Grotague

The northern half of Yorn's territory. Thick and near impenetrable with swamp and trees. Hostile Insectoid hive cities fight for dominion against the other races, who are notably more isolated than Riverlant. A truly dangerous territory for anyone.

Grotague is a labyrinth of murky waterways, dense thickets, and shadowed clearings. The land shifts unpredictably, with patches of solid ground giving way to sucking bogs or hidden pools. The swamp is alive with the constant hum of insects, the croak of frogs, and the distant growls of unseen predators. It cannot truly be called a nation, for it is nothing more than a region of tribes and towns all sharing a drive to persist within this sunken domain. The human tribes of Grotague are a scattered and fragmented people, each eking out a precarious existence in the swamp. They are shaped by their unforgiving environment, mistrustful of outsiders and fiercely protective of their territory. Each tribe has its own unique traditions, shaped by the challenges of survival in Grotague. Some are skilled hunters, crafting weapons from bone and swampwood; others are foragers and scavengers, using the swamp’s strange plants and fungi for food and medicine. The tribes have learned to navigate the swamp’s treacherous terrain and avoid its many predators, including the insectoid colonies.

Deep within Grotague’s mist-shrouded depths lie the hive-cities of the humanoid insects, grotesque and alien societies that, unlike their kin in the southern parts of Yorn, are still built around absolute loyalty to their monarchs. These colonies are both the greatest threat and the most enigmatic force in the swamp. The insectoid colonies are meticulously organized, with each individual fulfilling a specific role. Drones toil endlessly to expand the hives, warriors patrol the swamp and wage wars, and attendants care for the monarch, the central figure of the hive's hierarchy. Whether eerily springing from out of the swamp's waters or morbidly built amidst and on top of a now-conquered town, the insectoids build towering structures of resin, mud, and organic material that rise like jagged spires. Inside, the hives are labyrinthine, with chambers for larvae, storage, and the monarch's throne. The monarchs release magic pheromones that dictate the actions and even the emotions of their hive. These signals are undeniable to insectoids of any brood, an innate trait of their kind. All the more amazing that southern Yorn's insectoids live such free, independent lives, and the more terrifying knowing what the north gets up to. Through these chemical signals, the kings and queens of the various hives maintain absolute control over their subjects, waging war against competing hives and the other races throughout the swamp.

Contesting them all is the dreaded Carnifex Lizardfolk. The Carnifex are a fearsome and ancient tribe of lizardfolk; their name is whispered with dread and reverence throughout the marshlands and beyond. Descended from the oldest bloodlines of their kind, the Carnifex embody an uncompromising creed of war, dominance, and zealotry. The Carnifex are universally feared and distrusted, even by other lizardfolk tribes. Their unyielding aggression and refusal to negotiate make them a constant threat to neighbors and outsiders alike. The Carnifex are bound by an ancient code of conquest and survival, their way of life rooted in the belief that strength is the ultimate virtue. The Carnifex view battle as a sacred act, a form of worship that honors their gods and ancestors. Every raid, every duel, and every conquest is a step closer to personal and tribal glory. The Carnifex view their younger kin in Srohaxl disdainfully, seeing their balanced approach to life and warfare as a betrayal of their shared heritage- a feeble and foolish attempt to assign duty and virtue to war.

Three peoples, three forces locked in an old and ever-evolving conflict, all the while many secrets still dwell in the areas in between these disparate forces.