Marazma
The Wailing Marsh
M arazma is nothing less than inhospitable hellhole at first glance , many settlers have tried to survive on this harsh island, due its lucrative trade it may provide. Many have tried and died in the attempts to tame its lands and bring it's riches to their pockets, and many settlers have found new home, only to realize that it could never be theirs, for Marazma accepts no master.
Most people who come to live on Marazma has farmers or hunters for its lucrative trade usually leave again shortly after arriving, if the ever present danger that work posses, it will be the dreams for all who live on Marazma are beset by strange dreams, dreams of the murky marsh water swallowing them or dreams of great salt pillars rising from the ocean like teeth eating away at them. Those who stay either learn to live with it, or like many others take sleeping medicin made from local flora. But people born on the island do not experience these systoms, leaving many to believe that its simply the change in stress from such a dangerous exsistiance or the damp wheater.
Though most humans do not survive long here, either the insects get to them, the diseases, fauna or even flora may prove deadly. Though at some point in time it is suspected that some humans had relations with trolls native to the island, the reasons and circumstances remain unknown, but the result is visible in the trollkin(Half-troll, Musara) Though many live among the human settlers as workers, treated with some dubious suspicion or fear if not outright hatred by some, where there natural hardiness makes them adept at working on the inhospitable island. Others natives live tribes on the island, however little is known about these savages.
Currently there are three major groupings upon the island: the newest arrivals upon the island is Farasi Merchant Guild/Family from the Ardanti republic, having settled at murkhaven in the northernmost region of the island. From here do they strike out into the great dangers of Marazma for the chance to retrieve its great riches.
Another human settlement has existed on the island for many generations, their origin lost to time. They hail themselves the Kurokto, living northwestern regions of the island, they have long lived in great fear of the islands dangers, their culture and way of life has lead to be reclusive and sillent, living as either small bands of hunters or at the villiage of Kurokto where they harvest the ghost-well mushrooms.
To the south and to a lesser extend here in the north, can the Musara Trollkin be found, wandering tribesfolk. They are an enigma to most, for they prefer to keep to themselves, but have been reported to be quite territorial in some encounters with the Ardanti settlers.
Though the Musara are not warlike by custom, they are fiercely territorial over what they deem sacred sites, this have brought them into conflict with human settlers in recent years, and these battles have taken a toll on both parties, either group refusing to back down.
Geography
Marazma's many rivers and lakes, has made the island into an enormous swamp, contrary to the nickname the Ardanti settlers have given the island, rich in life that may elude a traveler upon first glance. Marasma is home to two rather distinct ecosystems. The Northern marshes and the Southern swamps. The Northern marshes constitute of hundreds of rolling rivers that link up to form great lakes, the plains muddy and slippery are covered in tall grasses, only occasionally does the island reveal it unnatural nature by the great white fungi which stem from the ground, usually in great bodies of water. This Creates a truly unnerving vista, the flat and seemingly empty lands of grasses and rivers with the great fungi dotting the landscapes. At night the lands takes on a truly breathtaking appearence, the long brown and green fields drowned out by the night, become illuminated, by the blue lights from the ghost-well mushrooms which grow along the river beds, while fireflies illuminate the skies, and the strange floating lights can be seen above the city, truly it is a sight to behold, one almost forgets the horrors of day at such sights. The futher south one goes the more trees begin to spring, and the marsh begins to transition into a swamp, great gnarled trees spring here, but one would notice the great amount of fungi in the area, that gradually begins to take over, until one is truly in southern swamps.
The Southern swamps are rarely braved by any, save foolhardy adventures looking for the lost city of Siowa, at any rate, I have found few chances to penetrate deeply within the deep forests of the South, but i have spend quite a few months at old Horatius brewery, allowing me to take in the southeren coast in great detail. The South also stands as a great alien landscape to perhaps another degree than the north, for its dense white forests of great Shroud-shrouds create a strange sight to behold. Down here in the south the great amount of ghost-well mushrooms colour the water a strong blue, truly creating a strange vision that i grow excited to explore.
Ruprecht waldhertz - on the wonders of Dozango; Marazma.
Fauna & Flora
The shroud-shroom:
An enormous white mushroom, so named for the great shade it cast upon the great from it great cap. The Shroud-shroom stands at an average of 30 meters for a matured specimen. The Great fungi are used for many purposes by all natives on the island, such as paper, eating and its seeds posses healing qualities as a great disinfectant. It is not currently known why they grow to these extreme sizes. Atop the Shroud-shrooms cap are patches of translucent skin, which hide great pockets of seeds which it releases when its stem is cut down, therefor if one wishes to harvest the seeds, one must climp the stem to retrieve them before the shroud-shroom is harvested. However only mature specimens seeds patches are easy to spot, as younger ones have yet to bulge through the cap. A single Shroud-shroom only ever grows one to two patches of seeds in its life, and once harvested they will not grow back.
Ghost-well mushrooms: the ghost-well mushroom, is also a common commodity and one of the main draws to the island for many, for its many luxury purposes, The Ghostwell dwell in colonies beneath the riverbed, sprouting hundreds of heads up to the riverbed, it is a main diet of many of the local fauna, and has become so for the settlers aswell. the ghostwell, has a short stalk and a great bulbous and elongated cap, the cap itself is hallow and filled with a bioluminescence liquid with shines a bright blue light, which it uses to draw insects to the still river waters to drown them, or so some people believe.
Grells:
Grells however appear to use hollow out the top of the caps as nest, many unfortunate workers have been beset upon by Grells when they accidentally disturbed its nest before it could be driven off.
Natural Resources
The Shroud-shroom is extracted many goods: it's seeds can be fried, to create a strong spice. the Cap used for foodstuff or ground into a paste, which serves as a great disinfectant. The stalk can be used to make paper or poor foodstuff as it rather hard and brisk in taste. The seeds also make for rather decent making for alcohols.
Ghost-well mushrooms: Its flesh though to some considered a delicacy especially when boiled in its own liquids, it has many other uses, as a powerful drug, used as painkillers or hallucinogenic.
Alternative Name(s)
The Wailing Marsh
Type
Island
Location under
Included Locations
Included Organizations
Related Ethnicities
Contested By
by Ben Juniu
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