The Bloodmire

The Bloodmire is an expansive region of humid swampland that bears a tremendous curse of mutated blood - sitting at the heart of the Darish De'Cour Riverlands. Where wetlands are drenched with water and mud, the Bloodmire is flooded by a diseased, watery blood called bloodwater. Plants that have adapted to this new life in the bloodwater grow densely in various shades of rusty red and stained browns. Besides the trees grasping above the bloodwater’s surface, a vast array of ferns, reeds, and choking vines dot the landscape.

The scraping, splashing, and humming of the ravenous beasts and insects that call this swamp their home serves as an ever-present reminder that blood, like water, is life. Many of these creatures have adapted to their new habitat, and those that survive the diseases of the swamp frequently become carriers of its cursed sicknesses. It is overwhelmingly hot and humid, seemingly unaffected by the time of year. This, in conjunction with the constant thrumming of nature and limited view of the sky, makes the tracking of time and position nearly impossible - even for the local settlements.

Settlements located in the Bloodmire are typically transient in one way or another, as the shifting muck and inconsistent blood level necessitate easy adaptability. Whether constructed from anchored boats or on stilts, or lashed treehouses, tremendous stubbornness is required to survive here. Various humanoids ill-suited to upper society might make their home in the Bloodmire, far away from the prying eyes of law-keepers or invading armies.

The slow but constant flow of bloodwater rippling through the Bloodmire can be deceptive, for the canopies above and impenetrable depths below hide abundant wildlife. Ferns and vines sway ever so slightly, bringing a muted dripping as red condensation falls back to the ground. Isolated sunbeams struggle to bring a muted orange light through breaks in the branches above. A hard metallic tang assails the nose, and every surface is slick with the ever-present bloodwater.

Geography

The Deadtrees

There are many lands and regions in the Dragondown Coast that are inhospitable or outright dangerous, but the Deadtrees is one of the worst. Today, whatever the cause, the forest itself is sickly and ill-seeming, and many of the trees and plants are reportedly semi-sentient and hostile. The numerous species of creatures that haunt the place are invariably strong, malevolent, and fierce, and in many cases quite unnatural.

The Plague-Mort

High in the canopy, a large number of giant mosquitoes have made a strange hive that’s reminiscent of a wasp’s nest. The local refugees weren’t concerned about the hive until the insects started abducting children and other small adults. They suspect that the people stolen are being used to build, or possibly feed, something deep within the hive’s labyrinthian tunnels.

Gardmore Abbey

This striking ruin is a large monastery that has lain in ruins for almost 150 years. The abbey was dedicated to Bahamut and served as the base of a militant order of paladins who won great fame fighting in Nerathi's distant crusades. As the story goes, the paladins brought a dark artifact back from a far crusade for safekeeping and evil forces gathered to assault the abbey and take it back. Extensive dungeons lie beneath the ruins, which might still conceal the hoarded wealth of the old crusading paladins.

Andok Sur, City of the Dead

While the Gardmore Abbey may be the upper most level of the Bloodmire, it is Andok Sur that is truly the beating heart of the Dragondown Coast. Elidyr's Folly, when Nusemnee, The Rainbow Serpent - Female-Husband of Bahamut, the Platnium Dragon, sacrificed herself to save the scarred lands, Andok Sur was shattered. It fell into the earth and was buried, to be forgotten by time and history. Now the cyclopean ruins of the Imperium can be seen all across the Dragondown Coast - with few truly understanding what lays beneath their feet.

Settlements of the Bloodmire

• Treewater: After the tumult of war, famine, poor luck, or seeking respite from the law, a dozen scattered refugees have staked their small dwellings on the few hills of muddy earth. They scrape by in equal parts due to their stubborn dedication, and by their kindness to those in similar circumstances.

• Sly-Var: A sprawling network of constantly repaired treehouses and lashed rope lodge a coalition of reluctant Mongrel-Folk and mutants trying to resist their curse. Their special bloodfern tea that helps control their cravings for rage and minimizes their mutations.

Alternative Name(s)

The Gardbury Downs

Type

Cove