Highlights of the Undulating Burgundy Marches

A region of the Westerrealm with a pleasant, temperate but warm climate, teeming with magic, the Undulating Burgundy Marches are a must-see for every self-respecting worldly adventuring-type. Swathed in red, orange, gold and brown colors - the colors of autumn - low, rolling hills from which the region takes its name are topped by picturesque villages, composed of white stone houses supported by large black wooden beams. The Rusty River, so named for the Rusty Lake it empties into, babbles and meanders through the dells. Packed between the hills and watered by the river lies an alarming and magical variety of geographical terrain types. Here, presented for the first time, are some of the highlights of the Undulating Burgundy Marches:

Great Library of Omnibus
Forgotten by all but a handful of sages and scholars of the arcane stands the Great Library of the fallen Dragon Empire. This gem, tended by Omnibus, the highly intelligent and wise owlbear librarian, the Great Library is a magical demesne. Fey creatures, ancient spirits and fell monstrosities roam its halls, warding against intruders. But for those that dare brave the dusty corridors, great knowledge can be uncovered. And in the Marches, where conviction shapes the surrounding lands to one’s whim, knowledge is power…

The Out-of-Place Jungle
Likely ported here from another place, time, or dimension, perhaps in order to colonize the area but prevent arduous voyages, the Out-of-Place Jungle has stood in its current location since before living memory. It is inhabited by friendly red-capped gnomes living in mushroom houses and by bands of carnivorous halflings. The major menaces in this area are the giant prehistoric reptiles that thunder through the jungle, and the malign and infectious purple goblinoids, whose bite turns a victim in a murderous, volatile, goblinoid itself. The King of the Jungle is a godling girallon by the name of Zarkan, who holds as domain a ruined, exotic temple complex in the heart of the jungle. Phaeton’s Luminous Legion has made a makeshift camp out here but the Legion is out of its depth. Golden-skinned vampires also have taken interest in the region.

Snow Mountain
A rocky mountain, alone in the rolling lands, snow-capped and inhabited by the evil Snow Goons and their undead minions. The mountain itself is a curiosity, as geological conditions give no cause for the formation of such a peak here in the Marches. Its inhabitants are even more curious. Aside from the aforementioned Goons, Snow Mountain is inhabited by hermit werewolves, a spiritually enlightened stone giant, a lecherous young silver dragon ski-instructor and a pack of saber-toothed tigers.

Rusty Lake
Contrary to popular belief, the rust-brown color of this lake's water is not caused by magical means or the volatility of the arcane Wyld energies in the Marches. The lakebed is composed of exposed iron deposits, and oxidation of these deposits grants the lake its defining characteristic. The lakebed's iron has given birth to a culture of metal-loving gothic mermaids, who spend their time luring insecure male townsfolk to their watery doom.

The Fens
An area of marshy swampland surrounds the Rusty River here, teeming with life and holding a few of the most stunningly beautiful locations in the Marches. Of course, the Fens are also the swamping grounds of the local coven of hags. It is unwise to travel in the Fens at night: one's soul could easily wind up in a bag to be traded on the Lower Planes by morning. A number of witches make their home in the Fens as well.

The Hinterlands
In some places where vegetation is scarce, the sun beats down on the land relentlessly. The Hinterlands, an expanse of flat, arid plain, north of the Marches, is such a place. Murderous cacti and venomous insects are the native life here. Folks would avoid this area altogether if it weren't for Dragonboulder Keep smack dab in the middle of the Hinterlands. The ancient castle was the demesne of the ruler of the Burgundy Marches in the time of the Dragon Empire. The Dragon Knight that was the master of the Keep, here at the edge of the world, simply vanished one day and none have been able to determine whence. His dragon, a rare specimen of the orange variety, is known to have remained in the area and is presumably in hibernation nearby, along with, one can assume, a sizable treasure hoard.

Gloomy Forest
As far as gloomy forests go, Gloomy Forest is perhaps the gloomiest of all. Glowing a sickly blue-green color at night, as all manner of ghosts, spectres, fey and unnatural things come out of the woodwork, it is a place best avoided. The local gloom elf community is a trading partner of the human towns in the Marches, their ghost wine fetching a high price as far south as Palladium.