Ovenga Swamp

At the base of the Laeland peninsula the earth sticks to travelers feet, and mysterious creatures prowl through the muck and stench. Though most of the continent is wild and untamed, no place is as unknown and intimidating as the Ovenga Swamp. No human settlements have gone there, no trade passes through there, and any who have tried to traverse the swamp, have been lost for good. All sorts of interesting flora and fauna are native to the swamp, but remain largely unstudied in popular alchemy.

Geography

The swamp sits in a foot of water in most every part. Dry land is impossible to find, but less wet land can be found very sparingly. The trees grow thick and clustered, with some stretches of open water, though these are largely avoided by indigenous creatures, as they have more room for larger predators. There are pockets of soil throughout the swamp that act similar to quicksand, not total submerging-ly so, but enough to make overland travel slow and difficult.

Localized Phenomena

Rumors say that the swamp itself is alive, and swallows up anyone who dares enter - the core of these rumors being that the swamp itself moves, as if it was a creature.

Fauna & Flora

Just as unknown as this region are the strange interactions and relationships among the more intelligent denizens of the swamp. Of course at the bottom of the food chain are normal beasts; fish, frogs, water birds, and crocodiles. While no traditionally "civilized" group resides in the swamp, it is home to some social groups of advanced creatures, namely the bullywugs and vegepygmys - races of creatures unknown to the other civilizations of the world. The bullywugs are very territorial, and believe themselves to be the predestined rulers of the swamp, and all others must pay them tribute and the strange amphibian gods they revere. The vegepygmys on the other hand are much less high and mighty, and simply looking to defend their home, just don't make them angry and they're likely to tolerate newcomers. 

Towards the top of the ecological chain are fearsome monsters that kill sometimes for the sheer pleasure of destruction; rot and venom trolls, the horrid catoblepas, strange froghemoths, and gigantic crocodiles. Lost to history is the story of a council of wizards that were cursed and contorted into hideous, carrion bird-like creatures - the nagpa - but it is believed that one of these powerful entities has made its home in the Ovenga Swamp. On its own level is the largest and undoubetly most powerful inhabitant of the swamp, who is also the source of rumors of the swamp itself moving - Zaratan. 

Key Locations

There are a few notable locations in the swamp, tied to the more advanced denizens. The bullywugs make their homes in small patches of open area surrounded by dense trees, to provide some natural protection. They don't mind the elements, and prefer sleeping among the mud, so if it weren't for the presence of numerous bullywugs, it would be difficult to even identify their homes. The vegepygymy tribe took up in a similarly defensible and hidden place, where the first of their tribe were produced. It's easy to overlook that the pygmys reside in the overgrown, decayed corpse of an ancient black dragon, as it has been covered by centuries of moss and fungi, but provides the perfect dark, damp environment the pygmys need.

Type

Wetland / Swamp

Bullywug Treasure: Gem of Brightness