Shadrach's Folly

Miles of forested bogs mark the region known as Shadrach's Folly. Here is one of the places on Mists that outlanders are not welcome; not for a lack of hospitality from the Guybrush family who has governed the region for six generations, but for the simple truth that the terrain itself is uninviting, and the citizens who call Shadrach's Folly home like it that way. Tall oak trees keep Shadrach's Folly in a near constant state of twilight, and far below the nearly one hundred foot tall treecover, the shallow valleys are constantly covered in a thin layer of slurry and peat-moss. Where the land rises above the thin waterline, Shadrach's Folly is green and fertile, with berries of all varieties.

Eastwall is well named for its location on the eastern edge of the region. Easily reachable by a trade road that leads over relatively dry land through two miles of bog, Eastwall is built on one of the few areas of dry land large enough to support a trade town. Muddy streets and muddy people are the hallmark of Eastwall, but it is to here that the people of Shadrach's Folly migrate when they wish to trade with their neighboring regions. The oaks have been cleared away from the township, leaving plenty of clear skies to view the day, and plenty of wood to build wooden structures to hold up against the tests of time.

Nearly fifty miles west of the city of Eastwall, a small foundation of bedrock and stone stands above the marshlands. On the maps of Mists, this is known as Grey Hawk Mountain, but the locals know it better as Knight's Hill. Here, the Lords of Shadrach's Folly have erected a small keep of earth and stone--half above the earth and half within the numerous caves that dot the mountain--and declared this the seat of their power; Folly Hall. Over the years, a small collection of ramshackle huts and houses made of stone or wood have been erected in the shadow of Folly Hall, turning the small fortification into a township in its own right.

The largely inhospitable marsh and swamplands of the Folly is a dangerous, unforgiving but plentiful place for those who dare to brave the area. Foreboding in its rich loveliness and dark sheltered trees, the economy is largely reliant on these impossible surroundings and the hearty stock of people who dwell here. It takes a great amount of knowledge to secure a livelihood on these lands; familial secrets and skills passed from generation to generation to know just what to look for to find the wild growing components that are so difficult to find amongst the tangled mosses.

Precious berries cling to the green land that rises above the water line, attracting the region's richest and rarest export. A wide variety of colors, each berry is specifically used for blessing rituals and separate alchemical potions on Draught for everything from Blackman's Epitaph to Troll Juice. The rarest of all these berries said only to be harvested on the seventy second day after the last hard frost of the year, after that day of ripeness, the delicate berries fall into the marshland and burst upon contact.

Moss, peat, vines, ivy, and a number of herbs are also harvested from the lands, as well as a prominent carnivorous flower called the Demon's Eye Blossom. Due to their unpleasant natural defenses, these flowers are sometimes encouraged to grow against city walls to ward off some of the peskier creatures.

Beyond flora, tall cervids known as Bogwalkers call these lowlands home, and the people of Shadrach's Folly hunt them both for their antlers, as well as their hides which makes an excellent waterproofing material.

They are also known to periodically export wood, but mostly they maintain the bog-oak for themselves, preferring to avoid over harvesting their main defense and construction materials. Nearly all other goods are imported or stolen from neighboring communities.

Of more magical use, the numerous bogs of Shadrach's Folly are known to contain a high concentration of leeches, which create a natural anticoagulant in their saliva known as hirudin. Although it's exceptionally hard to get a large quantity of hirudin from the leaches, small amounts (enough to keep a pint of blood from congealing for an extended period of time) can be made available for the right price. Shadrach's Folly exports this for use in magical experiments which may require the blood of a virgin, or similar.

In the northeast, there are far less exotic industries: namely raising sheep and honey bees on the land that has only recently begun to support such endeavors. When Shadrach's Folly absorbed the southern half of Haven, it inherited precious flocks of carefully guarded and bred Alaisannes sheep that graze near and among the hills and also hives of the mean-tempered variety of bees native to Mists.

Many of the citizens of Shadrach's Folly can trace their lineage back to a bandit somewhere; and many of them don't have to go more than a single step away or less. The people of Shadrach's Folly are known to be skilled in Transportation magic, and they are also known to rebel against strict government, and it's difficult to blame them. The unforgiving environment they call home provides an exceptional defense against attackers, but the constant battle against the environment itself has left the people of Shadrach's Folly bitter towards any additional burdens levied upon them by outsiders. Despite the isolationist attitude of the people of Shadrach's Folly, two major settlements have been marked on the maps found in Polaris Port: Eastwall, and Folly Hall.

Throughout the rest of Shadrach's Folly, people have built quays and docks above the surface of the perpetual bogs, creating small townships wherever they please. Some of these observe fealty to the Guybrush Family; others believe they are beholden to no man. Thus it is a constant battle to maintain the peace in Shadrach's Folly, but it is one the Guybrush Family have taken on with fervor, proving their loyalty to Barony, Duchy, and Empire countless times over the generations as they have put down small revolt after small banditry and maintained the fragile peace of Shadrach's Folly.

In the northeast, where the lands once belonging to the since-dissolved lordship of Haven dry out and level themselves to make grazing pastures for sheep and fields for beekeeping, the people are a calmer and more laid-back sort and prefer to keep themselves out of politics. This lends itself well to the general 'leave-us-be' attitude held by the rest of the lordship, and they certainly do nothing to poke their nose into the affairs of the Alaisannes Hills.

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Stiltsman