Skullmire Marsh

"It is not safe for you squishy beings to roam here. To many sharp teeth and slimy hands in the bog. They like your type, eat them quick. Don't go near the river, even we scaled ones avoid the river. Dead elves there, too many to fight and they all shriek and scream at once. You go mad. No. You squishy go home and forget about this place."

- Lizardfolk hunter to traveler

Geography

East of the Springblossom Road lies the wetlands known as Skullmire Marsh. It stretches from where the Elfbane River flows out of the Tevich Mountains and ends where the river forms a small lake. It creates a buffer to the Everwood on the eastern side.
The closest towns are Marish and Northrain Village. Technically the marsh is part of the Duchy of Tarna, but no government or armed forces are stationed near it. Instead the folk of Marish seem to be the ones most concerned about using the resources and braving the dangers of the marsh.

Ecosystem

Mud and boggy land are what you will find in the marsh. In some places certain trees adapted to moist soil, but other portions contain only low growing foliage and weeds. The air is always humid with a decaying smell hanging around. Very little wind reaches this spot.
Typically explorers find reptiles, birds and plenty of insects in the marsh. There are stories of large mollusks living in the river and around very moist fungal areas. Amphibians and fish are found in the river as well, and some do get quite large.
A few clans of lizardfolk have made homes in the marsh. They tend to be found between the river and Everwood. They send traders and hunters to small camps hear the Marish side of the swamp to trade and meet with locals from that village.

Natural Resources

Skilled hunters find plenty of challenge in the Skullmire Marsh. Marsh cranes are good eating when you can get them. The Studded Toad can be prepared with the right herbs to make a delicious stew. Some of the lizardfolk clans in the marsh have a number recipes for the mollusks in the area. 
Peat is harvested from the bogs and used for heating in many of the farms along Marsh Road and Vineyard Road. It is also used in forts throughout the Duchy of Tarna.

History

Little is known about this land before the Liberation of the North occurred after The Cataclysm. It is said that the land used to be beautiful and elves from the Elfwood would come to it relax away from the more populous center of what is now Everwood. A few explorers of the marsh have noted elven structures still visible in a few places closer to the mysterious woods. There is even an elven bridge crossing the Elfbane River, but it has a dark reputation.
Stories from the time of the Liberation tell of the elven contingent of the Imperial army lead by Epistor Euenor. It is said he was eager to see the famous Elf Wood for himself, having only dim memories of it as a very small child. Others say he was seeking possible allies that may still be dwelling in the abandoned forest. It is said he did not expect to find the land around the river to be so boggy, and his contingent was slowed in their approach. Brotos the Chaotic learned of Euenor's folly and sent his forces to attack and massacre the elves. Legend says they fought bravely along the river and around the lake, but were destroyed almost completely, with a few elven scouts breaking free and able to join the rest of the liberation army. Euenor himself was torn apart by Brotos' three heads. 
From that day on the river was called Elfbane, and the spirits of the dead do not rest in the marsh. When explorers came back to the spot after the Liberation, they found many elf skulls affixed to trees or on sharp roots or rocks throughout the marsh. It was given the name Skullmire, and now has a reputation for being haunted.

Alternative Name(s)

Cursed Swamp, Haunted Marsh, Lizard Land

Type

Wetland / Swamp

Location under

Lands of Tarna

Owner/Ruler

Fulvia Dawntraveler

Owning Organization

Duchy of Tarna

Characters in Location

• Emeni Majus
• Tomuk