Shadowfen
The Shadowfen is a vast, haunted mire stretching across the southeastern reaches of the Noctavian Empire—a region of dense, gnarled forests, fetid bogs, and spectral fog. Bound to the dominion of Queen Morrigane the Veilwalker, it is a land where the veil between the living and the dead is thin, fragile, and often torn. It is not merely dangerous—it is alive in a way that few dare to understand.
Geography
The terrain is a suffocating tapestry of swamp-forest, drowned glades, and low, rotting plains:
- Murkwoods: The heart of the Shadowfen, where trees with blackened bark twist upward like grasping hands. The canopy is thick enough to dim the daylight into perpetual twilight.
- The Deadwater Veins: A network of slow-moving, dark rivers and stagnant channels. Some say they were once living waterways, now cursed to flow with forgotten memories and ghost-blood.
- Bog Islands: Mounds of land, often floating or shifting, are covered in fungi and weeping vines. Many serve as resting places for forgotten shrines, grave-trees, and bone-markers.
- Wraithlight Hollows: Areas where a dim, violet-blue glow clings to the mist. These places are spiritually saturated—dangerous, but powerful for necromantic rituals.
Localized Phenomena
The veil between worlds is thinner in the Shadowfen than almost anywhere else:
- Ghosts wander openly, some confused, others bound by duty or vengeance.
- The Chorus of the Hollow, a continual moaning on the wind, is believed to be the death-song of spirits passing through.
- Eidolonic Echoes, images of past events, replay themselves in loops of spectral memory.
These effects make the Shadowfen a place of pilgrimage for necromancers, death-priests, and those seeking closure with the dead.
Climate
Perpetually damp, the air of the Shadowfen is heavy with mist and decay. Rainfall is frequent, though often more like weeping drizzle than storms. Lightning without thunder is a common omen, and the fog here does not disperse with sun or wind.
Fauna & Flora
The Shadowfen is home to both natural and unnatural life:
- Corpse Blossoms bloom where the dead are most restless.
- Mawroot Vines drag prey into sinkholes.
- Hollow Elders, sentient trees, whisper secrets to those who listen—or madness to those who don’t.
- Ghost-wasps, carrion moths, and skeletal beasts prowl the fen by night.
- Spirit-bound animals called Shadeborn are common companions to witches and wraith-priests
History
Most outsiders fear the Shadowfen. Stories of travelers never returning—or returning hollow-eyed and broken— abound. Even the other kingdoms of the Noctavian Empire tread lightly when invoking Morrigane’s name.
Certain taboos include:
- Speaking the name of a dead loved one aloud without offering blood.
- Carrying iron into the fen without wrapping it in mourning cloth.
- Denying a ghost when it asks for your name.
Though feared, the Shadowfen holds arcane, spiritual, and political power within the Empire:
- Its necromancers and wraithbinders are among the most powerful in the realm.
- It is rich in rare herbs, soul-bound materials, and spectral energies.
- It maintains a delicate but formidable balance between life, death, and sovereignty.
Tourism
Settlements and Landmarks:
- The Shrouded Court: A city-palace half-sunken in the heart of the fen where Queen Morrigane resides. Shifting in and out of phase, it is rarely found by those who do not carry a token of the dead.
- Weepmoor: A small town built on wooden platforms over the bog, where professional mourners and bone-scribes ply their trade.
- The Hollow Mirror: A perfectly still pool of black water where it is said the living can speak with the dead if they cut themselves before gazing into it.
Comments