The Murk

In the southwest of Anitum is a stretch of swamplands known as the Murk. While not a true-nation itself, the people who live there have a strong sense of community and identity. Murkhaven, the city-fort deep in the swamplands, serves as a center of commerce for the region and is often treated a city-state by outside nations.

History
The history of the Murk is linked to the history of the Ferus. As far back as anyone can tell the first settlers of the Murk were tribal peoples coming down from the Ferus Forest, most likely to avoid domination and capture during the Age of Wizards. They formed small, tight-knit communities.

The Age of Tantus saw the Murk threatened by the expansion of the Tantus Empire. As the empire marched south from Ferus the men of the Murk began to gather together to resist them. They fought a guerrilla war, using their knowledge of the swamps to draw the empire forces into ambushes and lore them into treacherous pitfalls. But Tantus persisted, burning villages and towns to the ground to try and demoralize them. The people of the Murk needed somewhere for their people to keep safe while they fought their guerrilla war. In a few years they built Murkhaven from the ground up, a combination city-fort. Its location was picked for its defensibility; only a single path of dry land leads up to fort, the rest is surrounded by nearly impassible swamp-water. From this position they were easily able to thwart empire attacks.

Later, they would provide support to the tribes of the Ferus Forest as they vied for their own independence. The people of the Murk would prove instrumental in helping the tribes organize into full scale rebellion, which would lead to the development of the Ferus nation. They've continued to be close with the people of Ferus since.

During the Age of Nations several different forces would make an attempt to claim the Murk but each would be repelled by Murkhaven. It gained a reputation as an impenetrable fortress and the attempts stopped.

Never possessing an official military, the rise of the guilds didn't have too major of an impact. While some people leave for the chance of a glorious guild life, the community-first attitude of the people of the Murk means most don't desire to leave.

Culture
The people of the Murk live in very tight-knit communities. The family bond is very important to them, and the people of their village or town are like an extended family. Duty to your family and community is the first and foremost priority. Most live simple lives as farmers, foragers, or woodworkers, although occasionally those bored of the small-town life take on careers as adventurers or hunters.

The people are very proud of their fort-city of Murkhaven, which has earned the reputation of being impenetrable and has never once been taken since it was first constructed close to 500 years ago. It has been expanded several times over the years and the people of the Murk feel it is a great honor to work on building up the walls and defenses. It has become a center of commerce and community for the people as well as a shelter during times of war.

Politics
There is no official ruler of the entire region. Communities are run internally by respected figures, such as a priest or a scholar. Murkhaven is run by an elected mayor. The mayor has the authority to lock down the fort in case of impending attack and recruit from among the citizens to man the walls.

Guild Affiliations:
Having never possessed a real military to begin with the people of the Murk found little need to form guilds to protect themselves. However, they have always been close with the people of Ferus and the Ferusi guilds have offered to come to their aid in times of trouble. The official standings with the major guilds are:

The Ranger Elite: Defensive Alliance

Children of the Wild: Defensive Alliance