A marsh-lord represented a political position on the planet Safrifa, a world dominated by swamp terrain, during the High Republic Era. By 231 BBY, one such marsh-lord residing on Safrifa experienced the abduction of their son by a rival clan. This marsh-lord subsequently contracted Ty Yorrick, a mercenary, tasking her with an extraction operation. The agreed-upon compensation involved novian ore in exchange for the safe retrieval and return of their child to their clan. Following a violent and disordered conflict, Yorrick successfully delivered the leader's son back to them, receiving the novian ore as payment. Afterward, the mercenary departed for her ship, later reflecting upon the operation she had carried out for the marsh-lord.
The term marsh-lord first appeared in The High Republic: The Rising Storm, a novel penned by Cavan Scott as part of Phase I of the Star Wars: The High Republic initiative, and released on June 29, 2021. Before the book's official launch, StarWars.com featured the title in a preview of the novel, published on April 22 of the same year.