The Blightmire

The Blightmire is an enormous subtropical swamp, bordering the Mestran Sea on the southern coast of Aelas. It is home to the Liothan port city of Black Delta and the hidden goblin stronghold of El'Dnak. It is a populated region of Aelas, but only in tiny pockets. The bulk of the Blightmire is comprised of dense and hostile wilderness that resists nearly every attempt at expansion, development, and even exploration. Disease is rampant in the Blightmire, particularly Swamp Lung. Numerous beasts and monsters prey on travelers and even residents of the swamp.

The main roads along the Blightmire are well kept and much safer than the surrounding wilderness, but these are few and far between.

Geography

The Blightmire is a warm and humid swamp with thick woods rising out of leech-ridden pools of still water. The soil is mucky and if one doesn't know where to walk, they would find themselves sinking into the swamp up to at least their heels. The coast line is rugged with thousands of smaller islands and sand bars dotting the coast. The land is typically flat, and if one were to climb one of the tall woods growing throughout the swamp, they could see a dozen miles in any direction on a clear day. Clear days, however, are rare. This swamp is subjected to frequent thunderstorms, monsoons, and hurricanes. Outside of that it is one of the consistently foggiest places in the world.

Bitumen Fen

In the wild east of the swamp lies a large clear field, seemingly it's an island of dry land and safety in the waterlogged woods around it. In reality, this is one of the most dangerous places in the swamp. Bitumen Fen is an enormous field of tar pits and oily fens, where animals and people regularly find themselves stuck. Underneath he gently bubbling surface lie hundreds of thousands of skeletons of unlucky souls looking to tread upon the fen. This fen is also home to many will-o-wisps who feed on the death of wanderers who get stuck and stranded in the sticky tar pits.

Corpse Candle Lagoon

In the southern end of the swamp, The Great Toad River spirals into a lagoon named for the undead which hover over its glassy surface. Will-o-wisps in the hundreds are said to whirl and dance around the lagoon. From a distance it looks like a swarm of fireflies floating in a whirl of pale-gold around the water. It is a dark and unholy place, rumored to be tainted by the presence of the dreaded Mangrove Court, malevolent fey of the swamps and boglands.

Tar'Kwen River Delta

The Tar'Kwen River that begins far to the north in the Great Halfmoon Lake splits into several smaller rivers at the entrance of the Blightmire, and then rejoins in a muddy fertile river delta, flowing into the Mestran Sea. The city of Black Delta is built upon these lush shores, with hundreds of farms spreading out from its palisade walls, taking advantage of the dark fertile soil.

Society

Only a few small islands of civilization exist in the vast wilderness of the Blightmire. Most of these are villages and settlements of Liothe. Other folks outside the dominion of King Gadrin IV also make their homes in the swamp. While these others are much smaller in number, they have dwelt in the swamp far longer than any Human edifice or port.

Liothe

The Blightmire is entirely contained within Liothe's Lowmarsh province. Most Liothans there live in the port city, Black Delta. Many others live on the outskirts of the Blightmarsh in large towns like Wither's End or Tarquiston. Some live in small villages and hamlets within the swamp along the edge of the Tar'Kwen. Fishing, farming, crabbing, sea trade, and medicine are the main fields and industries to be found in the province of Lowmarsh.

El'Dnak

El'Dnak is a goblin stronghold hidden deep in the eastern wilderness of the Blightmire. Like Corpse Candle Lagoon, it has a great volume of will-o-wisps floating freely around the mud huts and stilt-supported buildings of this lawless city. While El'Dnak is a city primarily of goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears; it is also home to strange and terrible creatures. It is known as the asylum of monsters, and attracts all manner of intelligent yet monstrous forces. Vampires, giants, gorgons, and fey of the Mangrove Court are rumored to walk its mud-paved streets. It is a city, hidden from those who have never stepped foot there, and without any law to govern it.

Scaleskin Orc Tribe

The Scaleskin orcs are masters of camouflage, hunting, and survival within the swamp. They are a shy tribe, keeping away from interactions with Liothans and the other denizens of the swamp as much as possible. They have no clans nor leader. They ride around on giant toads and frogs native to the Blightmire.

While they are a shy people, they will not hesitate to attack if threatened, or if they're in the mood for a fight. Few Scaleskin will attack strangers to the swamp if they're traveling the main road, but be careful if you're stepping foot on Mosquitofish Island, or traveling weast of the Tar'Kwen.

Mangrove Court

The fey of the Blightmire Swamp are purported to be malevolent tricksters and bloodthirsty killers. The legends say that nearly all of them swear fealty to the Mangrove Court. The Mangrove Court, if it exists, is a fey court lead by a legendary and evil archfey called The Orchid Witch. She has been described as an immortal woman of incomparable beauty and psychotic fancies, wearing a gown woven of ghost orchids, foxglove, and other flowers of the swamp.

Fey of the court have been storied to be redcaps, green hags, pixies, and several more. All these creatures obey the laws and tenets of the court, no matter how sinister, wild, or heartless the fey is.

The stories tell of the court's mangrove halls and orchid banners lie in a secret place hidden by the glassy waters of Corpse Candle Lagoon.