A vast expanse of dense, waterlogged forest sprawling across the northern Dragon's Spine coast between the open sea and the mountains. The Glog earned its name from the sound boots make in its perpetually sodden ground—a wet, sucking noise that accompanies every step. The forest is cold, dark, and deeply unwelcoming, but it's also one of the few relatively flat, accessible regions on this stretch of coast.
Character
The Glog is not a swamp, exactly, but it rarely feels dry. Rainfall is constant, drainage is poor, and the canopy blocks what little sun reaches these southern latitudes. The ground varies from merely damp to ankle-deep in standing water, with scattered patches of genuine bog that can swallow the unwary. The trees are mostly cold-adapted conifers—spruce, fir, and the distinctive blue-needled glogpine that grows nowhere else.
The forest smells of decay, wet wood, and something faintly sulfurous that locals attribute to the mineral content of the groundwater. Sound carries strangely—voices seem muffled while distant noises arrive with startling clarity. Travelers report feeling watched even when nothing visible observes them.
Despite its inhospitable nature, The Glog supports significant wildlife: elk, wolves, bears, and the cold-water fish that spawn in its countless streams. The forest's western edge provides the only timber resources readily accessible along this coast, and logging camps operate there during the drier summer months.
The Dragon's Shadow
The Glog lies within the territory of Pelera, a green dragon who lairs at Shimmer Lake on the forest's eastern edge. Pelera doesn't rule The Glog in any formal sense—she simply lives there, and everyone else accommodates her presence.
The dragon's influence manifests in several ways:
The Logging Limits: Pelera tolerates harvesting along the western fringe but reacts violently to operations that push deeper into the forest. The boundary isn't marked, but experienced loggers know where it falls. Camps that cross it tend to disappear.
The Tribute Tradition: Some logging operations pay informal tribute—a portion of their catch, coins, or occasionally worked goods left at designated clearings. Whether Pelera actually collects this tribute or merely permits those who pay it to continue operating is unclear.
The Silence: Animals in The Glog fall quiet when Pelera moves through. Experienced woodsmen listen for these silences—they provide warning to take shelter and avoid drawing attention.
Notable Features
Birintine Lake lies in the forest's western reaches, fed by the Birintine River that flows down from the Pinnacles of Rosensaw. The lake is relatively shallow and warm by local standards, heated by geothermal activity that also produces the sulfurous smell characteristic of much of The Glog. Small fishing communities work the lake during summer.
Lake Morgan sits in the northwestern corner of the forest, drained by the Erginya River that flows north to the sea. The lake is colder, deeper, and surrounded by particularly dense forest. Local legend holds that something besides fish lives in its depths—something large enough to capsize boats that venture too far from shore.
The Lonely Lakes dot the northern forest in a chain that may once have been a single larger body of water. They're called "lonely" because nothing seems to live in or around them—no fish, no waterfowl, no animals coming to drink. The water is clear and cold and perfectly still. Most travelers avoid them.
Settlement
No permanent settlements exist within The Glog proper. The forest is too wet, too cold, too dangerous, and too close to a dragon to attract permanent residents. What population exists concentrates in seasonal camps:
Logging camps operate along the western fringe during summer, harvesting glogpine and fir for the timber trade. Workers rotate through on six-week shifts, and the camps close entirely when winter makes the work impossible.
Trapping stations support fur hunters who work the forest in autumn and early winter, when pelts are thickest and Pelera is least active. The trappers know the forest better than anyone, and have the highest casualty rate.
Way-stations provide shelter for travelers crossing The Glog on the route between the Gaplands and The Screech. These are simple structures: four walls, a roof, and a firepit, maintained by no one in particular and used by everyone.
Crossing The Glog
The forest lies between the Gaplands to the west and The Screech to the east, making it an unavoidable obstacle for overland travel along this coast. Three routes exist:
The Northern Shore follows the coastline, avoiding the forest entirely but requiring boats or difficult scrambling across tidal flats. It's the safest route but the longest.
The Glog Road cuts directly through the forest, following higher ground that's merely damp rather than flooded. The road is marked with cairns and maintained, barely, by whoever uses it. Travel time is roughly four days on foot. The route passes within twenty miles of Shimmer Lake.
The Southern Edge skirts the forest along the foothills of The Screech and Shasalassere Mountains. It's drier but longer, and the mountain approaches have their own hazards.
Most travelers take the Glog Road and hope Pelera isn't hunting that week.
Hooks
The Silent Camp: A logging operation has gone quiet—no workers have returned, no signals have been sent, and no bodies have been found. Someone is paying well for a party to investigate. The conventional assumption is Pelera, but the pattern doesn't match her usual behavior.
Lake Morgan's Secret: A scholar believes something in Lake Morgan is connected to the pre-Sundering history of this coast—possibly a submerged structure, possibly something stranger. They're assembling an expedition and need people who can handle both deep water and The Glog's other dangers.
The Lonely Lakes: Animals have been found near the Lonely Lakes—dead, frozen solid, despite temperatures well above freezing. Someone wants to know why. The lakes' reputation for strangeness has attracted interest from parties who might have unsettling uses for whatever's causing the phenomenon.