To the south, the land barely rises above sea level. Many streams and watercourses, most of them brackish or outright saltwater, cross the area in intricate and complex patterns. The water’s salinity has leached into the land: Anyone digging here finds salt crystals in the earth, and the bushes and trees grow stunted from the lack of good water. More so even than in the Gray Steppe, the lack of potable water here is a major impediment to travel across this region. Fortunately, the Bleakwater is much smaller in size—a mere 50 miles or so from end to end, it can be crossed in six days

by those who have the determination to force their way across the water-logged and muddy terrain.

Despite the lack of fresh water, few people live long enough to die of thirst in their attempt to cross Bleakwater. There are numerous dangers that can quickly overcome anyone, let alone those weakened by the effects of dehydration: The area is infested with reptilian beasts of all sizes, from foot-long lizards to snakes as long as a man, to 10-foot long or larger caiman (crocodilian beasts that prefer low-lying wetlands and have no aversion to salt water) that can weigh hundreds of pounds. The area is also home to flesh-eating birds that have little compunction about picking over the still-living body of a traveler who has become too weak to fight back.