The Bog of Lies

“The paths here do not lead where you think. The voices do not tell the truth. The ground does not wish you well.”

A land of drowning mist and whispered deceit, the Bog of Lies is a sprawling, nightmarish swamp stretching across northwestern Everwealth, its putrid waters and shifting pathways a haven for every foul legend to ever be whispered in fear. It is a place where the land itself seems to weave deception, where whispers drift through the air, promising safety while leading travelers to their doom. Those who venture into the bog are seldom seen again, and those who return speak of horrors both real and unreal, witches behind every tree, voices calling from the fog, beasts that do not walk, but slither just beyond sight. Even the ground is untrustworthy, the bog collapsing into unseen sinkholes, the water grasping at boots and ankles as if it wishes to drag wanderers beneath. Snaketongue River, flowing from the Boulderrain Woods in the north, weaves its thin, twisting course through the bog, its dark waters cutting through the mist like a poisoned blade. Some believe even the river to be cursed, a wellspring of life corrupted by the bog, that those who drink from it will find themselves lost, their souls slipping away with the current. It is a land of turmoil, where the beasts, the voices, the land itself seem to exist in a loose, chaotic cooperation, as though the bog is one massive, malicious entity, spreading its will through every lurking creature and every lie carried on the wind. Few call the Bog of Lies home, and fewer still enter willingly. Those who do, whether by foolish curiosity or grim necessity, rarely leave unchanged, if they leave at all.

Geography

The Bog of Lies is an expansive mire, stretching across northwestern Everwealth, bordered by the Boulderrain Woods to the north. The Snake-Tongue River, a winding, treacherous waterway, carves through its depths, never forming a lake but flooding the land just enough to create a labyrinth of shifting marshes, half-submerged forests, and hidden sinkholes. The terrain is an unpredictable nightmare, with patches of seemingly solid land giving way beneath the unwary. The bog is a labyrinth of broken tree roots, stagnant waters, and drifting islands of vegetation, making it nearly impossible to navigate without an experienced guide, and even they sometimes vanish.

Ecosystem

Life in the Bog of Lies exists in a state of calculated cruelty. The beasts that lurk within are not only adapted to the bog but seem attuned to its deception, blending into the mist, striking when least expected. The plants, twisted and unnatural, are as treacherous as the land itself, luring prey with false promises of nourishment before ensnaring them in thorn and root. More unnerving still are the intangible things, the whispers that do not belong, the cold hands that brush against skin but leave no form to be seen. The bog is a place where madness and reality blur, where one’s own senses become the greatest threat.

Ecosystem Cycles

Unlike the predictable rhythms of nature, the Bog of Lies does not seem to follow normal seasonal shifts. While it experiences colder winters and wetter summers, the difference is minimal, its waters remain choked with rot, its mist ever-present, and its paths just as treacherous as the day before. Some believe the bog has no cycle at all, that it exists outside the flow of time, an eternal prison of deception and decay.

Localized Phenomena

• The Whispering Fog - A phenomenon where low, echoing voices drift through the mist, sometimes calling in familiar tones, leading travelers further from safety.

• The False Paths - Routes that seem stable and dry one moment, only to collapse into endless sinking bog the next. Many die within arm’s reach of safety, unaware their final steps led them in circles.

• The Hungering Waters - Some claim that the water itself consumes flesh, that bodies thrown into the bog dissolve faster than nature should allow.

• The Lanterns of the Lost - Strange, distant lights, flickering between trees and over still waters, always just far enough to tempt a traveler forward, only for them to vanish at the worst possible moment.

Climate

The Bog of Lies is permanently damp, cold, and choked with mist, regardless of the season. The air is thick with decay, a mixture of stagnant water, rotting wood, and something worse, something no one can quite describe. Rain falls often, but the bog never feels cleansed, as if the water itself is cursed to carry the filth of the land.

Fauna & Flora

• Burnbrambles - Thorned brambles that inflict burns upon contact, blending seamlessly with the twisted roots of the bog.

• Razortoads - Massive, bulbous toads whose spiked hides tear flesh, making them as deadly as they are grotesque.

• Nightfin Eels - Black, almost spectral fish that appear in the bog’s deeper waters, promising safety with their stillness to luring prey into their teeth in the murk below.

• Bog Serpents - Vast river-serpents cloaked in bluish-green scales, said to wait just beneath the surface near the Snaketongue’s western fork. Sailors claim their yellow eyes mark the last thing you’ll see before the boat vanishes beneath the bog’s breathless waters.

Natural Resources

• Shadeberries - Rare, moonlit berries that grow in isolated patches of the bog, used for highly sought-after dyes and pigments.

• Frostbite Root - Found only in the bog’s coldest pockets, its chilled flesh is used to reduce fever and preserve meat.

• Leech Lord Venom - Extracted from the massive, parasitic leeches of the swamp, this poison is both feared and revered for its numbing properties.

• Mire-Iron - A rare, mud-dark metal found deep beneath the bog, rumored to hold strange properties when forged into weapons.

History

The Bog of Lies has no written beginning, only whispered warnings passed through generations. Some say it was once a great forest, cursed into ruin. Others claim it has always been this way, a place where the dead do not rest, and the land itself seeks vengeance. There are ruins buried in the swamp, hints of a forgotten civilization, but none who attempt to uncover their secrets ever return to share them.

Tourism

Few visit the Bog of Lies willingly, it is not a place of wonder, but of dread. However, some still brave its depths:

• Treasure Seekers - Drawn by rumors of lost relics, drowned riches, and the hidden ruins that lie beneath the filth.

• Witch Hunters - Hoping to prove, disprove, or destroy the whispered figures said to dwell in its shadows.

• Desperate Fugitives - Those with nowhere else to run, who would rather risk a life among the bog’s terrors than the justice of the world beyond.

• Mire Iron Harvesters - Shovel and Pick wielding opportunists armed to the teeth to brave the cursed bog in-search of valuable Mire-Iron.

For most, however, the Bog of Lies is not a destination. It is a fate. A cruel, patient trap waiting for the next fool to step inside.

Alternative Name(s)

'The Drowning Maw ', 'The Witch’s Weave '.

Inhabiting Species

• Bog Serpents
• Harrowgulls
• Leech Lords

Related Materials

• Mire-Iron