Estuaria

Estuaria is a region of Mascotia, and is located somewhat in the direction that is generally accepted as 'southeast'.

Summary
Estuaria is a spicy cesspool crackling with life and energy. There are so many cultures and biomes meeting together here, it ensures things never get old and stagnant.
 * Modern Name - Estuaria
 * Archaic Name - Aztariac
 * Biomes - Bayou, Marshland, Quay, Tropical Rainforest, Mangrove Coast, Crag
 * Neighboring Regions - Hoatzin, Prismia, Templight
 * Official Element - Lightning
 * Guardian Sprite - Aztuar
 * Population Density - High
 * Tectonic Activity - Medium

If there's one thing Estuaria lacks, it's dry, stable land. The torrential jungle rains from Hoatzin meet up with the warm salty water that floods the inland forests from Prismia. You will get wet. You will lose many good pairs of boots in the muck, mire, and mud. Insect swarms and carnivorous plants plague the area, ensuring that only the rowdy and tenacious survive.

You won't want to wander into this crazy land without a guide and a can-do adventurer's attitude. The landmarks are always changing as the swamps swallow up some things, and belch up others. This land can only be home to the brave and loony, and you will meet those types all along the way.

Most attempts to colonize this untamable frontier have failed hilariously. You can find old castles and huts half-swallowed by the swamp, now home to only water snakes, spiders, and the occasional swamp hermit. Despite this, there are a few underwater villages, and one particularly rowdy group has colonized large portions of the jungle rivers...

These are the Amzyn Clan, and they are a force to be reckoned with. Having dammed up a large portion of the Hetzanus River, these aquatic hooligans have pillaged and plundered their way to the top. But not even they dare to try and bushwhack their way through the dark bayou. Lutrolls, Bloody-eye Crocodiles, Squablins, Chiropterrors, and other horrible beasts prowl the swamps, waiting for foolish adventurers to snack on.

Yep, this region is clearly no place for a city-boy like you... but hey, did we mention there's pirate treasure? Yes, sir, tons of it! What's that? You reckon you're up for it? Well, don't say we didn't warn you.

Notable Locations

 * Wopwop Jungle - A beautiful swampy jungle just off the coast of Guppster Village. This area is surprisingly safe and tame compared to the rest of Estuaria. The name for this area is derived from the 'wop-wop-wopwopwop' sounds made by the cicadas that penetrate even the thickest thickets.
 * Guppster Village - Full of friendly folk. Plecos, Guppies, Platys, Mollies, Corys, and Swordtails can be found here. One of the few places where the locals won't try to kill you, and one of even fewer places you can actually stop by and rest at an inn. Do be warned though, the Amzyn Clan has made a habit of terrorizing this peaceful village. Oh, and do note that this is underwater. If you are a landlubber, you won't find this area terribly worthwhile.
 * Archer's Keep - Just west of Guppster Village lies an old, ramshackle tower. It's two notable features are having way too many stairs, and being home to some eccentric fellow who keeps trying to overthrow the Amzyn Clan flying solo. Obviously, that doesn't work out well.
 * Reed Road - Lots of silt and reeds. May contain fishing hooks, freshwater rays, bull sharks, Amzyn warriors, and candiru vapires. And these vampires do not sparkle in the sun.
 * Silt Path - Imagine a river full of all of the things that makes Reed Road so endearing, but then add absolute zero-visibility waters that only an electric eel could navigate. Oh, yeah, forgot to mention those. Yes, this place is full of them. We don't reccomend swimming here.
 * Flunkie Fortress - Another half-sunken attraction. This is what the Amzyn Clan calls home. They are notorious for kidnapping random creatures and citizens, then pitting them against each other in gladatorial combat. The Amzyns love a good blood sport, heck, they'll even join in on a few themselves!
 * Murky Banks - A popular fishing spot that attracts all sorts of shady characters. Many jungle creatures mix with bayou beasts here, and the waters are choked with sunken enemy fortresses.
 * Midnight Bayou - This area is so overgrown, that it appears pitch black, even in midday. This is where the worst of Estuaria's creatures live. We tried bet this guy over there that you wouldn't last one hour here. The bet was never on though, because he agreed.
 * Quicksand Quay - Despite what the movies tell you, quicksand is not deadly. It is a huge inconvenience however, and it will leave you open to the many dangerous creatures living here. Crashed pirate ships sit in this salty bog, and their treasure remains unclaimed. It may seem like a salvager's dream, but upon closer inspection though, everything is trapped. They won't let their precious belongings go easy, and there are even rumors that their skeletons come to life and try to drag others into the swamp. Brr... chilling.
 * Piraracu Castle - Beautiful architecture. You'd probably get killed if you got anywhere near it, though. This is where the leader of the Amzyn Clan and his best armies reside.
 * Echoing Crag - This small mountain range is inexplicably devoid of life. Not even grass grows here... it's just weird. I mean, you'd figure something was up with this place, what with how lively the rest of the region is, but no. It's just quiet here. You can hear your voice echo for almost a full minute, and not a sound is ever heard but your own. It's impossibly to see a foot ahead of yourself with the fog rolling in from the bayou. There are lots of myths and speculation about this place, but the fact remains, absolutely nothing is known about it. But it makes you wonder... who made all of these rope bridges?
 * Elithia City - Pretty much the only place in Estuaria where you won't be eaten, zapped, poisoned, impaled, shot, roasted or kidknapped by some tribe. Elithia City is a very modern, semi-submerged colony where space age technology is surrounded with creatures that still use a leaf to cover their reproductive organs. This is a place you'd actually want to visit, trust me. If you can get past the tight security, that is. It is more or less watched over by Fuze, who founded and named the city. Oceanic and Space ports on one side, palm trees, crystal-clear water and beautiful waterfalls on the other.

Native Flora and Fauna
All sorts of willows, mangroves, lilypads, reeds, algae, flytraps, and what-have-you here. Everything you'd need for a perfect swamp experience. Most notable is the vast collection of carnivorous plants. Some get big enough to eat entire groups of people.

As for fauna... man, it's hell here. So many things are either poisonous, inedible, or predatory... I mean, sure, there are frogs you could eat. And tons of mosquitoes, if that's your thing. But it's only a matter of time before the Squablin packs find you... and the Lutrolls find them. As if the region was trying to confuse explorers even more, Dubstep Cicadas play bizarre, throbbing music, and Tripper Moths leave extremely hallucinogenic powder on those they fly over.

Year-Round Wildlife:

Blackeye Caiman, Trapback Ground Sloth, Striped Mosquito, Fleshborer Fly, Giant Common Cranefly, Lesser Marsh Midge, Pigeon Midge, Stiped Meganeura, Whistlin' Demon Darner, Black Arthropleura, Squablin, Bloody-eye Crocodile, Venomous Pier Ant, Blancwing Butterfly, Swamp Sagofly, Ravenous Jungle-Rat, Festerspit Jungle-Rat, Ramphorhyncat, Gadniswet, Howling Leech, Common Giant Leech, Titanic Screamer Maggot, Venomous Slasher-Monkey, Phlegmworm, Plagueweb Spider, Giant Trap Spider, Wading Black Scorpion, Grand Scolopendra, Bayou Crab, Antsy Tree Crab, Feathered Dancing Spider, Swamp Whistler, Hossthawk, Muck Basilisk, Murk Arowana, Vladic Piranha, Snapjaw Piraracu, Vampiric Candiru, Blind Maggotfish, Shock Ray, Blind Quay Shark, Swamp Quetzal, Ashy Crane, Stiltleg Stork, Midnight Cardinal, Acidbutt Beetle, Common Stew Frog, Belching Croaker, Electric Newt, Sicklebeak Ripper Flamingo, Chiropterror, Shrieker Bat, Angler Ropen, Anchor Fatsnake, Whiptrap Python, Deathstripe Snake, Bloodmouth Viper, Gaudy Guppy, Swamp Swordtail, Shady Molly, Darting Pejerrey, Uncommon Cave Axolotl, Swamp Olm, forest elephants, Asian elephants, sloths, Esturian spark ants, Tesla Eel, Pad-Mimic Beetle, Toemuncher, Swarmer Piranha, Mooing Pacu, Brain Lamprey, Hissing Slug, Barking Cockroach, Devourer Bufo, Medusa's Gaze Bunyip, Gull-florp, Hallucinogenic Screamer Slug, Great Derpy Catfish, Scalpsucker Plecostomus, Decaying Trout, Dubstep Cicada, Tripper Moth, Rosy Minnow, Einsteinium Stork

Yeah, it's crazy. And do note that almost half of those can kill you.

Geology
Lots of the rocks and minerals from Estuaria are charred or hold an electric charge. We wish we were kidding.

There have been lots of scuffles over precious swamp diamonds, shock sapphires, and stinkrock. These bizarre materials are found nowhere else, and are a must for any hardcore geologist's collection.

Notable Residents

 * Agent Dorado
 * Apprentice Snodd
 * Archie Fysche
 * Blargahad
 * Bubba
 * Caffiene
 * Count Dredgula
 * Dr. Ich
 * Fuze (Seasonal)
 * General P'yara
 * Guy
 * Hasaaj
 * Mayor Phil
 * Old Man Marb'l
 * Parisa
 * Pe-Jerry
 * Pierre Akuu
 * Professor Pyewck
 * Volt
 * Zippy
 * ==Photos==