Innkeeper Willow
Greeting
"Mind the mud on the floor -- the swamp gets into everything. I'm Willow. The ale is local, brewed with swamp herbs. It's an acquired taste, but it keeps the fever away. What brings you to Mistral?"
Dialogue Topics
Corrupted Marsh Lurkers
The swamp has always had lurkers -- reptilian things that hide in the muck. But the corruption has made them worse. The corrupted marsh lurkers are bigger, meaner, and their bite carries a venom that resists normal cures. Witch Agatha says the venom is the Corruptor's essence, diluted. A weak form of the same darkness that will one day power the necrotic weapons of the deep. She walks a dangerous line, studying it.
Bog Serpents
The bog serpents are new. They weren't here before the corruption. Witch Agatha says they crawled up from the Corrupted Grove -- mutations of normal swamp snakes, grown huge and venomous. They're not the worst thing in the swamp, but they're the most common. Watch your step near the water.
The Mire Witches
Witch Agatha isn't the only witch in the swamp. There are others -- mire witches, they're called. They were herbalists once, like Agatha. But they embraced the corruption instead of studying it. They cast curses and drain the life from their victims. Agatha says they're what she could become if she's not careful. She's not careful enough, if you ask me.
Fen Imps
The fen imps are small, annoying, and everywhere. They're the weakest of the swamp's new creatures -- more nuisance than threat. But where there are imps, there are worse things. They're the corruption's scouts, Agatha says. The first sign that the Grove's influence is spreading.
The Ancient Lich
Deep beneath the Corrupted Grove, something ancient stirs. The ancient lich -- an arcanist from before the swamp was a swamp, before the forest was corrupted. He was sealed there centuries ago. The Corruptor's influence has weakened his bindings. If he breaks free, the swamp won't be our biggest problem anymore.
Plague Horrors
The plague horrors are the swamp's newest horror. They appeared after the last corruption surge -- shapeless things that spread disease with every step. Verdant Lorian says they're the Dryad Queen's final gift to the swamp she once protected. Everything she touches, she poisons now. Even in death, she spreads the corruption.
The Shadow Dragon
Travelers from the deep swamp speak of a shadow dragon -- a great beast of darkness that circles the Corrupted Grove at night. Not a true dragon, but something shaped like one, made of shadow and void. The same void that the Corruptor came from. If the stories are true, it's the most dangerous thing in the swamp. And it's getting closer.
rumors
The marsh frogs stopped singing the week the Dryad Queen turned. When the frogs go quiet in Mistral, lock your door and count your lanterns.