2023-11-18 Cultists of Fludge Swamp

• Date: 2023-11-18
• Region: Bazen Lowlands - Fludge Swamp
• Session #: 57

Player Characters

• Derulo
• Magoo
• Ferravax
• Arkenciel
• Alvin(a)

Summary

While dreaming, Alvina had visions of a swamp where the spirits were hurt and unhappy. She followed the premonition, leading the party west past the Shadowglade and toward Fludge Swamp. Along the way, they learned that there was a reward for eliminating a cultist hideout there.

The party visited Saldynn to purchase (or steal) the blessing of health, then marched into the swamp.

Their first night camping amid the mire, they awoke to find a group of bullywugs with a giant toad. The bullywugs croaked at them as if speaking. Derulo and Alvina began to play music, distracting the frogfolk until Magoo could finish the comprehend languages ritual. They learned that the bullywugs intended to rob them so they could survive after facing some kind of trouble in the swamp. Derulo imitated some of their words, and managed to converse with them this way, but the bullywugs couldn't be convinced to stand down. The PCs fought and killed many of them, and the rest fled.

Arkenciel extracted the skull from the giant toad.

The next day, they trudged onward through the mire, following directions toward the alleged cult hideout location.

They heard a humming noise, and followed it to find a drow playing the didgeridoo atop a partially-sunken wagon full of decorative tchotchkes. He introduced himself as Zedric and requested their help to unstick his wagon. The PCs worked together to pull it out. Zedric stated his regrets about venturing into the swamp and thanked the party. As a reward, he gave them a 500gp credit toward his magic items for sale. The party bought some new toys, and the drow led his horses back toward Saldynn. He invited them to visit him in town after their adventure, in case they wanted to shop more.

While continuing through the muck, water weirds poked out of the water and attacked the PCs. The party destroyed them.

A short while later, they found a group of crocodiles that had violently killed each other. This was unusual, as when crocs fight for territory, it isn't usually a fight to the death. They appeared to have been affected by some kind of poison, and had solid black eyes...

A day later, they saw a group of humanoids nearby who were rushing to the direction the party came from. Derulo joined them in disguise, leading to their confusion as they noticed they had another party member. He confused them by talking about a traitor in their midst. The cultists, identified by their cloaks and the symbol of the Destroyer, wanted to continue on to get help for some kind of problem. The PCs attacked during the distraction and subdued the cultists.

The PCs interrogated the captured leader, who told them to go die. Derulo pretended to be a captive beside him, and asked the leader where the help was needed. The leader was fooled, and "reminded" Derulo of a few landmarks that lead the way back. The party executed the cultist and moved on toward the hideout.

They passed the bone-dry oak and headed west. There, they found it: stone ruins of a long-sunken village, with one large building with light glowing within. A mighty froghemoth with eyes like smooth onyxes sat atop the building. The PCs watched as it plopped down, tried to reach its tentacles into a window, then moved around the building, looking for a way in. The cultists appeared to be trapped inside.

Derulo approached invisibly and climbed through a window. He unbarred the barricaded front door while Yudin, the leader of the sect, spoke with the troops about how they would escape. When he opened the door, the froghemoth excitedly barged through the barricade while the cultists screamed. The fight broke out.

The PCs inspired and supported the froghemoth with temporary hit points and faerie fire as it gulped up cultists. Ferravax teleported into the far end of the room and used the Lashbinder Whip to teleport one escapee back in front of the monster.

When few cultists were left and the froghemoth was sufficiently weakened, the party finished off both of them.

Looting the hideout, they found potions, valuable spell components, and 30 doses of archestrylene.

The cultists' plan was to feed archestrylene to swamp wildlife to stir up trouble, thinking the beasts would fight for them. Instead, they created a monster bent on killing anything it met, including them. Arkenciel spent the next few days purifying swamp water to help reduce the contamination the cultists had caused. She collected the froghemoth's skull and three tentacles for her bioficer projects.