[Maplore] The Dreamer's Marsh

[squakhawk 7300]

The Dreamer's Marsh

 

 

Sleeping within the day and roaring to life in the dusk of night, The Dreamer's Marsh sits quietly in the Southwest of Aevos. A land which bore a strange curse, one that did not kill nor wound. A long, dreamless slumber from which none would ever wake. Unvisited, uncolonized, The Dreamer's Marsh would be marked as an avoided coast by sailors from around Eos. 

 

 

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The Marsh

 

Between dawn and dusk, the marsh is somewhat common in nature. Thick bushy shrubs that sup from the saline waters that the gentle tides bring in from the sea. Tall and spindly mangroves dot the marsh, giving the water a brackish and dirty hue that acts as a curtain for the riverbeds below. The muddy brown waters themselves were host to lily pads, dull green algae which foamed and stagnated, lichen and moss. 

 

With the tides comes the natural offerings of the sea, from driftwood to broken shiphulls which dot the sunken coastline. Dumped cargo, remnants of ships lost and destroyed, and ancient debris from civilizations long forgotten wash ashore to the edges of the silent swamp. Bodies from the sea which come along it's quaint shore show up somewhat frequently, with remnants of sea-battles and lost expeditions scattered among the shoreline. 

 

Mud and tangled roots tangle the ground of the marsh's uneven terrain, with pockets of quicksand making the land somewhat treacherous. Twisted and gnarled branches loomed overhead in the sparse canopy, which cast strange shadows below that seemed to dance and move as if displaying movements from another plane entirely. One invisible, and unseen.

 

The air was scented with salt of the sea and rot of the corpses which washed ashore, mildew and mold growing on whatever surface damp and warm enough. However, hint of something just else just beyond scent could be sensed aswell. Something familiar- as if it were something you had smelled before. A memory of childhood? Perhaps of a time of great strife and struggle? It was unclear, either way- and unique to each visitor.

 

The Marsh was rich with herbs aswell, for the alchemists and florists daring (or foolish) enough to enter would find them rich and in good quantity. The thick moss which covered most surfaces of the swamp, Hiding Moss, seemed to have good use in alchemy. Alongside this, Mandragora, Swamp Blossom, Bitter Reed, Jailor's Moss, Nightsap, Aquate Root, Aqua Nymph, and Dwarf's Pumpkin. 

 

With all this, the land seemed somewhat quiet with life in the day. Mundane reptiles and amphibians of every variety are found here, even Deepsnakes and Parhor which make journey to feed upon the flies and rodents which quickly take advantage of the swamp's life while they can. However, as the sun begins to set and the day turns darker, every form of life that can move would. No animals would willingly go to the swamp, and those forced to, would be extremely uncomfortable and anxious. As the wildlife fled the swamp at twilight, The Nightsong would begin to play; and the swamp would begin to teem with a different kind of life.  

 

 

 

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The Nightsong

 

Between dusk and dawn, The Dreamer's Marsh is a much more treacherous place. A deep, gargantuan cloud of black fog rolls in from the sea which obscures most sight, staying thick within the air until dawn would return. Despite the cloud of darkness which obscured most vision nearby a visitor, the stars seemed impeccably clear. Constellations formed of whatever the mind had envisioned, different to each forsaken visitor who had stayed too long. 

 

At the witching hour does the marsh truly awaken, teeming with vibrant and beautiful life that was a spectacular sight to see. As if visiting a different realm entirely, spirits and souls of those within The Dreamer's Marsh would begin to dance and sing. Phantoms wove through the fog, some indistinguishable by shape and others closer to their living form. Spirits of animals, insects, plants, and even descendants both living and dead would dance throughout the marsh in rhythmic motion as if one entered the Ebrieates itself. The spirits seemed unresponsive to any form of interaction, passing by visitors as if they simply were not there to begin with. 

 

The Spirits seemed to all tell stories of their own. Repeat-visitors to The Marsh would find that some spirits seemed to perform the same actions night after night, while others never stayed consistent. Some appeared rarely, some showing themselves again and again each night. Aurum within The Dreamer's Marsh seemed to be entirely ineffective against the spirits which danced and sung, perhaps noting something to their mysterious and beautiful nature.

 

The swamp itself would look much different aswell, almost otherworldly. The formerly muddy and brackish water would turn a vibrant, bright neon blue-green which danced with spirits big and small that danced above and below the surface. The trees outlined in a dim seafoam green light which coated them from trunk to tip. Flowers and fruits closed and quiet during the day brightly opened and showed, seeming far more healthy and potent than their normal counterpart.

 

The Hiding Moss within the region would shrivel and sink at the first sign of twilight, shrinking into a highly dense form more resembling a flower or patch of dirt- waiting for the sun's return to expand oncemore. Other flora of The Dreamer's Marsh would glow alight, ethereal torches that lit up the land throughout the dark fog. 

 

 

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The Dreamless Sleep

 

Also known as "The Curse of The Marsh", The Dreamless Sleep is why the marsh is so avoided by animals and men alike. When slumbering within The Dreamer's Marsh, animals and descendants alike would rarely enter a comatose state- asleep, unwaking, and unable to arouse. Most would die by starvation or being consumed by the rare predator which made their visit, but none would ever awake. Even taken out of the swamp, the dreamless sleeper would never be able to rouse by any means. Curiously, the unknowing soul of the sleeper would visibly rise from their comatose form when The Nightsong began to play. Venturing outward, the person's spirit would be unable to contact or commune with by any means known.

 

Simply viewed as some demonic hex upon the land, bodies would decompose and return to the earth despite their spirit's presence which would return again and again- after sleep, death, and even decomposition. The spirit forever trapped within The Nightsong's melody, witnessing and dreaming something unknown entirely beyond their slumber.

 

 

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OOC Information

 

The Dreamer's Marsh is a narrative opportunity for players to both end their stories and begin new ones. With eventlines planned down the line for this region, more information will be added to this post as things are discovered and pieces connected by players. In the meantime, one can optionally enter The Dreamless Sleep and may be contacted at a later date, but understand such as an effective PK until the event's date. This includes immortality CAs such as Klones, Azdrazi, and so on that may not be awoken even upon death and reformation. ET-run events not part of the main eventline will be available day-one of the map release for them to run at their own discretion and not by request.

 

Characters may know of The Dreamer's Marsh and it's effects, but are unaware of it's greater purpose or what happens when one falls into The Dreamless Sleep. This post, it's effects, and more will develop as relevant event plotlines play out.