low country [Lore] The Marais de Feu

[RarityDash]

Marais de Feu - Aquellia's Fire Swamp

 

 

Within Southern Aquellia's great and treacherous Soggalong Swamp, there exists a peculiar large stretch of swamp known to the locals as the Marais de Feu, though referred to most commonly simply as the Fire Swamp elsewhere across the continent. True to this moniker, this portion of the swamp is most known for the fact that its surface is dotted with innumerable heat vents, each of which continuously and regularly spews out large flames. These flames coupled with the Swamp wildlife, some of which is unique to this area, make the Fire Swamp a notoriously dangerous locale.

 

Despite it's great danger, the area is inhabited, and by more than ferocious beasts. Avoided by Aqullian swamp griffons for ages in favor of the kinder Neighples Delta, the Marais de Feu was first settled long ago by sturdy and spirited ponies from Calnais, who were drawn to it for the adventure, surprisingly fertile stretches of land and the ease of trade the location allowed with both Aquellian neighbors and Maretonian and Saddle Arabian ships sailing past. The descendants of these Prench settlers, who call themselves the Neighjuns, have homes, trading posts and small ports built all across the Fire Swamp, but as with the Neighples Delta, there are no major settlements of note. The Neighjuns are characterized as an enthusiastic and friendly bunch, rarely troubled even by the dangers of their precarious habitat.

 

As with the rest of the Soggalong Swamp, monsters of all variety are known to abound. Shrewd and intelligent chimeras can be the biggest thread for those unprepared, though those in the know can reason with these creatures. Elsewhere one may find flame bats, hydras, a variety of giant rodents and even an occasional dragon. Most ponies unfamiliar with the area opt to employ a local as a guide if they have need to traverse the swamp.

 

At the west end of the swamp, just off the coast rests a strange and unnatural feature--a ruined town called Eggwater Bay. This colony was not built by the Neighjuns but rather by opportunistic Maretonian sailors from Hippostion, who were hoping to establish a port on the other side of the Reintight Sea, to further their dominance of the sea. This plan was ruined quickly after the colony was built, however, when an incredible wild storm changed the landscape of the swamp and sunk the greater part of the settlement. Some of the structures built by the Maretonians have been refurbished and repurposed by the Neighjuns for use as ports, but for the most part the sunken ruins of Eggwater Bay have become a gathering spot for sea serpents who live there and enjoy relatively amiable relations with the ponies of the area.

~ Canterlot Research Journal