The Blademire
Once, this was a wide open forest, until the battle that overtook it. It was a great battle between the dryad empire and their orc troops against the Upalga civilization. The winner is unknown, but it could be said that both sides lost due to the massive flood. A great flood washed over the battlefield, drowning both sides before settling into a large swamp. A massive swamp filled with dead bodies and rusted weapons, that became known as The Blademire. Those who pass through the bog say there are weapons and arrows poking out of the water, like they were driven into the ground. They also say to be cautious, as the mass death caused ghosts to haunt the battlefield: soldiers denied their rest who animate their ancient armor in search of a better death.
Geography
The Blademire is a flooded forest, and while the old forest retains a strong hold in the area many swamp dwelling species of both plants and animals have moved in as well. The ground is mostly flooded in several feet of water, though between dead foliage and mud clogged roots there are plenty of small islands large enough for one or two humanoids to stand on.
Localized Phenomena
The thing the Blademire is known for, aside from the debris of the battle, is the skeletal soldiers walking around. The ancient bones of the warriors sometimes animate, causing the rusted armor to once again clutch the remains of their weapons and wander around, searching for a proper death. Primarily the orcish skeletons animate, their souls dissatisfied with this ignoble death. They will fight anything that they see as a proper challenge, from strong looking beasts to travelers wandering the swamp. The church of Skaljigan will sometimes send adventurers into the swamp to give these restless dead a warrior's death and put them to rest.
Fauna & Flora
While many swamp dwelling animals have moved in, from frogs to herons to a wide variety of fish, most of the plants remain from the mire's days before the flood. The trees have had to adapt to the wet, loose mud instead of soil, but they have managed it well. Their roots have had to dig deeper and wider to keep them anchored in the mud, but the changes were minor. The mix has also given rise to local varieties of creature, like the Diving Owl, who has changed from swooping mice to swooping fish. Several other woodland species remain, like a species of sugar glider who glides between the trees as before and a species of large deer that has remained largely unchanged, as the water barely reaches its belly.
A tribe of Bufonura have also moved in, building a small settlement called Sogroot on the edges of the Blademire. They have built their homes high in the trees to avoid the skeletal marauders, and use their massive jumps to reach their homes in a single leap. Sogroot has become a popular foothold for those venturing into the swamp, with those entering the dangerous swamp stopping by the village to resupply and perhaps hire a guide. Several of the frogfolk have made a living keeping outsiders alive as rangers.
History
This patch of forest was known for a high density of Copperroot trees, which were valued for their hard and beautiful copper colored wood. The upalga set out to harvest these trees, but unknown to them a group of dryads lived in the woods nearby and objected to their logging efforts. The dryads tried to get the upalga to leave, they refused and tried to drive the dryads away, the dryads called in the empire and their orcs, and the tensions escalated rapidly. Eventually, the two sides got into a battle. The orcs and the drayds vs the upalga, watering the trees with each others blood. The source of the water has been lost to history. Some scholars believe the upalga lost control of their magic and summoned a flood, others believe the piles of corpses angered some local water elemental or lake god by polluting it's home so it drowned them all, but the result was the same. A flood ripped through the battlefield, washing away orcs, dryads and upalga alike. Several trees were uprooted as well, and the ground was churned into mud. When the water settled, both sides were devastated and the forest had been turned into a shallow swamp. Orcish and Upalgan weapons stuck out from the water, with the bodies entombed in the mud.
Eventually, swamp loving creatures began to move into the new swamp, like waterfowl with fish and frog eggs stuck to them. The flooded forest slowly but surely came back to life. Much of the forest wildlife fled the swamp when the flood washed through, though many returned when things had quieted down. Later, a group of Bufonura settled on the edge of the swamp and established a village they called Sogroot.
Tourism
While most people steer clear of the haunted swamp full of murderous skeletons, that is exactly the place some adventurers are crazy enough to go. Between the ancient relics of war and the resources of the swamp, plenty of adventurers have reason to go wading in the muck, despite the angry skeletons. Those same skeletons also draw the church of Skaljigan, who seek to put these restless bones to their final rest. They hate the undead, and hope to bring these restless spirits to their god so they may enjoy their eternal peace.
Sogroot has benefited from all those who want to journey into the swamp. As the only speck of civilization in the marsh, those who want to go adventuring in the swamp usually stop by Sogroot to hire a guide or buy supplies, which has meant a steady income for the bufonura.
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