgia Breach. Despite this, it is often seen as one of the safer parts of the western Dominion, and adventurers sometimes go through here while looking for ruins to explore.

#### Fort Glupguzzle

Formerly Fort Stalwart, a border fort. It is currently home to Auntie-Duchess Plenty, a senior witch of Mutaa who oversees much of the western border. Fort Glupguzzle is home to nearly one hundred servants and slaves, and the Auntie-Duchess also commands the loyalty of a number of nearby tribes, as well as some lesser witches and hags.

#### Fort Itan

This massive fort was built to protect the borders of Ellena Province from the seemingly feral ogres and other swamp creatures to the north. It was abandoned during lawless times and never re-garrisoned. Even Mutaa sometimes isn’t always sure what collection of monsters dwells within this ruin at any given time.

#### Grickgrubhal

This strange mansion is built on a thousand stilts so that can rise above the waters of a massive swamp. The resident hag is Mutaa’s chosen leader for her portion of the Slime Woods, and although she often lives alone, her vassal witches from other parts of the woods often come to visit.

#### Halfway Stone

Nothing but a cluster of shacks and cages in a clearing around a large rock, this location marks the halfway point between Skinny Dipper’s Demise and Creirsa. Trade caravans coming from either direction push hard in order to spend their second night on the road at the Rock’s relative safety. The massive hag Grammama Wicker oversees trade here and provides some semblance of order. Aside from the north-south slave and poison trade, caravans carrying pitch and peat often come here from villages like Schmatzsicker and Icky’s Puddle.

#### Hundred Stings Farm

This brown opium farm is one of the largest in the Dominion, with hundreds of bog fairy nests being tended by dozens of servants and slaves. It also serves as a gathering point for caravans leaving the Slimewoods for Mutaagrad.

##### Honeymen

The Honeymen are fairy honey producers and sellers from Hundred Stings Farm. Sometimes they go on pilgrimages across the country, traveling in groups and selling their sweet wares at fairs across the continent. Among other things, they sell fairy honey, artifacts made from dead or stuffed fairies aswell as brown opium, which is said to make people immortal (and extremely addicted). The Honeymen wear full hoods and large braided beehive hats with small slits for the eyes and mouth. dozens of fairies pass through them and produce honey in their protective hats. Honeymen always carry clay vessels with them, from which they pass their honey to buyers with dippers.They calm the aggressive fairies with numbing herbs, resinous scents, and ethereal oils which they smolder from ritual Turibulums made from precious bog iron. These so-called incensatings are performed by them as pseudoreligious, occult rituals and are accompanied by an9 incomprehensible murmuring that stands out almost imperceptibly from the humming of the fairies. To harvest the valuable honey, they employ a large number of predominantly human slaves. The slaves work without the elaborately braided protective suits and child slaves in particular are coveted for their delicate hands, which are said to have special qualities when harvesting honey. Due to the poisonous fairy stings to which the workers there gradually develop an immunity, if they don't die from it, screams of pain and insane tirades of hallucinating slaves can be heard constantly on the honey farm. Besides a menacing constant hum approaching the site makes a background noise audible that is reminiscent of the inside of a loony bin for particularly hopeless cases.

##### Honeywenches

The Honeymen are subordinate to to the bigger, fatter and much more dreaded Honeywenches. A special kind of witch who also wears basket-like protective masks and has all sorts of dark magical powers at their disposal. They oversee what is happening on the farm and spur the slaves on with silent curses and not-so-quiet whippings. No one has ever heard a Honeywench or Honeyman say a single word. What lies beneath their buzzing, fairykeeping hats is an unsolved mystery. Some of the most well-known and powerful Honeywenches are Gramamma Wickna, Anny Sting and Granny Svart. They are particularly feared for curses which cause their victims to experience terrifying hallucinations and send them on soul crushing horrotrips that can last for days and sometimes weeks.

#### Icky’s Puddle

A pretty typical pitch farm. Although Lubbermarsh and the Tarpit Morast is the most productive pitch harvesting community, Mutaa has more pitch production than Lustra due to having many small pitch farms like Icky’s Puddle.

#### Liseth’s Beacon

This remote cylindrical rock outcrop is occasionally used by hags and witches for their Sabbaths. Usually a bunch of people from Daligrad are kidnapped for the ceremony, and those that survive almost inevitably go insane from the experience.

#### Murkhaus

This decrepit fortress was constructed by Mutaa’s followers during the lead up to the first of the “Witch Wars”. However, during the war, it was easily breached, and Mutaa abandoned the concept of border forts in favor of guerrilla warfare. Since then, it has only been used short term by raiders, bandits, and looters of various factions.

#### Mutaagrad

Mutäagrad is the second largest "city" in the Bog Witch's Domain and the personal seat of power for Baba Mutä, the youngest Daughter of the Bog Witch.

#### The Crumbling Fortress

A little known nascent demon breach called Orgia is located beneath a crumbling fortress. The succubi here are enemies of the Dominion nearly as often as they are allies, and often compete for influence over Kalydon and Daligrad.

#### Schmatzsicker

Not far from Lubbermarsh is the village of Schmatzsicker, home to the equally quiet but less peaceful peat-cutterlings. Peat is an organic material that is formed from dead plants in bogs as coal begins to coalesce. It is used as a low-energy fuel, to improve soil aeration and to a lesser extent, for the production of textile fibers and medicinal purposes. If necessary, the one-eyed peat-cutterlings are hired by the Bog witch as her so-called bog soldiers, especially for carrying out military guerrilla actions.

#### Singate

This small, crudely built fort acts as a border station of sorts for those entering and leaving Mutaa’s realm for Daligrad. It is defended by a garrison of various swamp races, and led by a group of lesser witches and hags who interrogate newcomers on their intentions and keep the smugglers in line. Aside from smugglers, agents, and slavers, the most likely visitors are those dumb enough to deal with Mutaa and her agents directly.

#### Skinny Dipper’s Demise

No one really remembers where this rotting collection of piers and cages first got its name. Run by the lecherous witch Auntie Legs, the village’s main purpose is to load cargo on and off the rotting barges that ply Lake Landerstaat. Much of the population are human slaves purchased from the witch-elves.

#### The Forsaken Mine

No one is quite sure what is being mined here, other than that the operations burn through slaves at a high rate (who are then raised from the dead to continue work).

#### The Lucky Slugworm

This shady, highly illegal casino/brothel/drug den is one of the worst kept secrets in Daligrad. It, and its countless predecessors, cater to those who find even Daligrad’s lawless entertainment districts too tame. Goods from the Dominion, including black milk and brown opium, can be bought easily here, and the madly desperate can find agents of Mutaa to bargain with. Eventually some righteous busybody will get around to torching the place, but another similar establishment will reappear somewhere nearby in short order.

#### The Malagrite Lakes

Lakes Malagrite, Grunn, and Loss are formed where melt water from the Baalps pools in a relative low area. The water is fairly clean (by Dominion standards), but still are home to a range of threats including the giant toads, creepvines, kikimori, and thorned candiru, not to mention several large predators living in the deeper waters.

#### The Slimewoods

This foul forest expanse covers an area of relatively high elevation, but broken topography. Its many small gullies and valleys often turne into swamps. It is home to many unique fungi which makes it of interest to both Lustra and Mutaa. It is also home to high concentrations of bog fairies, toadstools, froglins, giant toads, and toadlings.

#### The Widows’ Lakes

(Lakes Landerstaat, Phoca, and Vulpena) – These three large lakes are named after three famous widows who drowned in the region on their way back from the aftermath of the Battle of Empires. These lakes are (relatively) safe and are therefore used by the more expendable followers of both Mutaa and Lustra to fish and ship goods. They are home primarily to feral gombwoddles, pondmaids, and bogfishers.

#### Ulwen’s Wharf

This small cluster of shacks and cages serves as a gathering point for slave caravans heading south. It is ruled by the sinister witch Lady Ulwen.

#### Utter Cottage

The eccentric hag known as Mama Straw once lived alone here in a rundown stone cottage until one day she purchased several she-eep to serve as life stock. The lands surrounding her cottage are relatively dry and grassy, but also corrupted by the byproducts of Straw’s past projects. Within a few decades, Straw had accidentally created a new subrace of corrupted she-eep known as “swamp she-eep” that are well adapted to the environment. Utter Cottage is now the focal point of a sprawling farm which employs swamp folk and other races to keep the swamp she-eep in line.

#### Witterskin Mine

This small mine uses gibberlings as labor. Local witches and hags in the northwest corner of Mutaa’s Realm have managed to bend a number of gibberling tribes to their will, though others from the Baalps are still hostile.

### Lustra’s Realm

The other western realm. It is less organized than Mutaa’s Realm, with most inhabitants living alone or in small tribes. Lustra has empowered a few tribal leaders and shamans in order to keep the populace in line. She also keeps close tabs on the slave and drug caravans that provide much of her realm’s economy.

#### Bluk

This small collection of shacks sometimes serves as a trading post between Lustra’s Realm and the Witch-Elf Empire, particularly when Lustra and Mutaa are at odds. Due to some peculiar magic in the area, buildings and corpses decay at an unnaturally slow rate. The shacks have stood for centuries, yet somehow seem more rotting and fungi covered each year. Bone piles in the area (of which there are many) also likely date back centuries.

#### Croaklingen

A small fishing village inahbited by corrupted Kikimori next to the Lamprey Loch.

#### Faarjark

This cluster of well hidden caves serves as a mustering point of sorts for grutzling raids to the north. Although there isn’t much north to raid, Lustra has been known to order them on weeks long raids into Waldmaria or the Land of Windmills if she is unable to acquire children from Mutaa or the Witch-Elves.

#### Festerport

This cluster of huts and stockpiled peat and pitch serves as a trade post between Mutaagrad, Lubbermash, and a few peat or pitch harvesting communities south and east of Lubbermash. Occasionally Lustra’s walking hut is within the vicinity, which turns Festerport into a de facto capital of sorts.

#### Fort Ruin

Another abandoned border fort, its original name is long forgotten.

#### Horeark

This tiny hamlet sits marks the location where the main east-west trade route passes between Lustra and Mordrak’s Realm. Given that the east-west trade route is mostly used for drugs, particularly black milk, the Bog-Witch herself has a strong interest in this community, and a few of her umuncles dwell here to ensure caravans aren’t intercepted along the long, lonely stretch of the trade route between Liigibai and Gnometon.

#### Lake Mukwater

(AKA Lake Muckwater) – The biggest lake in the Dominion of the swamp witch is called Lake Muckwater it's inhabited by a hostile species of Grützlings which could be described as fish, water nixie and human eating watergoblins that hunt with harpoon like bicornes. They fear and worship the giant Schlickschluck, a monstrous snake-fish to whom they regularly bring offerings so that he does not eat them. His fondness for human children has given this body of water an extremely sinister reputation.

The third Leech species residential to the Witchbogs are the Leap Leeches. They are a predatory and nomadic type of Leech that can grow to the size of a dog. They leap from mud hole to mud holy in search for prey and thanks to their wing-like flaps of skin, they can fly up to ten meters with each jump. In contrast to the maggot leeches, they suck on their victim until it is completely drained of blood. Their favorite places to set their deadly bite is on the neck which has earned them the nickname vampire leeches in the vernacular. Rumor has it that a wanderer's pale bloodless body, drained by a Leap Leech, wakes up at night and wanders restlessly through the swamps as if he had forgotten that he is already dead.

#### Lamprey Loch

One of the lakes in the Dominion of the Bog Witch is populated by a lamprey species twice the size of anacondas. It's called the Lamprey Loch. For minor offenses, the witch's dissidents are tied to a witch's chair and dunked into the murky pool until they nearly drown. If they are gnawed on by the lampreys so badly that they bleed to death during the process, this is proof of the particular severity of their guilt in the "legal system" of the swamps. Despite their repulsive appearance, steamed and salted lampreys are considered a particular delicacy by swamp ogres, and are preferred even to fresh human flesh. However, catching them is considered a serious crime, as the swamp witch has placed the lake under her protection to avoid overfishing, which is why the fish are only available illegally and for high prices on the swamp black market.

#### Liigibai

This small crossroads community is where the ogre slave caravans and the drug caravans sometimes meet as they head southwest.

#### Lubbermash

Lubbermarsh is located in the Tarpit Morast, a plain full of bubbling black tar holes in the western witch's bogs where the taciturn but essentially peaceful pitchhaulers live. A rare weather phenomenon called tar rain is observed in this area of the swamps, during which a thick, greasy black drool pours from the heavens. The pitch mined in the pitch pits which surround the village is brought to the nearby settlements with the help of swamp shuffles, sold there and used primary for military purposes, such as digging flammable pitch ditches

#### Mukwa

This small collection of shrines and huts serves as the focal point of the Mukwater Grutzling tribe. One of the largest and most fanatical tribes, they provide much of the manpower in the communities of Liigibai, Offalbel, and Faarjark.

#### Offalbel

This crude fortress serves as a hub for those reckless enough to make a living hunting ogres. The hunters are often ogres themselves, plus some grutzlings, kikimori, and a few others. Although the ogres in this area are technically loyal to Lustra and the Bog-Witch, like many surface tribes they prefer to mind their own business unless threatened to cooperate. Lustra herself as never attempted to win the loyalty of the ogres in this area, as capturing them, castrating them, pumping them full of drugs, then selling them to the witch-elves is more profitable.

#### Shriek Hollow

This cluster of huts is where senior agents of Lustra and Mutaa meet to trade rare components for their respective masters’ pet projects. Rare drugs from the eastern portion of the Dominion, particularly black milk, also flow through here.

#### Skritleskree

This cave network full of cave boglins is only noteworthy for its large population. It is technically the largest community in Lustra’s Realm, but it is economically of little importance other than being a place for slave and drug caravans to barter for extra provisions.

#### Toadstool

Named for the large number of toadstools in the area. Home to a tribe of toadlings that gather rare alchemaic components for Lustra.

#### Wuwma

One of several small underwater communities in the Loch that are home to the rare Lampreyfolk.

### Mordrak’s Realm

The smallest and by far the least inhabited of the Realms that comprise the Dominion. The high elevation and plentiful caves ensure this region is much drier than other parts of the Dominion, as a result, much of it is hilly grassland and crags, though moorland, and smaller swamps and marshes are still plentiful. There are a few ruined cottages and small castles here, dating back to when Mordrak was more willing to share her realm with followers and hanger-ons, but these days the only living inhabitants are slaves hauling drugs between Gnometon and Liigibai, and the occasional looter or necromancer from foreign nations.

### Norn’s Realm

The second most organized realm after Mutaa’s, Norn’s Realm reflects her militant nature. Most tribes are expected to regularly provide forces for Norn’s raids into the Marsh Kingdom, and tribal leaders are rewarded for their performance in the field of battle. However, Norn’s Realm is also an important trade hub, with links to the Marsh Kingdom, the Land of Windmills, and the Realms of the Bog Fey.

#### Bobbleguut

This cave boglin colony is one of the suspected entrances to The Underbog, and a source of black milk to the surface.

#### Drowral

This small mirelow village serves as a trade hub between surface and aquatic dwellers, not unlike the much larger Gluggmarsh further south.

#### Enneyes

This small village of Gogotha worshipping bog people serves as an HQ of sorts for smuggling operations into the Land of Windmills. Most of the actual smuggling is done by drug addicts from the Land of Windmills, who must brave harsh magistrates in their homeland and the fickle sadists of the Fairy Wood to reach Enneyes.

#### Fishbones

This sprawling collection of mud wattle huts is home to the Fishbone tribe of gompwoddles. Although not particularly strong fighters in a fair fight, gompwoddle tribes like this are a good way to pad out numbers for a raid, and their agility underwater can allow them to outmaneuver even the Bayukmen. The Fishbones are easily identifiable by their fishbone piercings, and their gruesome trophies of human body parts, often carefully preserved and transferred from one generation to the next.

#### Gluggle

One of many froglin communities scattered throughout the Dominion. Unfortunately, they are seen by many Dominion inhabitants as nothing more than a plentiful source of food (with the exception of a few larger communities like Gluggmarsh where they are used as disposable labor). Buildings in Gluggle are made from the sturdy shells of lake snappers, though the inhabitants typically flee from most outsiders rather than put up a fight.

#### Gnometon

There aren’t actually any gnomes in this community (it is mostly bog people), but there is a fey circle nearby made of large standing stones through which swamp gnomes and other bog fey are occasionally known to emerge. Gnometon is mostly used as a mustering point for drug caravans travelling to Liigibai.

#### Gorgahaus

This crude fortress of damp stone and rotting wood guards one of the easiest routes between the Bayukman lands and Norn’s Realm. It is often used as a mustering point for invasions and raids, but also guards against counter raids.

#### Grundlog

On the banks of the Toadpond, which the locals call Ugra Mora, lies the largest settlement of the Witches' Swamps called Grundlog. It is inhabited by swampoger slavers, grützling grunts, devious boglings and some tribes of toadling fishermen. This town is the main hub for stolen goods in the Witch's Swamp and home to the infamous Bog Market where you can get anything from a Schlickschluck tooth to a recipe for Maggotpox.

#### Grutbog

This large grutzling village is home to one of Norn’s most fanatical tribes. Like several other grutzling villages in the region, they supply a large portion of the foot soldiers used for larger raids into Bayukman lands.

#### Gurn

This bog people/gompwoddle village serves as the starting point for several low traffic smuggling routes into the Marsh Kingdom, as well as a trade hub for several tribes of various races living northeast of Swamp Gnome Lake.

#### Lake Hunter Village

The Lake Hunter tribe of gompwoddles have a strong interest in commerce. Many of the trade barges on the Swamp Gnome Lake either hail from this village, or at least are partially manned by gompwoddles from it. Lake Hunter Village is a major trade hub in its own right, much trade funnels through here on its way to Grundlog and the communities in the southern portions of the Dominion.

#### Murg

This swamp ogre “village” is really just a bone covered clearing where the Murg tribe of swamp ogres gather. The Murg tribe and other ogre tribes serve as the heavy hitters and shock troops of Norn’s armies.

#### Nornville

A major trading spot. In addition to being on the east-west drug route, it is also close to several fey circles from which bog fey, including swamp gnomes, sometimes emerge to trade goods of high value.

#### Ree-te-tee Eerie

This kikimori village sits on a tall ledge overlooking a deep, often flooded ravine cutting through the Curhinday Ridge. The kikimori are the most skilled of the raiders into Bayukman lands, being keen of mind, and agile and strong of body. During larger raids they typically serve as scouts.

#### Ribbetcroak

This toadling villages is mostly noteworthy for being led by a seer of modest skill. Like most toadlings, they prefer to mind their own business, though sometimes a few will be conscripted into Norn’s forces to serve as camp followers / a ready supply of poison.

#### Sniksnik

This stilt village is one of the few places one can find surface boglins (sometimes known as boglings) other than in Grundlog. Said to have been among the Bog-Witch’s earliest servants (and likely a corrupted form of goblin), over time they became further corrupted into the more specialized cave boglins and gombwoddles and only a few “ordinary boglins” remain.

#### Swamp Gnome Lake

This lake takes its name from the high concentrations of bog fey living in the area, with the swamp gnomes being the most prominent. The lake itself though is relatively safe, with mirelows loyal to Norn periodically hunting down any creature that interferes with trade too much. The deeper parts of the lake are best avoided though.

#### Water Lily Field

This unusual lake is one of the few parts of the Dominion that are seemingly immune to the Bog-Witch’s corruption. It is home to a range of uncorrupted wildlife, and during the spring it is covered in the thick field of lilies for which it is named. Uncorrupted swamp gnomes are occasionally encountered here. The Bog-Witch’s creatures and servants avoid the region for unknown reasons. Although seen by some as a place of beauty and purity, there is something not quite right about the lake (technically an interconnect web of small lakes and large ponds). Some say it is haunted by powerful undead, or unseelie fey.

#### Winkle

This small cave boglin community serves as a trading outpost for goods produced in Bobbleguut.

### Muckra’s Realm

Muckra’s Realm is centered around Toadpond Lake, also known as Ugra Mora. Despite the dangers of the lake, it is both a major source of food, as well as a major trade route throughout the Dominion. It is well inhabited by Dominion standards, though most villages are essentially independent unless they answer to a larger tribe or directly to the Bog-Witch. Muckra herself has little interest in governance issues.

#### Belzuub

This village is the largest of several inhabited by the Belz tribe, an offshoot of the Platani who took a strong interest in demon worship. They are noted for their elaborate body paints and knowledge of demonic lore.

#### Bhag Orrog

This small village is ruled by the powerful hag Niddird, her servants (mostly cave boglins and swamp ogres), and various “pets” she is experimenting on (mostly humans). A nearby tor is occasionally used for Sabbaths.

#### Birgoddegh

This mostly underground cave boglin community is perhaps the only true city within the Dominion, though others are rumored to exist elsewhere deeper underground. Outsiders are forbidden from entering, aside from slaves who are never seen again. According to rumors, the cave boglins here worship the Bog-Witch and her daughters as literal gods, and large statues to each can be found in a central chamber. Birgoddegh is a major industrial powerhouse by Dominion standards and produces a range of goods from bog iron, fungi, and underground dwelling vermin. However, its most important export is black milk, bladders of which are transported to the surface in amounts seemingly at odds with their rumored source. Although Birgoddegh seems to be the place where most black milk comes to the surface, it is unclear if it is actually produced near the city. The surface component of Birgoddegh is a village sized maze of ramshackle docks and warehouses that allow Birgoddegh’s goods to be transported throughout the Dominion and beyond.

#### Blurghgrah

This small village built in a half-submerged cave network is the stronghold of a gompwoddle tribe known for its obsession with acquiring human slaves. They work some of the most dangerous stretches of the Toadpond barge routes in return for slaves, as well as occasionally raid human communities. Since gompwoddles are one of the more mercantile-minded inhabitants of the bog, but also fairly primitive and ignorant of the true value of many goods, many gompwoddle tribes base status on collecting certain commodities that are rare in their part of the Dominion, whether it be something genuinely valuable like a lump of gold or a diamond, or something not so valuable, like a cleanly cut piece of wood, a bag of white sand, or a petrified chunk of fungus only found on the opposite side of the bog.

#### Fennelspolt

This trade village is something of a melting pot, nearly a dozen swamp races have a presence here.

#### Gluggmarsh

Gluggmarsh is a metropolis located under the water surface in the middle of Lake Ugra Mora and is considered the most important underwater trade hub of the witchbogs. The city is populated by gombwoddles, froglins grützlings, gryplows, mirelows, toadlings, woggies, pondmaids and various other underwater folk alike and is considered a neutral zone. It is ruled by the dreaded Mirewitch Slugra Gorna, who enforces the judicial process and ensures that law and non-aggression are observed within the city. Gluggmarsh is a chaotic accumulation of underwater dwellings of all shapes and sizes. The diversity of its inhabitants is very much portrayed on an aesthetic level. Some of the building materials used by the deepfolk are creepvines, slime-coated clay, and boat wrecks. The town is lit up with underwater-shrooms and lanterns in which glowing slime slugs are crawling. The all female City Guard consists of mirelows armed with poisoned bidents. The city is surrounded by agricultural seaweed fields, the fishing grounds where large fish, especially the giant catfish, are hunted, and the Abyss Hole, which is a hundred meters deep underwater ditch that residents collectively fear and where lawbreakers are banished to. Muckra herself is said to sleep down there. Non-witch land dwellers are strictly forbidden to enter the city which is quite an unnecessary rule as they would drown anyway. Merchants can still interact with the underwater townsfolk however by taking a boat across where Gluggmarsh is located and throwing a handful of gold coins into the water. As a result, some armed Grützling grunts will appear and engage in the trade offer initiated by the surface dwellers.

#### Hel Stone

This isolated monastery is run by the witch Sister Sade, a zealot of the “Witch Church”. Although few witches and hags in Muckra’s Realm are interested in organized religion, they respect Sade’s knowledge of the occult.

#### Outhville

This trade village is one of the largest surface communities in the Dominion. Aside from serving as a trade connection between the Toadpond and the Baba Vegna’s Realm, it is also the de facto capital of the regional Bog People,

#### Vorence

This trade village supplies drugs, poisons, and other questionable goods to a number of trade routes through Platanus Bog, Zyla Gora, and The Fungest. Most of the population is Platani, but arrogant criminal organizations from the human cities in the Fungest, as well as the Orange Marquisates, Florinth, and occasionally even Faarowt will sometimes try to establish their own routes starting in Providence, they rarely last long though.

#### Ironna

This Platani village connects to one of the most used caravan trails into the Planatus Bog (relatively speaking).

#### Toadpond

(AKA Ugra Mora) – The largest lake in the Dominion. It is home to a number of dangerous creatures, but thanks to its navigability and abundant wildlife, it is relatively well inhabited. Gompwoddles, woggles, froglins, cave boglins, and gryplows are common prey to many larger creatures, while even the sturdier barges of grutzlings, humans, and bog people are occasionally lost to the lake.

### Pestara’s Realm

Pestara’s Realm is too barren and rotting to properly be considered bogland. Instead clumps of dead trees and foul sludge gather in the low points of the rocky foothills of this region. Not much lives here other than rodents, fungi, hardy grasses, and Pestara’s assorted plague bearing creations.

#### Bublious

This village is the closest thing Pestara’s Realm has to a capital. Many of its inhabitants are too corrupted to recognize, but froglins and bog people appear to be the most common. It is one of several locations where Pestara can potentially be found working on her latest creation.

### Vegna’s Realm

Vegna’s Realm is a mix of bog and foothills. In the foothills regions, one can still find the crumbling villages and manors of the few inhabitants who enjoy Vegna’s favor enough not to have to live a nomadic lifestyle.

Rotsuckers live up in the foothills, ogres, woggles, cave boblin, and toadlings live in the boglands. All do their best to avoid Baba Vegna, who has little company except for a few allied humans and witches who live in ruined housings, and only converse with her through thin walls or cloth screens.

Her realm’s only real contribution to the Dominion is the operation of a few cursed mines and bog iron forges in the foothills operated by fanatical cave boblins and witches.

#### Crushed Foot Mine

This bog iron mine is operated by fanatical cave boglins on behalf of the Bog-Witch. It has become something of a “boom town” as nomads settle in the area to support the mine and nearby trading post, though it is still just a village by the reckoning of most nations.

#### Lacrytown

This was once a fishing village and a mine before the mine ran dry and the fishing became too dangerous. These days it is mostly a trade community whose inhabitants also sometimes work as laborers for witches living near Lake Lacrymose.

#### Lake Lacrymose

This large and deep lake is home to several of the Dominion’s most dangerous predators, including the Swamp Hydra, Marshstalker, and Swamp Serpent. However, it’s most famous predator is the Lacrymose Leech, the largest of leech species in the Dominion.

#### Lehmin Hall

This large house was built on behalf of a witch of Florinthian origin. When Vegna turned on her, she transformed her into wood and gnawed off her face and hands. The rotting wood statue is still located somewhere in the house, and the ghost of the witch also sometimes lurks her former abode.

#### Sot Mill

This lumber mill is run by “Sot and Sons” a small clan of bog people who descend from a Gogotha worshipping engineer from Aquilea who fled here generations ago. Aside from being one of the few sources of properly cut wood in the Dominion, they also move black milk from Blubslub to Lilydagger. They rely on human slaves for most of the manual work, and usually have at least one witch to help keep them in line.

#### The Black Tower

This ramshackle but sturdy tower sits up on a high ledge near the border. Most of its inhabitants in fact live in the caves beneath, mostly cave boglins and swamp ogres under the command of the witch known as Gretchnil. Castle Black is one of several locations from which raids into the Valley are launched.

#### Vegna’s Hut

This unremarkable shack is Vegna’s preferred resting place, though she frequently wanders her realm visiting subordinates or attacking random inhabitants and wildlife.

### Yuma’s Realm

Baba Yuma’s Realm is the most peaceful in the Dominion, not that that is saying much. It is home to mostly humans and some boglins, toadlings, froglins, swamp gnomes, and woggles, plus a few ogres, grutzlings, gombwoddles, ulwogs, and witches loyal to Baba Yuma.

The Realm is more or less a feudal government, with the more peaceful villages and tribes paying taxes and services to Yuma’s designated proxy in their area in return for protection. Yuma isn’t the most competent of leaders, but she makes some effort to keep her subjects alive, which is a huge improvement over many neighboring regions.

The region is relatively uncorrupted and was once a part of the “Plateau Road”, a string of fortresses connecting the Empire to the Cardammon Plateau Boneyard. Following the Battle of Empire, it instead became part of the “Badlands Road”. It was only following the ogre rebellion that Yuma began ruling the area openly, though she is believed to have long been present in the shadows.

#### Castle Yuma

This castle and surrounding village is the de facto capital of Yuma’s Realm, though Yuma herself often wanders her realm in her walking hut. The castle itself is home to an odd collection of sages, warlords, scribes, and stewards from various races who Yuma relies upon to provide basic, if questionable governance to her Realm. Most have been conscripted into their roles, as Yuma is a fickle leader and it is best not to attract her attention.

#### Chicken Lake

This lake is relatively safe and uncorrupted by Dominion standards. Its name dates back to the days when there were a number of unconfirmed sightings of what is now known as Yuma’s walking hut in the area.

#### Road's Crossing

This village is the largest of the human communities living in Yuma’s Realm. They are hardy people living mostly off of swamp onion, sugarcane, and pigs. Most can trace their roots back to nearby fort from the Battle of Empire days. Their culture is an odd mix of Badlander and stuff imposed by Yuma or picked up from other races in the area.

#### Darshee and Cargwyn

These two nearby communities of gnomes, one sort of unseelie, and one definitely unseelie, have long been rivals. Yuma theoretically rules over both, though getting anything from either is nearly impossible as inhabitants of both communities are masters of stealth, and the communities themselves are easily rebuilt.

#### Freeton, Lilydagger, and Ashen Edge

These small villages, and a few others, form a segment of the little used “Dust Road” that connects Aquilea to the Urgun Plateau by skirting the eastern edge of Snoloth Country. Yuma has orders from the Bog-Witch to protect this route when possible as it is a great way to smuggle black milk into a number of southern nations, plus Aquilea.

#### Frog Hollow

This small human village has learned a number of tricks from friendly froglin tribes in the area, including using trained bullwags as defences. Its main export is alchemaic ingredients.

#### Maggot Monolith

The Maggot Monolith attracts all sorts of creepy crawlies and is located at the border of Snoloth Country and the Witch Bog. Rumor has it that it was once the tower of an old wizard and is the result of one of his failed experiments

#### Uragog

This small fortress was once a watch tower that was shoddily rebuilt by Yuma’s followers to watch the Snoloth border. Once upon a time the snoloth would “raid” Yuma’s Realm for vegetative material to eat, but such raids are dwelt with harshly, and it has been centuries since the last one. These days Uragog is empty and partially collapsed.

### Urkdra’s Realm

Similar to Muckra’s Realm, there is no central government here, with most tribes and villages answering only to themselves. Only a senior and powerful agent of the Bog-Witch herself can issue orders to the senior warlords, hags, and witches here and survive. Also similar to Muckra’s Realm, most of the terrain is shallow lakes, bogs, marsh, and swamps.

The bogs and forests along the southern and eastern borders are relatively free of corruption, and are home to humans and cave boglins who mostly just want to mind their own business. Aside from Urkdra herself, they also have to contend with swamp ogres (sometimes the rare green ones), other swamp inhabitants, and raiders from the Ogabo.

#### Blubslub

This underground cave boglin community keeps to itself for the most part. They are periodically visited by convoys from Sot Mill who trade wood for black milk.

#### Cat-Tails

This small village of “Badlander” humans traces its ancestry to the Western Badlands province. The formation of the Forest of Getting Lost cut them off from the only part of the Empire they had close relations with, and they never had much involvement in the Badlands Road. Like other “Badlander” communities, they have become largely ignorant of the outside world, and only occasionally interact with outsiders like the Bhakkari, or relatively harmless swamp inhabitants like froglins or certain cave boglins.

#### Maggot Leech Lake

Another lake in the Bogwitch's Domain is home to the maggot leeches, hence the aptly named Maggot Leech Lake. Unlike their counterparts in Lake Lacromosy, these only grow to about the length of a forearm. This genus is highly sought after by medical practitioners across the continent, as these leeches lend themselves perfectly to the medical practice of bloodletting. Entering this lake without special leather pants made of ogre leather is strongly discouraged, however, as as few as seven of these leeches can drain life-threatening amounts of blood. Once a leech has sucked enough blood, it will fall back into the murky water, fat as a black, slimy balloon. The chewing implements of this species are so powerful that it is impossible to remove a leech once it has latched on without tearing out large amounts of your own flesh. It is therefore advisable to let the leech suckle until it releases itself if it has bitten you. In addition, the leech should not be squeezed during the sucking stage, otherwise there is a risk that it will vomit its poisonous innards into the bloodstream of its victim.

#### Istvar

This bustling trade village is often seen as the north border of Urkdra’s Realm, not that either Urkdra or Muckra care much about such distinctions.

#### Molchloch

This massive but shallow lake is home to many of the usual swamp predators, but also a few more unusual creatures like the giant flathead salamander and the giant catfish.

#### Muckmarsh

Muckmarsh, a semi-aquatic swamp village consisting of large round mud structures mounted on stilts at various heights, vaguely reminiscent of oversized frog spawn. A slimy secretion that the Ulmogs secrete from their abdominal glands allows them to waterproof the clay burrows and construct these dwellings both above and below the water.

#### Murkden

This cluster of underwater mud-pits and dens is home to an odd tribe of grutzling-ulwog hybrids. Too primitive to even use weapons, they use ambushes, size, and razor sharp claws to defeat their opponents. The nature of their creation remains a mystery.

#### Reeet

This froglin village is basically just a large pond that has been kept free of nuisance animals, and is too small for major aquatic predators. It still gets periodically raided by ogres, ulwogs, and other land based predators looking for food. This type of community is quite common among the froglins.

#### Rotterburg

Even more so than most lakes in the Dominion, the division between dry land and open water is very blurry here. As a result, a maze of rotting docks and bridges connects a series of mud islands and piles of moldering reeds that allows trade convoys to get from (relatively) dry land to the rafts and barges in the open water. Gompwoddles and bog people dominate here.

#### Slinngomm

This trade village is partially consists of tents built from the skin and bones of a very large (but long dead) swamp serpent that destroyed much of the previous village. The inhabitants are mostly gompwoddles and bog people, with a few ulwogs thrown in.

#### The Dry Forest

This hilly forested region is relatively well drained by Dominion standards, though isn’t particularly dry except during mid summer or along the Ogabo border. It is home to countless small ponds and swamps, as well as an elaborate cave network. Due to the lack of large water bodies, and it being relatively uncorrupted, it only has a few major predators. Cave boglins are the most numerous sentient inhabitants, though kikimori, froglins, and toadlings can be found in smaller numbers as well.

#### Tra-la-Gurg

This gompwoddle village is as far southeast as most Dominion trade convoys go. Very little of economic value is produced further southeast, nor is there much trade (illicit or otherwise) with neighboring nations in that direction.

#### Wurgu

This poorly constructed mound of rocks is home to an ogre tribe, assorted slaves, and their hag masters. Their leader is one of several leading warlords in Urkdra’s Realm that the Bog-Witch counts on to supply violence to a situation when Urkdra herself can’t be bothered. Most of the time though, the inhabitants of Turgu bully other tribes, and sometimes clash with other warlords or raid the fungal lands.

#### Tullywag and Tuashghah

Villages of gompwoddles and grutzlings respectively. Both make a living off of rafts used for both moving trade goods and hunting fish with bidents. They were once bitter rivals, but are currently both vassals to Turgu.

#### Uarnhert

This cave boglin community is mostly underground, but several tall towers protrude well above ground level. Their purposes is unknown since the towers have no obvious openings. Not much is known about the inhabitants of this community other than that they are rumored to be fanatics of the Bog-Witch.

#### Uggmort, Uggersta, and Xort

These three cave boglin communities are mostly underground, but do come to the surface sometimes to hunt and forage. They mostly mind their own business, but sometimes have to defend themselves from raids from tribes deeper in the Dominion.

#### Yiidil and Yahal

These underground cave boglin communities belong to an obscure subculture that mixes bog dweller and witch elf interpretations of Gogotha together. They are seen as heretics by certain religious factions in the Urkdra’s Realm, though neither Urkdra nor the Bog-Witch has ever officially weighed in on the issue.

#### Yod’exoh

This bog people village has an ominous reputation even by Dominion standards. Rumor has it they are not actually followers of the Bog-Witch, but emissaries of some far older power.

### Realm of Urd, Verda, and Suld

This territory is arguably the heart of the Dominion. Aside from the triplets, Baba Worna, and even the Bog Witch herself sometimes spend time here. Fanatical boblin, grützlings, and ogre slaves keep others from entering the territory. Aside from this, some witches live in small communes near the Urdrag, where their scholarly and arcane expertise can be called upon if needed.

#### Eel Pond

Another one of the lakes is called the Eel pond since it's ridiculously overpopulated by flesh eating black eels. As punishment for more serious offences, such as lamprey poaching, the criminal is given a rotting horse's head and has to swim across the approximately one mile pond. Formally, this is not a death penalty, as technically the convict has a chance to survive. In practice, however, no one has ever gone further than ten meters. In contrast to the lamprey, the eels may be eaten, but they are not in great demand because they taste extremely swampy if they are not placed in fresh water, which is changed every seven hours, for at least two weeks.

#### Purg Hill

This rocky outcropping is generally considered the most sacred of the Sabbath locations used by the witches and hags of the Dominion. The thirteen sisters gather here once per year, along with senior witches and hags from across the Dominion, and some invited from other parts of the world. Even the Bog-Witch herself generally attends, though always in disguise.

#### Ganka

This village serves as a training ground and indoctrination camp for swamp creatures destined for service at Purg Hill or the Urdrag Tree. Includes physical fitness, combat training, magical enhancements, geas and other mind magic, and ideological teachings for those smart enough to benefit from it. Discipline is notoriously harsh, and many end up being fed to Eel Pond for minor failings.

#### Urdrag

Also referred to as the Urdrag Tree, this massive dead tree is where the triplets manipulate the threads of fate. Its location is highly protected, though is widely believed to be in the center of the triplet’s realm. Aside from the triplets, the eldest of the thirteen sisters, Worna, frequently spends time in a hut at the top of the tree. Scattered a safe distance from the tree are huts that are home to witches and hags that specialize in obscure types of occult magic and knowledge who support the triplets when needed. Further out, fanatical cave boglins, swamp ogres, umpishs, and umuncles patrol the area for any trespassers.

#### Urraga

This cave boglin community is one of several that are said to be an entrance to the Underbog. It is mostly underground, but is capped with a termite mound-like tower with many above ground openings used by flying creatures that serve the Bog-Witch, as well as hags and witches that have magical means of flight.

- - - - - -

### Ulgurmorgh

A terrifying subterranean kingdom in the former dripping caverns of the Moldlings. It is locate in the Underbog and seat of government of the old bog witch.

## The Old Bog Witch

The Old Bog Witch is an evil witch with three pair of tits and hooves. Even though she somewhat resembles a human, she is otherworldly tall, around 3 meters. She has pale skin, black hair, and despite her appearance can even use magic to appear seductive and beautiful. Her weapon of choice is a spiked flail, those that it wounds gain scars that never heal. She feasts on the meat of humans, preferably that of males. She can turn into a giant, monstrous looking boar with six udders, among many other creatures.

She lactates a black substance that's like opium, using it to make any drinkers obedient to her. Her magical skills include seeing through the eyes of familiars (like one eyed bats) and casting powerful spells of miasma, fear and sleep. Her domains are gluttony, sloth and scatology.

## History

### Underworld Ore

Back when the world was young and the first monsters crawled from the depths of the swamplands of the northwestern part of the continent, to spread and afflict the rest of the world, the young Bog Witch reveled in the primeval chaos. Fascinated by the different shapes and faces of these monsters, she grabbed a handful of the fertile mother earth from the black morass and decided to influence the appearance and fate of this world herself. She would send out some of the ugliest boglins to mine the rare Bog Iron from the depths of the smelliest part of the Bog known as the Sulfur Swamp, from which noxious fumes rose to the surface. Iron ore was so scarce, and the Boglins had to dig so deep, that deep in their warm, humid mineshafts they came upon a vast cavern inhabited by small creatures with large yellow eyes, the snout of a toad, and the ears of a bat. In this cave, the boglins also found another older, black variety of bog iron, which they called Underworld Ore. True to their nature, they slaughtered nearly all of the blind creatures, which they disparagingly called **Moldlings** because of their mold-colored skin color, which they shared with the larger mushrooms on the tunnel walls. Its was a horrible bloodbath. The remaining specimens of the species fled to the deeper reaches of their intricate cave system. Their blood soaked the damp earth and the ancient underbog ore.

### The Black Cauldron

Greatly afraid of the black magic of the Bogwitch, the Boglins mined the rare black ore for many generations until they adjusted themselves to the eternal darkness, their eyes became blind and glassy themselves and they grew long fingers for digging in the earth. They became what we now call Cave Boglins, or Mor Org as they call themselves. The Bogwitch, who was delighted with the discovery of the black ore and intuitively sensed its dark magical properties, had the strong green swamp ogres forge magical items from this rare material. For the purpose of smelting and forging the ore, an ironworks village called Urogney was built in the sulfur swamps, from which black fumes have been rising continuously ever since, darkening the sky above this part of the bogs. It quickly turned out that the processing of the black ore demanded a price, the green swampogers became paler and more aggressive over time. Also the rest of their appearance, as well as their lifespan changed, as if the ore was slowly robbing them of their life energy. Corrupting them into even more vile, cruel and ugly creatures. Eventually, the large green swamp ogres became the smaller and bulkier pale swamp ogres that are common today, which are called Urg Bain by the other swamp dwellers. The remaining ogres were enraged by this corruption, which they attributed to the witch's black magic abilities, but they knew of her power and were too afraid to rebel against her, an uprising would only come many millennia later. The first artifact to be forged from the black underworld ore was a massive black cauldron.

### The Foul Recipe

The Bog witch sent boglins to provide her with all kinds of obscure ingredients and after a few years all the preparations were made and all reagents for her dark recipe were ready. She filled the black cauldron with the green acidic blood of a Swamp Serpent, the distilled essence of a Wisp, the tears of a dying maiden sacrificed on a black altar, six drops of black milk from her sixth breast, seven teeth of an enemy of heirs, a drop from the pineal gland of a rotsucker, a plagueroot harvested on a new moon, a black lotus blossom from a far way island, three scruffy toadstools, a cut up bog mandrake, the legs of a giant toad, thirteen pickled basilisk eyes, the bile of a widow, the dryed wings of a scavenger percher, the stinger of an albino water leaper, three old bloatworms, seven eels, two barrels of snakes, two buckets of leeches, a cup of slug slime, a bucket of worms, seven witch-hat mushrooms found in a fey circle, poison pressed from strangle ivy who recently killed someone, ground down nightmare weed, deadly nightshade, brown opium, pickled datura insania, cut down cadaver sponge, three hairs of a blind man, white foxglove, ground wormwood bark, pox fungus, a gallows flower, aswell as various other weird and disgusting things. In addition, the bog witch added the handful of fertile mother earth, and put in a final secret ingredient that the surrounding Boglins and Ogres couldn't see.

### The Incantation

*"It is done"*

Said the Bog Witch.

*"It shall be called the mothersoup."*

A shudder went through the ranks of the spectators.

Then she spoke in a blasphemous voice:

*"Here I stand, forming beings in my image*

*A generation that shall be like me*

*to suffer, to cry, enjoy and rejoice*

*And not to respect you*

*Like me."*

### The Creation of the Umuncle

The stinking broth began to boil, bubble and steam, briefly emitting a bright green flash of light. Pulling a ritual dagger from her belt, the bog witch cut her hand and let thirteen drops of blood drip into the cauldron. She grabbed a flying bat and threw it into the soup. Then she pulled her left eye out of her skull with a smacking noise and dropped it into the cauldron. The mothersoup began to bubble again and and a strange creature flew out of it. It had the body of a bat, but instead of a snout, one large eye looked down where its face should be. It settled on her bleeding hand

*"I call you the Umpish.*

*You and your siblings shall be my eyes from now on!*

*Fly and establish my dominion over this realm."*

At those words were uttered and the creature flew away, a murmur went through the ranks of boglins, ogres and bog dwellers who stood there and watched. Suddenly, a swarm of one-eyed bat creatures rose from the black cauldron and rushed into all directions of the foggy swamp like a black cloud gone berserk.

This shouldn't be the last creation that crawled out of the mother soup to help the bog witch establish her rule over the region. Various creatures of the most different forms of existence, as well as human corpse parts where put into the soup in the following years. This time became known as the Sulfur Period due to the stinking green fumes that wafted all over the swamp during it. The cells of the living and dead ingredients countelessly dissolved with repeated boiling and rejoiced in a different combination. Over and over again. Her next creation should be the inky black pitchcutterlings, which helped her to gain great economic success. Many more came after them. These hybrid alchemical creatures created by the witch went on to be called Umuncles. From now on many different grotesque umuncles roamed the swamps as overseers, spies, laborers and guards, devoted to the bog witch with every cell of their being and blindly obedient. The Umuncle turned out to be a simple-minded race but were perfectly suited for serving as minions. Besides, Boglins and Swampogres they formed the main part of the entourage and secret armies of the old bog witch from this point onwards.

### The Underbog

In honor of their "mother" the umuncles built a terrifying subterranean kingdom called **Ulgurmorgh** in the former dripping caverns of the Moldlings. Since it's completion day the bog witch resides in this Underbog and rules over her dominion from the shadows, bearing offspring and plotting her sinister plans. With a few exceptions, such as the Umpishs and the Peat-Cuttelings, the Umuncles nowadays prefer to dwell together with their creator in the damp caves of the underbog. There they form a quasi-lawless subclass and serve as executive branch. They can be quickly mass produced in large numbers. Her thirteen daughters assist the old Bog witch in managing the above-ground politics of the swamps, effectively taking the role of generals. Probably the greatest feat of the bog witch was effectively seizing power over the bogs without a single foreign nation noticing it. It was only thousands of years later, with the great uprising of the remaining Green Swamp Ogres, that the surrounding realms gained knowledge about her rise, whereas before they had only seen the bogs as an inhospitable, dangerous and ungovernable thicket and avoided entering it at all costs. The public eye noticing her reign enraged the bog witch and fueled her hatred for the swamp ogres, which she ruled and punished with a particularly severe hand from there on. Nevertheless, very few foreigners know of her subterranean kingdom called Ulgurmorgh to this day. Those who do know about the Underbog, don't know where it's entrance is. It is speculated that one might be somewhere in the sulfur swamps while another rumor has it that it might be located in the Dunlog sewerage. The witch's minions make short work of anyone looking for it an are deliberately spreading false rumors about the alleged entrance on her command. Until this day no stranger has ever seen the old Bog witch with his own eyes and lived

## The Witch's Daughters

The Bog Witch has 13, equally dangerous daughters who have a variety of powers. They can ride on monstrous snakes and frogs, but they don't have the magical ability of glamor and seduction like her mother has, so for this they are jealous of her. All the males that she gives birth to are eaten shortly after child birth.

### Vassailage in the Witchbogs

As a sentient bog dweller, one is automatically subordinate as a vassal to the witch who claims the area he's staying on for herself. As a vassal, one is obliged to pay the witches' daughters responsible for your region in the form of chickens, fish, cattle, agricultural products, mineable resources such as peat, pitch, wood and bog iron or handicrafts such as armor, talismans, tools and weapons. Which goods are preferred depends heavily on the witch whose vassal one is. Their preferences vary greatly. In turn, the amount of dues depends on resilience, species, and loyalty to the witch. In rare instances, those who are on good terms with their witch baroness have even been granted some tax relief and gifts. Species that do not farm, raise livestock or craft have to pay taxes aswell. Either by delivering rare herbs, black magic artifacts and stolen goods to the witch or by doing tasks for her as her spies, mercenaries and henchmen. It is not uncommon for such tasks to be requested that involve harming another witch sister in some way, interfering with her trade or other affairs. To get caught between two witches or even worse to be drawn into a feud between two of the sisters is to be avoided at all costs if life is dear to you. Although the witchsisters stick together unconditionally against outsiders, it gives them great pleasure to expand their position of power in the family hierarchy and to anger their opponents and relatives. In exchange for the dues of her vassals, the respective witch grants her subordinate protection from the hostile nature of the swamp, other sentient swamp dwellers, and not least herself. She does this by casting magical protection circles, wards and illusion spells around the dwellings of her vassals. She doesn't do this out of the slightest sense of responsibility or honor, but simply to ensure the survival of her vassals and thus a constant flow of valuable goods into her gnarled hands. In this way, the witch consolidates her position of power and maintains control over her portion of the swamps. As a vassal, you are also subject to your witches legislation within your witch's sphere of influence, which, like the type of material levies required, sometimes varies immensely and often takes on absurd to even comical traits. For example, one of the witches' daughters once made bird singing in her part of the swamp a death penalty because it disturbed her sleep, so her minions exterminated almost all of the songbirds in her designated part of the swamp. The witch sisters don't care much for money. Trade within the swamps is therefore largely based on the exchange of goods for goods. If a witch doesn't trust your loyalty or is dissatisfied with the quality of your offerings, she may cast a curse on you or make you swear an unbreakable oath involving black candles, all sorts of ritual objects and a lot of blood. Torture punishments are generally preferred to killings because the witch sisters don't want to destroy their economic basis.That being said, their personalities are mostly vengeful and cruel, which is why there are big differences regarding this point aswell depending on the mood, temperamen and witch. The dues to be paid are handed over in regular intervals which are based on a sophisticated system of certain moon phases. The witch's henchmen usually collect the dues. Only on special occasions, when something is wrong or in the case of particularly generous gifts, does the witch herself appear to take over the goods herself. Should there be no taxes or breaches of trust with the ruling witch, her vassals will not shy away from excessive and draconian punishments. For practical reasons, winged goons in particular are popular with the witch sisters for collecting taxes.

### Mutäa

The youngest daughter of the Bog Witch and Lady of the Lake of Landerstaat, in the far west of the witches domain.

Mutaa lives the closest to major civilization, so perhaps its is not surprising her realm is among the most organized. Many small villages dot her territory, some dedicated to industry (peat cutting and pitch harvest), some to raids and drug smuggling, and some are the courts of the most powerful witches allied with Mutaa, with Mutaa’s personal seat of power almost the size of a small town. Different races are encouraged to live together in mixed villages, likely in order to reduce tribal loyalties, and keep everyone under the watchful eye of Mutaa’s lieutenants.

Mutaa’s agents, whether they be young witch, disguised hag, or naïve fool, can be found in numbers in Daligrad and some even in Siuerland, Gautlan, and the Baalps. They spread Mutaa’s influence and earn her hard currency with smuggled drugs from the bog, moneylending, blackmail, and offers of power or salvation to the desperate. As far as anyone can tell, this is done mostly for the amusement of Mutaa and her inner circle, but one day this network may be put to a darker use.

Slave raids targeted at Daligrad, Kalydon, and the Evergreen Pastures are not uncommon, but many of her slaves are actually purchased from the Witch-Elves instead. Mutaa also highly prizes elvish playthings, and raids against the Witch-Elves have sparked off more than one war, though Baba Lustra usually smooths things over.

Mutaa loves targeting the beautiful and the powerful. For the former, she has her agents manipulate young adults into regions where she can stalk and toy with them for sport, before crushing their spirits with terror, and warping their beauty with magic. For the later, she expects her agents to defer the most powerful individuals seeing to make a bargain with a witch, where she meets them in the squalid splendour of her court. Such deals rarely work well for the applicants, and Mutaa delights in finding loopholes or applying her idea of karmic justice to any contract she makes. But she also has her agents spread stories of the great boons that can be had by those who negotiate carefully with her or her lieutenants, some of which may even be true.

Mutaa’s main strength is her magic. She specializes in spells of concealment, geas/mind magic, and making potions which alter the flesh of the drinker. She envies the beatiful, resents her own appearance, and often rails against her mother’s ban on using her magic to give herself a more aesthetic form.

### Lustra

Next to Mutaä's Realm lies the territory of Baba Lustra. She is the third daughter of the bog witch and is particularly talented in the making of poisons. She is well versed in the left hand path aswell and can cast extremely powerful black magic spells through occult and repulsive rituals. These ceremonies unsavoryly often involve the severed limbs of small children and infants. With the procurement of these, she is helped by the Lake Muckwater Grützlings, who fear her even more than the Schlickschluck.

Baba Lustra's home is a mobile log shack that moves through Lustra's portion of the swamps using enchanted slimy roots. You can tell if the witch is at home by the slightly greenish glow from the windows and the foul-smelling fumes that rise from the high chimney. No human has ever left Lustra's home alive, but were one able to slip in unnoticed he would see a great iron cauldron in the center of the hut and all manner of grotesque and rare reagents, as well as pickled body parts and dead animals on untidy shelves.

The daughter of Baba Lustra and some unknown Spider demon is called **Jarackna**. She lives in a swamp cave surrounded by lullaby trees, where she brews potions and devises dark new spells. The Spider-witch is used by hobbits in the west as a bogeyman to discourage small children from going outside alone at night and to remind them never to explore beyond the big hedge.

Baba Lustra’s realm is sparsely populated even by the standards of the Dominion. Even its few small villages are considered major landmarks, as many of her servants follow her habits and live alone. The north is mostly ogres, kikimori, toadlings, gombwoddles, and grutzlings, and the south is mostly pitch-haulers and peat-cutterlings.

Baba Lustra and a few trusted apprentices are obsessed with poisons, and as a result, she is one of the more mercantile minded daughters. Aside from selling ogres and certain human slaves to the witch-elves in return for rare foreign ingredients, she also trades goods with Mutaa for ingredients from the west (and passage through her lands for raids to capture human children), and trades with other sisters for access to ingredients from the eastern bogs and adjacent lands.

#### The Corrupted Kikimori

The Kikimori tribe, who inhabit a small settlement of rotting swamp huts on the banks of Lamprey Loch, are also under her influence. They help her to keep intruders out of her domain by killing them and bringing the witch's daughter fetishes such as severed ears, eyeballs or scalps as proof, which she in turn uses for her potions. Corrupted long ago by Lustra's mother, the Kikimori have the appearance of horrifying humanoid bird creatures with razor-sharp claws and beaks. They feed mainly on the lampreys from the lake next to their small stilt village called Croaklingen. From time to time, however, meat is also on the menu, namely whenever an unfortunate traveler strays into their hunting grounds.

The medicine woman and tribal elder of the Kikimori calls herself Kikiraka and has always been treated less condescendingly by Baba Lustra. Perhaps this is because the witch recognized early on the black magic potential and usefulness of the birdwoman. One could almost speak of a kind of mutual respect between the two. Due to Kikiraka's exceptional loyalty to the witch, she even initiated her into the dark arts, and Kikiraka has proven to be surprisingly talented. Over the years her appearance has changed noticeably more than that of her fellow tribesmen due to the influence of the corrupting dark magic streams. The bird woman has a strange fondness for children's teeth and keeps sacks full of them in her rotten fish-stinking home. It is unclear why she does this or what she does with them, as no one has dared to ask her so far.

### Morkdrak

Adjacent to the territory of Baba Lustra is the domain of the seventh daughter of the ancient Bog witch. Her name is Mordrak and her specialty is to manifest in the dreams of unfortunate souls sleeping in the swamps, torment them with terrible nightmares and finally kill them in their dreams, causing heart failure in the afflicted. Away from the dreamlands, she is a feared black sorceress as well, floating unnoticed through the silt cypresses and over the swamp waters. A freezing chill signals she's close, but by the time you realize she's behind you, it's too late.

Morkdrak’s realm is one of the least inhabited in the Dominion, perhaps because it is mostly grassy foothills and small swamps and marshes rather than true bogland. A few undead dwell among the ruined cottages and castles of this windswept land, only visited by slaves carrying goods between the realms of Lustra and Norn, or necromancers and looters trying to sneak into the Cursed Lands. Morkdrak can attack the dreams of those far from her physical location, even on the far ends of the continent, but she will typically prioritize those travelling her lands uninvited first.

Followers of the Old Bog Witch, namely the Bayukmen, Platanites and Zylagorani claim that bog spelt was offered to mankind by Morkdrak, the mistress of dreams. It is said Morkdrak rewarded one of her followers for following her visions and strangling his wives and children and raising them as undead by giving him a pocketful of bog spelt seed in a dream vision. Unable to recognise the value of her gift, the unnamed hero revolted that he had been cheated by the witch. As Morkdrak slew the mortal for his insolence, he dropped the seed from his hands and they fell out of the land of dreams all over the land of mortals.

### Yuma

The "most peaceful" one of the witch sisters is called Baba Yuma who lives in the east of the witch swamps next to the chicken lake. Considering her siblings of course that doesn't mean much. She, too, will (on a bad day) kill or even worse separate a strangers' soul from his bodie, when he gets on her nerves. She does this with the help of her magical scythe, which according to legend was given to her by the reaper himself. The soulless then wander as spirits, which mostly end up, out of desperation, drowning themselves in one of the numerous swamp lakes. Unlike her sisters, though, there are also tales of her giving beauty water to little girls she liked, or inviting lost wanderers who'd shown her good manners to dinner in her chicken-legged walking hut (which, admittedly, isn't necessarily a pleasing scenario since her cooking skills are, shall we say, "idiosyncratic"). It is even said that she is able to bring a dead person back to life with the help of a special magical water, but these are probably just rumours. Her sphere of influence extends around Chicken Lake and is the smallest of all the witch sisters. Her specialty is finding, identifying, and combining rare herbs into bitter tinctures and potions.

Baba Yuma’s realm is the most peaceful in the Dominion, not that that is saying much. It is home to mostly humans and some boglins, toadlings, swamp gnomes, and woggles, plus a few ogres, grutzlings, gombwoddles, and witches loyal to Baba Yuma.

Baba Yuma sees herself as a benevolent leader, but can switch to cruel and murderous with little provocation. The villagers try their best to avoid her attention, as although she often gives out gifts, sometimes something random and minor will draw her ire.

The people of Baba Yuma’s realm do minor trade with Aquilea and cities of the Urgun Plateau, though neither region much likes those who serve the Bog Witch, no matter how unwillingly.

### Urkdra

Probably the most monstrous of the thirteen witch sisters is Urkdra. Born the ninth, she is said to be the result of mating with the former leader of the swamp ogres, who was a particularly large and ugly specimen and was never to be be seen again since then. If these rumors are true, then Urkdra takes after her father. Despite her warty hump, she's still as tall as two full-grown men, as strong as a dire ox, and her mere sight can put a squad of even the most fearless knights to flight. Her magical abilities are limited, just like her intellect, to a small extent, but she makes up for this with supreme physical superiority. However, a special black magic gift that she has is an extremely fast regeneration up to the regrowth of whole limbs. Her territory extends from the Molchloch to the Maggot Leech Lake. She has no fixed home, feeds exclusively on living food (she finds it particularly delicious when it is still screaming and wriggling) and sleeps in swamp holes. In her sleeping state she can hardly be distinguished from a mound of earth, but woe to anyone who accidentally steps on her.

Like Muckra, Urkdra acts more like a predator beast than a leader, roaming her realm and attacking at will.

The bogs in her domain are relatively free of corruption along the south and east, and are home to humans and cave boblins who mostly just want to mind their own business, but have nowhere safer to go. Aside from Urkdra herself, they also have to contend with swamp ogres (sometimes the rare green ones), bored witches from other realms, and raiders from the Ogabo.

The humans here (along with those in Baba Yuma’s realm) are cousins to those who live in Florinth, who were once frontiersmen before being cut off by the appearance of the Forest of Getting Lost. They live in small communities in the border forests, and have trading relations with the Bhakkari and a few mages from Florinth with the means to bypass the Forest of Getting Lost.

### Norn

Norn is said to be the sister with the greatest black magical abilities of the bunch. She is the second born and lives on the border of the Marsh Kingdom of the Bayukmen. She can transform into giant toads, snakes and leeches. Shrink and enlarge her size. Walk on walls and ceilings, see trough the eyes of various animals or familiars, jump over great distances, suck the life force out of an opponent, astral project her soul to fly over vast distances, turn the earth below a foe into a crawling pit of worms, entangle people with roots that shoot out of the swampsoil, create a magical witch's knot that makes it impossible to cross or enter a certain area, speak in the voice of wild animals, turn into a beautiful young woman, make it rain dead frogs or rotting fish and these are just some of her tricks. She rides a giant black rooster with sharp teeth, which lays an egg every seven years, from which a cockatrice hatches when hatched by a snake, and a basilisk when hatched by a toad.

Norn’s realm is the most organized and militant. Her organized tribes of ogres, grutzlings, toadlings, boglings, kikimora, gompwoddles, harpies, bog people, and cave boblins, all led by tribal leaders and witches allied with Norn, regularly raid the Bayukmen. Norn dreams of one day conquering the Bayukmen, but it is unclear why she doesn’t take a more active role in the fighting. Perhaps she fears getting too close to the Glutton Lands, or perhaps she doesn’t see it as being worth her time. After all, her agents are said to have conquered Zorya and Zyla Gora from within, so perhaps it is only a matter of time before Norn falls.

Norn’s realm contains many villages, each the seat of power of a clan loyal to her. It also contains Grundlog, the largest community in the Dominion, and main merchant hub, though little more than a town by the standard of other nations. Norn herself is frequently on the move and holds court wherever she feels like.

Norn’s realm is a major hub for both internal trade, as well as trade with Zyla Gora, Zorya, and certain corrupt individuals in the Land of Windmills and the Marsh Kingdom. Goods produced by the cave boglins fetch particularly high prices.

### Muckra

Muckra is the tenth of the thirteen sisters and a blind sea witch. She lives in the Toadpond, which she rules over. She is able to command aquatic creatures and her loyal pets are three giant black swamp morays. She compensates for her blindness with exceptionally good hearing. They say she can hear when a child sticks its big toe in the water at the other end of the vast lake. Her magical specialty is manipulating the muddy swamp water, which she can control at will. She is even able to create grotesque swamp elementals from the stinking broth, the horrible sight of which every decent human should be spared. She sleeps in a large bog-snail shell at the bottom of the lake and loves it to pull swimmers, fishermen or drinking animals underwater.

Muckra cares little for commanding those who live in her realm, preferring to periodically feast on those living along the edges of the Toadpond, including villages of cave boglins, bog people, wisplings, kikimori, toadlings, woggles, and the relatively pure blooded humans who sometimes come from the lands to the south and

east to settle somewhere even more remote.

She is considered the patron saint of the Pondmaids, Grützlings and Gombwoddles by whom she is both revered and feared.

### Pestara

Pestara is the eighth sister and responsible for much of the corruption that has afflicted the witches' swamps until today. She is said to be responsible for whatever made the once moss-green swampogers look pale and sickly. Her domains are spreading pestilence and blight, aswell as breeding disease-carrying rats. The Rodents Of Unusual Size, which today populate the border areas to the cursed battlefield, are one of her proudest creations. Her smelly breath is said to be enough to infect a human with the black plague.

Pestara’s realm is too barren and rotting to properly be considered bogland. Instead clumps of dead trees and foul sludge rather in the low points of the rocky foothills of this region. Not much lives here other than rodents, fungi, hardy grasses, and Pestara’s assorted creations.

### Urd, Verda and Suld

Urd, Verda and Suld are the fourth, fifth and sixth born daughters of the old Bog Witch. The triplets speak with one voice and are said to be responsible for weaving and cutting the threads of misfortune that decide over the lives of mortals. Their magical abilities are immense and despite their advanced age, they usually appear as three beautiful young women. Anyone who dares to interfere with their unholy work will be cursed with the most terrible curses and chased out of the swamp to seek a life worse than death. Their location is said to be somewhere between the Eelpond and the Toadpond in a massive dead tree called the Urdrag. The threads of misfortune are made from the hair of drowned maidens, and the magical scissors that Suld possesses were forged from demon ore by mad goblins a very long time ago.

This territory is arguably the heart of the Dominion. Aside from the triplets, Baba Worna, and even the Bog Witch herself sometimes spend time here. Fanatical boblin, grützlings, and ogre slaves keep others from entering the territory. Aside from this, some witches live in small communes near the Urdrag, where their scholarly and arcane expertise can be called upon if needed.

### Vegna

Baba Vegna is the eleventh of the Thirteen Sisters and lives in a hut near Lake Lacrymosy. She is one of the most ugliest and dangerous sisters and it is better not to meet her in person. Although she has almost no magical powers, her gaze turns anyone who looks into her eyes into wood. Unfortunately, the witch also has a set of iron teeth and feeds on the wooden sculptures she creates with her ghastly visage. A long nose sticks out like a claw in the center of her face.

Vegna’s realm is a mix of bog and foothills. In the foothills regions, one can still find the crumbling villages and manors of its previous inhabitants, some of whom held out until a few decades ago before fleeing to the dubious safety of Baba Yuma or Urkdra’s realms.

Rotsuckers live up in the foothills, ogres, woggles, cave boblin, and toadlings live in the boglands. All do their best to avoid Baba Vegna, who has little company except for a few allied humans and witches who live in ruined housings, and only converse with her through thin walls or cloth screens.

Her realm’s only real contribution to the Dominion is the operation of a few cursed mines and bog iron forges in the foothills operated by fanatical cave boblins and witches.

### Worna

Baba Worna the eldest and firstborn daughter of the Bog Witch lives in a hut in the crown of the Dead Urdrag Tree. Her black magic specialty is necromancy, which she is exceptionally good at. Rather than waking up undead bog corpses, she flies around on her magic mortar to spread terror and possibly steal one or the other child though. Due to her position as the first-born, she is allowed to fly through every domain of her sisters without being asked and is the only one of the thirteen to even venture beyond the borders of the swamp at night. It gives her particular pleasure to smash the skulls of unsuspecting passers-by out of nowhere with her huge magic pestle, which she also uses to grind herbs. Although she is the oldest, she does not brag about her wisdom and has retained an almost childlike zest for life.

## The Lakes

### Lamprey Loch

One of the lakes in the Dominion of the Bog Witch is populated by lampreys twice the size of anacondas. It's called the Lamprey Loch. For minor offenses, the witch's dissidents are tied to a witch's chair and dunked into the murky pool until they nearly drown. If they are gnawed on by the lampreys so badly that they bleed to death during the process, this is proof of the particular severity of their guilt in the "legal system" of the swamps. Despite their repulsive appearance, steamed and salted lampreys are considered a particular delicacy by swamp ogres, and are preferred even to fresh human flesh. However, catching them is considered a serious crime, as the swamp witch has placed the lake under her protection to avoid overfishing, which is why the fish are only available illegally and for high prices on the swamp black market.

### Eel Pond

Another one of the lakes is called the Eel pond since it's ridiculously overpopulated by flesh eating black eels. As punishment for more serious offences, such as lamprey poaching, the criminal is given a rotting horse's head and has to swim across the approximately one mile pond. Formally, this is not a death penalty, as technically the convict has a chance to survive. In practice, however, no one has ever gone further than ten meters. In contrast to the lamprey, the eels may be eaten, but they are not in great demand because they taste extremely swampy if they are not placed in fresh water, which is changed every seven hours, for at least two weeks.

### Maggot Leech Lake

Another lake in the Bogwitch's Domain is home to the maggot leeches, hence the aptly named Maggot Leech Lake. Unlike their counterparts in Lake Lacromosy, these only grow to about the length of a forearm. This genus is highly sought after by medical practitioners across the continent, as these leeches lend themselves perfectly to the medical practice of bloodletting. Entering this lake without special leather pants made of ogre leather is strongly discouraged, however, as as few as seven of these leeches can drain life-threatening amounts of blood. Once a leech has sucked enough blood, it will fall back into the murky water, fat as a black, slimy balloon. The chewing implements of this species are so powerful that it is impossible to remove a leech once it has latched on without tearing out large amounts of your own flesh. It is therefore advisable to let the leech suckle until it releases itself if it has bitten you. In addition, the leech should not be squeezed during the sucking stage, otherwise there is a risk that it will vomit its poisonous innards into the bloodstream of its victim.

### Lake Muckwater

The biggest lake in the Dominion of the swamp witch is called Lake Muckwater it's inhabited by a hostile species of Grützlings which could be described as fish, water nixie and human eating watergoblins that hunt with harpoon like bicornes. They fear and worship the giant Schlickschluck, a monstrous snake-fish to whom they regularly bring offerings so that he does not eat them. His fondness for human children has given this body of water an extremely sinister reputation.

The third Leech species residential to the Witchbogs are the Leap Leeches. They are a predatory and nomadic type of Leech that can grow to the size of a dog. They leap from mud hole to mud holy in search for prey and thanks to their wing-like flaps of skin, they can fly up to ten meters with each jump. In contrast to the maggot leeches, they suck on their victim until it is completely drained of blood. Their favorite places to set their deadly bite is on the neck which has earned them the nickname vampire leeches in the vernacular. Rumor has it that a wanderer's pale bloodless body, drained by a Leap Leech, wakes up at night and wanders restlessly through the swamps as if he had forgotten that he is already dead.

## Monsters and Animals

### Bag Hunter

These fish live in brackish swamps and bogs. Their main body is about 1 foot long and covered in root-like scales which serve to hold their bodies tight to the bottom of the bog. They root themselves deep in the muck and inflate the tip of their tongue with hydrogen. This allows the tongue to rise up and out of the water, like a small pink balloon on a string. In the air, the inflated tongue secretes a foul smelling sticky substance, which attracts all manner of flying insects. These land on the tiny balloon and then stick to its surface. Over time these balloons get covered in small insects and when the balloon gets heavy enough to again touch the waters, the Bag Hunter will release the hydrogen, retract the tongue, and digest its full meal. It repeats this process indefinitely.

### Basilisk

The basilisk is a giant serpent. Looking a Basilisk directly in the eye causes instant death, while an indirect look will merely render the victim petrified. It is a black magical beast that is usually bred by dark wizards or witches. The bogwitch Norn was the first to breed a Basilisk. She accomplished this by getting a toad to hatch an egg from a black rooster.

### Bloatworms

The defining characteristic of bloatworms is that they can float. They float via a row of tiny, hissing, methane-gas-expelling ducts along their soft underbellies and constantly gulped in air. Bloatworms' bodies are long, lumpy, luminous, and slime-green. Along them are bulging yellow spots that ooze a cloudy liquid. Bloatworms' eyes are huge and milky. Bloatworms have rubbery lips and floppy feelers. Their mouths containe writhing tentacles with dripping suckers at the end to administer venom rather than a tongue and teeth. Bloatworms stink of rancid grease. After their bodies have been punctured or if they had died they pop almost like a balloon. Bloatworm venom is used for various purposes by the inhabitants of the witchbogs.

### Blood Fins

Blood fins are large predatory fish found in still waters on the northern half of Giantstep aswell as on Smallstep. Their name comes from the red color of their jagged dorsal and caudal fins. They are feared by anglers because their pulling power can cause small fishing boats to capsize. Due to their immense appetites, they bring entire smaller fish populations to extinction. They are particularly widespread in the region in and around the witch's swamps. Bloodfins are a delicacy and have a savory flesh that tastes similar to walleye. If a death-defying fisherman manages to snare one of these beasts, he can either sell it for a substantial sum or feed a family of five for several weeks.

### Bogfisher

    The creature can be found in the murky waters of the witchswamps. It uses a lure to attract prey, some even say their lights have a hypnotic effect. The prey will get in a trance and the beast will strike

### Bog Snails

Bogs Snails are Large Snails that mostly live underwater. Their big, prickly shells are used by some humanoid water creatures as dwellings. Roasted Bog Snail in Herb Sauce is a popular dish in the bogs.

### Bullwag

Bullwags are large, predatory, toad-like amphibians found in the Witchbogs. They use their toxic breath to kill their prey, then swallow the hapless creature whole. One of the telltale signs of a bullwag is the wheezing sound it makes. Their venomous breath can stun a victim 20 paces away and kill one that is only 10 paces away. They have needle-like fangs, long sticky tongues, two big bulging eyes (and four smaller ones), a fish like tail and warty mottled skin

### Colossus Slug

Native to the Witches' Swamps, the Colossus Slug is the continent's largest known species of mollusk. When fully grown, she can rise to the size of a swamp ogre and to the weigh of two oxen. Her sharp-toothed maw is usually hidden by two large flaps of skin, which she can flap out in a threatening gesture. She is omnivorous but prefers fresh meat and can swallow a human whole. If you encounter her, you should flee as quickly as possible, since fortunately she can only move relatively slowly. However, this is often no longer possible as the Colossus Slug is an ambush hunter, disguising itself as a Swamp Mound, Dead Tree, or Driftwood until its prey gets close enough. Its slime is not only sought after by alchemists, as it can be used to make an extremely strong glue that is so durable that it can be utilized in place of nails in construction. Avoid stepping in the slime trail, however, or (without a special solvent) you'll be stuck to it for days.

### Direnewt

Direnewts are a species of giant salamander living in the swamps of the Bog Witch. Measuring 1.5 meters of length, they are very static creatures, waiting in the bottom of lakes and rivers for creatures to move near them, and then swallow them with their powerful jaws or even sucking them whole. They have a dreadful sense of sight, and they often prefer moving during the night, sensing the changes of pressure on the water to move around. Direnewts lay a great deal of eggs, and many within the bogs have become fond of eating them, as they are quite flavorful and nutritious. Finding the eggs is a hard task, however, as the direnewt often lay them below the ground, needing to dig them out to get them.

### Fanged Slug

Slimy and disgusting, Fanged Slugs (Pulmonata Dentata) are abhorrent creatures that inhabit the witches swamps, where they wander slowly in search of food, with their preference being dead or decaying organic material. They use sharp extendable teethed jaws to reduce food into manageable chunks, then devour it. There are reports of them also attacking live prey, boglins and wanderers. They leave a slimy trail behind them that persists for days. Slipping from such a trail of slime and falling into one of the deadly pools, a leech hole or a pit full of quickmud has cost the life of many a traveler. An adult fanged slug can reach about the size of a large dog. Their poisonous fangs are turned into daggers and knives by various crafty swamp dwellers. A wound inflicted by such a weapon, if left untreated, will result in a slow and agonizing death, the emphasis being on slow though since the slug venom takes about a month to reach the heart and to subsequently trigger the fatal cardiac arrest. However, the wounded is only able to move at a third of their normal speed for the duration of the poisoning.

### Giant Lampreys

A dangerous lamprey species twice the size of an anaconda. Despite their repulsive appearance, steamed and salted lampreys are considered a particular delicacy by swamp ogres, and are preferred even to fresh human flesh. Catching them however is considered a serious crime, as the swamp witch has placed their home lake under her protection. As a result the fish are only available illegally and for high sums on the black market of Grundlog.

### Giant Toads

Imagine an agar toad the size of a garden shed. Now give her the appetite of a Gluttonlander and the irritability of a Gryplow. You get the idea.

A giant toads' thick warty hide can be used to make a strong water-repellent armor, which is very popular with the marsh dwellers. Especially the swamp ogres like to wear this unadorned utility clothing appropriately referred to as "Toadskin". The iconic piece of armor is a simple but effective leather jerkin reinforced with rivets. A well-crafted Toadskin can fetch a good price on the bog market.

### Glowflies

Marsh Glowflies are a brightly glowing species of firefly native to the Witch's Swamp. Although they are significantly smaller, they are sometimes confused with Wisps and therefore have an unjustified bad reputation. They appear in swarms and are extremely shy and skittish. For this reason, having a few swarms of glowflies around is always a good sign. They can even be used as a natural warning system, as the small insects, with their very sensitive organs of touch and large compound eyes, perceive the slightest vibration on the bog floor and the quietest movement. If they flee from your campsite, so should you.

### Glustyworp

The Glustyworp is the evolutionary link between aquatic insect, fish and amphibian. It's a rough-skinned water creature, four yards in length and resembling a stump overgrown with algae. With ten paws and jaws like cut-saws, glustyworps live in swamplands. It is a carnivore with the teeth of a predatory fish, the body of a long-drawn water beetle and the mating behavior of a newt. Many scientists have speculated that it might be an umuncle, but since the species predates the ancient Bogwitch, they have concluded that it is a naturally occurring predator. They use the bog mist as cover, not appearing in the sunlight as it dries them out and makes them become more vulnerable. Their prehensile cephalic limbs with razor sharp claws, have great power, as well as their tail-fan. As the pollution by the wiitches got worse it became a feeding ground for these creatures. And due to the constant food source via people and livestock transported on boats along the rivers and water traderoots, they can grow incredibly big to the point of pulling a cow off one of the ships was no issue. The Glustyworp fills the evolutionary niche of a crocodile in the Witches' Swamps, since these creatures do not exist there due to the relatively low temperatures. Only in the Bayukmen swamps, heated by hot mud springs and combustible swamp gases, exists a species related to them called crocodillians. The Glustyworp exhibits hunting behavior similar to those eating insects, mollusks fish, frogs, lizards, crustaceans and mammals alike. In some areas of the Witch's Swamp, dozens of these dangerous creatures can be seen lounging on the muddy banks during the night. A full-fed Glusytwomp no longer poses a great threat as it becomes lazy and won't attack even if you walk relatively close to it.

*"The swamp underfoot suddenly exploded with a powerful splash. Two long, mantis-like forelimbs bristling with spikes shot out from the murk. The monstrous, green hooks seized an unlucky footman, dragging him beneath the water's surface."*

### Lachrymose Leeches

Lachrymose Leeches, are a the biggest leech species in the witches bogs. An adult specimen can grow up to twenty meters long. The average length is ten meters though and depends on diet. It's highly discouraged to sail their home lake less than an hour after eating.

### Leap Leeches

A predatory and nomadic type of Leech that can grow to the size of a dog. They leap from mud hole to mud holy in search for prey and thanks to their wing-like flaps of skin, they can fly up to ten meters with each jump. In contrast to the maggot leeches, they suck on their victim until it is completely drained of blood. Their favorite places to set their deadly bite is on the neck which has earned them the nickname *vampire leech* in the vernacular. Rumor has it that a wanderer's pale bloodless body, drained by a Leap Leech, wakes up at night and wanders restlessly through the swamps as if he had forgotten that he is already dead.

### Logworms

Logworms are a large species of predator that live in the southern parts of the witchbogs. They are extremely deadly and float like bloatworms to which they are closely related to. As the name suggests, logworms are somewhat log-like in appearance. They are large and somewhat cylindrical. Their skin is brown and rough, like bark. Green moss and ferns often grow on them as well, completing the appearance. Unlike logs, logworms have cavernous mouths and throats that smell of putrid meat. Within the throat multiple rings of sharp teeth are found, and around it there is a ring of green eyes. On the bottom of logworms' bodies there are knot-like ducts that spew powerful jets of methane gas, while air is inhaled via their huge mouths, to keep them hovering and moving. In the process the ducts produce a loud, shrill, hissing noise. Logworms are dormant when they have food in their belly, and they remained harmless until the food is digested after a few weeks.

### Lily spinners

These swamp and dank pond dwelling fish live amongst normal lily pads. They are flat like flounders, and float belly up at the surface of the water. Their light green bellies blend in with the surrounding lily pads and they use this to lure amphibians, small birds and insects onto their bellies, and at the moment they are touched, they clamp their sides down in a clamp-like grip and swim into the mud to devour their prey. They are terrible to eat, and most people just avoid them.

### Marsh Hydra

The Marsh hydra is a large reptilian creature with a stocky body, slimy scaled skin and multiple heads on long, serpentine necks. If one of it's heads is severed, two more heads will emerge from the fresh wound. The only way to kill a Marsh Hydra is to jab a spear into its soft belly, damaging vital organs or ideally its heart. The number of heads gives an indication of how aggressive or old the hydra might be. The bite of a Marsh Hydra is extremely venomous and deadly if not treated with an appropriate antivenom within an hour. The marsh hydra is amphibious, feeding on both fish and large land creatures. She is occupying an aphex predator position in the swamp food-chain. Aside from the humanoid swamp critters, only Swamp Serpents, Marshstalkers and Lacrymose Leeches pose a serious threat to her. She is immune to nearly all poisons found in the Bogs. A universal antidote can be made from her gallbladder.

### Marshstalker

The Marshstalker is a predatory fish the size of two horse-drawn carriages. He is found particularly in the flowing waters of the Witchbog. He stalks boats over long distances, patiently waiting for the right moment to capsize them for the crew to fall into the water, where he awaits them with his teeth as long as short swords. He is one of the largest predatory fish in the witch swamps and especially feared by the traders who use the swamp's intricate waterways to transport mostly questionable goods. It is seen as a gift from the gods that he cannot walk. The Marshstalker reproduces slowly, which is why there are only relatively few specimens of its species. The unfortunate ones who fall victim to it are later declared as having been cursed by the swamp witch.

### Maggot Leeches

Unlike their counterparts in Lake Lacromosy, these Leeches only grow to about the length of a forearm. This genus is highly sought after by medical practitioners across the continent, as they lend themselves perfectly to the medical practice of bloodletting. The chewing implements of this species are so powerful that it is impossible to remove a leech once it has latched on without tearing out large amounts of your own flesh. It is therefore advisable to let the leech suckle until it releases itself if it has bitten you. In addition, the leech should not be squeezed during the sucking stage, otherwise there is a risk that it will vomit its poisonous innards into the bloodstream of its victim.

### Mudlings

Mudlings are the unofficial staple of the swamps. These small, brackish-tasting fish can be found in almost every bog pond and are extremely easy to catch due to their low intelligence. They can, with a little skill, be pulled out of the swamp water with bare hands, a sharp pointed stick or with a string to the end of which is attached something vaguely reminiscent of a worm or fly. They taste neither particularly good nor particularly bad, which is not a given in the swamps. They also have a gland in their rump that protects them from all the poisons, diseases, parasites and infections of the filthy bogwater, so after a short roast over an open fire they can be eaten without any health concerns. Their taste is akin to that of a slightly rotten carp that has been left in a bucket of moldy water for a little too long.

### One Eyed Bats

The eyes and ears of the old bog witch. They are called Umpishs in the bog speech.

### Riverbull

The Riverbull is an ox-sized predatory fish native to murky waters and swamps. An adult and well-fed specimen can weigh up to 94 stone. Its massive jaw has three times the bite force of a pit bull, meaning that once it bites, it won't let go. It's even said to bite through the wooden hulls of smaller fishing boats. Although more closely related to the carp, the Riverbull displays feeding behavior similar to that of a piranha, although, thank god, it is a cannibalistic loner that does not come in swarms. Once a river bull has smelled blood, it goes into a violent frenzy in which it attacks everything in the rough radius of its prey, including larger predators that are physically superior to it. These lake monsters only tolerate each other during the mating season. However, only for a short duration, after the mating the larger female mauls the male mercilessly. Despite its enormous size, the Riverbull is able to move silently through the murky waters of the swamps. Its tattered fins reminiscent of aquatic plants floating in the current, its mud-colored uneven skin, and the long algae-like appendages on its body provide camouflage. Trying to catch river bulls is strongly discouraged as they still pose a significant threat even on land. Their meat tastes absolutely disgusting anyway and is not worth putting yourself in mortal danger.

### Rope Fish

These swamp and bog dwelling variety of eel grow to be 20-30 feet long. Much like a garden hose, the tend to coil and extend their way through the water. Their lazy coils act as small constriction traps for small mammals which might be walking through a swampland. Their small 1 inch diameter make them little threat to larger animals or people, but small mammals get constricted and drowned easily. Some swamp people and bog hags use the bodies of dead Rope Fish to lash things together. As the fish’s body dries in the air, they shrivel like wet leather and tighten lashings well. Although the long lasting smell is not pleasant from uses like this.

### Rotsucker

Rotsuckers are large winged predators of the witch's swamps that prey on those who roost there, especially those who try to climb the trees for shelter from the various dangers of the ground are at risk. They will also attack other animals, as tasty wanderers are not all that common in the Witches' Swamp. In addition, they feed on all kinds of carrion, which they suck up through their toothy trunk, which has given them their name. When angry or frustrated, Rotsuckers spit a corrosive bile. Rotsuckers are known to follow their prey from a safe distance, circling unnoticed at a considerable height until the unsuspecting victim goes to sleep. Awake travelers will only be attacked when the Rotsucker is particularly famished or when a flock of them gathers to hunt, a rare but deadly natural phenomenon in the witches swamps.

When a Rotsucker finds a sleeping victim, it injects its caustic bile into it. He then coats the now partially paralyzed body in a rapidly hardening tar-like liquid that he produces in glands on his abdomen. The result is a kind of hard black cocoon. The bile and its caustic fumes kill the victim in a short time, breaking it down into a thick slimy liquid. The Rotsucke then grabs the hardened cocoon, rises into the air with its powerful leathery wings and attaches the sac with its sticky saliva to one of the large, gnarled Bulgebirches (also called Suckerfruit Trees for this practice) that can be found almost everywhere across the swamps. After 5 to 7 days, the Rotsucker then drills a hole in the cocoon with the circular, jagged, ossified end of its proboscis to suck out the nutrient-rich broth.

Every once in a while, a gang of Boglins steal these black nutrient sacs on the sly, heat them up over a fire, cut them open, and drink it as what they call "stinky soup".

Rotsuckers are surprisingly intelligent and lead long inner monologues as they glide across the nocturnal swampy plains. However they are not capable of verbal language. To the east of the swamps rises the infamous giant Muckbark Tree (a name presumably derived from the sour-smelling, anal secretions of the Rotsuckers that almost completely cover the top of it's bark) where, contrary to their nature, the Rotsuckers gather annually to breed and lay their slimy eggs in its knotholes. The mighty dead tree corpse stands in the otherwise sparsely wooded Moderholz and not only in the mating season should a large as possible berth be made around it. Up to three hundred Rotsucker are said to have been sighted sitting and hanging all over its branches at peak mating times.

### Rust Beetle

Rust Beetles are a species of Diving Beetle that occur in swarms and, through their droppings, can change the chemical composition of stagnant water bodies to such an extent that certain inorganic materials such as metal, iron or steel will be slowly decomposed when they come in contact with the contaminated pond. Just getting in the same pool of water as one of these things degrades the ferrous equipment of adventurers.

### Scavenger Percher

Scavenger Perchers are large bird-like creatures with slimy black skin and leathery wings. Instead of a beak, they have a proboscis, which they use to suck up decaying carrion. Scavenger Perchers hunt by briefly diving into the murky swamp waters to look for rotting fish carcasses, drowned swamp dwellers, or snails. They are good at navigating underwater because of their aerodynamic build and smooth, fish-like skin. They also fly long distances over the swamplands in search of carrion and are attracted by the smell of rotting meat. If you see one circling overhead it is never a good sign as they are able to anticipate bloodshed and impending death. After large scale battles in the witch's swamps, the sky is littered with them. They build their nests in tall bare swamp cypresses and occasionally engage in territorial battles with rotsucker and other flying swamp fauna. They are partially edible, but their skin is incredibly tough and tastes like a moldy shoe sole. There have been isolated reports that trained Scavenger Perchers have been deployed within the swamps to deliver messages over vast distances.

### Schlickschluck

A monstrous snake-fish worshipped and feared by the Grützlings. They regularly bring offerings including little children to him in order to appease him.

### Serpent Fly

These critters are a result of black magical fusion between snakes and swamp inhabiting insects. For their speed and agility, the bog witch uses these creatures as scouts. The powder on their wings seems to disrupt the flow of positive magic. It's bite feels like a dozen wasps stinging you at the same time.

### Swamp Moray

This up to thirty-two-feet-long eel slithers through the murky water with uncanny grace, mouth open to display its large teeth and a second set of jaws. Swamp morays are freshwater animals that lie in wait to prey to ambush. Once they get hold of prey, or an intruder, they are tenacious biters, gnawing and tearing on it's flesh. Swamp morays latch on to a chunk of whatever large animal they are eating, then begin to spin rapidly to rip off chunks and swallow it whole. This "death spasm" is used as a way of killing its prey by dragging it under water and intensely wriggling around their muscular body in an uncontrollable spastic motion, so their prey ends up drowning. It’s also used as a way to rip off chunks of flesh from their victims so they can eat it more easy. Swamp morays are known to ocassionally rear up like a snake sticking their head outside of the water to look for nearby victims that are getting too close. They can then quickly catapult several meters forward to catch prey that is further away from the water and pull it backwards into the swamp. A Swamp moray sticking its head out of the water should be avoided at all costs, as this is a sign that it is starved and will attack anything that moves. Usually they lurk in shady caves deep at the bottom of the swamp.

### Swamp Serpent

Swamp Serpents are among the most feared predators of the witchbogs. Their size varies greatly, but particularly well-fed specimens can reach enormous lengths of up to one hundred feet. As if their size wasn't bad enough, they're also extremely toxic. They are amphibious and spend most of their time underwater preying on large fish and other unfortunate swamp creatures. They are good swimmers and their territory stretches for hundreds of kilometers. Swamp Serpent poison is among the most potent poisons on the continent and is coveted by poison brewers and alchemists alike. It kills an adult swamp ogre in seconds and is not detectable in the corpse. Consuming pickled Swamp Serpent Eyes is said to grant the user long life and magical abilities. Many myths and stories surround these creatures and anyone who slays an adult specimen can achieve legendary status in the swamp. They are the old bog witch's favorite pet, and it is rumored that she gave birth to them herself.

Their teeth are traded as sacred relics among the swamp dwellers, sometimes fetching immense sums on the black market. They are used as ritual knivesand said to have black magic properties. A **Slithknife** is a sacrificial daggers crafted from Swamp Serpents fang. Slithknives are legendary weapons used to perform animal and human sacrifices for powerful black magic rituals. Possessing such a weapon causes lesser swamp creatures to flee at the mere sight of it.

### Teetheater worms

The teetheater worms are an species of insect that proliferates in the densest and most humid parts of the bog. The term teetheater worms include a variety of different kinds of worms, all having in common their diet of teeth. The methods they have to digesting their prey vary, from spewing bone melting acid to creating small jaws of their own, they require a constant diet of calcium to sustain themselves, though they seem to have a preference for teeth. While mostly carcass eaters, they have been known to consume living prey. They will come out of the ground if they detect that a big enough prey is somewhat stuck in the mud and the muck of the bogs, and in their thousands they will start digging in to reach the bones of their prey, racing towards the mouth of their victims to consume the precious teeth. Many of their targets will die of axphixiation, since so many worms end up clogging their respiratory system.

### Three-Legged Crow

The three-legged crow is a large raven bird native to the witchbogs. It is about two times the size of a common crow and as its name suggests, has three claws instead of two. What is not clear from the name is the fact that the crow also has three eyes. Witches like to keep it as their familiar because of it's appearence and the fact that three-legged crows start crowing and croaking loudly whenever a stranger tells a lie. It is said that she can look into your soul with her third eye. The three-legged crow feeds primarily on carrion, but there are tales of starving swarms attacking travelers.

### Toadmaw

A horse-sized hybrid of a lizard and a toad with sharp yellowish fangs that secrete a paralyzing venom which causes excruciating pain to the injured. Toadmaws are solitary and lurk for hours on their prey disguised as driftwood. In order to lay their eggs, which are coveted by potion brewers, they dig deep burrows in the morass, where they breed for months. They defend their wet clutch with their lives and with the utmost aggression. Their venom is applied to spears and arrows by some swamp dwellers.

### Water Leaper

The Water Leaper is a small creature that lives in swamps and ponds. It looks like a frog with membranous bat wings that have amphibious phalanges at their ends. It has wings instead of forelegs, no hind legs, and a long, lizard-like tail with a slightly toxic and sharp stinger at the end. It jumps across the water using its wings, hence its name. Also it often occurs in flocks. It lurks beneath the water surface and will bite and sting everything that comes close to the water's edge. It gets blamed for snapping fishing lines and taking the bait cleanly off hooks. It is carnivorous by nature, feeding on blood and fish. To protect themselves from them, some swamp dwellers rub themselves in foul-smelling clay.

### White Widow

The White Widow is a hand-sized, bone-white spider native to the Witchbogs. Apart from her bright white colour, her physique is reminiscent of the conventional, smaller black widow. On her rump she wears a light gray pattern reminiscent of a cross with three crossbars, whereby the middle one is slightly shorter than the upper and lower ones. The bite of the white widow creates a strong fever for a few hours, during which the bitten suffers the most terrible agony. According to reports, it feels like being burned alive. It is also described that one becomes blind for the duration of the fever and all one sees is a glaring bright white light. When the fever subsides, the bitten person has undergone a mental and physical transformation. As if cleansed by the light, the affected person feels reborn and full of life. All sickness, physical ailments and mental illness is cured as if it never existed. There are also reports of profound philosophical inspirations and existential religious insights during the martyrdom. Unfortunately, only about two-thirds of people bitten by a white widow survive the experience. The white widow's thread emits a dim, cold light that attracts wisps and fairies, who become entangled in her webs and are among her most favorite foods. A dream catcher woven from these amazingly robust and resilient threads is said to ward off evil spirits and nightmares. The white widow owes its name to its reproductive behavior, since the larger female devours the inconspicuous and smaller males after the sexual act.

### Wubberjack

The Wubberjack is a legendary black marsh hydra that lurks in the deepest depths of the underbog. Few have seen him with their own eyes and lived, but he is said to have seven heads, each in the form of a different animal. Each of its heads bears a name in the croaking-sounding language of the swamp dwellers. A goat head with three eyes and, three twisted horns (1: Gornlug), a narrow snake head with long poisonous fangs (2: Slidna), a smooth greasy eel head (3: Schlem), a rooster head with a sharp beak and piercing gaze (4: Creck), a pike head with protruding sharp-toothed lower jaw (5: Gurl), a drooling boar head with curved tusks (6: Vurgolf) an old human head with long black hair and beard, with sunken dark eyes and a long hooked nose (7: Lubbert). The Wubberjack is described as being considerably larger than a regular green Marsh Hydra. He is also said to possesses far darker black magic skills and abilities.

1: Gornlug (Goat): His third eye looks straight into your soul. He can read your deepest fears and most secret thoughts.

2: Slidna (Snake): No poison in the world is as strong as hers. A single drop of it can wipe out an entire lake.

3: Schlem (Eel): Has lightning-fast reflexes and picks up even the slightest vibrations. He senses you're there long before he sees you.

4: Creck (Rooster): His terrible scream is rarely heard, but whoever hears it dies a short, painful death.

5: Gurl (Pike): Its teeth are as long as knives and its jaws can bite through tree trunks.

6: Vurgolf (Boar): His dripping saliva infects anyone who comes into contact with it with a particularly bad form of rabies

7: Lubbert (Human): This head is trained in the black art and utters evil curses, incantations and other witchcraft that is in no way inferior to an arch warlock

For a long time, the Wubberjack was thought to only be the stuff of legends, but sightings have increased in recent years. Rumor has it that the Bogwitch finally managed to find the old Wubberjack and managed to make him docile to her. How she managed to do this, no one will ever know. Should these rumors be true, this would mean that she has one of the continent's oldest and most terrifying horrors under her control.

She is said to keep him in his bone-covered lair deep in the underbog and personally feeds him with her worst opponents

## Bog Fey

    Besides monsters and humanoids, the Witchbogs are also home to the Bog Fey. These unseelie creatures come in all shapes and sizes and have inhabited the swamps even longer than the old bog witch herself. The influence of the witch and her daughters has driven almost all seelie specimens aswell as most of the neutral ones out of the swamps, which is why, with a few exceptions, predominantly the particularly nasty and insidious fey remain. Their dark realm can be entered through portals that open at certain equinoxes and phases of the moon, and often resemble a circle of witch hat mushrooms or a naturally grown archway of gnarled branches and vines. So far, no mortal who has entered their dark realm, willingly or not, has ever returned.

### Black Snatchers

Black snatchers are evil fey of the marshes that live in bogholes which they are magically bound to and cannot leave since their body lacks a true corporeal form. Whether they are multiple organisms or a single entity is unknown, but when they are awake you can see multiple pairs of evil eyes gleaming from the shadows. As they are bound to their hole, which acts as a portal into the fairy realm, they rely on walkers to approach them. they then use their long black arms, which have long-fingered claw-like hands at the ends, to drag them into their hole. Whether they eat their victims or just kidnap them into their world is unknown - in any case, no one who fell into a bog hole in which a black snatcher lived was ever seen again. If one is very still, a low conspiratorial murmur can be heard coming from these holes.

### Bog Fairies

Bog Fairies are flying animalistic pranksters who take pleasure in attacking humans in swarms and gouging out their eyes with small sticks to which they tie poisonous thorns. Even the not-so-malicious ones love to fly close by around people's ears and drive them insane with the loud humming noise of their wings. The bite of a Bog Fayrie is comparable to a particularly bad mosquito bite. At first you only feel a small sting since the teeth of the Fairies contain a numbing secretion, after a few days though the area starts to itch like hell and only swells off again after two weeks. If you scratch it, you run the risk of causing inflammation at best and necrosis at worst. The nests of the Bog Faries, who do not agree at all with being limited to the fairy kingdom as a home, look like grotesque gray hornet burrows with brown slime dripping out off them. They vary greatly in size. The smallest nests are about the size of a crystal ball and contain 2-3 fairies, the largest ones can stretch like horizontal gray termite mounds over several treetops and contain thousands of fairies, effectively functioning as metropolises to them.

The brown slime found in and dripping from the nests is what is known as "**fairy honey**" which is actually the sticky excretions of the Bog Fairies. They give to their larvae-like offspring for food and use it to glue and build their nests. It has a foul, sweet odor, and tastes similiar to ordinary honey, only way mustier. It is extremely nutritious, however consumption can induce vivid hallucinations, seeing invisible things and nausea. Fairy Honey is an important ingredient in the production of Brown Opium, along with Foulsoil and the never-blooming Sedge Poppies. As an invasive species the Bog Fairies, despite many predators and poaching for their honey, have spread throughout much of the swamp, arguably due to their low-threshold swarm intelligence and cunningness.

The fine glittering dust falling off their wings is a coveted ingredient in levitation potions and will temporarily reduce the weight of any object sprinkled with it. Bog Fairies feed primarily on the nectar of various swamp flowers, which has led them to play a vital role in the swamps ecosystem. They unwittingly fertilize the various bog flora they land on and disperse their seeds and pollen across the region. They only rarely eat meat. If they do, then in the form of smaller insects or large creatures, which they hunt down as a collective. The maximum size of their prey depends entirely on the numbers of the swarm. Bog faries are able to navigate through the air with hundreds of wing beats per second. Making them three times faster than a housefly and way more agile than a serpentfly. However, if you manage to hit them anyway, they can be crushed with a spirited swipe of a flat hand.

### Dream Eaters

Dream Eaters are creatures from the fairy world of the Witch's Bogs. Outwardly, they resemble a large hedgehog, which is about the size of a domestic cat. Its body is covered with a thick, soft fur that hardens into stiff needles on its back and head. It has almond-shaped eyes that indicate its inquisitive but devious nature. Just as hedgehogs feed on ugly creatures like creepers, worms and snails, dreameaters feed on ugly dreams. Since there are a lot of bad dreams in the witches' swamps these little creatures usually have no trouble making ends meet. Dreameaters are essentially peaceful creatures, but they love to play mean pranks and their sense of humor takes some getting used to. If left unchecked, they climb onto the stomachs of sleeping people and eat the bad dreams straight out of their ears, where they attempt to enter the dreaming person's brain. Nobles and guilty people like to keep dream eaters in small cages in their bedrooms where they feed on their bad dreams and allow them to sleep peacefully. Some pay high prices for a living specimen. Especially in Morkdrak's realm there is a high concentration of these creatures. Dream Eater needles secrete a shimmering substance that smells of solvent and cat urine but has a strong numbing and anesthetic effect. This property allows it to inflict painless scars and scarifications. The needles are coveted among swamp dwellers because of this. They use them as "tattooing tools" and medical scalpels. However, chasing and hunting down Dream Eaters is frowned upon among most bogfolk since they are thankful for every bad dream they are spared.

### Isabeth

Isabeth is a daughter of Mordarey. She is whispered to be the younger half-sister of the old bog witch. The two don't particularly like each other, but Isabeth is tolerated by the bog witch for unknown reasons and enjoys a certain freedom of fools. She is a powerful fairy witch, but only uses her powers on rare and unusual occasions. Her behavior is sometimes that of a predator, sometimes that of a young lonely woman. Able to assume many different forms, each more terrifying than the last, she roams the witches' swamps seemingly aimlessly. She can predict the future with the help of certain fumes that emanate from the Bog, turn herself invisible, and cast powerful fairy curses that work across millenia. She is the current ruler of the Bog Fey in the mundane world and is authorized to command them at will, although she rarely ever uses this authority.

### Kelpie

A Kelpie is an animalistic type of bog fey. The Kelpie is a form of water creature that resides in rivers and streams only. It is native to the witch bogs, though there are similar myths from other nations aswell. The Kelpie has the shape of a fish-tailed horse in the water, but can assume the shape of a wet horse, on dry land. When someone is tempted to sit on the horse's back he becomes magically bound to it, kelpies then take their victims into the water, drown them, devour them, and throw the entrails to the water's edge. A kelpie can be recognized on closer inspection by its fishy eyes, sharp teeth, algae and seaweed in its mane, and some scales where the complete transformation failed. Only foreigners and the inexperienced are tempted to ride these creatures, as the swamps' inhabitants know that due to the deep mud in which their hooves get stuck and the dark aura of the swamps, regular horses will not enter them at all costs

A Kelpie can be captured using a halter stamped with the sign of a secret black magical symbol. Its strength can then be harnessed in tasks such as the transportation of heavy mill stones. Some underwater witches have taken advantage of this method and ride the creatures to move faster through the swamp waterways. Among the aquatic creatures, owning a Kelpie is a mark of prestige that commands awe and indicates that the rider should by no means be messed with.

### Oaf

A small gray fey variant mostly found in the Platanus Bog and around the Toadpond. Due to their small stature and almost childlike appearance, they like to pretend to be crying little children lost in the swamps. Both to induce helpfulness and carelessness, as well as to trigger the hunting instincts of ogres or some other malicious swamp dweller. If an empathic traveler gets too close to them in order to help, they will steal his food rations, bite them and run away or lure him into a bog hole. Newborn oafs are often used as changelings by the bog fey.

### Swamp Gnomes

Swamp gnomes are insidious Bog Fey that reach about waist-deep on a human. Their skin is musty in color and covered with warts and boils. They feed on mushrooms and herbs, especially those that grow in the more densely wooded areas of the swamps, and know how to prepare them. They also have the knowledge to combine them into magical potions and deadly poisons. Although they have no real use for gold coins, they love anything that sparkles and glitters and are extremely greedy. In exchange for a suitable bribe, they are willing to commit even the worst misdeeds. They then take the loot to a secret hiding place in the fairy kingdom. However, be careful when handling them since they are untrustworthy and will jump at the first opportunity to trick and deceive strangers.

### The Pale One

The Pale One or Mordarey, which is his real name, is the speculated king of the Bog Fey and existed since the creation of this world. Rumor has it that the Old Bog Witch arose from a sexual union between him and the goddess Murga. Murga being the ancient goddess of witchcraft, night and toads. She has been given many names and is also referred to as Hekatarina, Uun or Jesmeralda by other cultures of the continent.

The Pale one can take many forms and has otherworldly magical powers that are in no way inferior to those of a god. For reasons largely unknown to the swamp dwellers, however, he has largely withdrawn from the Bog into his dark Fairie Realm since the old Bog witch seized power. His silent retreat happened around the time she created the first Umcuncle from the black cauldron. Very few individuals claim to have glimpsed him ever since. Those who do say he appeared in the form of a huge, pale, faceless being crawling through the nightly morass like a giant spider. There are still some secret cults in the swamps that silently worship him, giving offerings and sacrifices but these have been strictly forbidden by the bog witch. To be caught in the swamps with one of his symbols or talismans is to suffer the most horrid and painful death imaginable. The old tales say he was an even darker ruler than the old bog witch. Few dare to speak his real name in the swamps, and should one be caught doing so by one of the wizches scouts, he will never see the light of day again. He will be carried off into the dark, damp prison dungeons that lie beneath Ulgurmorgh to rot there for eternity.

### Wisps

The environs of the Witches' Swamp are inhabited by will-o'-wisps. They cast a spell over careless wanderers and lure them into the deadly bogs. Why they do this and where they come from is unknown. Common in many parts of the bog, they are particularly useful in the northeast and west for trapping escaped slaves.

When someone succeeds in the nearly impossible task of catching a Wisp and manages to lock it behind magically sealed glass. It is possible to create an ever glowing Wisp Lantern with a bright cold glow that can be extremely useful. Especially in the dark and notoriously foggy witch bogs. The trapped Wisp will initially protest and make angry hissing noises and fly around wildly in the lantern, causing it to flicker. However, he will come to terms with the situation after a while and the light will eventually stabilize. Freeing a captured Wisp from such a lantern out of pity is strongly discouraged. Instead of showing gratitude he will first flee quickly into the swamp and then, at an unfavorable moment, lure a horde of swamp ogres or another malicious creature to the sleeping place of his liberator. The legend of a freed wisp granting his savior a wish was probably started by the bog fey.

### Wisplings

Nefarious small bog fey of various shapes. Most of them are sadistic little tricksters that shouldn't be trusted. Only a very small minority of them are friendly and willing to help strangers

Some of them look confusingly like swamp plants, others resemble bog insects and still others are almost indistinguishable from small animals like rats, otters or toads, apart from the fact that they can talk and walk on their hind legs.

## Vegetation

### Aconitum Species

*Aconitum spp.* includes “Wolfsbane” and “Monkshood”,

Plants from the Aconitum Species are perilous perennial plants with beautiful helmet-shaped flowers, usually blue, purple or black in color. They contain potent steroid alkaloids that make them some of the most toxic plants to be found. Their main poisonous alkaloids are aconitine, mesaconitine, and jesaconitine. These plants are associated with the underworld and used to create magical potions and elixirs.

### Wolfsbane

*Aconitum Lycoctonum*

Wolfsbane is a perennial flowering plant that belongs to the Aconitum genus. Its tall, elegant stems reach towards the sky, adorned with lush, dark green foliage. The distinctive helmet-shaped flowers of Wolfsbane bloom in a variety of shades, from black to vibrant blues and purples to pale pinks whites. However, do not be deceived by its captivating appearance, for this plant harbors a potent toxin within its roots, leaves, and flowers. The name "Wolfsbane" reflects its use as a poison to repel and kill wolves. It's mot infamous use lies in its lethal potential. The plant is used as a potent poison, capable of inducing paralysis and death. It gets employed during hunting and battles. Some bogfolk coat their arrows and blades with aconite extract to strike down their foes. In herbal medicine Wolfsbane is employed to alleviate nerve-related ailments, such as neuralgia. The plant's potent alkaloids can be harnessed as a local anesthetic, inducing temporary numbing effects. It is said that it's mere presence is enough to ward off Werewolves and protect those who carry or wear it. Wolfsbane talismans are therefore quite popular in areas plagued by these creatures. Wolfsbane holds a prominent place in magical practices and alchemical concoctions. In magical rituals, it is believed that the plant can enhance one's stealth, granting the ability to move unseen. The plant is associated with lunar energies and when inhaled as an incense during a sacrifice to the moon godess is said to give one cunningness and the ability to deceive others. In alchemy it is used for creating Potent Toxins, Invisbility Potions, Stealth Potions and a Cure fore Lycanthropy. Subspecies of this plant are Northern Wolfsbane, Moor Wolfsbane and Mountain Wolfsbane. It is believed that Aconitum Lycoctonum grows where the saliva of a rabid wolf has touched the ground.

 Effect
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Invisbility Potion Ingredient,
Stealth Potion Ingredient,
Lycanthropy Cure Ingredient

### Bat Flower

*Tacca chantrieri* also known as Bat Wing Begonia

Bat Flower is a wetland plant characterized by its unique flowers that resemble spread bat wings. It has long, dark petals and intricate, elongated bracts. The roots and tubers of the plant are ground into a powder or brewed into a tea for medicine. Bat Flower has various healing qualities including its potential to alleviate pain, reduce inflammation, and promote muscle relaxation. It is also believed to ward off malevolent spirits and dark forces. When consumed raw the petals of the Bat Flower can provide temporary night vision, allowing to navigate through darkness with ease. The flowers should be consumed with caution though, as the active ingredient content varies and it an have unforeseen side effects. According to legend it can even grant powers of invisibility, shape-shifting abilities and vampiric tendencies if consumed in large quantities or on a regular basis. The plant is used in all sort of potions and ceremonies especially ones related to illusion, stealth and transformation. Witches incorporate the Bat Flower in rituals involving lunar magic, metamorphosis, astral projection and naked dancing around bonfires during the night. There is a witch spell that causes surrounding Bat Flowers to detach from their stems and flutter off into the night. The summoned fluttering black blossoms are used by witches as spies, messengers and weak but hostile henchmen. Alchemists value the plant for its essence, which can be extracted and used in the creation of elixirs known to bolster vitality and restore energy among other things.

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 Effect
 Healing
 Bonus
 Resistance
 Magical Potency
 Mystical Affinity
 Alchemical Use
Invisbility Potion Ingredient,
Night Vision Potion Ingedient,
Life Drain Potion Ingedient,
Vampirism Cure Ingredient

### Blackearth Morel

*Bufonus Fungii* also known as Toadmorel or Leapfungus

The black earth morel is an underground mycelium whose fruit baskets only grow in particularly fertile and moist soil and somewhat resemble the back of a warty, fat agar toad. The morels give off a sweetish but putrid aroma that you can recognize them by. This is difficult with the naked eye because the rounded fruiting bodies are usually hidden under a thin layer of black soil. If you accidentally or intentionally step on one of these morels, it will burst open with a smacking noise and emit a cloud of moldy-smelling brown dust through which it propagates. A mushroom soup made from these morels mixed with the claws of a three-eyed raven and the wings of an umpish creates a concoction that allows the consumer to leap unnaturally far and high for a few minutes to hours depending on the quality of the brew. For a stronger effect, toad legs can be added. Consuming Blackearth morels raw has a similar but weakened effect, and can also lead to vomiting, chronic nausea, and unpredictable side effects.

If you consume a Blackearth Morel raw, roll a D6.

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### Blackthorn

*Palus Baccai* also known as bog berries or marsh berries

Black Sloes Berries are fruits of the Marsh Blackthorn. Blackthorn bushes are places where lesser hags and witches congregated and where witchcraft rituals take place. The thorns of the blackthorn are considered a repellent against evil spirits and spells, and can be woven into wreaths and hung on doors to protect against them. It is believed that witches use this plant for various magical practices.The black fruits can be used to make healing potions, jams, or alcoholic beverages such as Bogsloe Liqueur. Drinking thuis liqueur can protect against negative energies and magical attacks.

### Black Wine

Black wine is obtained by fermenting the fruits of the plant of the same name. It is a wild, thorny vine plant with prickly leaves and heavy blue clusters of grapes. The black wine feeds partly carnivorous. As soon as it is touched, tendrils try to hold and grip the victim, sucking blood through its thorns. To ensure that its entangled victim does not escape, the black wine sedates it with an anesthetic poison. The more blood the wine drinks, the bigger and heavier its grapes become. Their color first turns purple, then reddish and then deep black. A highly intoxicating spirit is produced from these ripe grapes, which gives youth and beauty when consumed, but also quickly leads to addiction. The consumption of black wine is considered reprehensible outside of the bogs, and even inside, a bottle of black wine is extremely expensive due to its delicate production requirements. Besides the usual factors responsible for the taste of a wine, black wine tastes different depending on whose blood it has drunk.

### Bog Cucumber

The Bog Cucumber is a sour vegetable with a prickly dark green skin. It grows in shallow water and is used in the witchbogs instead of lemons because of its extremely sour taste. When harvesting, care must be taken not to injure yourself on their long thorns, as the swamp cucumber releases a slight neurotoxin when touched, which can lead to difficulties in perception and orientation. The popular Wisp Lemonade is made from swamp cucumber juice, marsh herbs and wisp essence.

### Bog Trumpet

*Datura Mortuis Wrightii* also known as "Bog Datura", "Fae Datura" or "Stinging Apple"

Her large trumpet-shaped flowers, unfolding in pure white color, can reach the size of actual wind instruments and grow in an arrangement along her twirly stems similar to the flowers of a foxglove plant. The beautiful white flowers exude a strong intoxicating aroma that will bring vivid nightmares to anyone who falls asleep under such a plant. Their scent alone can induce intense and often frightening hallucinations aswell as delirium during the flowering period. Even people just standing near a Datura Mortuis Wrightii plant report seeing dancing naked women, horrible faces, giant insects and sinister goblins stalking in the thorny bushes.Those who are crazy or reckless enough to make a tea from their leaves or even eat one of the black seeds must prepare themselves for days of horrible hallucinatory states that will take them straight to their own personal hell. Few survive such an experience, and those who do are scarred for life or hopelessly insane. The seeds have the appearance and consistency of small black cherrys and look similiar to the fruits of the deadly nightshade. They are found in dozens inside the prickly morningstar-shaped fruit pods. Not only their green spiked fruit bodies, but also their slender, solid stem is covered with razor-sharp poisonous thorns. The thorny Datura tendrils twine parasitically along the branches of other trees across the mucky waters of the swamps, exhaling their sweet and deadly aroma. Many of the witches of the bog use the components of this plant for their tinctures, concoctions, poisons and rituals. The plant is particularly widespread in the inner parts of the witchbogs. It has its highest population around the Hundred Stings Farm where the swamp fairies drink their nectar and pollinate their flowers on a grand scale. For some reason there seems to be a strong connection between the fairies and this plant. It is one of the most important component for the infamous Witchbog honey which is why the honeymen started cultivate these plants around their honey fields. Rumor has it that the WItchbog Datura is a fairy being of her own that can communicate telepathically and even transport you to another realm if you take too much.

### Bog Tunip

The bog tunip is a bitter but nutritious tuber that grows on the edge of shallow water bodies in loamy swampy soil. The beets are usually hidden underwater. Only their characteristic creeper-like leaves protrude from the water surface and indicate the nutritious plant. The tunip goes well as an accompaniment to fish or cooked bird. As soon as you get used to the unconventional taste and consistency that is. The bog tunip is a staple food for the moor population and is said to have detoxifying properties.

### Bogwood

A rare timber material that forms from dead trees buried under peat, starved of oxygen and preventing natural decay. It's a stage of wood fossilization that eventually leads to coal, but at this point still mostly resembles wood.

It's prized in decorative woodworking and pipemaking, where the partially mineralized nature of the wood makes it resistant to fire. The massive Bulgebirches can produce enough Bogwood to craft fire-resistant siege engines or fortifications from it.

### Creepvines

Living creepers with an algal-like consistency. They grab swimmers or those on the shore by the feet, wrap themselves around their legs and pull them down to drown them

### Cudgel Willows

Cudgel Willows are an animated species of leafless willow tree native to the Witchbogs. If you get too close or anger them, they will whip you with their long branches. Particularly vicious specimens will even attempt to smash invaders with their club-like trunk. Where this magical species of willow draws its life force from is unknown, but it is believed that the spirits of malevolent fae reside within them.

### Dark Rose

The dark rose is a mysterious plant that grows deep within the Toadpond, only blooming there every couple of years, and never in the same place. Surrounded by the tenebrous and haunting swamp, and protected by many different swamp creatures, the dark rose has been described as "impossibly beautiful", and those who have tried to take it have never managed to cultivate it anywhere else, with many believing the flowers' nature goes beyond something of this world. Certain witches of the bog can use the petals of the flower to create a very strong love potion, the strongest known love potion in the world. For it to work, both people have to drink the liquid at the same time while looking at each other. However, if both people already had feelings for each other, then they'll start having a negative reaction to the concoction. They will begin spewing dark petals from their mouth, and after an hour or two, they will choke on them. Later autopsies have shown their lungs and internal organs have been covered in roots, growing at an accelerated rate. These roots cannot produce further flowers, however, so this cannot be done to obtain more dark roses.

### Death’s Trumpet

The Death’s Trumpet is a cup-shaped mushroom whose fruiting bodies are protruding vertically from the ground reminiscent of trumpets. It prefers to grow on cemetery mounds and over corpses. At three o'clock in the morning and on certain dates of the lunar calendar, ghostly cacophonies can be heard when near this mushroom. Legend has it that at these times you can hear the dead using these mushrooms as their music instruments. Black trumpets are edible but can result in a temporary transparency when eaten. People who ate a lot of it report that they became able to talk to corpses and communicate with the spirits of the deceased for a short duration

### Dreamherb

Dreamherb is a wetland plant with long, serrated leaves and yellowish, slightly fluorescent flowers. Dried dream herb, whether consumed as tea, tobacco or otherwise, induces vivid and lucid dreams in the consumer at the next bedtime, which are said to have prophetic properties. Caution should be exercised against consuming fresh dream herb as it induces horrible recurring nightmares and attracts dream eaters.

### Gillweed

Gillweed is an aquatic plant that, when eaten, allows a human to breathe underwater. It resembles a bundle of slimy, grey-green rat tails. When eaten, it gives the consumer gills, allowing him to breathe underwater, and webbing between the fingers and toes, allowing them to swim underwater with ease. Gillweed is native to the pondling isles and the witches bog.

### Hagsnarl

*Pythonissam Nodum* also popularly known as Hexknot

The Hagsnarl is a special botanical manifestation of a vine called Smoulderroot. When two tendrils of different Smoulderroot plants meet, they root into each other and grow into a tight knot. This vine knot forms the so called Hagsnarl.This plant knot then creates a special magical barrier The bigger the knot the stronger is this barrier. Each victim perceives the barrier differently, e.g. as a chasm, an invisible wall or a curtain of darkness. Even if several victims notice that they are each perceiving something different, they cannot overcome this obstacle. A hero who still wants to cross a Witch's Knot barrier must pass a Willpower test, weighed down depending on the size and firmness of the snarl. If this succeeds, he can pass and the barrier no longer affects him for the duration of its effect. If the test fails, the witch's knot remains an insurmountable obstacle for him. Some witches have studied this botanical phenomenon extensively and, based on their findings, have devised a similar spell that works without the smoulderroot plant. A magical hexknot can be maintained for a short duration, several days or even forever, depending on the witch's magical ability.

### Hatecaps

Hatecaps are animated toxic mushrooms that call out vile insults at passers-by in a nasty intonation. Their insults and accusations are extraordinarily vulgar, creative, quick-witted and overall just hurtful. Some particularly nasty specimens even advise bypassers to kill themselves. When you step on them they splatter in all directions in puddles of fetid black mycelium. Their hats can be boiled and then soaked in alcohol to lose their poison. However, many would describe this as a waste of alcohol as they still don't taste particularly good and eating them can lead to tantrums and choleric tendencies. Some boglins and swamp ogres consume a foul smelling brew made from their caps before going on raids or battles.

### Lavender Wight

The Lavender Wight is a fairy plant and one of the few non-unseelie fae variants found in the Witchbogs. It is an animated bulbous root with animal intellect that spends most of its time underground, only popping out when it senses a fat maggot crawling past to eat, or when someone tries to pluck the fragrant lavender plants on its head. His lavender can safely be harvested without hurting him, but he doesn't like it at all and is extremely shy, which makes the procedure pretty difficult. If you manage to catch one and harvest some of his lavender stalks, you can dry them and put them in your pillow, hang them up or place them into a pot by your window as protection against evil forces. They give off a heavy, penetrating but fragrant smell which can make you forget some of the foul-smelling sulfur smells of the swamp for a while and makes you slightly dizzy. The scent has been shown to disrupt black magic currents and may actually protect against some lesser curses. It is advisable to have a small bag with dried lavender wight flowers sewn in, on you when entering the bogs.

### Lubbermash Truffle

Also known as black swamp truffle and "bog coal"

The Lubbermash Truffle is an extremely rare type of mushroom that only grows in the witchbogs. It is particularly found near pitch deposits and particularly in the area of the Tarpit Bogs near the Pitchhauler settlement of Lubbermarsh, giving it its name. The truffles look like fleshy growths covered in a glossy black coating and grow up to six feet deep under the bog's floor. It tastes extremely delicious and has the ability to transform even the most disgusting dishes into culinary delights with just a pinch of ground truffle powder. More importantly though, is it's ability to neutralize almost any toxin found in food, allowing an otherwise poisonous mushroom stew for example to be safely consumed. Since some mushrooms, vegetables and herbs from the swamp are highly poisonous but otherwise taste good, these fungi offer completely new culinary possibilities. Because of their keen sense of smell, the pitchaulers are the only sentient bog species able to sniff out these precious mushrooms deep inside the earth. Unfortunately, they don't have the best business sense and eat most of the truffles they unearth themselves rather than selling them, further depleting an already extremely scarce resource. They seem to have become almost dependent on the flavor of these truffles. If you ever want to try lubbermash truffles yourself look for these creatures on one of the bog markets but be prepared for absurdly high prices.

### Mandrake

The Bog Mandrake is a homunculus growing as a plant in the ground. It is very difficult to correctly extract the root. In order to succeed you must follow a rigorous ritual. You can work only at night, by the light of the full moon. Once the plant is found, the digger must draw three circles around it and then turn eastward. Then he must dance round the plant murmuring all sort of occult incantations. A black cat must be used in the process of removing the mandrake root. First the earth is dug away from around the root. The root is then tied to the tail of the black cat. The root extractor must remain some distance away. He shouldn't get too close to the plant at this point. He shoos the cat and the cat runs away from him causing the root to get pulled out. At the moment of extraction the mandrake utters a scream which causes death to everyone who hears it. The root extractor must be sure to hold his ears as he shoos the cat away so that he doesn't hear the scream. Then the black cat dies. It perishes at the moment of extraction. The scream kills her. Afterwards the root extractor has to ritually sacrifices the dead cat. Bog Mandrakes possess healing properties and can cure various ailments when consumed. Their fruits are poisonous and used in small doses as a potent hallucinogenic intoxicant. Mandrake leaves can be used to make a salad that cures poisoning. Mandrake Effigies grant a powerful protection against evil spirits and dark magic. They are also used for all sorts of powerful potions, alchemy and magic rituals. By placing a mandrake root under the pillow, one can gain insight into the future, receive prophetic dreams, and in some instances even communicate with otherworldly beings. Bog Mandrakes are among the most expensive and most difficult to obtain alchemical substances.

### Marsh Nettle

The marsh nettle is a shrubby plant with large, sharply jagged leaves. On its tendrils there are small suction cups with which it sucks itself, similar to a burr, to creatures that brush past it. The sting of the marsh nettle is harmless, but causes severe pain (initially) and persistent itching in the affected person, which can last for days. Its leaves can be used to make a tasty, thick tea that cures colds and fevers.

### Rat Fester Root

*Idula Bubonica* Also known as Ratling Root and Vegetable Rodent

Rat Fester Root is a peculiar plant that grows in dark, damp places, such as underground tunnels, forgotten cellars, and swamps. Its gnarled root system is covered in thick, twisted vines. Nestled among them small grotesque rat-like creatures are growing. These vegetable ratlings, as they are known, have mottled fur, sharp claws, and beady black glimmering eyes. They grow as part of the root and are almost indistinguishable from it at first, but separate from it as they grow. Most only grow to the size of normal rats, but some located in particularly fertile soil grow larger and can reach up to the size of dogs. When the ratlings are ripe, they separate from the mother plant. They do this by gnawing through their umbilical root and then burrowing to the surface. From now on they feed on meat, carrion and spoiled food they can find. If you cut open one of these ratlings, instead of red blood, it will spill a thick black liquid resembling resin. The ratlings do not reproduce sexually but leave their spores when they die. A new Rat Fester Root Plant then grows out of their cadaver. Folklore tells of witches and dark sorcerers who use these ratlings for their bidding and send them on covert missions, acting as spies and familiars. Pestara in particular is notorious for this. The plant is by far the most common in her area of the bogs. It is rumored that she's even trying to grow a larger and more dangerous variant of the plant with the help of her witchcraft.

The root itself is an ashen gray to brown color. Rat Fester Root can have a numbing effect, temporarily relieving pain and discomfort. However, its consumption or close contact to rattlings (for example through a bite) can lead to the dreaded rat fever. Rat fever is a severe fever in which sufferers experience a milder version of the symptoms from the far more contagious and deadly bubonic plague. Rat Fester Root has long been associated with the dark arts and holds a variety of uses, both practical and mystical. Witches and warlocks use it for divination, necromantic practices, or to strengthen their familiars. They collect and cultivate Rat Fester Root and other macabre looking plants in secret gardens, hidden away from prying eyes. In covens, the root is incorporated into ceremonies symbolizing transformation and rebirth. Herbalists and alchemists seek it for its potent anxiety and pain relieving properties when consumed in the form of a tincture. They also extract its essence to create enchanted oils, poisons and invisible ink. An old legend recounts a powerful witch who, in her final hour, ingested a concoction made from Rat Fester Root. As her body transformed into a rat-like creature, she was granted eternal life. Rat Fester Root is believed to hold a connection to rodents, pestilence, and the underworld. In a folktale, it is rumored that the root itself came into existence when an old witch had her head cut off by a Laurentian Knight and it fell to the murky ground. According to this tale, her hair turned into roots and her head into a bulb. The actual grassy plant then grew out of her severed neck.

 Effect
 Healing
 Summon Familiar:
 Resistance
 Magical Potency
 Mystical Affinity
 Alchemical Use
Health Potion Ingredient,
Poison Ingredient,
Invisible Ink (from the resin; only becomes legible in total darkness)

### Slime Sage

*Viriditas Felii* also known as Witchspit

This extremely bitter-tasting herb turns the chewer's saliva into a slimy whitish liquid. Spitting on a wound with this saliva stops it from clotting and speeds up healing. By swallowing the slime sage saliva, mild illnesses and poisoning can be cured. The sage plant has elongated, hairy leaves that burn the skin like stinging nettles during certain phases of the moon. Consumption at these times is not recommended, since the healing effect is lacking and only severe diarrhea is caused to the person chewing the leaves.

### Snakeweed

Snakeweed is a creeper that grows under water and consists of firm, slippery tendrils. After thorough washing, the tendrils can be eaten raw. Snakeweed tastes like a mix of unripe rhubarb and fish. Consuming snakeweed causes the limbs and even the bones of the consumer to become extremely pliable for a while similar to a contortionist, making it possible to slip through thin ridges or hide in very small spaces such as a chest or a hollow tree.

### Spiderweed

*Aranea Viriditii*

A small thorny plant that grows in small black clumps and develops culms that look like outstretched spider legs on small plants and bony witch fingers on adult plants. When consumed hands and feet gain the ability to attach themselves to the smoothest of surfaces. In this way the the one who ate it can overcome smooth rock surfaces and walls and find support on ceilings. The enchanted's weight does not change. The enchanted must hold on with at least three limbs. Spiderweed grows exclusively in the Witchbogs, especially in relatively dry but dark areas.

Eating too much or too regularly from this bitter and foul-tasting plant can have unpredictable effects including physical appearance changes.

If consumed repeatedly, roll a D6.

 2
 3
 4
 5
 6

### Stinkshroom

The Stinkshroom or puffball farter emits a foul-smelling gas together with its scattered spores in the wind to reproduce. The scientific name for these are Chontrokoritsiperdons. The smell is comparable to that of a Fart Daisy but ten times worse. So bad in fact that the faint-hearted will literally faint from the smell. The Stinkshrooms grow throughout the Witch Bogs and are particularly common in the Bog of Eternal Stench.

### Swamp Grabber

The Swamp Grabber is a strange entity believed to be originary from the Bog Witch Swamps, though nowadays it finds a presence in most of the worlds' swamps. Its a starfish-like organism, more closely related to carnivorous plants than actual animals. From a central stem, it grows what seem to be human appendages, keeping its dozens of "arms" deep under the murky waters while the rest grab the bottom, rooting itself. Once an individual appears, the grabber will bring to the surface its most convincing "limb", moving it and splashing the water like a drowning person. If the victim is fooled by it and tries to help, most of the arms will grab the individual towards the bottom, where he'll drown. Experts believe that the plant tries every single one of its arms, with the most succesful one serving as the basis, and all of them will slowly change to imitate the winning "arm", thus slowly evolving into a more perfect imitation. Once the victim drowns, the plant will anchor it to the ground and feed from it for months. The grabber reproduces by slicing one of the arms and letting it float until it finds a place to rest. This plant can only imitate human-like arms, being spotted right away in those areas where humans are rare or non-existant. The expansion of this plant throughout the world is a strange phenomenon, causing some to believe someone is deliberately exporting it to all the world's swamps.

### Swamp Strawberry

This relatively common berry can be found in most parts of the Dominion. Although it resembles and tastes like wild strawberries found in most neighboring nations, the species seems particularly susceptible to absorbing the corruption of the swamp. Although certain swamp races can eat them safely, outsiders often suffer from intense fevers and gastrointestinal illnesses.

### Tangle Vines

Sometimes known as strangle vines. These malicious plants will try to entangle, then slowly suffocate any living thing that comes near. It is assumed they do this so that the soil will be enriched by the rotting

### Thorn Apple

The Thorn Apple is a gnarly tree native to the Witch's Bog. Its ebony black bark is covered with long thorns and the flowers that sprout during its flowering period resemble the long trumpet-shaped flowers of Datura stramonium. Its apple fruits glow in a dark red similar to the color of blood, but besides their extraordinary size, they can easily be mistaken for particularly large and delicious looking common apples. Their flavor is juicy and sweet, but they contain a slow-acting but deadly narcotic toxin. About an hour after a bite of such an apple is eaten, the person who took it gets tired and falls into a deep sleep. The unfortunate one then sleeps for exactly three phases of the moon until he ultimately dies without waking up. During this three month period it is only possible to bring the sleeping person back to life with very rare remedies, which can hardly be obtained without the help of an experienced witch. The misuse of half a dragma of this fruit ground in wine, or in what one most likes, triggers a different effect. The one who takes it is alienated for a long time, laughing, crying, or sleeping with horrible dreams. Speaking and responding to the poor person who has taken it is meaningless, since she is in her own mind and does not recognize the person with whom she speaks. Instead the afflicted talks to invisbily people who clearly are not present. For reasons unknown, witches are able to consume thorn apples with no apparent side effects, which has earned the fruit it's alternative name "Hagsapple".

### Toadstool

A large foul-smelling, slimy mushroom that attracts flies, which is why Froglins, Toads, and Toadlings like to perch on it.

### Whispering Thistle

The whispering thistle is a tall plant with slender stems and leaves. Its delicate silver petals, touched by hints of lavender, form a beautiful blossom. Sharp spikes along the stem serve as a defense mechanism. On the bulge under the flower are small female faces. The whispering thistle is able to read minds. However, she is no more intelligent than an animal. She can only whisper the thoughts she is reading and repeat them like an echo. Walking through a cluster of these thistles creates an eerie and psychotic atmosphere. Especially when you're surprised by the voices and don't know where they're coming from. The effect is particularly unpleasant if someone else is listening in who you don't want to hear your thoughts. A dried whisper thistle on the door is said to protect from the evil eye.

### Wild Swamp Onion

The swamp onion, is a coarse plant found in meadows and swamps, with flowers of purple, lavender, or white. It is a robust wild plant found in abundance from the Stymphalian Swamps all up to the **Swamp of Sadness**. Although not considered one of the best for cultivation, it's ubiquity in the wild and strong onion flavour make it a staple vegetable amongst the miserable human serfs of the Bog Witch as well as any other inhabitant of the swamps.

### Wisptrees

Wisp trees are a species of weeping willow that give off an intense vermouth-like odor which has a similar effect on wisps as catnip does on cats. The intoxicated Wisps pose no threat as long as they stay among the branches and are so distracted that this is the best place to go if you want to catch one of them. The wisps, when rubbing themselves on the branches, give off a lucid plasma which keeps vermin away from the bark of the tree and allows the willow to photosynthesize even at night. A heavy liquor called "Fairy Piss" can be made from the willow branches, which tastes like a thick absinthe, induces mild hallucinations of dancing fey, and is very popular among the swamp dwellers.

### Witch Birch

*Betula Somnium*

The witch birch is a bare tall birch tree. It is leafless year-round and its upper branches branch into clawed ramifications that cast eerie shadows at dusk. They grow preferably in monocultures and near fly agaric and and witch hat mushroom accumulations. When the bark of a witch birch is boiled with clean spring water to make a tea, various effects can occur. Depending on the ingredient content of the tea, the effect lasts between a few minutes and several hours

When consuming witch birch bark tea roll a D6:

 2
 3
 4
 5
 6

### Witch's Hat Mushroom

The Witch's Hat Mushroom is a distinctive fungus characterized by its black color, high pointed caps and thick stems. It exudes a dark atmosphere and appears inexplicably sinister and hostile. The mushroom is highly poisonous and should never be consumed. Witch's Hat Mushrooms can only be found in dark forests and swamps, supposedly often in proximity to witches' huts. Stumbling upon a Witch's Hat Mushroom is considered quite uncommon and never a good sign. Although ingestion is strictly discouraged, the potent poison contained within the mushroom can be extracted and used in alchemical practices. In certain bog circles, the poison has been utilized as a substitute for a powerful hallucinogen called "Witches Brew". For the best alchemical results, it is recommended to use a sickle crafted from moonsilver to harvest this mushroom.

### Wolvesglove

*Lupus Belli* also known as Wolvesbells or Snapglove.

The Wolvesglove plant is a tall, flowering plant with bell-shaped flowers in black, gray or eggshell white. It has large, veiny leaves and contains a strong toxin used for medicine. It prefers partial shade and moist soil. If consumed it increases the force of the heart's contractions which can lead to death by heart failure when too much of the plant is consumed. The caps, which fit about a finger, have small, sharp, tooth-like thorns on the inside. If something strays into the opening, the wolf-like mouth snaps shut with great force, which can result in the loss of a finger. The plant feeds semi-carnivorous on worms and other insects that crawl into its openings. To attract prey, the Wolvesglove flowers give off a heavy patchouli-like odor that smells faintly of decay. When the Wolvesglove is harvested with a silver sickle on a new moon, its flower, leaves and roots then ground into a fine powder in a Mortar and Pestle made from cold iron this plant can unfold supernatural effects. If the plant is mistakenly harvested on a full moon however, the consumer is cursed with lycanthropy and turns into a werewolf every full moon from now on. The Wolvesglove plant is only found in the darkest parts of the witch's swamps and exceptionally rare. Their flowers, leaves and roots can fetch significant prizes from alchemists, physicians, witches, poisoners and other potion brewers. On a full moon, the plant's flower bells shake and emit a bright tinkle as the moonlight falls on them.

If the special silvery Wolvesglove powder is drunk as a tea or sniffed the consumer must throw a D6 to determine the effect.

 2
 3
 4
 5
 6

### Wormwood

A hollow tree that looks like deadwood and harbors maggots and worms inside, with which it exists in symbiosis. The foul fruiting bodies which grow inside him serve as food for the maggots, while their excretions act as fertiliser.

## Trade and Production

### Black Market Trade

The black market is an essential part of the trade in the witch's swamps besides the already questionable things that are officially traded, there is a long list of even more forbidden goods that are traded on black markets and seedy transshipment points. You can find things like meat and skins of animals that are banned to hunt, old books about forbidden types of black magic, dodgy drugs, rare poisons and cursed objects that can do untold things. The biggest black markets of the witchbogs are located in Grundlog, Festerport, Gluggmarsh, Nornville and below the Urdrag Tree.

### Slave Trade

The slave trade in the witchbogs is well organized. So-called Snatcher Squads, mostly consisting of boglins, umuncles and swamp ogres, leave the local swamps under cover of darkness in search of lonely adventurers and lost children. The boglins and umuncles are armed with mancatchers, crude halberds and nets, while the ogres pull the heavy slave cages and either rely on their physical strength or carry heavy clubs, flails and morning stars. the largest of these snatcher squads can take on the size of caravans and, including the slaves, number several hundred men. Just before dawn these ominous processions then return to the swamps carrying peat torches, where they take their captives to trading posts or sell them directly at one of the slave markets. The snatchers are notorious and feared in the surrounding area. Even the youngest children learn to watch out for them and not to leave the house after dark. The slaves are used in the swamps for heavy manual labor, as domestic servants or ritual sacrifices

### Traded Goods

Despite their inhospitable ecosystem, the witch's swamps are a sprawling hub for a large variety of different goods. Wizards, Witches and Alchemists come from all over giantstep to visit the bogs and buy or collect valuable and rare ingredients. Dark arts practitioners come in search for cursed artifacts, occult talismans and other black magic curiosities. Thieves, burglars and murderers stock up there on knives and blades made of bog iron, undetectable poisons and invisibility potions. Even the more mundane goods of the bogs are quite popular. Peat is a cheap and efficient way to heat your home, various swampwoods are well suited for bow, instrument, and furniture making while the plants and mushrooms of the marshlands are used abroad for making powerful medicine.

#### Mushrooms

 Stinkshroom
 Mold Sponge
 Fly Agaric Mushroom
 Bog Toadstool
 Pox Fungus
 Cadaver Sponge
 Blackearth Morel
 Witch's Hat Mushroom
 Lubbermarsh Truffle

### Potion Ingredients

#### Food

##### Drinks

 Bogbeer
 Peat Booze
 Fullmoonshine
 Bogsloe Liqueur
 Wisp Lemonade
 Black Wine

#### Essential Ressources

 Peat
 Pitch
 Bog Iron
 Underbog Ore

#### Armor

 "Toadskin" Leather Armor

#### Slaves and Hirelings

 Caged Bog Creature
 Boglin Slave
 Human Slave
 Ogre Slave
 Mercenary

### Professions in the Bog

#### Peat-cutting

Peat is especially relevant as a cheap and easy to get alternative to firewood. It's also used for the production of textile fibers and for medicinal purposes.

#### Pitchhauling

Pitch is among other things used for the purpose of making flammable pitch ditches, pitch torches and boiling cauldrons of pitch that can be poured from the battlements of a fort over enemies

#### Fishing

Although most of the creatures that are pulled out of the swamps are not particularly tasty, local residents are not choosy and in fact there are also some international delicacies such as steamed and salted lampreys or the cooked mudskippers, which are particularly popular with the Bayukmen

#### Herb and Mushroom collecting

The witchbogs are home to countless mushrooms, sponges and roots. While most of these are poisonous or inedible, a significant number of them can be eaten when properly prepared or, like many ingredients found in the Witch's Swamp, can be used in potions, spells, or as alchemical reagents.

#### Poison brewing

Due to the numerous poisonous herbs, aquatic plants, mushrooms and roots native there, the witch bogs are the ideal place to collect ingredients for poisons. Some of the most talented poison brewers on the continent have emerged from the various ethnic groups that populate the witch swamps. Witch poisons have brought down countless kings and their tasters.

#### Brewing and Alchemy

The multitude of creature and vegetable ingredients from the swamps are used for the production of all sorts of magical potions, concoctions and alchemy. The conventional brewery is another pillar of the swamp economy. Fermented herbs and swamp vegetables are used to make schnapps while bog hops is processed into bog beer.

##### Mudbrew

Mudbrew is a foul-smelling concoction of liquor, fermented swamp water and who knows what. It is a popular drink among boglin communities and has a high alcohol percentage. Non-boglins should feel deterred by the foul smell alone and stay away from it. It is unknown where the boglins get the alcohol from, but judging by the taste of the brew the process is extremely unappetizing. Nausea and Diarrhea are among the more pleasurable side effects of consuming this muddy mixture.

#### Wood Carving

Not a few skilled carvers and woodworkers can be found among the inhabitants of the bog. They artfully carve talismans, ornate amulets and elaborate fetishes from the various swamp woods. There are also some instrument makers who manufacture strange looking and even stranger sounding wooden wind instruments with lots of whorls and whistles.

#### Butchery

The butchering and processing of meat and fish is a common craft in the Witch's Swamp. Due to the sparse and hostile environment, all parts of the body of the slaughtered animals are processed. It is extremely important to master this craft as a cut in the wrong region of a fish or a toad's organ can lead to the release of bitter substances and sometimes even hallucinogenic, paralyzing or deadly toxins into the food.

##### “Swamp Meat”

A common euphemism for the meat of sentient species. It is usually froglins or woggies, but sometimes boglins, gryplows, or gombwoddles. Certain rarer meats are considered delicacies in some communities, including human meat.

##### Unicorn Meat

The illegal trade and consumption of unicorn meat is very popular among the residents of the Witch's Bogs. The slain unicorns are imported from the Fairy Woods and processed into goulash, brawn, offal soup, roulades, unicorn meat skewers, fillet, steak, meatballs, sauerbraten and unicorn blood sausage. The horns were usually already cut off before importation. Consumption of unicorn meat is illegal everywhere else, making importing it extremely risky and dangerous. Due to the extreme difficulty and rarity of this luxury meat, it fetches high prices in the swamps, and being offered any is considered a great honor. On special occasions such as Sabbaths and Solar Equinoxes, sometimes even whole unicorns are skinned and roasted on skewers over blazing peat fires.The hearts are considered exceptional delicacies and are said to prolong the life of the person who eats them. Other parts of the unicorn are attributed supernatural properties aswell such as liver, kidneys or blood. Eating them is said to promote potency, health and to protect those who consume them from illnesses, curses and misfortune. Unicorn meat can be cooked, boiled, fried, or dried. It tastes wonderful and miraculous. A magical and special sensation over you tongue. They blood tastes like the purest and sweetest water with a tinge of honey and mint. Unicorn meat is a delicious, slightly crunchy beef with sparkling octarine veins. However, pious and honorable people who have unknowingly tasted it describe the sensation as tasting like suffering. As if the Unicorns magical essence infused the meat with all the pain it felt as it was dying. These people describe consuming it as a devastating experience as if they were eating parts of their own body. Should you get your hands on one of the prized unicorn horns, you can sell it in the swamps for exorbitant prices, or grind it into a powder and use it as an ingredient in powerful tinctures and concoctions.

If a player consumes Unicorn Meat roll on the table below:

 5-8
 9-10

##### Unicorn Poaching

To successfully hunt down such a ferocious and elusive creature like the unicorn, there is a tried and tested method that can be used. Be aware that killing such a pure creature is a forbidden and shameful act that will leave dark stains on your soul. and can lead to execution by the rope.

1. Find a female virgin, ensuring her purity is intact.
2. Locate an enchanted glade within the fairy woods where the unicorn is rumored to reside.
3. Have the virgin sing a melodic tune, ideally accompanied by the gentle strings of a harp.
4. The unicorn, drawn to the innocent charm of the virgin and captivated by her angelic song, will cautiously approach.
5. After observing the majestic creature from a distance, patiently wait until it settles down in the lap of the virgin.
6. Exercise caution and avoid becoming overconfident, as losing the virgin would jeopardize the endeavor.
7. Once the unicorn is sound asleep, seize the moment and emerge from your concealed position in the surrounding trees.
8. Use a long, jagged spear ideally made from underbog ore to swiftly stab the unicorn deep into a vital area.
9. Upon successfully acquiring the unicorn's cadaver and horn, rejoice in the profitability of your achievement, as every ounce of this mythical creature is literally worth it's weight in gold.

##### Unicorn Recipe

"Taketh one unicorne"

Ingredients:

* 1 unicorn
* 10 cloves of garlic
* 2 spoons of ground cloves
* Salt and pepper, to taste

	* Begin by purifying the unicorn, ensuring its essence is untainted.
	* In a grand vessel, combine the ground cloves, salt, and pepper
	* Anoint the unicorn with this aromatic blend
	* Allow the unicorn to steep in this concoction for a night, in a cool chamber.
2. Roasting the Unicorn:
	* Ignite a fire and prepare a sturdy griddle
	* Withdraw the unicorn from its chamber and let it attune it's essence to the room's humors.
	* Peel the garlic cloves their pungency adds depth to the unicorn's flavor.
	* Place the unicorn upon the griddle, to be cooked by the heat. Cook for a span of seven turns of the hourglass
3. Serving the Unicorn:
	* Remove the unicorn from the griddle
	* Carve the unicorn with a steady hand to create succulent slices
	* Arrange the unicorn slices upon a platter
	* Adorn the dish with sprigs of fresh herbs
	* Depending on taste, turnips can be served with the roast
	* Present the feast

### Import

* Human slaves (from the Land of Windmills, The Baalps, The Swaying Meadows, The Sleep Poppy Field, Florinth and The Forest of Getting Lost)
* Lost children (same as above)
* Unicorn Flesh (from the Fairy Woods)
* Black magic artifacts (from Okhost)
* Mushrooms (from the Fungest)
* Occult Books (from Biblion)
* Depression (from the Swamp of Sadness)
* Willow wood (from the Swaying Meadows)
* Weapons (from the Witchelven Empire)

### Export

* Ingredients (to the Kingdom of Tarot)
* Poisons (to Florinth)
* Black magic artifacts (to Okhost)
* Swamp Ogre Slaves (to The Witchelven Empire as brothel guards)
* Pitch (to Grobianismus)
* Peat and fish (to surrounding nations)
* Bogwood (to The Baalps, Land of Windmills and Florinth)
* Protective Talismans (to the lands behind the great hedge)
* Crude Weapons (to the other bog nations)
* Drugs (to everyone)

### Trade Routes

Ogrish brutes from the Bog Witches Dominion are exported and used by the witchelven empire as brothel guards. Human slaves are sold to the Empire aswell.