Oaken Swamp
The Oaken Swamp is one of the wildest and most dangerous territories on the Rum Coast. Sprawling north of the Pain Handle through the heart of By-God-Georgia, this vast wetland stretches so far that the unfamiliar become hopelessly lost within hours of entering. The swamp appears almost alive with hidden dangers: Bull Gators and Bullet Nose Gators lurk beneath the surface, anacondas coil in the reeds, muck archer fish the size of ships cruise the deeper channels, and massive water rats with infectious bites nest along the banks. Undead stalk through the tall grasses and perch in cypress trees, waiting to leap onto passing boats.
The tides from the nearby sea cause water levels to fluctuate constantly, making permanent habitation within the swamp itself impossible. Three small outposts cling to the edges: Bobby's Hideaway offers hooch and music to Gator Hunters after a hard day's work, the Gator Tooth Outpost provides a marketplace for the lucrative gator skin trade, and the Snake's Head Inn offers the only bed for the night in the entire area. Beyond these fragile footholds, the swamp belongs to the creatures and the raiders.
The Leather Back Raiders have made the Oaken Swamp their highway. Riding Bull Gators through the branching bayous, they raid settlements far and wide across the southern Rum Coast, using the waterways as both cover and corridor. The secretive Water Snake Tribe of Natural Ones knows the waters better than anyone else alive, serving as traders and guides to those they trust, but they have hidden themselves in the darkest reaches of the swamp and do not reveal their presence casually.
Gator hunting drives the swamp's economy. Gator skins are a valuable commodity, used for armor and elaborate Pure Blood clothing in the Kingdom, and as prices soar, more hunters risk their lives to take down a kill. The carcasses must be towed back to the outskirts as quickly as possible; the smell of death draws undead from every direction. The Oaken Swamp gives nothing freely, demands payment in blood for everything it offers, and swallows the foolish without a trace.
The tides from the nearby sea cause water levels to fluctuate constantly, making permanent habitation within the swamp itself impossible. Three small outposts cling to the edges: Bobby's Hideaway offers hooch and music to Gator Hunters after a hard day's work, the Gator Tooth Outpost provides a marketplace for the lucrative gator skin trade, and the Snake's Head Inn offers the only bed for the night in the entire area. Beyond these fragile footholds, the swamp belongs to the creatures and the raiders.
The Leather Back Raiders have made the Oaken Swamp their highway. Riding Bull Gators through the branching bayous, they raid settlements far and wide across the southern Rum Coast, using the waterways as both cover and corridor. The secretive Water Snake Tribe of Natural Ones knows the waters better than anyone else alive, serving as traders and guides to those they trust, but they have hidden themselves in the darkest reaches of the swamp and do not reveal their presence casually.
Gator hunting drives the swamp's economy. Gator skins are a valuable commodity, used for armor and elaborate Pure Blood clothing in the Kingdom, and as prices soar, more hunters risk their lives to take down a kill. The carcasses must be towed back to the outskirts as quickly as possible; the smell of death draws undead from every direction. The Oaken Swamp gives nothing freely, demands payment in blood for everything it offers, and swallows the foolish without a trace.
