The Mere of Dead Men - a fireside tale told by Torstag Elveneyes


Part two – Plants and animal

Plant species such as cattails, rushes, ferns, and reeds flourish in its shallow waters, other species include the common marsh-reed and cattail, as well as swamp grass and several rare species of water lily, some of which provide components for spells, and magical or healing potions. Mugglewort and firegrass can also be found in the Mere.

The sturdy gray willow and marsh oak help to form solid islands amid the soft, muddy terrain. Other trees include gall oak, and a number of dangerous carnivorous species, such as thornslinger and black willow. All of these plants seem somehow twisted and dark, often diseased, hung with trailing moss and embraced by the region’s pervasive mists

Many animal species live and thrive in the marshes. The region is alive with amphibians such as the red newt, salamanders, and redeye frog, from which a potent paralytic can be extracted.

The songs of the numerous frog species fill the air at sunset, and in many areas can be near-deafening. The frogs feed on the clouds of flies, gnats, dragonflies, and other species that swarm in huge numbers, especially in spring and summer. The presence of massive clouds of stinging flies, gnats, and mosquitoes is one feature I could do without. In addition, many insects carry diseases, for which the mere is justifiably infamous. The disease problem can be avoided by making an effective insect repellent from the bark of the gray willow, however, and I advise you to obtain large quantities before venturing too deeply into the Mere.

The Mere’s mundane animal species are all of unnatural mien and appearance. Black squirrels and other rodents scurry along the branches of trees, or fight for possession of the few bits of solid ground.

Poisonous snakes are a constant danger, as are the lynx and swamp panther, which hunt here without apparent fear of man. Even normally shy species such as raccoon, fox, and otter behave in an aggressive manner n the Mere, sometimes attacking humans with deadly ferocity. Many of these animals are diseased, carrying such dreaded ailments as rabies and swamp fever.

Many bird species make their homes in the Mere, although the more colorful songbirds seem to prefer the milder climate of the Chelimber Marshes just south of Daggerford. Waterfowl like loons and ducks are seen often, and wading birds such as egrets, herons, and avocets are quite common also.
 

©2003 Nathan Caroland, All rights reserved.