A humid and boggy forest on the border of Aurenvale and Faen’miir, Dampfhelt has fallen far from what it once was two centuries ago, but that hasn’t stopped the Grimmfolk who live there from finding a way to thrive. The massive complex of geothermal springs that give the region its signature warmth and humidity also give rise to a remarkable variety of elementally-charged herbs and plants, and the waters that make the territory so treacherous also make it remarkably quick to traverse for those who have the skill of navigating the swamp’s dangers.
Dampfhelt was not always as muggy and humid as it is today. It was once known as the Kaufnwold, the “merchant’s wood,” a temperate part of the Grimmwold with a pleasant climate that thrived on the ready access it had to both Faen’miir and Aurenvale merchants. A series of foolish decisions by the administrator of a particularly bountiful hot springs led to the eruption of a Wolderzorn from beneath the spring, and the subsequent flooding of the forest in the process of the beast’s destruction.
The folk of Dampfhelt have adapted to their misfortune, lifting their communities up into the trees and above the waters and building (or growing) pathways between the trees through their canopies in areas where the swamp is impassable by canoe or barge. They have turned their ingenuity and industry towards their new circumstances, crafting boats and canoes instead of carts and market stalls, and rebuilding their trade networks from the waterlogged ground up. Their hanging markets are a sight to behold, vast networks of shops and walkways suspended from the forest’s branches, with incense of every imaginable variety drifting through the air to suppress the stench of rot, mildew, and sulfur that are everywhere in the region.