Swamp of Sadness

## History

The Swamp of Sadness has been inhabited by fey as far back as anyone can remember, but it was long been ignored by humans prior to roughly 241 BBE, when the Khenomeric Empire managed to establish the province of Mareador in the lands east of the swamps. Mareador was a true frontier province consisting of a few ports, well fortified roads leading to said ports, and unpredictable human and fey tribes that rarely stayed bribed for long. The Khenomeric Empire had hoped Mareador would allow them to establish northern oceanic trade routes, but both the climate and the inhabitants of the north coast proved too hostile, instead, Mareador became a launching point for risky expeditions into the western swamps and bogs, including what quickly became known as the Swamp of Sadness for the large number of expeditions lost there.

Following many disastrous attempts, the Khenomeric Empire managed to forge a road through the drier portions of the swamp which connected Mareador to newly established colonies in the Fungest. However, the road was rarely used as travel by sea was safer despite frequent storms. The road did allow the Empire to claim the entirety of the Swamp, not that anyone else cared.

Due to losses during the Battle of Empires, the Khenomeric Empire pulled their garrison out of the Swamp, thus ending any meaningful human habitation.

Little else of note has happened here ever since, aside from a wave of swamp ogres that settled the region following their failed rebellion against the Bog Witch.

## Government

The Swamp of Sadness is fey territory, and the handful of faerie lords who live here are the closest thing it has to leadership for many of the swamp’s inhabitants. The main faerie lords of note here at The Wise Ancient One (who generally shuns those seeking his wisdom), Myaxipgoba (who leads the mushroomites in the Swamp), The Goblin King (actually an elf-like faerie lord ruling over some goblins), and Corpse Dream (whose sadistic games are often ensnare Swamp inhabitants, some more willingly than others).

## Economy

The inhabitants of the Swamp are hunter-gatherers, with different groups harvesting different plants and animals depending on their dietary preferences. Fish, crustaceans, and wild swamp onion are staple diets for several races.

## Foreign Relations

### **Bog of Eternal Stench**

The Stench Bog was created several centuries ago. Before that it was a part of the Dominion, and still essentially is. The few creatures that inhabited the Bog rarely have much reason to cross into the Swamp, or visa-versa.

### **The Fungest**

The inhabitants of the Fungest mostly find the Swamp to waterlogged and nutrient poor to support their lifestyle, however, some mushroomites led by Myaxipgoba do live in the Swamp.

### **Dominion of the Bog Witch**

The Daughter whose territory is closest to the Swamp is Urkdra, who cares little for politics, economics, leadership, or conquest, and is essentially an extremely powerful hunter. Neither Urkdra nor any of the more prominent individuals in her realm enter the Stench Bog, but sometimes other powerful individuals from the Dominion enter the Stench Bog, and from there may even enter the Swamp. Despite the lack of interest the Dominion has shown in the Swamp, a certain amount of corruption has seeped indirectly into this region, adding to its already dark reputation.

## Geography

The terrain is not unsurprisingly mostly swamp, though in some areas it is bog or marshland, and in others there is small hills covered in mixed forests, and occasionally even mushroom forests. It was once possible to travel the Swamps fairly quickly via roads painstakingly built by the Khenomeric Empire to connect hills to each other, but now most of these roads have eroded away.

A handful of crumbling Khenomeric forts still exist in the Swamp, but there are no other buildings, as most of the inhabitants live in the open or in caves.

Due to the cold ocean air mixing with the warm air from the south, the region is frequently covered in fog, and is often hit with violent storms.

## Demographics

### **Mushroomites**

These small mushroom looking sprites are mostly found in the western part of the Swamp, but are still likely the most numerous inhabitants. Some think these mushroomites are connected via a hive mind to the faerie lord Myaxipgoba, but others think that the mushroomites follow their normal social structure, and Myaxipgoba is just be one of several faerie lords with an affinity for mushroomites and fungi in general. Some of the mushroomites are Muscarins, but others are not, the reason for this is unknown.

### **Swamp and Pale Ogres**

Some swamp ogres came here following the failed rebellion, others all ready lived in the Swamp, and others are fairly recent arrivals. Whether a particular ogre tribe considers themselves loyal to the Dominion or not actually doesn’t have much impact on their behavior, they spend their time hunting pretty much anything weaker than them, but can often be bullied into temporarily serving something stronger than them.

### **Will-o-wisps**

They are fairly common in the Swamp, luckily many of the Swamp’s inhabitants don’t drown easily.

### **Wisp Fairies**

Often mistaken for will-o-wisps from a distance, they are small winged feminine humanoids that can glow at will. Although more attractive than many fairy subraces, they are still sadistic little pricks that enjoy causing problems for others.

### **Goblins**

A few goblins have ended up in the Swamp for one reason or another, where they typically settle in a ruined fort or a cave network. Often several subraces will be present in a tribe, including cave goblins, cave boglins, swamp boglins, mushroom goblins, grutzlings, glubbos, gombwoddles, blorgs, and various strange hybrids collectively known as swamp goblins.

### **Other Fey and Swamp Creatures**

A few other individuals live in the Swamp including kikimora, froglins, and swamp gnomes (both corrupted and uncorrupted). Others are one of a kind like the faerie lords, the circle of talking mushroom heads, and the infamous werewolf Garm.

### **Assorted Visitors**

Occasionally humans, root dwarves, and others will find themselves in the Swamp. Some are shipwrecked, others are seeking out one of the faerie lords, and others are simply passing through. Although the Swamp is home to several dangerous monsters, it is empty for the most part, and one can wander for days without encountering anything dangerous. Most such individuals don’t linger for long, but a few may find themselves enslaved.

## Religion

Most of the fey and fey related beings in the Swamp don’t care much for religion. Although some have creation myths similar to other fey, they believe the gods have little interest in the present world, and they don’t worry much about the afterlife, even those who are effectively immortal.

The closest thing to worship they do is the respect they pay to the local faerie lords.

The Wise Ancient One is a massive turtle said to be one of the wisest beings in the world. He is infamously grumpy and unhelpful though, yet still the desperate of the Swamp and nearby nations will go to great lengths to track him down for a few sage words.

The Goblin King is an exiled elf-like faerie lord who generally leads one or more goblin tribes from the largest of the old Khenomeric forts. Like many unseelie fey, he is a self-centered narcissist who enjoys tormenting and manipulating others, but rarely puts his abilities to productive or even rationale uses. His goblins and other servants mostly serve him out of fear, but their interactions with him have strong god-servant undertones, such are his expectations for praise.

Myaxipgoba is a gigantic, hunched creature vaguely resembling a turtle or a crab made of fungi. The mushroomites of the Swamp treat him like their god, though he is a reclusive being that helps his followers when needed, and expects little in return.

Corpse Dream is a particularly unpleasant faerie lord who likes to orchestrate grim fates for those who catch her interest. She is a shapeshifter who often appears in dreams, nightmares or hallucinations of those passing through the Swamp, particularly if they are depressed or otherwise emotionally vulnerable. She sometimes enlists other Swamp inhabitants for her games, most serve her out of fear, but will-o-wisps and wisp fairies practically worship her.

## Military

The inhabitants of the Swamp are generally able to defend themselves, and are indifferent to the rare attempts by outsiders to occupy parts of their territory.

Aside from the unpleasant inhabitants, hostile terrain, and lack of useful resources, the coastal areas of the Swamp are also a breeding ground for certain sea monsters like the Northern Groper, making even coastal settlements risky, though reckless fishermen from neighboring nations still occasionally risk it.