Morbog
The Morbog is a powerful area of forsaken land suffused with necromantic energy and decay from corpses of age-old conflicts, both from The War of the Undying, and the War of Broken Chains. It is a dreary and depressing place of blight, decay, and death that stretches for hundreds of miles, bordering the far eastern tips of Tansia. Its dark influence is monitored and kept in check by the Gatekeepers of the Ironsgate Keep.
The Morbog borders the veil between the Materium and the Blacklands. Here is where the Astral Filament is thinnest between both realms, allowing dark and corrupting negative energies to seep into the world, causing the land itself to rot.
The Morbog was once a lush jungle swampland until an individual named Kusatta the Bloodied sought refuge within the swamp to escape the wrath of the Ak'teshi Empire thousands of years ago during the War of Broken Chains. Here, he and his followers built a series of temple fortresses to defend against the Empire as they studied the arts of Dark Shamanism—what would later become necromancy. These practices grew so intense that the jungle withered away, ripping a wound through the veil to realms beyond. Over the centuries, these temples have since been reclaimed by the
Kusatta commanded the undead that spilled into the world and drowned the Empire in a tide of undeath, heavily contributing to the Ak'teshi's eventual downfall.
During the War of the Undying, Vauldis, like Kusatta before him, ventured to the Morbog and tore through the veil once more. In doing so, he disrupted the natural forces of life and death, causing the dead to rise the world over.
Inch by inch, the Morbog's corrupting influence began to grow like a slow, rolling, glacial plague during the decades of the War, but After Vauldis' defeat, the wound began to slowly heal. However, the constant, slow stream of denizens trickling into reality from the darkness beyond has hindered the process, causing the Morbog to become a permanent, blighted scar upon the world, and the Morbog's growth has since reached a halt; an eternal tug of war between the natural healing processes of the Filament, and the undead creatures that emerge through the wound.
There is no single location of this tear in reality, rather the essence of the Blacklands simply suffuses every once-living thing with the essence of decay. Hints of the Blackland's influence can be seen everywhere: stagnant, black waters, trees that bleed oozing, dark sap of pure, concentrated necromantic energy, and even the air itself is stale with the constant, sourceless scent of decay.
Due to the Morbog's nature, living creatures that die within this corrupt land seldom stay dead for long, and often rise as new undead, creating a risk of so-called 'black spots' forming with their presence—pockets of corruption and weakness in the Astral Filament. The more undead creatures that gather in one place in the Materium for an extended period of time, the larger a black spot becomes, enabling more wild and uncontrolled undead creatures to emerge from beyond the veil. Should a black spot spread irreversibly, more intelligent undead can emerge to coordinate a horde.
It is for this reason why no efforts have been made to forcefully retake the land, as such an effort risks many casualties who may reanimate and cause a terrible flood of undead to overwhelm local defenses.
It is truly unknown how many undead creatures inhabit the Morbog, but one thing is certain. They are mindless, uncoordinated beasts that roam this foul land without aim or reason, and their numbers are kept low, easily picked off, or culled every so often by the Gatekeepers of the Ironsgate Walls before too many can gather.
The Curse of Sorrow
Expeditions out into the Morbog have documented an unsettling phenomenon where individuals exposed to the blighted land suffer despair, sorrow, and a deep sense of hopelessness and melancholy over time, some even to the point of drowning themselves in the Morbog's fetid waters. This is commonly referred to as the 'Curse of Sorrow'. While those with strong wills are able to resist such an effect, the most unfortunate individuals wander the marshes for years, gradually mutating into creatures sometimes called the 'Sorrowsworn' by the Gatekeepers, or rising as undead from the waters they perished in.Sorrow Mechanics
Gaining Sorrow. Just being in the Morbog prompts feelings of hopelessness, loss, gloom, and despair. Multiple times a day, depending on how weak the veil is to the Blacklands, or how much negative energy is affecting an area, the DM will call on all characters to make a Wisdom saving throw (base DC 12, +2 for every existing trait of sorrow gained). A character that fails the saving throw must then roll a d12, conferring with the Sorrow table below, and gains the corresponding Minor Sorrow. If a character previously had a Minor Sorrow, the DM rolls a d20. On a roll of 5-20, the character gains another Minor Sorrow. On a roll of 1-4, an existing Minor Sorrow is intensified into a Major Sorrow. Flaws. Some of the effects of Major Sorrows can create new flaws. Even when the effects of a Major Sorrow are overcome, its flaw remains for 2d10 days, and cannot be removed by any means except by a Wish spell, or if the character works tirelessly to overcome the flaw. This is the nature of the Morbog—and by extension, the Blacklands—slowly corrupting and twisting the character into a being of sorrow, malice, gloom, or hopelessness. Characters that roleplay these flaws well are suggested to receive Inspiration for their efforts. Overcoming Sorrow. Minor Sorrows can be overcome (base DC 12, +2 for every existing trait of sorrow gained) at the end of each Long Rest. A Lesser Restoration spell may remove multiple Minor Sorrows. A Major Sorrow has festered deep within a character’s psyche, and can only be recovered through a Greater Restoration spell or when a character accomplishes a milestone. This could be through a level, or through a significant narrative development for that character. When a Minor or Major Sorrow is overcome, a character feels a renewed sense of purpose and drive. A character that overcomes a Minor or Major Sorrow gains the benefits of a Resolve effect that remains until the next time the character takes a Long Rest. A character cannot benefit from Resolve if the Minor or Major Sorrow was removed through a spell of any kind. A character may overcome multiple traits of Sorrow after a single rest, but a character can only benefit from one Resolve per day. If a character overcomes multiple Sorrow effects in a single day, the player can choose which Resolve effect gives the character the drive and determination for that day. A character cannot gain a similar type of Sorrow to its Resolve effect. A character under the Resolve effect of Graceful after recovering from the Minor Sorrow of Clumsy cannot then regain the Clumsy effect. Instead, no Sorrow is afflicted, no reroll occurs, and nothing changes.| Minor Sorrow | Major Sorrow | Resolve |
|---|---|---|
| 1- Clumsy. Whenever you roll a natural 1 on an attack, skill check, or saving throw, you fall prone | 1 - Butterfingers. When you roll a 1, you fall prone and you drop your weapon. It takes a DC 10 DEX check to pick up your weapon and uses up your bonus action. | 1 - Graceful. Advantage on Acrobatics checks. Advantage on Athletics checks. You may take the Dodge, Dash, or Disengage action as a Bonus Action. |
| 2 - Distracted. You take a -5 penalty to all Initiative rolls and Perception checks. You can’t use your passive perception. | 2 - Absentminded. The -5 penalty is now replaced with Disadvantage on Initiative and Perception checks. Must make DC 10 CON check each turn to maintain concentration on a spell. Can’t use passive perception. You gain the flaw - “I am preoccupied to the extent of being unaware of my immediate surroundings.” | 2 - Alert and Observant. You have Advantage on Perception and Initiative checks, and you can’t be surprised |
| 3 - Sluggish. You can not make opportunity attacks. Your speed is reduced by 5 ft | 3 - Lethargic. In addition to being Sluggish, you also move at half speed. | 3 - Spiritful. Your speed increases by 10 ft. You gain 1 additional bonus action each turn. This can be used to Dash, Disengage, and any other functions of Bonus Actions. |
| 4 - Fatalistic. You have Disadvantage on death saving throws | 4 - Death’s Touch. In addition to being Fatalistic, you are also considered to always have 1 failed death saving throw. You have vulnerability to Necrotic damage. Your skin begins turning grey as you give in to the Blacklands. You gain the flaw: “What’s the point? We’re all going to die sooner or later. This seems as good a time as any” | 4 - Full of Life. You gain temporary hit points equal to 5 times your level. These hit points recover fully between short rests and only deplete at the end of the day. The next time you would drop to 0 hit points, you drop to 1 hit point instead. |
| 5 - Hopeless. You take a -2 penalty to all saving throws | 5 - Despondent. Instead of your -2 penalty to all saving throws, you now have Disadvantage on all saving throws. You gain the flaw: “I don’t believe I can make a difference to anyone or anything” | 5 - Hopeful. You have Advantage on all saving throws |
| 6 - Unconcerned. You take a -5 penalty to all ability/skill checks | 6 - Incompetence. You have Disadvantage on all ability/skill checks. You gain the flaw “I find it difficult to execute tasks, no matter the size or difficulty.” | 6 - Skillful. You have Advantage on all ability/skill checks |
| 7 - Fearful. You have Disadvantage on all Charisma checks. You begin each combat with the Frightened condition, which you can shake off with a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. | 7 - Cowardice. In addition to being Fearful, the Wisdom save to end the Frightened condition increases to 15 If an ally drops to 0 hit points in your presence, and you must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or take the Dash action on your next turn to attempt to flee the battle. You gain the flaw: “I am terrified by any potential danger, every shadow is a hideous monster trying to get me!” | 7 - Bravery. You have Advantage on all Wisdom and Charisma saves. You begin at the top of the Initiative order with no need to roll. If any ally drops to 0 hit points in your presence, you immediately get a free turn to move and take one Action. |
| 8 - Weakness. You have Disadvantage on all STR and CON checks and saves | 8 - Frail. In addition to Weakness, you also have vulnerability to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage | 8 - Hardened. You have Advantage on all Strength and Constitution checks and saving throws. You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. |
| 9 - Drained. Your speed is reduced by 10 ft. Your maximum Hit Points are reduced by 10 until your next long rest. | 9 - Insomnia. In addition to feeling Drained, your maximum Hit Points are instead not restored upon a long rest. | 9 - Refreshed. You gain temporary hit points equal to 5 times your level. These hit points fully recover between short rests and only deplete at the end of the day. When you use hit dice to restore Hit Points, you restore double the amount. |
| 10 - Jittery. You must make DC 10 Consitution saving throw each turn to maintain Concentration on a spell. You also have Disadvantage on Stealth and Investigation checks. | 10 - Impatient. In addition to feeling Jittery, the DC made to maintain concentration each turn is now made at disadvantage. You gain the flaw: “I have an inability to wait. I am constantly at war with time.” | 10 - Composed. Advantage on all Stealth and Investigation checks. Advantage on Charisma and Wisdom Saving throws. You may choose where you would like to go in Initiative order at the start of combat, regardless of rolls. |
| 11 - Mistrustful. Disadvantage on all Charisma checks and Saves. | 11 - Paranoid. In addition to feeling Mistrustful, you cannot move to within 5 ft of an ally at any time. In the direst of circumstances, such as an ally dying, a Wisdom saving throw can negate this temporarily. You gain the flaw: “I feel like everyone is planning to betray me or kill me. There’s only one person I can trust, and only I can see this special friend!” | 11 - Trustworthy. Advantage on all Charisma and Wisdom checks and saving throws. When an ally within 5 ft of you takes damage or is targeted, you can use your reaction to direct that target towards yourself, resisting all damage taken and making any saves with Advantage |
| 12 - Trembling. You have a -2 penalty to all attack rolls. You have Disadvantage on all Dexterity and Wisdom checks and saving throws. | 12 - Scared Stiff. In addition to Trembling, you begin each combat with the Stunned condition. Nothing can prevent this. At the end of your turn, the condition fades. You gain the flaw: “When fear takes me, I retreat to the deepest recesses of my mind, thinking about the most horrible outcomes possible.” | 12 - Resolute. Advantage on all Dexterity, Charisma, and Wisdom checks and saving throws. You can not be charmed, feared, or frightened. You gain Advantage on all attack rolls |
Type
Wetland / Swamp
Location under
Included Locations
Contested By
Morbog Theme
Of all the words in all known languages, none come close to describing the sense of dreariness and hopelessness I felt the first time I stepped into this accursed marsh. It was like the warmth of my blood was siphoned from me. So desperate was this place for any semblance of life it may have once had, that it could steal it from my soul and I would still look upon it with pity. These lands have seen so much sorrow and death. I pray this place may one day return to its former glory, for it cries out for a cure that might not even come.
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