Shadow Marches

Overview

The Shadow Marches are swampy borderlands where human and orc clans mingle, guarding ancient ruins and manifest zones.

Geography

• Vast marshes, slow rivers, and jungle‑choked islets in western Khorvaire
• Settlements raised on stilts against floods and predators

Government

• Clan chieftains and councils; little central coordination

Major Settlements

• Zarash’ak: City of Stilts, key trade hub
• Outlying stilt‑villages and clan holds

Culture

• Clan loyalty, practical superstition, and rugged independence
• Gatekeeper druidic traditions hold back extraplanar threats

Faith

• Gatekeepers oppose aberrations and the Dragon Below cults
• Mix of Host beliefs with strong local rites

Economy

• Herbs, alchemical reagents, rare woods, and mercenary scouts
• House Tharashk prospectors and bounty hunters prominent

The Last War

• Largely peripheral, though Tharashk rose in influence

Current Issues

• Dragon Below cult activity and aberrant outbreaks
• Tensions between Tharashk clans and traditionalists

What players know

The party flew to the Shadow Marches and operated around Zarash’ak and the bogs, where House Tharashk dominates and House Tarkanan attacked Drennak’s family mine.

Why it matters

The Shadow Marches are House Tharashk’s homeland and the stage for the party’s final confrontation with House Tarkanan.

Campaign history

• Session #16: Flew in and met Thrakken in Zarash’ak.
• Session #17: Traveled the bogs toward Drennak’s mine; ambushed by a crocodile.
• Session #18: Destroyed the Tarkanan cell in the peat-whisky caves and returned to Zarash’ak.