Hello, Everyone!
Welcome to another part of the Mary Windfiddle story! Last time, while having their first night in the Swamp, our heroes got attacked by a Shambling Mound. They managed to beat it (Mary Blight-ed it and it died) but they lost their shelter for the night. They had to spend the night in a damp, mirky stone outcropping instead of the warm, dry and pleasant place under Mary's magical tree.
Morning found them a bit stiff and grumpy, but altogether well. It had stopped raining with the first light of day, and they managed to take a good look at the journey that awaited them.
The Swamp of Agony was a wide and spacious valley, covered with a patchwork of water and dry land. The trees growing here were mostly water-loving species like willows and birches and thick coniferous bushes that Mary didn't recognize. The growth was pretty small and sparse near the Teeth where the swamp began, but the more it spread, the thicker it got, until it turned into a proper forest. It continued on, as far as the eye could see.
High above, the clouds of the constant magical storm swirled in a lazy spiral, distant flashes of lightning indicating that it wasn't anywhere near to the point of clearing up. The whole atmosphere was kinda depressing. Yes, there was a lot of life and green around, but it was that certain sickly pale colour that made them think of being ill and of the mold that grew in the corners of dirty bathrooms.
The swamp was also… creepily alive. The tree that had been struck by lightning last night was already covered with all kinds of moss and mushrooms, as if the surrounding vegetation was trying to swallow it up. The remains of the vine monster that the party fought were also nowhere to be found. Mary expressed her worry that it would come from the ground and attack them again, but Bruno reassured her that it was probably just reclaimed by the nearby plants.
That didn't sound much better.
"So, what do we do now?" Aurum said. "Are we going to fly?"
"I wouldn't recommend it," Tesaya said, squinting at the distant clouds. “Flying is kind of a last-resort sort of thing. Aurum--correct me if I'm wrong, please--has enough Arcane power to do this spell only a couple of times before he has to call it a day, and if we used it up and then got in a tight spot where we needed it… well, that wouldn't be very good, will it?"
Mary shook her head.
"Plus, a lone giant eagle in the sky will be much more noticeable, as opposed to five travellers on foot. We can save the flying for night-time or for urgent situations only."
They had a quick breakfast under the rock in the outcropping and prepared for the next leg of their journey. Mary sat on the ground and started doing her Waterbreathing ritual. The swamp looked shallow here, but who knew what they were going to happen upon later. They'd better be prepared for an underwater adventure if they ever needed it. Better safe than sorry.
Bruno seemed to have a similar idea. He also did a ritual, but his was for walking on water. The moment it came into effect, Mary felt her feet firmer on the wet surface. They were going to walk a lot faster now, without the water splashing around their boots and impeding their movement.
Sadly, while her ritual was going to be in effect until the following day, Bruno had to recast his every hour. It wasn't the perfect solution but it was… something.
When all the preparations were done and all equipment and belongings tucked into the respective Bags of Holding, the group took off. Thanks to Bruno's Waterwalk they were able to move pretty swiftly and soon they reached the place where the trees got too thick to look through.
Mary made her familiars--Atti and a few hawks--and sent them above the tree tops to warn the group of any upcoming obstacles or dangers. She used their senses to look around and noticed something strange or worrisome.
Just about three hundred yards ahead of them, a line of fallen trees crossed their path. They were all torn from their roots and leaned in the same direction--from north to south, as if something humongous had moved through the swamp in a straight line. On a closer look--when Mary sent Atti lower--she saw that there were tracks, too, of a giant three-toed creature. Something about them gave Mary a weird feeling. They didn't really look… local.
"Maybe it's a druid in a wild shape walking around," Bruno suggested.
"What kind of a druid could be able to turn into something this big?!" Mary said.
"I don't know, but Paulina's bear was quite bigger than she was, right?" the dwarf said.
It was true. But, really, the thing that'd left these footprints seemed almost too big to be just a wild-shaped druid. Mary's mind went towards the dragon that lived in the swamp, but she dismissed the idea. The monster was supposed to be imprisoned, and not walking around freely!
Through Atti's eyes, she saw the path of fallen trees take a wide turn a little bit to the south of them, and right there, she saw the half-eaten carcase of an enormous crocodile. In its entirety, the dead beast should have been more than thirty feet long!
What kind of a creature could be able to eat such a giant?!
And… she thought… if that creature hadn't dealt with the crocodile, would she and her friends have to do it themselves?
With a lot of looking-around and expecting-the-worst, they crossed the path of fallen trees. No huge monster attacked them, and they continued their way.
It started to rain again. Mary and Agatha groaned in unison.
Oooh! I hope we don't get to meet the creature that ate that crocodile! Do you think we'll be able to avoid it?
Also, thank you, Bruno, for not having to squelch through the high water! I'd hate it in real life!
See you next time!
Take care and be well!
(Also, here's a link to the Chapter Guide, the Glossary and the Map for the series. You're welcome!)
An important disclaimer: Mary Windfiddle's story is my notes from a D&D game turned into a narrative. All the worldbuilding and NPC encounters belong to our DM, and all the actions of the other main characters (Aurum, Bruno and Agatha) belong to my co-players. My contribution to the story is only everything Mary-related (actions, reactions, inner thoughts), as well as the writing itself.