The Vennastan Plaguemarsh is a region of southern Vennasta. Despite the dry, arid conditions within the rest of Vennasta, the Plaguemarsh is a temperate wetland home to a variety of flora and fauna unique to its environment. The marsh is an artifact of the Lithos War, as the marsh's creation was caused by the Sanumic Combine attempting to transform a mutagenic pathogen into a bioweapon.
Ecology
The ecology of the Plaugemarsh is entirely unique to the region. Every aspect of the ecosystem has been at least partially altered by the mutagen the Combine unleashed in some way, as even the waters of the marsh have mutated to have the consistency of a thick paste. The many wild animals that live within the marsh are among the deadliest creatures in existence, the results of centuries of natural selection in an environment where the plants hunt on par with the animals. Details about the native life are scarce, on account of how few researchers have managed to brave the marsh for long enough to complete their research. Most information about the marsh from beyond its edges are based largely on conjecture and accounts told by survivors, though the accuracy of such stories are heavily debated.
There is considerable concern amongst scholars over recent reports that the edges of the Plaguemarsh appear to be expanding. Research stations set up several hundred feet from the Plaguemarsh's edge are now significantly closer, and small encampments just outside the edge are now fully within its boundaries. Expeditions into the marsh have discovered signs of life far deeper than records have indicated, stumbling upon campsites much deeper than they were supposed to be. Until such time researchers are able to confirm whether the marsh is spreading, a massive quarantine zone has been established within south Vennasta, with dozens of farming communities and towns being evacuated out of an abundance of caution.
