The Grootscher Marsh, located in the southwestern Empire at the convergence of the borders of Reikland, Middenland and the Wasteland.
The Grootscher Marsh is a large marshland located in the southwestern Empire at the convergence of the Reikland, Middenland, and the Wasteland. The marsh gained a cursed reputation among Imperial citizens when the Imperial Army lost the Battle of Grootscher Marsh in 2429 IC. This battle was one of the Empire's worst defeats in recent memory, and allowed the Wasteland and more importantly, the city-state of Marienburg, to secure its independence.[1a]
The Grootscher Marsh also has an evil reputation among Marienburgers, who commonly call it the "Cursed Marsh," when they can bear to think about it at all. The walls of the Vloedmuur are not only for holding back the tide or foreign enemies, but also the things that lurk amongst the reeds and tangleroot trees. Kind-hearted residents will do all they can to persuade friends from entering the swamp, making a sign of protection every time its name is mentioned and telling wild tales of the dangers within.[2a]
It is well that citizens tend to stay away from Grootscher Marsh, for it really is a dangerous place. The foul-smelling marsh suffers from an infestation of River Trolls. It is said that these Trolls occasionally slip into the River Reik to prey upon oblivious riverboats. Sometimes, ominous horn calls are heard coming from the marshes. But River Trolls don't use horns...[1a]
Few have reason to enter the marsh. Some go there to hunt for fungi -- Daemon's Tand, Rood Puffball, and Dodeshors Polypore are a few very valuable species of fungi known to grow in the marsh. The State Armies of Reikland sometimes send soldiers into the marsh to clear it out, but this is considered one of the worst punishment details that can be given.[1a]
The marsh holds things of value, too, and Wastelanders are skilled at wringing out every penny's worth. Swampers fish for the delta eel that forms much of the peasants' diet, and the eggs of the grey herons that arrive with the summer are avidly sought by the city-state's gourmets. Herbalists pay richly for medicinal plants that are found nowhere else, like the "peace-maker" root of the marsh lily that has a reputation for curing hangovers.[2a]
Even the mud has its uses, for earths from certain parts of the swamp are known to have powerful euphoric and even hallucinogenic properties. Alchemists can reduce it to a powder that physicians mix with wine to treat patients suffering from various illnesses of the head. Chaos Cultists and thrill-seekers prefer the illegal pure form, called "Slannesh's Dream," which they smoke in a pipe to induce visions, gain enlightenment and increase their endurance at orgies. It is also highly addictive, a fact not lost on Marienburg's criminal classes.[2a]
Those determined to hunt for lost High Elven treasures can always find a swamper willing to take them out on his flatboat, though at the price of several guilders per head -- paid in advance. The more foolish (and cheap) buy their own boat. After all, none of the locals are stupid enough to rent their property to a visitor when they are almost certain that they'll never see either again! The lucky ones return muddy, wet and cold after a day or two of wandering aimlessly in the ever-present mists, while the rest are remembered fondly when the time comes to make a toast in a local pub. [2a]
The marsh provided refuge to the ancient tribe of Men known as the Jutones when they first fled here around the year -20 IC, and it still serves to shield the city they built -- Marienburg -- against would-be conquerors. The River Reik and the two raised causeways to Middenheim and Gisoreux funnel and eventually trap invaders who can't march an army through a swamp. Many times in the city's history, the rulers of Marienburg have simply abandoned the Wasteland to advancing enemies, only to pick and snipe at them from the fens as they starved outside the city's walls.[2a]