I have some mountains chugging away in the background so I thought id outline what I was thinking for my terrain.

So I have said that this area is pretty bleak and not filled with cities. Theres a few natural routes across the map and some of them are a bit prone to attack on both sides. I could see Lizard Men coming out from the swamps and taking down merchant caravans so I would expect them to be armed and have a good supply of mercenaries.

So a series of stockaded and otherwise generally fortified points would need to be placed at regular intervals along the route. Each would probably charge a tariff for the benefit of being guarded - nobody's likely to camp outside of the fortifications.

So I reckon that these places would be quite basic and yet rich at the same time. You could probably get anything but its not likely to be sourced locally unless it relates to general merchanting. Theres probably enough farming going on to support the forts or towns but not in excess, all food thats not simple would be brought in. Probably more meats & roots than grains & fruit so all beer, wine & lodging would be expensive.

Probably have everything for warriors but a bit light on priests. Plenty of rogues but not all that many wizards. I expect an unusually high proportion of racial mixes too. Probably a great rumor mill going as well as spying and I would have thought an excellent place for bards.

I should think that theres plenty of adventuring work going whether doing mercenary work or generally lowering the local predator count. I would have expected that its the sort of area where new discoveries crop up now and again. Its not like lots of people are scouring the area - most just want to get through as fast as possible. So there could be untold numbers of ruins, caves, disused mines long forgotten etc. For the same reasons its a likely place that unusual creatures hang out - esp those that can tolerate wet conditions. Its quite possible that these monsters spend more time fighting between themselves and other monstrous races than picking off merchants. The towns might get caught up in these spats whether with armies or refugees.

Ohh my maps just finished... lets see what it looks like.