Venomac Swamp
A World of Draconica short story
By Dan Wright
By Dan Wright
Draconica has its fair share of dangerous places. From the poisonous fauna of the Aztraz jungle to the desolate plains of Romano – there are many places that any Draconican with a ounce of sense would avoid.
But few places in the world could bring terror to a mortal than Venomac Swamp.
The southern lands, are for the most part, arguably the safest place to live. It’s known for its beautiful forests and excellent wildlife. Many who visit it say it’s one of the most peaceful places – plus the Queen of Brittana and the King of Celtland (Daniar Dragonkin and Daryl Gryphenpyre respectably) have governed the land with aplomb and lauded for their kindness. On the whole there aren’t that many dangerous areas – Venomac Swamp being an exception.
Just the very mention of this terrible place can make even the bravest men quake in their boots. It is considered cursed ground by many and a place to avoid at all costs.
From what we have gathered from those who have travelled and survived (though that number is few and far between), the dangers of the swamp are many. Trees block out the sunlight, making it impossible determine whether it would be night or day. A thick fog covers the swamp that can impair vision and in some cases choke any who dare to walk through it. Some have even said that this fog can cause a traveller to go insane. Not just that, but the ground is muddy and difficult to walk in. Swamp water and quicksand is common in this area and, due to the obscuring fog, travellers often don't notice where they are stepping until they are pulled under. Each step could lead to death.
No such map exists detailing the area of Venomac Swamp, as no one has managed to make one. The swamp also contains a strong magnetic field that drags in any flying creatures that pass over it.
It's not just the hazardous atmosphere that makes Venomac dangerous, but also the creatures that live in there. Venomac is home to all manner of mutated creatures that have adapted to the dark nature of the swamp. Giant spiders leave webs big enough to catch a torobear in the trees – these same trees could also end up being oak fiends, living monsters of wood that have been the death of many an unwary traveller.
As you can tell, Venomac is a dark blotch on an otherwise beautiful part of Draconica. But what surprises most is that, according to legend, this was once considered one of Draconica’s most beautiful forests. How it became this way is a story of betrayal, heartbreak and tragedy.
The legend follows Arkana, the most benevolent of all dragons. Her kindness was such that even the hardest of hearts would warm to her. She created the forests of Draconica, having been inspired by the forests of the worlds she visited. She had a love for every living thing on the planet, whether it was the animals or the trees and she took particular care in maintaining the forests. She was by far the most respected and loved of all the dragons.
By contrast, the dragon Venomac was not. He had been born deformed and ugly. Everything he touched decayed and he destroyed plant life by just breathing on it. He was an outcast, dejected and hated by even his own kind. Venomac would often cry himself to sleep most nights – hating himself for the monster that he was.
Venomac once visited one of Arkana’s woodlands, wanting to be around something beautiful so that he could feel good about himself. However, just like always, his very presence corrupted the land around him. Venomac realised that this was to be his curse. He could never ever be around something beautiful without destroying it. He lay in the forest and wept.
Arkana came to the forest (her emphatic link with nature telling her the forest was in pain) and healed it. She found Venomac weeping and took pity on the poor creature, being the only one not to turn away because of who he was. She showed him kindness that no other creature had shown him. For once, Venomac felt loved.
Though the other dragons could not understand why Arkana would show so much attention to such a deformed beast, Arkana continued to show friendship to Venomac. She gave him confidence that he never had before. Over time, Venomac felt proud of himself. He could now face the sneers and jeers of others. He no longer cared what they thought, he had Arkana.
Unfortunately, Venomac in his naivety mistook Arkana’s friendship for love. Venomac admitted his feelings for Arkana, declaring his undying love for her. Arkana was taken aback, and flattered in some way, but she politely refused. Her love was for the forest and she only saw Venomac as a friend.
Venomac did not take this rejection lightly. He tried many more times to declare his love for her, but still she refused. He became obsessed with her, stalking her and trying to find ways of getting her attention. It got so bad that Arkana had to get help from her friend Karana, the Storm Drake, to protect her from him.
But even Karana’s protection would not deter him. Venomac refused to believe that someone who had shown him so much love could have rejected him like that. His obsession became so bad that he even went to Isiah, begging her to use her powers to make Arkana love him. While Isiah believed that every living thing should have a mate, even she would not help Venomac. Mainly because she was very close friends with Arkana and the thought of the two of them together made her physically sick. In one such parchment detailing this meeting, she is said to have quoted:
"I would rather see Arkana dead than with an abomination such as you".
Many modern day scholars contest this – saying it was out of character for someone like her. Unfortunately, we have no way of verifying this and can only go on hearsay. What we do know is that Venomac once again went into a deep depression. His love for Arkana turned to hatred and soon he began to despise her forests that she had created. Just to look at them now made him feel sick.
So he took the most brutal revenge that he could.
He went to Arkana’s most beautiful forest lands and deliberately breathed a poisonous breath over the entire land – and within this breath he poured all of his malice and hatred for Arkana. The forest withered and became corrupted, ripped of its once beautiful image. Arkana rushed to the forest once she felt it in pain, but by the time she arrived, the forest was so horribly disfigured and corrupted that even she could not heal it. She confronted Venomac, horrified that he would do such a thing to her after she had shown him so much kindness. Venomac simply told her that he did it to hurt her in the worst possible way, the same way that she had hurt him.
Arkana was devastated. She could not believe that Venomac would do such a horrible thing to her after everything she had done for him. But not only that, her emphatic link meant that she constantly felt the forests agony – like it was screaming inside her head. Unable to cope with this, she threw herself into the largest volcano on the planet.
Her death sent shockwaves throughout nature. Animals cried and moaned for months, forests deliberately withered and died of their own free will, birds crashed into the ground from up high. Even the dragons were devastated by her demise. They had lost the most benevolent of their kind. They held a month long mourning in her name – even Baala and Leoni briefly halted their war to mourn for Arkana.
What happened to Venomac after this is unclear. One theory was that Karana investigated the cause of Arkana’s demise, knowing that she would never willingly take her own life unless there was good reason for it. On discovering the decaying forest, he had no doubt in his mind who could have done this. Angered, he tracked Venomac down to a cave set on one of the outlining islands of the planet. His intention was to kill him out of revenge, but when he found Venomac, hiding in the cave, wracked with guilt over what he had done, he gladly allowed Karana to kill him so that he would not have to live with this pain. Seeing Venomac was already suffering, Karana spared his life – but not out of kindness. To him, death would simply be a mercy. He left Venomac to rot in the cave, the guilt of killing Arkana forever haunting his every waking moment. Others say he just hid away and was never heard of again. But some say that there is a cave in the southern land that holds his soul. In fact, a few who live in that area say that from time to time you can hear cries of agony echoing throughout the cave.
Nature eventually healed itself after Arkana’s death, to this day the forest lands are doing fairly well in spite of no longer being cared for by Arkana, having learned to look after themselves.
Venomac’s story has been interpreted many different ways on Draconica over the years. Many stories view him as a symbol of corruption and destruction of beauty, whereas some view him as a victim of his own insignificance. This story even has become a kind of allegory, serving as a warning to the benevolent to be careful who you show kindness to.
Renowned Garman playwright Grahame Sharkspeare once penned a play called The Tragedy of Venomac, giving an alternative look at this story. Here, Venomac is portrayed as a tragic hero and Arkana as a snotty brat that was the cause of Venomac’s suffering. This play was critically panned and, when performed in Celtland (where Arkana is the patron dragon), a riot broke out during the curtain call when the audience stormed the stage. As such it has never been performed in Celtland again. Many wonder why he would dare write something like this, but Sharkspeare himself is known for his controversial plays – All Hail The Vampire and Tiberius the Brave being two such examples. Most notably, these plays are about tyrannical rulers that many believe Draconica would have been better off without.
Ironically, though he was hated in life, Venomac has indeed left a lasting impression on the world of Draconica. The swamp remains as symbol of the hatred that he felt for Arkana – maybe even the whole world. In this one move, he made his mark on Draconica – though most, if not all would agree not for the better.
But few places in the world could bring terror to a mortal than Venomac Swamp.
The southern lands, are for the most part, arguably the safest place to live. It’s known for its beautiful forests and excellent wildlife. Many who visit it say it’s one of the most peaceful places – plus the Queen of Brittana and the King of Celtland (Daniar Dragonkin and Daryl Gryphenpyre respectably) have governed the land with aplomb and lauded for their kindness. On the whole there aren’t that many dangerous areas – Venomac Swamp being an exception.
Just the very mention of this terrible place can make even the bravest men quake in their boots. It is considered cursed ground by many and a place to avoid at all costs.
From what we have gathered from those who have travelled and survived (though that number is few and far between), the dangers of the swamp are many. Trees block out the sunlight, making it impossible determine whether it would be night or day. A thick fog covers the swamp that can impair vision and in some cases choke any who dare to walk through it. Some have even said that this fog can cause a traveller to go insane. Not just that, but the ground is muddy and difficult to walk in. Swamp water and quicksand is common in this area and, due to the obscuring fog, travellers often don't notice where they are stepping until they are pulled under. Each step could lead to death.
No such map exists detailing the area of Venomac Swamp, as no one has managed to make one. The swamp also contains a strong magnetic field that drags in any flying creatures that pass over it.
It's not just the hazardous atmosphere that makes Venomac dangerous, but also the creatures that live in there. Venomac is home to all manner of mutated creatures that have adapted to the dark nature of the swamp. Giant spiders leave webs big enough to catch a torobear in the trees – these same trees could also end up being oak fiends, living monsters of wood that have been the death of many an unwary traveller.
As you can tell, Venomac is a dark blotch on an otherwise beautiful part of Draconica. But what surprises most is that, according to legend, this was once considered one of Draconica’s most beautiful forests. How it became this way is a story of betrayal, heartbreak and tragedy.
The legend follows Arkana, the most benevolent of all dragons. Her kindness was such that even the hardest of hearts would warm to her. She created the forests of Draconica, having been inspired by the forests of the worlds she visited. She had a love for every living thing on the planet, whether it was the animals or the trees and she took particular care in maintaining the forests. She was by far the most respected and loved of all the dragons.
By contrast, the dragon Venomac was not. He had been born deformed and ugly. Everything he touched decayed and he destroyed plant life by just breathing on it. He was an outcast, dejected and hated by even his own kind. Venomac would often cry himself to sleep most nights – hating himself for the monster that he was.
Venomac once visited one of Arkana’s woodlands, wanting to be around something beautiful so that he could feel good about himself. However, just like always, his very presence corrupted the land around him. Venomac realised that this was to be his curse. He could never ever be around something beautiful without destroying it. He lay in the forest and wept.
Arkana came to the forest (her emphatic link with nature telling her the forest was in pain) and healed it. She found Venomac weeping and took pity on the poor creature, being the only one not to turn away because of who he was. She showed him kindness that no other creature had shown him. For once, Venomac felt loved.
Though the other dragons could not understand why Arkana would show so much attention to such a deformed beast, Arkana continued to show friendship to Venomac. She gave him confidence that he never had before. Over time, Venomac felt proud of himself. He could now face the sneers and jeers of others. He no longer cared what they thought, he had Arkana.
Unfortunately, Venomac in his naivety mistook Arkana’s friendship for love. Venomac admitted his feelings for Arkana, declaring his undying love for her. Arkana was taken aback, and flattered in some way, but she politely refused. Her love was for the forest and she only saw Venomac as a friend.
Venomac did not take this rejection lightly. He tried many more times to declare his love for her, but still she refused. He became obsessed with her, stalking her and trying to find ways of getting her attention. It got so bad that Arkana had to get help from her friend Karana, the Storm Drake, to protect her from him.
But even Karana’s protection would not deter him. Venomac refused to believe that someone who had shown him so much love could have rejected him like that. His obsession became so bad that he even went to Isiah, begging her to use her powers to make Arkana love him. While Isiah believed that every living thing should have a mate, even she would not help Venomac. Mainly because she was very close friends with Arkana and the thought of the two of them together made her physically sick. In one such parchment detailing this meeting, she is said to have quoted:
"I would rather see Arkana dead than with an abomination such as you".
Many modern day scholars contest this – saying it was out of character for someone like her. Unfortunately, we have no way of verifying this and can only go on hearsay. What we do know is that Venomac once again went into a deep depression. His love for Arkana turned to hatred and soon he began to despise her forests that she had created. Just to look at them now made him feel sick.
So he took the most brutal revenge that he could.
He went to Arkana’s most beautiful forest lands and deliberately breathed a poisonous breath over the entire land – and within this breath he poured all of his malice and hatred for Arkana. The forest withered and became corrupted, ripped of its once beautiful image. Arkana rushed to the forest once she felt it in pain, but by the time she arrived, the forest was so horribly disfigured and corrupted that even she could not heal it. She confronted Venomac, horrified that he would do such a thing to her after she had shown him so much kindness. Venomac simply told her that he did it to hurt her in the worst possible way, the same way that she had hurt him.
Arkana was devastated. She could not believe that Venomac would do such a horrible thing to her after everything she had done for him. But not only that, her emphatic link meant that she constantly felt the forests agony – like it was screaming inside her head. Unable to cope with this, she threw herself into the largest volcano on the planet.
Her death sent shockwaves throughout nature. Animals cried and moaned for months, forests deliberately withered and died of their own free will, birds crashed into the ground from up high. Even the dragons were devastated by her demise. They had lost the most benevolent of their kind. They held a month long mourning in her name – even Baala and Leoni briefly halted their war to mourn for Arkana.
What happened to Venomac after this is unclear. One theory was that Karana investigated the cause of Arkana’s demise, knowing that she would never willingly take her own life unless there was good reason for it. On discovering the decaying forest, he had no doubt in his mind who could have done this. Angered, he tracked Venomac down to a cave set on one of the outlining islands of the planet. His intention was to kill him out of revenge, but when he found Venomac, hiding in the cave, wracked with guilt over what he had done, he gladly allowed Karana to kill him so that he would not have to live with this pain. Seeing Venomac was already suffering, Karana spared his life – but not out of kindness. To him, death would simply be a mercy. He left Venomac to rot in the cave, the guilt of killing Arkana forever haunting his every waking moment. Others say he just hid away and was never heard of again. But some say that there is a cave in the southern land that holds his soul. In fact, a few who live in that area say that from time to time you can hear cries of agony echoing throughout the cave.
Nature eventually healed itself after Arkana’s death, to this day the forest lands are doing fairly well in spite of no longer being cared for by Arkana, having learned to look after themselves.
Venomac’s story has been interpreted many different ways on Draconica over the years. Many stories view him as a symbol of corruption and destruction of beauty, whereas some view him as a victim of his own insignificance. This story even has become a kind of allegory, serving as a warning to the benevolent to be careful who you show kindness to.
Renowned Garman playwright Grahame Sharkspeare once penned a play called The Tragedy of Venomac, giving an alternative look at this story. Here, Venomac is portrayed as a tragic hero and Arkana as a snotty brat that was the cause of Venomac’s suffering. This play was critically panned and, when performed in Celtland (where Arkana is the patron dragon), a riot broke out during the curtain call when the audience stormed the stage. As such it has never been performed in Celtland again. Many wonder why he would dare write something like this, but Sharkspeare himself is known for his controversial plays – All Hail The Vampire and Tiberius the Brave being two such examples. Most notably, these plays are about tyrannical rulers that many believe Draconica would have been better off without.
Ironically, though he was hated in life, Venomac has indeed left a lasting impression on the world of Draconica. The swamp remains as symbol of the hatred that he felt for Arkana – maybe even the whole world. In this one move, he made his mark on Draconica – though most, if not all would agree not for the better.