Mirefen Hollow (mire-fen hol-low)
The swamp, Mirefen Hollow, comes alive because of an ancient, broken Wyrdstone buried deep beneath its waters. This stone, cracked and pulsing with strange energy, seeps its magic into the roots, mud, and mist. The plants move with intent, whispering vines and watchful trees shifting when no one looks. Strange lights drift over the water, and the croaking of frogs sometimes forms words.
The town of Boghaven lives in uneasy harmony with the living swamp. Some townsfolk claim the swamp protects them, others swear it’s just waiting for the right moment to drag them under. There are stories of people who wander too far into the mire and return… changed. Or sometimes, they don’t return at all.
The Landscape of the Hollow:
The Drowned Glades:
A maze of half-submerged trees, their roots rising like twisted fingers from the water. The air hums with insects, and the shadows move wrong. It’s said that the deeper you go, the more the trees begin to watch you.
The Deep Mire:
A vast stretch of black, still water where no birds sing and the wind won’t blow. This is where the Croak King reigns, and where old, sunken things wait just beneath the surface.
The Wyrdstone:
A jagged monolith of dark, pulsing stone, half-buried in thick roots and moss. It’s the Hollow’s heart, some say, and others believe it’s a prison for something older and worse. The ground around it blooms with impossible flowers, and those who stay too long hear whispers calling their name.
The Drowned District:
Once part of Boghaven, now claimed by the swamp. Half-submerged houses lean at broken angles, their windows glowing with strange light at night. The water is too still, and sometimes you hear footsteps, though no one walks there anymore.
The Frogstone:
An ancient altar, carved from slick, green-black rock, was covered in strange symbols worn smooth by time. Frogs gather there in unnatural numbers, and their eyes glow gold when the Croak King stirs.
Geography
This is swamp land with brackish water and a large mix of ash, maple, and oak trees. It's muddy even on the raised land because none of it is dry.
Climate
Temperate Climate
The swamp is very damp but not too hot or cold. Rains a lot.
Fauna & Flora
Flora- Any vegetation that can be submerged or float on/in water as well as fungi and hardwood trees.
Fauna- Fish, frogs, salamanders, snakes, lizards, turtles, alligators, crocodiles, waterfowl, waders, voles, bats, muskrats, platypus, beavers, coypu, swamp rabbit, Florida panther, jaguar, moose, dragonflies, aquatic bugs and beetles, midges, mosquitos, crabs, crayfish, shrimps, microcrustaceans, clams, mussels, snails and worms.
Special Ones
Flora- Widow’s Veil, Embermoss, Bloodreed, Luminbloom, Snarethorn, Glassfruit, Mirebell Fungus and Blackroot Bloom.
Fauna- Croakspawn, Bloatshades, Mirestags, Brambleghasts, Lurkmouths, Wispthorns, Swamplights (Will-o’-Wisps) and The Bloomed Ones.
Natural Resources
Lumber (hardwood), fish, algae, scales, berries, stone fruit, fowl, venison, furs, pelts, herbs (cooking and healing) and fungi.
History
Long before the founding of Boghaven, Mirefen Hollow was a place of ancient, unknowable power. The swamp formed around the Wyrdstone (a massive, black monolith half-buried in the mire), believed to pulse with strange magic. The Wyrdstone’s influence twisted the land, filling it with strange creatures, sentient plants, and thick mists that never fully dissipated. Elders say the swamp itself has a will, slow, patient, and watchful.
The first settlers came to Mirefen Hollow over three centuries ago, driven by desperation and hope. They were exiles, refugees, and wanderers who had nowhere else to go. The surrounding lands were harsh, and they believed the swamp’s abundance of fish, game, and rare plants could sustain them. They built on the only dry land they could find, raising homes on stilts and weaving walkways from wood and rope. Thus, the town of Boghaven was born.
Survival was brutal in those early years. The swamp was unforgiving; strange illnesses spread from the mists, creatures dragged people into the waters, and the plants that seemed useful often carried deadly curses. But the people learned. They studied the swamp’s ways, striking a delicate balance between respect and caution. They learned the uses of Bloodreed and Embermoss, the dangers of Widow’s Veil, and the need to leave offerings when the Croakspawn gathered.
As the years passed, Boghaven grew into a community shaped by its environment. The people developed unique traditions, like the Lantern Walk and the Night of Still Waters. They built the Mirewardens, a group of skilled hunters and herbalists who patrol the borders, and the Swampwitches, wise folk who commune with the land’s magic.
The town’s history is full of strange occurrences. The Blooming Plague of 1723 turned dozens into rooted, flowered husks. The Night of Vanished Voices in 1811 left the entire town mute for three days. And the Wyrdstone’s occasional tremors still send ripples through the land and minds of those nearby.
Despite (or perhaps because of) its dangers, Boghaven endures. The people are hardy and resourceful, deeply connected to the swamp’s rhythms. They know that Mirefen Hollow is alive, and they remain because they believe the town and the swamp are bound together. They tell stories of the Rootbound Saint, the Croak King, and the Bloomed Ones. They listen when the frogs croak warnings. And they wait, knowing that one day, the swamp may call for more than just their respect.
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