The Mucklands

A large expanse of soggy mud and fertile farmland, sandwiched between the murky mires of Quagmash and the glittering waterways of River Country. It is not only the agricultural center of the Mucklands, but the seat of industrial power, hosting the largest cities and populations in the entire realm. Smokestacks crowd the narrow streets of Thurf, mountains of clutter mar the horizon in Junktown, and the conflict between criminals and crooked city officials divide the terrorized citizenry in Bogtown.

A region thick with mud, drooping trees, slimy water passages, and gloomy hollows. For hundreds of years, people of the Mucklands have avoided the labyrinth of swamps known as the Quagmash. It is the subject of countless rumors and legends, and largely considered a primordial, cursed place that the ancient boggarts of Bogswain abandoned long ago. Teeming with ORCHES, GATORS, MUCKMEN, and all manner of dangerous beasts and natural deathtraps, no one has ever fully mapped the place, nor survived the attempt. However, with the coming of the Dungeon Era also came a newfound passion for exploration, and so the Quagmash became a new frontier for adventurers and explorers alike.

A lush, beautiful land threaded by a magnificent network of braided rivers and waterways where humble folk have fished and farmed for generations. Traditionally locals paid tribute to the River Barony of Capstan, an elected group of governors responsible for the overall well-being of the River Country. However, over the last century the River Barony has become a self-serving class of tycoons and robber barons focused on hoarding wealth and expanding authority.

The sandy beaches of Scalawag Strand stretch from Shearwater Bay to Ligerhead Beach, comprising the most perilous stretch of shoreline in all of Eem. Speckled with rocks and islands, the safest channels to sail are crowded with traders and merchants traveling to distant lands in the name of the Mucklands Trading Co. and their industrial masters. Over the last century, pirates of all stripes, especially the Daggerhearts, have grown into a major threat to commerce.

The Drippy Downs lie between the crags of the Sounder Hills and Trollridge to the east, and the dense forest of the Grimdingle's Grimly Wood to the west. The Downs are a green place, peppered with rolling hills and scattered forest, where the rain and dew glisten day and night. There is a magic to the Drippy Downs, passed down from a more enchanted time, when toadstool rings held pixie courts, and gnomes broke bread with kobolds. Today, the Drippy Downs are home primarily to trolls and dweorgs. They hold tight to the old ways, collecting tolls and raising beasts, respectively.

The Used T'be Forest, well, used to be a forest. Now it's nothing more than a wide expanse of sad and rotting stumps, stretching from Fleabag County to Grimly Wood. Most of the felled forest's wildlife has either perished or retreated since a host of tycoons and dungeoneers ushered in the Dungeon Era, an age of unchecked industry. In just a few short years there was nothing left; every leaf and trunk turned into the cities and dungeons of the Mucklands.