Coconino Marsh

Once host to a vast river civilization, the Coconino Marsh has shrank considerably since its cultivation over two thousand years ago by a tribe of Terrenus natives who shared its name. The Coconino were a shamanistic society that collaborated with elemental spirits. Many of their stone totems, worn down with age, remain scattered throughout the wetlands, but it's hard to make sense of their aesthetic; their art is sometimes too abstract for undiscerning eyes to recognize as anything other than random patterns, as the Coconino did not anthropomorphize the elements.

One of the most famous sites in the Coconino Marsh is the Crocodile Wall. It is thought to have once been the wall of a forum and its surface is painted with frescoes depicting a common coming of age activity for apprentice shamans: wrestling crocodiles that skeletons indicate could grow up to ten meters in length. From these paintings, other artifacts, and a band of archaeologists who practice divination with fervor, a few facts are known about the Coconino: they did not wear clothing, their skin and hair were bone white, their bodies were emaciated from a strict diet and a lack of physical activity due to their intense spiritual proclivities, and they had their eyes removed in an initiation ritual the day before the fated crocodile wrestling was slated to occur. As they are partly responsible for the Peaceful Woods, it is thought they were an egalitarian society, which lacked a material culture.

There is little evidence to suggest what happened to the Coconino; there are no signs of mass migration or a battle. They simply left, as did the spirits with which they consorted. Either the Coconino covered their tracks, or time, and possibly the Legion of Desecrators, erased all trace of their fate. They were known, however, to have collaborated with the Shawnee, a sister tribe that still exists around about the Shawnee Glacier.

Aforementioned archaeologists, who are part of a Blaurg based group known as HERB (the Historical and Ecological Restoration Branch), operate a series of small campsites all year round taking measurements, collecting and divining objects, and in general they attempt to preserve the state of Coconino Marsh, the ecosystem in Terrenus with the highest biodiversity and a major source of freshwater.

As of late, the marsh has been losing its health due to an insurgence of toxic foreign wildlife. The extinction curve for native species has subsequently risen exponentially, and much of the drinking water provided by the Coconino Creek needs considerable filtration, as waterborne illnesses have proven to be resilient. This leads to compounded distress because the Coconino Marsh is growing; it floods every spring, increasing its territory. Nobody wants a voracious, poisonous bog on their hands.

Rumors also indicate that a sahagin Tidemaster has been spotted scouting the area. For what purpose, no one is certain, as contact with the hostile sahagin has always been rare.