The Boghlands of Aniar Bogh (AN-ee-yar BOAG) are exactly as their name sounds like: boggy and sodden, with many rivers snaking through a terrain of spongy peat and mats of vegetation floating upon a brown muck. Solid ground is hard to come by in the Province, and the few rocky outcroppings that do protrude from the mire have had fortress-towns built atop them to take advantage of their solidity and elevation. The rivers that flow through the swamp are extensions of the Rothlin, with all of that great river’s magic and Spiritual presence, despite being in a separate watershed from the main river valley that dominates so much of the Kingdom’s geography. It’s thought that there is a shared aquifer beneath both Aniar Bogh and the primary Rothlin watershed, which allows the Rothlin’s influence to extend out to the “little Rothlins” of the Boghlands.
Despite its almost-complete lack of solid ground, arable land, and mineral resources, Aniar Bogh is a remarkably prosperous part of the Kingdom. The locals live on floating villages, crafted out of the light and sturdy wood of the Dampwillow trees that are endemic to the region. The bountiful wildlife of the Bogh more than make up for the lack of land to grow grains, and a frost-hardy varietal of rice can be grown in the shallower parts of the swamp to supplement their diet. More importantly, the swamp is brimming with magical herbs, which the locals carefully harvest and trade with folk from beyond the Boghlands in exchange for metal, tools, and stone. The bog has its own unique dangers, though, including a highly aggressive and territorial breed of moose and multiple varieties of carnivorous plants that are large enough to snare and digest particularly unwary mortals.
Aniar Bogh subpages