Fence at the Frozen Fen

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" The older of the two children exclaimed.
"That deer over there, behind the fence. It's smiling at me, like a dog."

— A child, pointing at a deer across the fence from them

Not many travel far enough off the beaten path to this Fen. Located North, but not North enough. Whatever mysteries the other side of the fence hold, few peoples curiosity runs deep enough for them to cross the fence. If you were to cross the fence, as there have been some who do, you would not be allowed to leave. Many think those who cross the fence perish on their way to Nuren knows where. They do not. They would reach a small village past the treeline, soaked to the hips from crossing the Fen. They would be found half-dead just outside the village, and they would be brought back from the brink of death by and elixir that falls from the sky. When they awake, they would be welcomed by the people of the village as if they were a special guest. They would be lead out of the village to the middle of the woods close to the village. They would be tied to a fence post and left there. This is the ritual known as the "Marking" ceremony. Once the traveller passes out, the villagers leave. None of them know what happens afterwards. The beings that keep the villagers there would come out of hiding to inspect the traveller. If the traveller passes inspection, they are given a magical implant behind their ear and a tattoo to mark which family gets to claim them. When they awake, they are untied and lead through the village in a parade. They will always feel as if there is something they're forgetting, though.

Flora and Fauna

Many things in this world don't make sense. One of them is the fauna of the Fen. Deer with canine-like mouths and appetites. Butterflies with razor blade teeth. Snakes with stingers. No one knows where these anomalies come from. Many would guess the god of this land, Phestis, is behind the abominations that the Fen produces.

The Truth

Phestis is a very rich and powerful man who decided to use his money for slightly nefarious purposes. His whole operation has been going on for 50 years. He abducted unknowing specimens and dumped them behind the fence, which encloses the fen entirely. His social experiment to see how far magic and science can be pushed has resulted in the mutation of the local fauna. The people who have lived in this village for five decades have also begun to mutate due to the consumption of the mutated fauna. There is a small team of accomplices that know about the experiment. The kingdom turns a blind eye to it as Phestis has saved many of the nobles and specifically the royalty from death by The Soul's Wasting. Many of the noble families fund his project but do not know about it.