Maldoral, the Black Marsh
The dark twisted trees of the marsh seemed to stare defiantly at Anorendor as he approached. He was warned never to enter this accursed place, and often he had advised others against it. This time was different. A child had gone missing, a member of his congregation. The girl was last seen near the edge of the swamp. Search parties had combed every inch of land outside the tree line to no avail. Their only hope of finding her was to enter the black marsh.
Anorendor turned to the members of the search party to speak. "If there are any of you who wish to turn back, do so now. If you stay I cannot guarantee your safety, but by Solorin's light I will do my best to safe guard you." They were hesitant. They all trusted the half elf with their lives but they too had heard the horror stories of those who entered. The few who managed to return were never the same. "Very well then" he said. "I do not blame you. I shall enter alone. If I do not return before nightfall, you must continue on without me." With mace in one hand and holy symbol in the other, Anorendor walked forward.
The ground was muddy and covered in creeping moss. With every step he felt as if the fetid earth would swallow him whole. The air was thick with fog and smelled like rotting corpses. As he moved deeper into the marsh the trees became so dense that their gnarled branches blotted out the sun. "Lucky for me that I carry the sun with me." thought Anorendor as he lifted his holy symbol. He spoke a prayer to Solorin causing the amulet to shed bright white light.
The swamp was quiet, too quiet. No sound could be heard but his labored breath as he struggled to breath the noxious air, and the squelching sound of his foot falls in the mud and murk. He could feel as if he were being watched. Sure enough, just beyond the dome of light, malevolent eyes gawked hungrily at the young cleric. These beasts of death longed for the taste of living flesh. If not for the holy light keeping them at bay they would have set upon Anorendor like a pack of ravenous wolves. With faith that his light would protect him Anorendor pressed onward.
He could hear the sobbing of a child up ahead. The sound was faint but he knew his ears did not decive him. He walked in the direction he believed the sound was coming from. All the while he struggled to push through thorny brambles and thick vines. And then as her pushed past a low hanging branch, a gnarled root took hold of his ankle. He lost his footing and stumbled to the ground. His holy symbol slipped from his hand and fell into the muck causing the light to go out. And then the ghouls came.
Ravenous creatures with claws like daggers and razor sharp teeth. Their eyes glowing with the malice that a hunter shows when bearing down on its prey. The first one descended on Anorendor with the intent to rip out his throat. The cleric was ready however and swung his mace across the creature's face. Quickly he stood up and as another came charging from the darkness he brought his mace crashing down on its skull with a thunderous crack. Anorendor scrambled for his holy symbol as he saw it glinting in the mud. Not ten feet away he saw another pair of eyes glowing in the shadows. He dove for the amulet and grabbed it just in time as he could feel the ghoul's claws scratch against his armor. He rolled in the mud to face the monster. Brandishing his holy symbol he shouted "be purged by the light of Solaris!" The amulet flared to life as bright white light flooded the forest. The ghoul turned to dust before his very eyes, and Anorendor could hear more of them fleeing the area.
He stood up from the ground and brushed some of the mud off of his robes before moving on. Still following the sound of sobbing he eventually came to a small clearing. Here the canopy of twisted branches had broken just enough to allow the white light of Solaris in the mid day sky to shine through. It was here that Anorendor found the child. She was safe for now. The undead dare not enter for fear of the sun's rays. They must have chased her here. Anorendor took hold of the child's hand, and together they walked out of the forest.
Geography
Maldoral is a massive swamp land located in the center of Northern Aetrus. It measures a roughly 500 mile diameter.
Fauna & Flora
The Black Marsh is eerily quiet. It is not a place for the living. The only living creatures that dwell in this land are those that feed on death and decay.
The Flora of Maldoral is sickly and twisted. Flowers are blackened and wilted, fruit is poisonous even to the touch, and trees are gnarled and ugly things with claw like branches and if one looks closely you would think to see agonized faces writhing in the bark.
Maldoral was once home to the fabled Silver Wood trees, which were held sacred by the creatures of the fey. Now these trees are few and far between. Any that still exist within Maldoral are tarnished and almost unrecognizable.
History
Maldoral was once a beautiful marsh teeming with life. The land was favored by the fey and was a known nexus of fey magic. When the elves migrated to Aetrus from Midgard they found themselves drawn to the marsh and soon discovered the world tree at it's heart. Lead by the king Vildoros Maladir, the elves settled in these lands naming them after their beloved ruler. With the events leading to the death and corruption of king Vildoros the forest itself withered and died, and some say took on a form of undeath itself.
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