The Shrouded Fens are both a physical and psychological barrier around Gildraen. The fact that most people are afraid to cross them make them feel like a quiet, mysterious no-man’s-land — known but not understood, feared but not entirely avoided.
- Geography – The Shrouded Fens are vast and shifting — made up of marshes, slow-moving rivers, and thick reed beds. Paths are unreliable; even those who know the way sometimes disappear in the mist.
- Mist and Light – The mist rolls in thick at dawn and dusk, blurring the horizon and softening sound. Lanterns and fires glow faintly through the fog but never seem to fully push it back.
- Unspoken Rules – Locals know better than to cross the fens alone, especially after dark. There are whispered stories about figures seen moving through the mist — or about people disappearing without a sound.
- Trade and Passage – There are a few well-trodden paths through the fens — thin causeways raised just high enough above the water. Traders and travellers use them, but only those with steady nerves and quiet steps.
- The Cup and Reed – The trading post sits right at the edge of the fens — the last safe place before the mist takes hold. The owner is one of the few people who seems to know the rhythms of the fens, watching the weather and the water’s edge like they can hear something no one else can.
- Quiet Superstition – Most people stay clear of the fens unless they have to cross. Offerings of coins, reeds, or small charms are sometimes left at the edge of the water — quiet gestures of respect or fear.
Fen Farming and Flora
Farming in the fens is possible, but tricky. The land is rich with peat, which is full of organic matter but can be:
- acidic and low in nutrients like potassium and phosphorus
- prone to flooding, so water management is key
- hard to work when wet, and prone to blowing away or degrading when dry
That means good farming in the fens requires deep patience, precision, and adaptability. You’d have to:
- time your planting just right based on water level and sky-readings
- grow crops that can thrive in low pH, or improve the soil with careful rotation, mulch, or plant associations
- likely work with raised beds, dykes, or furrows to guide and hold moisture
What crops grow in the Fens?
Roots are the most reliable:
- Turnips
- Carrots (bog varieties)
- Beets
- Parsnips
- Swedes
But also:
- Bog cranberries
- Water mint
- Marsh samphire (glasswort)
- Sedges with edible shoots
- Skirret – an old-world sweet root veg
- Wild celery
- Marsh woundwort – medicinal
- Comfrey – for salves and soil building
- Dock and sorrel – for eating and feeding
- Flax – for turning into linen
Fencing
Living willow and alder fencing are used on the fen’s few farms.
- Willow: easy to coppice and train. Weave it into live barriers or stake it and let it regrow.
- Alder: thrives in wet soil and stabilises ground with its roots. Also used for fencing stakes, tools, and natural dyes.