D-113: Blackwater Bayou

Very little sunlight filters through the dark purple canopy of the Blackwater Bayou, the foliage creating such dense patches of shadows that most creatures shy away, not though the umbrali that lives in its depths; and the other swmap creatures know to keep their distance from the glowing tree that serves as her main den. At first glance, the tree seems dead, its bark dark and broken, and yet, it is ancient and thriving, the glorious purple leaves spreading far and wide, covering many of the others, its trunk too twists and turns as it reaches for the sun; and in recent times, the broken bark gleams with infernal light, red and almost sinister looking.

It is the roots of the this tree that serve as the main focal point of Rune's den, each root a pillar in its own right as it keeps the swampy soil from encroaching, and here the shadows thrive, so dense and dark that it is almost impossible to see; but even in this darkness there is some light, an odd glowing stone in the center, powered by the fire dragons that live with her, and the occasional stray firefly that wanders in from the outside. Above, parts of the tree are hollow, allowing the dragons their own time and space should they need it.

It may be a stretch to say the entire swamp is Rune's den, but certainly the immediate area around the tree is, purple grass covering the swampy earth as it leads the the waters edge; if the light were to filter down, these waters are a deep blue, faint shadows swimming past; but in the darkness of the bayou, the water is a dark pool of blackness, giving the area its name. Greenery does grow, scatterings here and there, with stunning pink flowers clinging to other roots of the other trees; beautiful.... but deadly. Though sunlight is a rarity, the bayou is often lit by the fluttering fireflies that thrive in the ... occasionaly some are 'resettled' in the main den itself.....