Lokinanda

Lokinanda, coming from "locin nanda", gnomish for "Snakevale", is the name of the swamp in middle of Silver Shore Island. Where most of the island is known for its connection to wonders of Feywild, Lokinanda stands as a stark contrast to this. It is a rotting, vegetated place with treacherous waters and ominous plants. But most importantly, it is home to several beasts and spontaneously appearing undead. It is observed, that sometimes cracks appear looming over the marshland, showing glimpses to gloom sights of Shadowfell.

As the possibly most undesirable place on the entire Island, the swamp has very little traffic despite its central location, making depths of it rather isolated. Swamp is inhabited by several deadly creatures that can live with a couple of rogue skeletons and the occasional zombie. Druids of Lokinanda have claimed the site as their own, living in small tribes, hunting the beast and the dead, and have formed their own culture around it. Meanwhile strange fortress-village Ravenvein looms in gloomiest depth of the swamp, separated from most society.

It is a wild, dangerous place. And it requires a wild, dangerous person to conquer it.

Geography

Lokinanda is located at the north-western side of the Martacorm'hama, better know as the Great Forest. At the edge of this swamp, stands the small village of Silentpass, like a reminder that once you move away from it, you are on your own in this harsh land.
From south, swamp ends at the slopes of Vanwa Dafro mountain, which from several rivers run through the swamp area. Close to the mountain range, the swamp is more kin to a marsh.
Swamp is treacherous, having route passing through it that can barely be called a road: sometimes you see it, sometimes you don't. It is littered with planks, cut tree trunks, and slippery stepping stones that can be easily missed if one is not paying attention. One wrong step, and what you thought as solid ground swallows you under. The whole middle of the swamp appears like it was meant to be a lake, yet someone had it filled with plants, rocks, and mud to hide it and make it partially walk-able.
Part of the marsh has an unpleasant, rotten smell, and in thickets of shrubbery, you cannot see the sun. Where in the forest, you got a colored leaf-canopy reflecting light, in Lokinanda, you feel that the sky has been swallowed by decay.

Fauna & Flora

Swamp gives a home to several wetland plants, animals, and insects as one might expect, but it is also home to several sentient plants like mossdogs and shambling mounds. Also, fey like creatures like displacers beasts and pixies have been spotted in the area, and hags have told to have a coven in this dark place. One of the deadliest things living in the swamp is said to be hydras, that have made it as their nest. These huge, poisonous beasts and their multiple heads have made more destruction than most of the swamp residence combined.

Man grabbing a tree by Simon Wijers

Most haunting creatures, however, are, of course, the undead. Most common undead are zombies, skeletons, and will-o-wisps, however different types of ghosts have been seen to wander in the swampland, including the dangerous banshees. Ghosts haunt these lands, unaffected by typical swamp fauna.
It has been documented, that in 3997, village of Ravenvein was suddenly attacked by group of vampires. This attack was repelled, but with a great cost for the lonely village. It is still unknown how these vampires came about, as swamp has never created vampires before, and they haven't been seen since. It might always stay a mystery, which upsets the locals and has caused a lot of speculations.
There are also several plants and mushrooms in the area that have all kinds of alchemical properties. Ferns and grasses with tall trees may look muddied and rotting, yet they have found a way to thrive in this dark land.

Even with all the beasts, Lokinanda can also be truly beautiful and captivate the traveler in its way. Glowing syrua flowers, fireflies, and untouched wilderness can make travel a little less unpleasant.

Natural Resources

Peat, rare plants, poisons, and magical components are just a few of the interesting things that can be harvested from Lokinanda. Despite its uninviting looks, Lokinanda can be a goldmine for anyone who is going to be ready to put the extra effort to gather its riches. Local Giant Lizards have been trained as mounts for the travelers. Many of the beasts of the area leave behind fangs, leather, bones, and poisons, among other things, that can be very profitable when sold forward.
The most unusual thing gotten from the swamp is necrotic energy. Mage researchers are known to have come and collect this energy for both studies and use to repel or create undead, depending on the situation. This practice has caused some concern, but so far, it hasn't caused any added inconvenience.

Alternative Name(s)

The Bogs

Type

Wetland / Swamp

Location under

Silver Shore Island

Included Locations

• Ravenvein
• Silentpass
• Toad's Rest

Owning Organization

Druidic Tribes of Silver Shore

Contested By

• Druidic Tribes of Silver Shore
• Ravenward

Characters in Location

• Egarn Ghosthunter
• Elion Windwhisper

Dark forest by Krystian Piątek

Appearance of undead

While most of the time undead are considered as works of necromancers, dark arts, curses, restless souls, and corruption of the land, yet this isn't always the case. Lokinanda is one of the examples of this. These places do not have undead because of any specific ill, even though they do attract troublemakers of all sorts, but because of naturally thin barrier with the realm of Shadowfell. Spontaneous creation of undead is caused by Shadowfell's essence colliding with the prime material world, and rogue energy waking up the dead.
There is no real solution on how to stop this phenomenon, as any actual magical corruption does not cause it, but an alignment issue between two planes. As such, most tries to fix it have caused more trouble than they have solved, if they have done anything at all. This unfortunate state does, however, make the area particularly interesting to those who wish to learn bout necrotic energy, without harming anyone in the process. In Silentpass village, there is a research center of Silver Shore Academy of Magi for this specific purpose.
Area is guarded by Druids of Lokinanda and their more dedicated group the Bogbusters, as well as mysterious Ravenward of Ravenvein. Both group specialize destroying undead and keeping the swamp orderly so it doesn't cause further harm for the islanders or keep spreading. Despite their common goals, relationship between the two is difficult at best and even hostile. Exact reasons for this are unknown, but Ravenward has been rumored to use blood magic and steal children to recruit more members, which might be part of the reason for this animosity.