From Sandpoint to Sakakabe: A Jade Regent Campaign: Part 2

STARDAY, 5 ARODUS, 4711 A.R.

Following the Lost Coast Road south out of Sandpoint, the group reaches the edge of the Brinestump Marsh near noon. Perhaps the site of an ancient asteroid impact, Brinestump is ringed by a sheer, 40' cliffs. From above, it's a mass of unnaturally fertile trees and vines and shrubs, forming a nearly impenetrable green canopy pierced only by the sluggish brooks leeching off from the Soggy River as it flows into the sea. A thick layer of fog covers the ground, swirling especially thick near the sodden ground, and visibility beyond a few dozen feet is impossible. While not the largest or most famed swamp in Golarion, it has a sinister appearance and a reputation to match.

Following Ameiko's directions, our heroes follow a switchback path leading down the cliff to the New Fish Road, a soggy and overgrown route that leads the occasional fisherman willing to brave the marsh between various excellent fishing spots. They know that the road should end at the Warden's Shack, home of the halfling Walthus Proudstump, and set off at as quick a pace as they can manage between Brix's heavy armor and the path's treacherous footing.

It's not long into their journey that the swirling mists around their knees part just enough to reveal a rabbit... or rather, half of one. The creature seems to have been bitten cleanly in half, leaving the head and forelegs intact... but the rest of the rabbit has been shredded violently, with bits of blood and fur and bone scattered about the path. It's difficult to tell if the rear half of the rabbit was eaten, or merely torn apart for the sheer fun of it.


The encounter brings to mind a rumor Molido has heard several times: that Brinestump Marsh has become home to a mysterious creature known as the Soggy River Monster, preying upon lone travelers and vagrants who wander too near its lair.

They find further signs of the creature as they walk; a single footprint, sunk into the mud, of a strangely stretched human foot tipped with sharp talons. At one point, Mo sees a tall, pale, gangly creature staring at him from the edge of the mist, its eye black pits in a skull-like face. When he goes to point the creature out, it's gone, though they do find another footprint pointing to the east.

The Soggy River Monster is not the first true danger they meet, however. Crossing a vine-choked bridge, Mo is displeased to discover that one of the vines he was stepping upon was actually a very large and territorial constrictor snake. Though he was able to avoid its initial bite, the snake's fangs find him on their second try. The beast coils around him, preparing to crush the life from his bones. Fortunately, the massive half-orc forces the snake away from him long enough to break free. Rather than fight the creature, Lord Brixton suggests that the group simply circumvent it, as it was likely only protecting itself and its "spot."

Thanks to Molido's experience in tracking and exploration, diverging from the road does not lead to any mishaps. Once their detour is completed, they continue on towards Proudstump's shack. Just a few hundred feet away from their destination, however, they encounter another possible sign of the Soggy River Monster: the severed foreleg of a deer, again lying in the middle of the path amid a scene of gore.

They soon reach the Warden's Shack; a surprisingly large, if unimpressively decorated two-story home with a ten-foot wall surrounding what is, presumably, a garden or back yard. Brixton knocks on the door and politely announces himself and his companions, their affiliation with Ameiko, and their lack of ill intentions towards the halfling. They hear something fall and smash apart inside, perhaps a vase or a dish, and there's a pause of several seconds before a thin voice replies that he'll be right there.

The door to the shack opens, and a halfling man with brown hair and stained clothing greets them. He asks the party what they want, and Brix explains their quest to defeat the goblins and that Ameiko led them to believe Walthus could help locate them. Walthus hesitates, clearly uncomfortable with his visitors, and Brix notices that he's keeping one arm, bandaged and bloody, behind his back. He volunteers to provide healing, and after a bit more hesitation, Proudstump accepts.

Brix unwinds the bandages to discover a mess of dried blood covering a deep, slashing cut and various small puncture wounds. Walthus explains that a goblin attacked him while he was tending to his snakes, and while he drove the monster off, several of his pet vipers got loose in a panic and were now hiding around his house. When our heroes volunteer to come in and half, Walthus again hems and haws, trying to stress the danger the snakes might pose to any visitors and asking them to leave. Brix's ability to politely offer reasonable aid prevails, however, and the halfling finally steps back and invites them in.

Walthus asks Molido and Zaphkael to start looking in the walled back yard, where he keeps the snakes, to see if they can find any tracks. He asks Brixton to begin searching in the dining room. Suspicious of the halfling's behavior as they are, the group nonetheless acquiesces. As soon as Brix is out of sword range and the others are in the garden, Walthus slams shut the back door and bars it before reverting to his true form: a hunched, faceless little abomination with a vertical slit where its mouth should be and a long, rasping tongue.

Unfortunately for the creature, its plan immediately goes awry. At Brix's cry of alarm, Molido draws his massive axe and rips the door cleanly off its hinges with a mighty overhand slice, shredding the wood in an explosion of sawdust and shrapnel. Brix channels his Iomedae-given powers and smites the creature, while Zaphkael attempts to offer ranged support through a simple arcane spell... which fizzles as his heavy chainmail interferes with the delicate motions required.

The fight is brief, but bloody. Thanks to the healing Brix and Zaph offered it, it has much more stamina than it would have otherwise--though the lingering effects of vipers' poison and a tough fight earlier in the day still drag down its combat abilities. Though it manages to score a hit on Zaphkael and drain a bit of his blood, it's only seconds later that a combination of Molido's mighty axe and Brixton's shining sword put an end to the beast. (Brix stabs it again to make sure.)

As the fight ends and the warriors tend their wounds, they hear movement from upstairs and a soft, male voice calling out, "Hello? Who's there?"

This is the true Walthus Proudstump, halfling ranger and collector of pet snakes. He nearly breaks down with relief at the sight of the dead monster, and explains that it attacked him, killed several of his pet snakes, and nearly drank his blood before he managed to escape and hide in a secret room upstairs. In gratitude for his rescue, Proudstump offers the group a hot meal and a warm place to sleep, as well as a magical cloak from his adventuring days that should help protect them against spells, poisons, and other nasty things.

Weary and victorious, the heroes bed down for the night. (Aside from Zaph, who only requires two hours of sleep, and thus decides to spend the evening mending the shack's shattered back door.)

The night passes uneventfully, aside from the sudden, horrifying scream of a small animal in great pain, cut short with a sickening, wet crunch.