In no particular order (yet)...
Further Hooks for Entering the Wretchedness of the Marsh
1 - A priest grows uneasy, the barrier between the living world and the dead is weakened, and the source is the Candlemarsh; discover the source of the corruption and destroy it.
2 - The Grand Light of the Cathedral-Beacon was stolen in the night, and it cannot be relit! The thief disappeared like smoke, and fled to the Candlemarsh. Reclaim it.
3 - You must discover a secret, but the only person who knew it is now dead. There is an oracle who supposedly lairs in the Candlemarsh who could reveal the secret to you. Find it and learn the secret.
4 - Recover the Last Secret/the Last Wonder of the Old Wizard's Tower.
5 - Someone was taken in the night by... something. It was feral, and merely looked like a man, and dragged them into the Marsh. Rescue them.
6 - There is an old Mansion in the Marsh built in old times before the Marsh spread beyond its boundaries. Loot it.
7 - You have this old map, supposedly it leads to Tief Le'Jeans' long lost treasure. Recover it.
8 - An Alchemist requires that most rarest of flowers, the Artisan's Orchid. The closest plant grows in the Candlemarsh, in the Gardens of Aunty Seepstitch. Retrieve it.
9 - The Druids of the Swamp cry for help from their Animist Brethren. Answer the call.
10 - A Fae wandered into town, and bestowed upon you a righteous quest! Aid the Moth-King in his war in the Dread-Candlemarsh!
Distinguishing Features: Trolls
1 - A drooping Pot Belly
2 - Flaps of Sagging Skin
3 - Spider-like Clusters of Eyes
4 - A wide, Ponderous Jaw
5 - A scraggily 3rd Arm
6 - Pock-marked Bone Crests
7 - Twists of Gnarly Scars
8 - Drifts of Warped Burns
9 - An Atrophied Limb
10 - Is Missing a Chunk
11 - Useless, foot-long Fly-Wings
12 - Outcrops of Parasite Fungus
13 - An Ad-Hoc "Prosthetic" Leg
14 - Half of their Head is Merely a Skull
15 - A Weapon is stuck in their Flesh
16 - Long and Pointy Facial Features
17 - Has Crocodile-Scale Tattoos
18 - Sports a Twisted Horn
19 - Has a foot-long, Dangling Tongue
20 - Has a Hole all the way through
Distinguishing Features: Druids of the Swamp
1 - Has a Pair of Antlers
2 - Has Leaves for Hair
3 - Has Feathers for Hair
4 - Has an Animal's Eyes
5 - Has Hooves for Feet
6 - Has Gills on their Neck
7 - Has patches of Scales
8 - Has Stone Teeth
9 - Twists of Gnarly Scars
10 - Wears a Cloak of Insects
11 - Altogether too... normal...
12 - Has Fly-Faceted Eyes
13 - Smells of Sweet Flowers
14 - Tangles of Twigs for Hair
15 - Has a flickering Snake Tongue
16 - Has a Constant Animal Companion
17 - White Flowers sprout at their Feet
18 - Always, always Muddy
19 - Wears a Mantle of Fog
20 - Has Fish-Webbed Limbs and Digits
Marks of the Druid Clans
1 - They all wear masks like animals of the swamp.
2 - They are particularly mutated: roll twice the number of distinguishing features as normal
3 - They wear suits of layered bark-scales
4 - They dress only in geometric tattoos of beasts and plants
5 - They all have shaved heads and wear dark marks around their eyes and mouths
6 - They jangle as they move from all the bones that dangle from their clothes
7 - They all wear long, winding strings of prayer-beads wrapped around their bodies
8 - They all walk about on stilts to avoid the bog-water
Troll Loot
For Lone, Regular Trolls, roll d30.
For Groups of Trolls, roll d40.
For Troll Warriors, roll d30 + 10.
For Troll Knights, roll d20 + 20.
1 - 3d20 Fish Heads
2 - d4d4 Crocodile Teeth
3 - A Painted Stone
4 - d4 False-Heron Beaks
5 - A Flint Knife
6 - A Satchel of d12 Fat-Candles
7 - Some reeking Cheese
8 - Some smoked Meat
9 - A Crude Wooden Charm
10 - A Collection of Mosses
11 - An assortment of Roots
12 - d6 Bloody Druid Scalps
13 - 2d4 Rusted and Ruined Weapons
14 - A Jumble of Crocodile Bones
15 - A Chunk of Masonry
16 - A Bundle of Sopping Clothes
17 - d4 Painted Bark Scraps
18 - A Lump of Raw Bog-Iron
19 - A Dead Dog
20 - A Rather Large Bone
21 - An actually Useable Weapon
22 - A Spirit Ward
23 - d4 Crocodile Skins
24 - A Flask of Hag-Tea
25 - d12 dried, Hallucinogenic Frogs
26 - d4 clumps of Medicinal Herbs
27 - An Idol of the Troll-King
28 - A Crocodile's Heart
29 - A Druid's Totem-Staff
30 - A Goodly Chunk of Bog-Iron
31 - A piece of Loot from the Wizard's Tower
32 - An Iron Cage holding a Small Sprite
33 - A Looted Master-work Weapon
34 - A Bone Charm, a gift from the Oni
35 - A Necklace of Wolf-Teeth
36 - A Hunting Horn
37 - A Runed Hunting Spear
38 - Cursed, Ground Insect Powder
39 - d4 Lightning-Struck Stones
40 - Actual, real, bone-fide LOOT
Tief le'Jean's Buried Treasure
Once called "The Gentleman Corsair", Tief le'Jean was famed and feared, and according to legend, once buried an entire chest filled with jewels in the depths of the Marsh for reasons now lost to knowledge. The legends also say that he buried three of his most loyal crew, that they might guard in even beyond death...
This Map you got your grubby hands on leads to...
1 - A Gnarled and Twisted Oak with 3 great Branches
2 - A Triangle of 3 Standing Stones
3 - A Bog-Isle, bearing 3 ancient Graves
4 - A Rock-Outcrop bearing 3 Carven, Pain-Wracked Faces
5 - The Old and Rotted Remains of 3 Boats
6 - An unfinished dig-site; you weren't the first ones here...
The Treasure has turned out to be...
1 - Absent. It was only ever a Legend it seems.
2 - All but destroyed by time and water.
3 - A few bottles (2d4) of Very Fine Wine
4 - A Book of Esoteric Alchemical Formulae
5 - Just a Key. But to what?
6 - Actually a Gold filled Chest. Who knew?
The Three Guardians however, are...
(Only roll on this if there was anything left to guard)
1 - Now just Bloat Dead.
2 - Old bones, nothing more.
3 - Spirits that manifest as Malicious Terrain
4 - Spirits that manifest as Raging Ghosts
5 - Spirits that manifest as a Terrible Dream-Curse
6 - Spirits that have reincarnated into Marsh-Beasts
What Lurks Within the Swamp Oyster?
1 - Actually just a really big, somewhat green Pearl of Prodigious Size
2 - A Nacreous Skull that babbles when Trolls are near
3 - An Oily Seed that will grow into a Lake if planted (over the course of 1 year)
4 - A pit which leads ALL THE WAY DOWN
5 - The bones of an Angel, carven with celestial runes
6 - The Foetal Embodiment of the God 'Neath the Murk
7 - A concreted mass of Troll Skulls, silently screaming
8 - A miniature forest, somehow vast and dark within the Oyster
Stirrings of the Lake God
1 - An aqueous hand rises from the water, highers and higher, before it snuffs out a star and collapses back into the bog.
2 - The bog forms a silently screaming face from the muck, it stretches up, as if trying to escape, before it collapses again into nothingness.
3 - A patch of water instantly freezes, criss-crossed with dark cracks.
4 - A swarm of bugs are pulled instantly together into a solid clump of squirming, buzzing agony. They are slowly crushed together into nothing.
5 - A Tree trembles before splitting open to unleash a sudden geyser of thick marsh-water.
6 - Just a moment too long for comfort, the whole world appears as if underwater.
7 - A False-Heron minds its own business, before it tenses, and then rises up into the air and unravels into strings of meat and bone like so much knitting being pulled apart.
8 - The water suddenly becomes hard as concrete, though beneath the surface it feels like grasping hands. Slowly it all melts back to normal.
9 - For a moment, the sky appears to become a great ocean, roiling and stirring according to unseen winds.
10 - The trembling earth rises like an egg about to burst over a flame; it splits open to emit a creature of mist that surges forth screaming as its form slowly dissipates into nothing.
Stats for the Beasts
TROLLS
Armour: 13, Move 30', 3 Hit Dice, Morale 7.
Attacks: Bite for d6 and Claws for d6, or Weapon for d10
Special: Trolls regenerate 1 HP at the start of each of their turns. Fire damage they take also reduces their maximum HP by an equal amount. Trolls can even regenerate from 0 HP, though they die permanently if their Maximum HP is reduce to 0 by fire, or if they receive damage equal to their normal maximum while at 0 HP.
Trolls can also hold their breath for up to an hour.
Text
The Troll Knights
Crocodile Hunter
Armour: 14, Move 35', 4 + 1 Hit Dice, Morale 9.
Attacks: Bite for d6 and Claws for d6, or 2 Knuckle Dusters for 2d4 each.
Special: As Troll, but regenerates 3 HP at the start of each turn.
Text
Boat Sinker
Armour: 16, Move 20', 4+2 Hit Dice, Morale 9.
Attacks: Bite for d6 and Claws for d6, or a Figure-Head Smash for 2d8 which also attacks any creatures directly behind the target. Boat Sinker can't move and attack in the same turn.
Special: As Troll, but can also plant their Hull-Shield to grant +3 to their AC against attacks from a specific direction as long as it didn't move that turn.
Text
Dumb Boi
Armour: 12, Move 20', 4 + 4 Hit Dice, Morale 3d4 (roll each time).
Attacks: Bite for d6 and Claws for d6, or Rock for d12 (30' range).
Special: As Troll, but is also too stupid to be affected by many Mind-Altering Effects.
Text
Voodoo Warrior
Armour: 12, Move 35', 4 + 1 Hit Dice, Morale 7.
Attacks: Bite for d6 and Claws for d6, or 2 Bone-Tomahawk attacks for d8 and Curse (see below).
Special: As Troll, and also Tomahawk and Armour Curses.
If you miss an attack against the Voodoo Warrior, you begin to see the Faces that make up its armour come to life and scream and mock and jeer, giving you stacking disadvantage on attack rolls against it each time you miss, until you hit an attack against the Voodoo Warrior.
A Critical Hit from a Bone Tomahawk attack inflicts its curse on you, and you must make a save against its magic at the start of your next turn to prevent yourself from giving into the compulsion to drown yourself in the marsh.
Text
Bird Eater
Armour: 14, Move 40', 4 + 1 Hit Dice, Morale 6.
Attacks: Bite for d6 and Claws for d6, or 1 Flint Kunai in melee range for d8, or d4 Flint Kunai at 10' to 20' range.
Special: As Troll, but can also leap 40' in any direction using its cape instead of moving.
Text
Tree Feller
Armour: 13, Move 30', 4 + 1 Hit Dice, Morale 9.
Attacks: Bite for d6 and Claws for d6, or Big Ol' Log for d10.
Special: As Troll, but also Bark-Armour special Property.
Tree Feller's Bark Armour has 10 HP. Each time Tree Feller takes damage, half of it (rounding down) is prevented, and the Bark Armour takes 1 damage. This effect ends when the Bark Armour is reduced to 0 HP.
Text
Spirit Seeker
Armour: 12, Move 35', 4 + 2 Hit Dice, Morale 10.
Attacks: Bite for d6 and Claws for d6, or 1 Flint Spear for 2d6 magical damage (20' range).
Special: Can throw and recall their Spear to their hand magically, as part of their attack.
Suffers no penalty for being blind.
Spirits will not harm the Spirit Seeker for any reason.
Spirit Seeker adds 2 to its AC until the end of its next turn each time it is hit because of the protection of its magic tattoos.
Text
Iron Taker
Armour: 18, Move 25', 4 + 2 Hit Dice, Morale 9.
Attacks: Bite for d6 and Claws for d6, or 1 Corroded Greatsword for 3d6 though if it ever rolls a double 1 on the damage roll, the Greatsword breaks after dealing its damage.
Special: As Troll, and each time the Iron Taker takes damage, its AC is reduced by 1.
Text
Bone Breaker
Armour: 14, Move 35', 4 + 1 Hit Dice, Morale 8.
Attacks: Bite for d6 and Claws for d6, or a Bone Spear for d10, or d8 at 20' range. It holds 3d4 spears at any one time on its back.
Special: As Troll, but as part of its turn, it can restore 10 HP to itself at the cost of 1 AC because of the magic of its Bone Armour. It can't reduce its AC to less than 10 because of this effect.
Text
Pond Lurker
Armour: 14, Move 35', 4 + 1 Hit Dice, Morale 8.
Attacks: Bite for d6 and Claws for d6, or 1 Oily Net attack that restrains the target. Can't attack using the Net whilst a creature is restrained by it.
Special: As Troll.
Text
Troll Weapons
1 - A Big Log
2 - A Big Ol' Fish
3 - A Flint Axe
4 - A Wooden Stake-Spear
5 - An Ivy Net
6 - A Bog-Iron Smasher
7 - A Fuggin' Rock
8 - Tooth Knuckle-Dusters
9 - Another Troll's Leg
10 - A Cart-Wheel
The Troll King
Armour: 15, Move 30', 5 + 3 Hit Dice, Morale 10.
Attacks: Bite for d6 and Claws for d6, or 2 Bog Iron Smasher attacks for d12+2.
Special: As Troll, except that he regenerates d6 per turn.
If the Troll King suffers a critical hit, something has been severed, roll on the following table.
1 - The 2nd Head: The Troll King gains no benefit from its Second Head. This won't regrow.
2, or 3 - An Arm has been severed. The Troll King can't make Claw attacks next turn, and can only make 1 Bog Iron Smasher attack rather than 2. The turn after that and after, the Troll King can attack as normal, but also makes an additional Claw Attack each time he does.
4, or 5 - A Leg has been severed. The Troll King's movement is halved for his next turn. The Turn after that and after, his speed is 10' greater than normal.
6 - His Guts have been spilled from his body. The Troll King's next turn is spent shoveling them back inside his body. The turn after that and after, the Troll King's AC is increased by 1 from the extra flesh on his belly.
The Troll King also has a 2nd head, which has its own turn, and can cast rudimentary curses, which it must maintain each round to continue the effects.
Hexes of the 2nd head:
1 - Compell a target to drown itself. Save to resist.
2 - Compell a pile of bones to animate as a 2 HD skeleton.
3 - Compell 1 item of metal to rust away.
Text
The Oni of the Drowning Faith
Armour: 13, Move 30', 4 + 1 Hit Dice, Morale 9.
Attacks: Bite for d6 and Claws for d6, or 1 Ritual Knife for d8, which also reduces the targets next attack roll by the same amount.
Special: As Troll, but the Oni also have benefits from their Magics and Bone Charms.
The Oni can cast the following spell-like effects.
1 - Ranged attacks that would hit them dissolve into dust (if they feasibly could) on a d6 roll of 4+.
2 - The next Iron object they touch rusts to nothing.
3 - They summon and can command a 3HD Insect Swarm.
4 - They can command Miasmas to inflict Marshplague.
5 - They can command the earth to soften to mud.
6 - They can command mud to harden into earth.
Each time they manifest these effects, they must roll their spell dice, which begins as a d4. If they roll a 4 or more, they lose 1 HD worth of HP as the God 'Neath the Murk claims some of their flesh, which sloughs off as a tiny water sprite and scurries away. If they roll less than 4, the dice size increases a step instead. If they roll a 4+ while their die is larger than a d4, it also resets to d4.
Oni of the Drowning Faith can also craft Bone Charms which duplicate the effects of their magics when broken. These take great time and effort to make, so they give them out only rarely.
Text
CREAKBEAST
Armour: 15, Move 10' + d6 x 5' (roll each time), 5 + 5 Hit Dice, Morale 8.
Attacks: d6 Limb Smashes for d6 each, or a bite for 2d12 (one of the d12 is fire damage), or a telekinetic scrap attack which deals d8 damage to all targets in a 15' line, reflex save to avoid, if Creakbeast is at half health or lower, it deals 2d8 damage instead.
Special: Creakbeast can breath a 15' cone of flame dealing 3d6 damage once per minute instead of attacking. It can also sweat out a fog cloud with 20' radius as part of its turn. It can also create a pair of illusiory duplicates of itself, as if created by the spell mirror image.
Creakbeast regenerates d8 HP at the end of each of it turns, or d4 HP on a turn it attacks, or 1 Hp on a turn it uses one of its magic abilities. It does not regenerate while at 0 HP (see below).
Creakbeast must be dealt damage equal to its normal maximum while at 0 HP to be permanently destroyed. For each point of damage it takes while at 0 HP, it takes 30 minutes to repair itself, at the end of which time it regains 1 HP and then begins regenerating normally.
Text
CANDLE GOLEM
Armour: 12, Move 25', 6 + 6 Hit Dice, Morale 6 (12 while fighting Trolls).
Attacks: 2 Fist Smashes for 2d6 (one of the d6 is fire damage). It can also attempt to grapple someone without using any of its hands, and with a range of 30' by causing water to grasp at the target.
Special: If any of its limbs or body parts are ever severed or damaged, at the end of its next turn it lose d6 HP and regenerates/repairs the missing parts. It can eat eat a candle as an action, regaining 1 HP. Cold effects slow it (as the spell) and fire effects haste it (as the spell), but the effects wear off at the end of its next turn.
Text
TROLL EATER CROCODILES
Armour: 14, Move 20' on land, 35' in water, 3 Hit Dice, Morale 5, or 8 when fighting Trolls.
Attacks: A bite for d8 and a grapple. When attacking a grappled target, attacks hit automatically and deal d12 damage instead.
Special: Regenerates d6 HP each turn, but loses the ability to regenerate for 1 hour if it rolls a 6. Will death-roll grapple-attack corpses for d3 extra rounds after death due to fighting trolls.
Text
FALSE-HERONS
Armour: 13, Move 40', 2 Hit Dice, Morale 5.
Attacks: 1 Tentacle attack for d6 with 10' range.
Special: Advantage on rolls to avoid being tripped, shoved, or grappled. Its movement speed can't be reduced by non-magical terrain effects.
Text
THE MOTH KING
Armour: 14, Move 20' on the ground, 40' in the air, 5 + 5 Hit Dice, Morale 6, or 8 when fighting Trolls.
Attacks: 2 Claws for d6 each, or Dive Bomb for d8 and grapple. When attacking a grappled target, attacks hit automatically and deal d12 damage instead.
Special: Can screech once per hour that affects all targets that can hear it, dealing d4 damage and stunning those damaged who fail a fortitude saving throw.
3 times per day each, it can cast silent image, dancing lights, and gust of wind.
Once per day, it can spit a blinding, stinking ichor at an adjacent target.
If suddenly exposed to bright light, it is blinded for d3 turns.
Text
THE BLOAT DEAD
Armour: 10, Move 20', 1 + 1 Hit Dice, Morale 12.
Attacks: 1 Claw for d4.
Special: On death, has a 4 in 6 chance to explode, dealing d4 damage to targets within 5 feet, and infecting those damaged with Marshplague.
Text
THE DRUIDS OF THE SWAMP
Armour: 11 + d3, Move 30', d3 Hit Dice, Morale 8.
Attacks: Short bow for d4, or Spear for d6, or Stolen Bog Iron Smasher for d10.
Special: Druids of the Swamp don't reduce their movement speed whilst swimming.
Druids of the Swamp can wild-shape a number of times per day equal to their Hit Dice, choosing their forms from Birds or Fish.
Druids of the Swamp can also cast a number of spells equal to their HD from the following list: call insect swarm, water surge, poison spray, entangle.
Druids of the Swamp with 3 HD can instead spend all their spells to summon a Swamp Elemental to fight for them with 2 HD, + 1 HD for each spell expended.
Text
The Grove-Masters
Armour: 12 + d3, Move 35', 3 + d3 Hit Dice, Morale 10.
Attacks: Short bow for d4, or Spear for d6, or Stolen Bog Iron Smasher for d10.
Special: As Druid of the Swamp. Dunno yet, we'll see.
Text
THE OLD MAN OF THE MOSS CLUMPS
Armour: 14, Move 25', 7 + 3 Hit Dice, Morale 12.
Attacks: 1 Fist for 2d8, or 1 Rock for d12 (30' range). If an attack deals maximum damage on any of their damage dice, the target is also knocked prone. If a fist attack rolls double damage, it also deals damage equal to 1 of the dice results to adjacent targets if the attack roll would have hit them too.
Special: Every d6 rounds, it can also release a cloud of blinding and sickening spores that require a fortitude save to resist. Its movement speed can never be reduced whilst within the Candlemarsh.
The Old Man can also stomp prone targets adjacent or under it as part of its attack for d8 damage.
Instead of knocking a target prone with a fist attack, it can instead pick up the target and throw them 30 feet, or 10 feet if the target succeeds on a saving throw.
Text
AUNTY SEEPSTITCH
Armour: 14, Move 30' on ground, 40' in water, 5 + 2 Hit Dice, Morale 9.
Attacks: Bite for d8. Deals triple damage on a critical hit.
Special: Her lure is entrancing. If you look at it on your turn (treat yourself as if blinded to avoid it) you must make a save against magic or be enthralled (treated as if paralysed).
Can cast darkness at will, though only 1 instance of it can be active at a time. The previous instance is dispelled when a new one is created.
Aunty Seepstitch can grapple or manipulate objects and targets within the darkness regardless of range or obstacles, and can create small, unbreakable objects within it while it lasts.
Text
Aunty Seepstitch's Familiars - Gasp and Rattle
Armour: 12, Move 30' in the air, 2 Hit Dice, Morale 7.
Attacks: Bite for d6. If a creature is hit by both Familiar's bite in one round, they are paralysed until the end of their next turn if they fail a saving throw.
Special: The familiars can see through darkness created by their Mistress.
Text
Tables for Rival Adventuring Parties
There are d4 + 2 members of each adventuring party (at least, to start with). Each member of the party has 4 HD if the result of the d4 was a 1, each member has 3 HD if the result of the d4 was a 2 or a 3, and each member of the party has 2 HD if the result of the d4 was a 4.
Members of the Party
Roll to determine the profession of each member of the Party.
1 - A Grizzled Soldier
2 - A Dandy Duelist
3 - A Thick Jawed Thug
4 - An Overburdened Armsman
5 - A Paranoid Bowman
6 - A Self Righteous Knight
7 - A Flamboyant Corsair
8 - A Sunken-Eyed Cutthroat
9 - A Shadowy Assassin
10 - A Cowled Woodsman
11 - A Bare-Chested Berserker
12 - A Silver-Tongued Scoundrel
13 - A Softly-Ticking Tinkerer
14 - A Vial-Laden Alchemist
15 - A Wind-Worn Animist
16 - A Bone-Bedecked Shaman
17 - A Charm-Swaddled Mystic
18 - An Insence-Swirling Priest
19 - A Pompous Arcaniste
20 - A Threadbare Wizard
...Who is...
Roll to add a further detail to them.
1 - Gaunt with Marshplague
2 - Carrying Several Troll Heads
3 - A Chronic Kleptomaniac
4 - Chronically Dishonest
5 - Hollow-Eyed and Haunted
6 - Suspiciously Undead
7 - Covered in all kinds of Bites
8 - Just covered in Parasite-Moss
9 - Missing a Limb
10 - Some Pristine and Irritatingly Cheerful
11 - Fussing Desperately over a Stained Map
12 - Lugging a Man-Sized Sack...
13 - Bearing Some Particularly Gnarly Wounds
14 - Nervously Sharpening their Blades
15 - Constantly Watching the Shadows
16 - Trying to Appear like they are in Control
17 - Has a Spider Clamped on their Chest
18 - Giggling Nervously
19 - Won't Make Eye-Contact at all
20 - Quite Dead
The Group are Desperately...
Roll once to determine what the Party are doing when you find them.
1 - Trying to Deal with a Random Encounter
2 - Running Away from a Random Encounter
3 - Being Slowly Overcome by a Random Encounter
4 - Hiding from a Random Encounter
5 - Heaving a Companion out of the Mud
6 - Seeking a Way Out of this Hell
7 - Digging Down into the Mud
8 - Treating a Barely-Conscious Companion
9 - Trying to Avoid Attention
10 - Trying to kill YOU
Base Debasements of the Marsh
1 - Leeches
You must decrease your HP by d4 at the end of any rests you take, and receive 1 less HP from any healing you receive per instance of Leeches you have, until someone trained in medicine can remove them.
2 - Midgeblight
You have a penalty of -1 to all dexterity related rolls per instance of Midgeblight you have, until you rest a full night away from the Marsh (i.e. away from the Midges).
3 - Parasite Moss
You need to eat an addition allotment of food per day for each instance of Parasite Moss you have, until until a Medical Professional treats you for a whole day.
4 - Bog Fever
You believe yourself to actually be in place that is really very nice and sunny place, nothing like this awful horrible marsh. No actual mechanical drawbacks, but it might make it harder to engage with situations you stumble across.
The Ruins of the Wizard's Old Tower
Shape of the Ruins
1 - Half a crumbling Tower, ever floor barred open
2 - A Shattered Dome, like a hatched egg
3 - A Hollow Old Hall, gaping like a mouth
4 - A Slumping Mansion, missing its upper floors
5 - A Flaking Pagoda, soaked and ruined by water
6 - Just a Pile of Rubble now
The Last Remaining Wonder
1 - An Alchemical and Artificial Brain that can think for itself
2 - A Window that can be calibrated to show anything another Window can see
3 - A Mirror that shows you as you might have been, and that you can ask questions of
4 - The Glass Heart, which reveals the true emotions of those viewed through it
5 - A Set of Oracular Knuckle-Bone Dice, powered by life-blood
6 - A Lock, which when placed against a wall, causes it to become a door back to
The Last Crumbling Guardian
1 - A Statue that talks, and fruitlessly warns of the Dangers of Trespassing
2 - An Animated Filigree-Silver Butler, serving a plate of Foetid Drinks
3 - A Stained and Blotched Book-stand on that wanders on Tiny Little Baby Legs
4 - A Corroded old Golem, any kind of violence would crumble it, and it knows it
5 - The Wizard's old apprentice, accidentally bound to serve eternally as a ghost
6 - An Old and Weary Manticore, grumpily living out the days of its servitude
The Last Hidden Secret
1 - A Tome of Alchemical Secrets
2 - The Wizard's Old Spell Book
3 - A List of Three Demon's True Names
4 - A Map to an Ancient, Legendary Land
5 - The Blueprints for a Powerful, Esoteric Ritual
6 - The Secret Histories of the Local Kingdom
What Has Moved In Since the Wizard Left
1 - A Particularly Large and Vicious Troll-Eater Crocodile (5 HD)
2 - An Outcast Troll, fruitless plotting revenge against the Troll-King
3 - A Mournful and Beautiful Naiad, an old friend of the Wizard
4 - A Lost and Scared Adventuring Party
5 - Creakbeast. OH SHIT RUN
6 - The Candle Golem, it is ever so lonely
The Bone Thieves
The Bone Thieves lurk in the Putrescent Garden. They have come for bones.
They look like man-sized Centipedes, thickly swaddled in black robes, only with altogether too many limbs, which grow longer the close they get to the head. Their face is split in a wide, fang-flanked maw, perpetually twisted into a rictus grin. Their skin is the shiny dark-brown of insect shells.
They have a close relationship with death, and indeed though they live, many abilities that affect specifically the undead affect them too. Many are the tales of how their primordial patriarchs crossed the barriers between life and death as they wanted. These days, they are considered little more than myth, but that misconception is about to be startlingly shattered.
Here in the Candlemarsh, there are many bones, and many sources of bones, and the Thieves and their creations are well-suited to the terrain. They have made their servants of the scraps, and now work tirelessly to bring about their grand endeavours, the completion of The Great Work.
Their lair is ringed with long-bones, one end planted in the mud, the other wrapped about in specially treated material to allow it to burn with an eldritch blue flame. These are the Corpse-Lights, and they are a fearsome obstacle indeed; while they do nothing in and of themselves, they provide the spirit-energy that powers the other creations of the Thieves.
Works of the Bone Thieves
1 - Rib-Stalkers: Spiders of arching ribs, they stand at least 8 feet above the bog they stride through on stilt-legs, spearing prey through the heart to take back to the Bone Thieves.
Appearing: d3, 3 in 6 chance of being accompanied by d3 Scapula Knights if alone.
2 - Osseonauts: The last line of defence for the Thieves; the Osseonauts are ogre-sized colossuses of bone, armoured and armed with mighty, mace-like hands. There are two of them, one has a mighty spike of bone mounted on a piston-like apparatus on its back, the other has almost fingers made of spines on one of its bludgeons.
Appearing: 2, Unique
3 - Scapula Knights: Man-sized, they almost look like skeletons, only their bones are shaped into armoured plates, their joint's subtly reshaped, their limbs a little longer. They are the infantry of the Bone Thieves, and they wield sharpened scapulas like handaxes, reaving and stalking in the mists of the Marsh.
Appearing: 2d4
4 - Digit-Bugs: Smaller than your hand, because they are made of hand bones. Crawling around on finger-bone legs with shells formed from tiny, tiny hand bones, they stalk through the trees, almost invisible, spying through stolen eye-sockets for the Bone Thieves.
Appearing: d10
5 - Hanging Watchers: Built from the taken skulls of foes, they are nestled in the crooks of trees and in the long grasses, to spy on and scream for intruders.
Appearing: d4 clusters of d4 Watchers each.
6 - Osseinodons: They resemble elephants, or more properly mammoths. Their hollow bellies are the methods by which the Bone Thieves arrived in the marsh, and the way by which they will take all they have gathered when they leave. Thick-set limbs carry the great rib-cage hold, and even now they carry much in the way of cargo. They are not risked in combat, they carry something above value: the Thieve's cargo of bones.
Appearing: 3, Unique
7 - Spine-Pilots: Whirling octopuses of spines joined together at a central axis by a misshapen skull, these are the most insidious agents of the Bone Thieves. When they can, they claim a body, and slip inside it, tentacles first, which then spread through the body to animate like a suit of flesh. Sometimes they will even do it to living prey if they can.
Appearing: d3. Alternatively, 1 inside a Troll's body.
8 - Carpal-Kites: Made from the bones of bats and birds, Carpal-Kites are the second half of the Theive's network of spies. They drift above the Marsh on spectral winds, spying from above and reporting back on the movements of Trolls, Druids, and the skirmishes they engage in.
Appearing: 1
The Great Work
Roll once to determine the Ultimate Goal of the Bone Thieves' efforts in the Candlemarsh.
1 - The Crawling Tower: It drags itself along the ground on a tide of bone fingers and arms, tearing out bones from those in its way to build itself ever larger, the ultimate mobile fortress from which the Bone Theives will project their power, and become the Bone Tyrants.
2 - The Arachneoplasts: Spider like in the way that a spider is like a cancer, they reshape their bone bodies as they wish to better serve their master's goals. In theory, they can be grown from single pieces of bone, all the better to perfectly serve their masters; efficient in every way.
3 - Ivory Humonculi: Alchemy has many high goals, but this one is closer to Lichdom than Alchemy. Either way, these 'perfect' bodies would serve as endlessly recreatable existence for the new Bone Liches.
4 - The Spirit-Beacon: It would stand many stories tall, and drag all manner of spirits into it, utilising the great capacity of bone to store power. Like a lightning rod in the spirit world, the Bone Thieve's would have an endless
5 - The White God: No one has ever tried to create an entirely artificial god before, but once the great vessel is built, the power within need only be coaxed from a smattering of embers into a grand flame, brought to life to lead the Bone Prophets into a new age of grandeur and power.
6 - The Gate: In days of old, the Bone Thieves were called the Lords of Death, and strode the dark shores of the Other Side with impunity. The Bone Thieves would bring back those days.
Lamp-Taker
Somewhere in then Marsh is a house in a tall tree, once the home of a Druid Grove. Then one day, the Druids all died, and suddenly the Grove was lit by many, many lamps, and the House appeared soon after too. It is almost beautiful, lights of all kinds decorate the tree and the house, lamps, lanterns, candles, torches, braziers. Many hang from the tress around it too, and it glows with a soft, comforting gold. The way the grove has grown though, means that it is hard to see from within the Marsh, though it is quite obvious from above.
The Being called the Lamp-Taker is a relatively powerful spirit all things told, though not powerful enough to be self-assured of its safety. It appears as if a hunched old man, with long - slightly too long - limbs and a long thin face. It is dressed in thick furs, and many chains of prayer-beads, and its skin is a peculiar cold blue. From its back sprout long thin arm-things with which it carries lanterns. It is a curious thing, that believes that it is only potent in the light, and powerless and immaterial in the dark. This has lead it to its curious 'hunting' patterns.
It lurks in the House much of the time, cowering in the corners of windows to ensure nothing will harm it, and maintaining the lamps around its home with stores of stolen Troll-Wax. When its stores run low, it lurks the darkness of the Marsh like a cloud of mist, solidifying into its form when it approaches light, and stealing it. Many lanterns have been stolen off packs by this trickster-spirit, and stolen away to its glowing abode.
It wants nothing more than to be safe and lit as much as possible. It has pilfered many, many lamps, particularly from the Trolls, who believe that the God 'Neath the Marsh is angry at them, and is stealing their lights as a form of penance. Meanwhile, Lamp-Taker remains secret. The Druids know that something has moved into the ruins of the Old Grove, but they have never found Lamp-Taker, and they do not know that it was Lamp-Taker that killed all the Druids that lived here before.
If confronted, Lamp-Taker will never fight. It will hide in its house, and flee into the darkness and disappear before it can be found. It will reveal itself however, if its lights are threatened, or taken. It will beg for their lives, and prostrate itself at the feet of its opponent. It is merely watching though. When the moment is right, it will direct its flames to attend him, and they will dance around him in a swirling vortex-snake of flame. Thusly adorned, he will attack, directing the flames with his many lamp-limbs.
Perhaps it might be persuaded to part with its lanterns, or to leave the Marsh, or aid the party to some extent; if in return, it were given the whole store of the Troll's candles and wax...
The Spider Oracle
Deep in the Marsh; in the tall, hollow corpse of an ancient Spirit Tree, suspended above the ground, high, high up in the trees, there is a web; and in the Web, lurks the Oracle.
The Oracle is a huge and sable-black spider, eerily quiet despite its bulk, never moving quicker than it has to. It never descends from the web, content to hang above, casting its shadow upon its propitiates. Bones litter the ground around the base of the Tree's empty trunk, chewed clean. Many Druidic talismans litter it too; they despise the Oracle, but have never been able to slay it. Sunlight dapples the walls during the day, providing a dim gloom just bright enough to see in, just enough to discern the Oracle's nature.
When you enter and propitiate the Oracle, gently drifting silk strands will pull up a tangle of bones into a perverse marionette, who will speak to you for the Oracle, and explain then Oracle's terms:
- The Oracle will speak to you in exchange for corpses.
- The Oracle will speak to you only of what the corpse once knew in life.
- If you take bones from the Oracle's lair, you will die.
- If you leave bones in the Oracle's lair, they become the Oracles, and it in return, will give you a gift.
The Oracle cares nothing for the Politics of the Marsh, nor even the of the awakening of the God 'Neath the Murk. If it ever awakes, the Oracle will have plenty of warning, and will escape well in advance. It is bothered by the Druids ever so often, and would very much appreciate it if they could be persuaded, through one means or another, to leave it alone.
If attacked, the Oracle can scuttle away faster than you can probably kill it. It has AC 15 and 4 + 4 HD. It will not attack you, merely try to lose you in the Marshes, which it can handle far more easily than you can.
Imagine if a Tiger were playing a game of cards, and always had a sly grin, as if he knew exactly what you had in your hand each turn. This is how the Spider smiles and acts, though you can't see it, because of course, it is a Spider, who can't smile. It is also well dark inside the tree.
The Gifts of the Oracle:
At your discretion, the propitiate may choose the gift, or receive one at random.
1 - A Companion: A Spider who grants all benefits and acts as if a result of the find familiar spell.
2 - Spider's Eyes: The Oracle grants you spider's eyes, and you gain advantage on any save required to retain your sight, and can see in Darkness up to 60 feet perfectly.
3 - The Spider's Gentle Touch: Once per day, you may cast either spider climb or move without trace.
4 - A Silken Doll: It is but a mere doll of woven spider silk. It is strangely beautiful, if somewhat sticky. Accept it graciously. The Oracle took a long time to create it, with many errors along the way.
5 - A Spirit-Tree Twig Marionette: A Marionette created from the branches of the dead Spirit Tree. Druids would kill to posses it, as it may yet be used to regrow the Tree's Spirit. Otherwise, it is a curio, nothing more.
6 - A Pig-Sticker: Just a weapon a previous, and foolish, propitiate thought they could use to buy the Oracle's services. 2 in 6 chance of being minorly magical, otherwise it is merely a masterwork example of its kind.
7 - A Spider-Silk Mask: Put it on, and no-one will be able to remember you were ever there. Remove it, and it will tear to shreds and be destroyed. This much is explained upon the granting of the gift.
8 - A Philter of Liquid Sleep: A Small Chitin-husk vial holds a single dosage of the Oracle's venom. Any who ingest it are immediately taken into a dreamless sleep as if dead for d6 days.
9 - A Secret of the Marsh: You may ask a single question that requires but a single word to answer of the Oracle, and it will answer Truthfully.
10 - A Release from Life: The Oracle offers you a release from death, and rebirth as its kin. Results in death. Truthfulness of promise of rebirth up to DM interpretation. You need not take it. The Oracle does not mind either way.
The Swamp Vampires
The Manor of the line Le'Laudrain has lain empty and hollow for many generations now, the damp and creaking shell almost now totally disintegrated beneath the attentions of the Marsh.
The line Le'Laudrain remains however.
They are vampires of a sort, but the long decades in the Marsh have twisted them as much as it has twisted the manor. In their hey day, they were outed as blood-cultists, and almost all the line was burned alive and screaming, not even their bones were spared. Three escaped however, and they drank the last dregs of power from the weeping bones to become what they are now.
They are wretched and grey, clawed fingers and filed teeth, putrefaction and peeling skin from the damp. They have stained mouths from spilled blood, ragged holes blight their bodies, and their muscles bulge not just with flesh, but with pus. They are utterly degenerate in the worst senses of the word, and though they are feral and animalistic, they do still have a small measure of humanity left.
They sometimes sit around a bowed and bent dining table to butcher a person; sometimes they engage in delicate dances with corpses they rest against their chests, sometimes they even clean themselves. More often than not though, they are digging away desperately at the earth with their hands in the Manor's cemetery to find bones to chew on, or a last scrap of rotted flesh to gulp down.
One of them is bigger than the others, built more like an ape than a person now, and frightfully strong and tough. Another is ringed with strangely geometric runes written into its mottled skin, and magic flows through its veins, released only by instinct and chance. The last wears the marsh like a shroud, disappearing into the murk and then bursting forth in a spray of filth.
When they kill, they waste no time in setting upon it with tooth and claw to gulp down its juices and swallow great clumps of red and raw meat. They do however, waste a lot of time on doing it.
One last treasure remains however, though they no longer have the faculties to appreciate it.
The Last Gift of House Le'Laudrian
1 - The Divine Apparatus: A painting of Staggering Beauty and Unparalleled worth, hidden in an underground vault, the key of which was accidentally swallowed by one or other of the vampires.
2 - The Heart of the River: A uniquely shaped and colour sapphire, sits in the mud in one of the rooms of the manor. Sometimes one of the vampires uses it to brain animals.
3 - The Tome of Musings: One of the foundational texts of a school of philosophy, it now lies in a water-tight box, slowly slipping deeper into the mire.
4 - The Reliquary of Saint Hymnal: Too big to move, the Reliquary remains undisturbed for now, its holy light burning the flesh of the Vampires, who avoid it totally. Within is the whole arm of the saint, and the ring they once wore.
5 - The Sword of House Le'Laudrian: Though they have forgotten how to use it, the Vampires still respect this ancient blade, which has been reforged over the decades many times. History lies heavy upon it.
6 - The Ledger of House Le'Laudrian: Many old and long forgotten debts remain in this book, many secrets lurk in foot-notes too. It would be a powerful black-mail tool if it were ever recovered.
Flicker-Flame Moths
They really don't actually do all that much. They are like many other moths, and are only really active at night, yet the Trolls fear them above many other things in the Marsh, due to the Moth's embodiment of their clearest vulnerability; flame.
They are like twinned candle-flames, sputtering their way through the murk, and though alone they are pathetic and small, in a group when riled up they become a catastrophic surge of flame that obliterates trees and scorches flesh to the bone. They are however, repulsed by the smell of burning flesh and meat, thus the Trolls have been able to ward them away from their main hunting grounds by festooning the marshes with Corpse-Fat candles.
They will also "eat" open flames that burn on wood or oil, any fuel really that isn't meaty. In doing so the original flame slowly gutters and dies, and new Flicker-Flame Moths are born in the death-smoke. Attended flames are only occasionally nibbled on, but unattended ones become veritable feasts for the Moths.
Possible Origins of the Moths:
1 - Birthed by the Lamp-Taker from its lights as they die to keep the Trolls away.
2 - Minions of the Moth-King imbued with its light, to battle against the Trolls.
3 - An accidental creation of the Old Wizard before they left their tower behind.
4 - Embodiment's of the God 'Neath the Marsh's turbulent dreams.
5 - Born from the Corpse-Lights of the Bone-Thieves, and part of their plan to gather further materials for their great work.
6 - Some other origin of the DM's devising.
The Moth King's Court
Though beyond its boundaries, it is a beast of shadows and silence, in its home, it is bright and glorious.
It does not lair in the Candlemarsh, it merely walks the drifts of mist in the dark of the night, and follows the curves of the moon as it sails the dark. When the time for its prowling draws to an end, it returns to a secret place, where the split trunks of an ancient spirit-tree capture the light of the moon just right, and draw it onto the water of a cool and clear pool, alone in all the Candlemarsh. The Moth King arcs high above it, before drifting down gently, barely breaking the surface, and slipping back through into the Court of Butterflies.
No mortal can get there on its own power, except by the most potent of magics. It is a place of infinite and infinitely tall trees, lit with the soft golden light of the sun at dawn through the clouds. The Palace of the Moth King seems almost grown from the trees themselves, and is run all about with soft silks and drifts of almost, almost solid mist.
Here, he is not arrayed in his war-form. He is bright and clear, elegant and lordly, like his subjects. They are an endless see of beautifully arrayed insect-peoples, all clad in a dizzying riot of colour and shapes and swirls. During the day, he communes with his people, and their (somewhat mercurial) whims influence his hunts during the night.
They are also your way of maybe getting the Moth-King to help you, even if in a roundabout way.
Interacting with the Court
The Court of the Moth King is keenly aware of the situation in the Candlemarsh, and they seek to enforce their will through the might of the Moth King. To this end, they have set out 12 Declarations that enforce their ideas and decisions upon the Moth-King's deeds. These will only ever be revealed to those who visit the court.
Each day, the Moth-King convenes the court to allow the will of his people to be heard. Each day, 3 declarations are discussed, and changes to the Declarations are considered. So far, almost no changes to the Declarations have been approved. Some small Decisions have made it through, but no major changes in policy have been enacted. It will require outside intervention to make the court act.
Each day you are in Court, roll 3d12, these are the Declarations that are to be brought up for discussion. You may try to influence the proceedings if you wish. Through skill check or the producing of evidence, you might convince the court to replace one of the Declarations with another, though no Declaration may be brought up two times in a row.
At this time, also roll 2d20 to determine the Court's mood. These will make it more or less likely for the Court to accept or reject changes to Declarations. Duplicates are allowed here, it means the court feels particularly strongly one way for once.
Each night, there is a 1 in 3 chance that a Declaration change is suggested without the Party's intervention. Roll a d3 to determine which of the raised Declarations is being discussed, and determine a change that would inconvenience the party in some small way using the rules below. Such changes should not bring themselves a penalty of more than -1.
Once the Declarations have been chosen, they are up for discussion. You may suggest changes, and the court may sometimes raise options as well. Changes to the Declarations must be kept brief, must not change the topic of the Declaration, which are indicated by the bolded words in the declarations (i.e. Declaration 6 must always relate to the loot-rights of the Troll's treasure).
The following rules apply as well:
- New words can be introduced into Declarations, but every word past the first introduces a -1 penalty to the reaction roll.
- Words can be changed within Declarations (except bolded words), but every other word past the first changed introduces a -1 penalty to the reaction roll.
- Changes must result in grammatically correct sentences.
- Changes cannot result in paradoxical statements.
- If the party wish to introduce changes on more than one declaration, each one past the first brings a penalty of -1 to all reaction rolls for those changes.
When changes have been decided, they are brought up for debate within the Court. Here, a reaction roll determines whether the changes are brought on or not. Roll 2d6, and if the total is 9 or more, the change is adopted. The following rules apply to this roll:
- The party may use their evidence or skills or speeches to try and sway the court of the righteousness of their convictions, bring a bonus of +1 for each convincing example of the above brought forth.
- Using the same methods, the party may attempt to change the mood of the court, on a success they may re-roll one of the Moods of the court. On a failure, they gain a -1 penalty to all their proposed changes on that day.
- If the change aligns with one of the moods of the court, the roll is made on 3d6, taking the highest 2 of the dice.
- If the change opposes one of the moods of the court, the roll is made on 3d6, taking the lowest 2 of the dice.
- If a change aligns with one mood, but opposes the other, the roll is made on 2d6 as normal.
Each day the Party interacts with the court and brings up a change after the first change, roll a complication on the table below.
Declarations of the Court
1 - We do not concern ourselves with the well-being of the Druids, they are not ours to keep.
2 - We shall destroy every last Troll-Kin in the Marsh, eventually, none shall be spared.
3 - The Spider-Oracle shall be left alone, we do not need its guidance in this struggle.
4 - We shall strike when the Troll's least expect it, from the sky, surprise shall be our strength.
5 - We need no weapons or allies, we shall overcome our foes without the gratitude of lesser beings.
6 - We shall take away all the hoards of the Troll's treasures as our loot-rights, the spoils of war.
7 - We shall not concern ourselves with the God 'Neath the Marsh, the land will heal.
8 - The Bone-Thieves are our enemies, but we shall deal with more pressing concerns first.
9 - We shall recover the stolen lights of the Lamp-Taker in time, to light our homes.
10 - We shall allow the Candle-Golem to continue its rampage, it hurts the trolls more than us.
11 - We shall keep no watch on the Lynching-Tree, it is more than capable of looking after itself.
12 - We shall not investigate the Old Wizard's Lair, it is more trouble than it is worth.
Moods of the Court
1 - Lazy
2 - Kind
3 - Calm
4 - Mercurial
5 - War-like
6 - Diligent
7 - Peaceful
8 - Diligent
9 - Spiteful
10 - Riled
11 - Pragmatic
12 - Principled
13 - Indifferent
14 - Antagonistic
15 - Charitable
16 - Co-operative
17 - Tired
18 - Brooding
19 - Despondent
20 - Vibrant
Complications in Court
1 - A Butterfly-Noble has risen up to request the Party be expelled from Court!
2 - A Moth-Earl is furiously opposed to a change than the Party wants, giving their change a -2 penalty on the reaction roll, unless some sort of settlement can be reached.
3 - A Silk-Worm-Magnate desires that the Moth-King ceases his Night-time roamings for now. Treat this as change to a Declaration in terms of the resolution of the proposal. No other changes may be discussed tonight.
4 - A Caterpillar-Princeling challenges the Party to a Duel over their proposed alterations! If bested, the party must give up their changes, if they best the Prince, they enjoy the Mood of the court aligning with their changes, regardless of the current Mood.
5 - A Cocoon-Oracle issues a Declaration change that cannot be overwritten or over-ruled.
6 - The Moth-King himself shows his support or disdain for a change. Roll a die, if the result is even, the reaction roll for it is made on 3d6, keeping the highest two results, which overrides any results from the Mood of the court. If the result is od, the reaction roll for it is made on 3d6, keeping the lowest two results, which overrides any results from the Mood of the court.