Anastyr: The Necromancer's Plague

The Bone Swamp lies between the Jade Sea and the Dark Swamp. This territory is named after the megadons who have lived in this area for centuries. The skeletons of their ancestors can be seen above the stagnant waters and in some places they look like open graveyards. The region is inhabited by the "Primitives," a fierce people who worship the All-Mother and consider themselves her children. The Primitives, also known as the Firstborn, consider the swamp to be sacred ground. They are also the guardians of the megadons, whose survival they have ensured over the centuries, despite the presence of dragons that frequently preyed on their eggs. The region is inhabited by the "Primitives," a fierce people who worship the All-Mother and consider themselves her children. The Primitives, also known as the Firstborn, consider the swamp to be sacred ground. They are also the guardians of the megadons, whose survival they have ensured over the centuries, despite the presence of dragons that frequently preyed on their eggs. Each tribe was born in the wake of one of these ancestral creatures, whose name it has taken. Over the centuries, the tribe watches over the offspring of "their" megadon and ensures that it matures safe from predators. The primitive tribes live in lakeside villages. The matriarch's home is always found at the center of these villages, where wood is mixed with the remains of the ancestral megadon's egg. The Firstborn communication uses very specific tongue clicks, which allows them to hunt over large areas and to implement their battle plans against their enemies. When moving through the swamps, the Primitives use stilts, the length of which determines their social position within the tribe. To travel longer distances, they ride Kurdai, mounts imported from the High Plains centuries ago. Today, kurdai are found in most village enclosures but also in the wild, as they have become an endemic animal of the swamps. Unfortunately, an unprecedented threat has been looming over the Bone Swamp for nearly twenty years: the Plague. This disease corrupts living creatures, both animals and humans. In its final stage, the infected become rabid and kill each other. The Firstborn fear that the megadon eggs will also fall victim to this terrifying disease, especially since some of them are regularly traded during the passage of the Great Caravan, in exchange for iron and precious stones... These extremely precious eggs are indeed sought after by all the caravan masters, to enlarge their convoy and ensure their prosperity.