Into the Swamp (2nd)
Fever Swamp - October 9
People
Locations
Aspen and Razzy arrive at Otter’s hut, where they find Guy lurking around, waiting for a group of people to hang about with. Guy introduces himself to the others, hoping to curry favour and get into the Swamp. Eira now arrives, asking who’s in charge, and sternly requests passage into the Swamp. Everyone pays 2 coins to Otter for the ship hire.
Before they leave, Guy asks who runs things in the swamp, and Otter tells them the Swamp belongs to the ‘People’, as he understands it.
Guy has heard a rumour from a fellow smuggler about a ‘miracle material’; a pliable, purple, leather-like material with bumps, that seems to self-repair after it gets damaged. Perhaps it’s nonsense.
The party enter, beginning down the river Everything is stinky and disgusting, but no more than usual. They decide they want to find the elusive smuggler’s tavern to map out the area.
Entering into the next leg of their journey, one of the oars is getting harder to row. There is some black-brown sludge on it. It falls viscously back into the swamp…
The party sees more of the black-brown sludge in the river as they continue, pooling in puddles. After a bend, they see a big mound of the stuff in the middle of the river. The swamp water flows around this mound.
Getting closer, the party notice a leg sticking out of the mound. Wait, it’s moving wildly! The party pulls on the leg, and they find Thresh, a fieldwarden far from home.
After some patting down and quick rowing away from the Black Pudding, which begins to slowly follow the party, Thresh decides to join the others in their journey.
The party gingerly rowed over where they previously fought some drowners, and Rushd used his ice flower to freeze the swamp water. However, there seems to be no trace of either. Come to think of it, there were lots of bones in the Black Pudding…
Coming to where the tree spiders were, they have left the area for now, as a lot of the silk in the canopies has gone. Now, the party are starting to get tired. They pull the boat up on the western bank and manage to get some rest.
The next morning, everyone wakes up with horrific diseases, but they press on. The party came across the standing stones they discovered last time. Everyone stays wary, but Thresh is keen to interact with them.
He asks lots of questions, then lies down on the slab. He seems incredibly happy and doesn’t want to leave. He is finally pulled off by the others, who grudgingly get back into the boat and proceed downriver.
Whilst Thresh is moaning about going back to the slab, the party are keen to continue to find the smuggler’s tavern. Guy spots some thief marks —painted red shapes on the trees — that seem to indicate a safe haven. They follow it down, but, unfortunately, run into more drowners covered in swamp moss! The fight is hard, and two members of the party fall unconscious from their wounds.
Luckily, some of the members of the smuggler’s tavern notice the fight that’s happening and get everyone to safety at the newly discovered Smuggler’s Copse. Guy notices one of them is wearing what looks like purple leather…