Southern Fens

The Southern Fens (Urd Namag to the Kipchak) is a 30 mile wide wetland in the south-west of the Western Marches. It is bounded to the north by the Kheer Tal, to the south by the Caledonia Ranges (Omon Nuruu), to the west by the Black Forest, and to the east by the Dov Khan hills and Weisbaum Valley.

These wetlands are filled with twisted faerie, loathsome exiled orcs, blood-sucking midges and the spirits of the lost. The marsh gases invade the very thoughts of those who travel within, and drive them mad. It takes a strong-willed individual with much swamp lore to survive for many days within the fens. Visitors also need to avoid the local denizens, who are mostly amphibious, stealthy, and poisonous. The bird and insect life is varied and active, but difficult to spot, and harder to catch.

Surviving the Urd Namag is a traditional test of manhood for southern Kipchak and eastern Black Forest orcs. Shamans of both groups also use plants found only in these fens as part of their rituals and magics. The fens also form a border between Weisbaum and the Black Forest. Without this last use, the fens may well have been drained long ago by the Weisbaum settlers.