Intro

The road dwindles to a mossy track as the trees give way to a low-lying expanse of fog-laced bog. The village of Bramblefen clings to patches of firm ground like moss on a stone—ramshackle huts raised on stilts, wooden walkways linking one sagging structure to the next. Smoke curls from a few moss-choked chimneys, and the air carries the scent of damp earth, herbs, and rot.

Villagers move slowly here, faces drawn with fatigue. A child coughs nearby. Water sloshes beneath the planks as you step into the heart of the village.

At the far end of the main walkway, standing atop a wide, flat stump, is a tall, antler-crowned woman wrapped in layers of green-stained robes. She’s already watching you. A staff of twisted alder rests in one hand, and a satchel of herbs hangs from her hip. Though her face is lined and weary, her eyes are sharp—like she’s been expecting you.

As the players enter town, Olvara will approach the party: You must be the ones sent to travel into the Bog, no?

Olvara: An older half-elf with bark-brown skin and streaked silver hair knotted into thick braids, Olvara wears long robes layered with moss, bark scraps, and drying herbs. A circlet of woven reeds and antlers sits on her brow. Her voice is slow and measured, like the flow of bog water—steady, patient, and edged with wisdom born of solitude.

Character Traits:

• Calm Under Pressure: Olvara rarely raises her voice, even in crisis. Her calm demeanor is grounding and sometimes unsettling.
• Deeply Rooted: She reveres the swamp and sees it as alive, sacred, and intelligent. She often speaks of it like a person or a god.
• Unsentimental but Kind: She's nurturing in her way, but practical. If something needs to be done—be it dirty, dangerous, or difficult—she does it.
• Cryptic Wit: While mostly serious, she has a dry, clever sense of humor that emerges when least expected.

Knowledge: Olvara can share the following details with the players, if asked:

• The rumoured mushroom she seeks is known as a Paraboul Mushroom
• There are lots of dangers in the swamp - Crocodiles, bears, Trolls, some enlarged reptilian creatures, even some undead and living plants
• It is easy to get lost in the forest, so ensure you keep your bearings
• The swamp is quite large, she warns about venturing more than a couple days into the swamp as the Circle lets their dragons roam deeper in the swamp and can be short tempered without their handlers, but if the mushroom is that deep, it may as well be a lost cause.
• It is believed the sickness afflicting the village is cause by a tainted water source, Olvara's apprentice, Nuna is currently investigating
• She does not know where you could find the mushrooms, or even if they actually exist. She knows if they do exist, they will be somewhere deeper into the bog.

The Swamp of Murmers

Players enter the Swamp of Murmers on Hex 1

Hex 1: Pottery mound (Exploration) - The fog thickens here, curling around your boots and swallowing the surrounding trees in a pale, muffled haze. Gnarled roots twist out of the water like skeletal fingers. Scattered shards of pottery litter the boggy ground—but beneath a twisted willow, a small mound of broken ceramics lies half-sunken in the mud.

DC 13 investigation - reveals that one object near the base of the pile—a curved ceramic edge barely protruding from the muck—is an ancient, stylized mask. It's intricately painted with faded ochre spirals and still intact. (Worth 30gp to collectors or historians)

Hex 2: Bog Frog (Combat Encounter) - The water here rises to your ankles, pooling deeper in wide patches between the twisted trees. The ground beneath your feet is soft—spongy, waterlogged—and each step releases a wet squelch. Oddly, the only sound is the squish of your boots and the faint slosh of your movement. No birds. No insects. Just stillness.

Combat: As the players wade through a deeper stretch of water, a Bog Frog explodes from beneath the surface in a flash of movement.

• If a player has a passive perception of 16 or higher, they will notice the water ripple prior to the Bog Frog emerging, giving them an opportunity to warn the others
• Otherwise, any player with a passive perception of 13 or lower will be surprised and any player with a passive perception of 14 or higher will not be surprised, but will not notice with enough time to warn the others.

The above DCs are replaced with the active roll, if the players decide to move through the hexes carefully.

Hex 3: Sunken Shrine (Exploration) - Pools of black water shimmer with faint green light in this low basin of the swamp. Tangled vines and algae cling to the remnants of a toppled stone obelisk, its surface barely visible beneath a thick layer of moss. Soft ripples spread outward with no clear cause, and the air hums with a deep, quiet pulse.

Obelisk: A player may make a DC 12 religion check on the Obelisk to reveal it is a forgotten, secret shrine to Choleus, the god of the forests. When the gods abandoned Isomorne, some mortals continued their worship in secrecy. They crafted hidden idols—like this one—with no overt symbols, offering prayers in quiet places in hopes their devotion would one day be heard again.

• If a player gives a prayer of any sort before the Obelisk, the canopy of fog and mist around the bog will part slightly, allowing a few rays of light to shine through on the players face, giving them inspiration.
• If a player makes an offering to the alter (a Sprig, carved wood, fresh water etc...) 3 Goodberries will appear at the base of the obelisk. (Once per day)

Hex 4: Zili (Roleplay Encounter) - The bog quiets around a patch of slightly raised ground, where a thick carpet of moss stretches beneath a leaning cypress. Set into the mossy slope is a shallow recess carved into a lichen-spotted rock—barely large enough for a small creature to curl up inside. Perched on a nearby stump, a small green Grung carves steadily at a hunk of bone, humming low and off-key. Around her feet, bugs scurry between carved figurines.

Zili, a solitary and peculiar Grung artisan, who specializes in bone carvings. She speaks of her friend Orwin often, and though Orwin is not a real person, she never acknowledges it.

• Personality: Zili is soft spoken and speaks in a slow, monotone voice. She is proud of her carvings and cares a lot for her "friend", Orwin
• Quest: She tells the players, “Orwin went out last night for more bones. He not back. Maybe you go look?” She gestures vaguely into the swamp. The figurine can be found in Hex 12, slumped peacefully against a stump.

Reward:

• Swamproot Salve – when applied, it grants resistance to poison damage for 1 hour (one use).
• he also offers a strange carving of a human figure, its limbs oddly proportioned, its face unfinished. Any player who keeps the carving gains a single use of the Luck feat

Hex 5: Murmuring Bog (Exploration) - The air here is thick—not just with fog, but with something pressing and unseen. The water, while shallow, bubbles in wide, erratic bursts, as though something just beneath the surface is exhaling. Each footstep causes a ripple. Then, the sound begins—whispers, distant at first, then threading through the reeds like a breeze made of words. They echo in no known tongue.

Necromantic Energy: A DC 13 Arcana check will reveal lingering necromantic residue from long ago rituals. If a player investigates further or lingers in the area, they must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, a wave of fear and doubt wash over the creature and they must make a melee attack against the nearest creature to them. A creature who succeeds on the saving throw feels the same wave of fear and doubt, however they are able to shrug it off.

Hex 6: Rickety Docks (Flex - Skill Challenge/Combat) - A narrow series of rotting wooden docks stretches out over a flooded field. The water below is still, black, and reflects nothing. Each step sends a creak that vanishes into the mist. Strange shapes float beneath the surface, unmoving—but unsettlingly symmetrical.

Skill Challenge:

• As the players get about 1/4 the way across the docks, the boards beneath one of their feet (choose at random) give way. The player must succeed on a DC 13 dexterity saving throw or fall into the water
• Half way across the docks, there is a large gap as the docks collapsed. Players must make their way across a 15ft gap.
• A player with a strength score of 15 or higher can clear the jump
• A player with a strength score below 15 must succeed on a DC12 Athletics check
• A player wearing heavy armour must succeed on a DC 14 dexterity saving throw when they land, or fall through the dock
• Players may use magic or items to aid them in these checks to reduce the DC and/or give advantage. The benefits are at the DMs discrection.
• If a player makes contact with the water, or disturbs the water, 5 Moss Covered Skeletons will arise and attack the players. These skeletons are Waterlogged (Movement speed is halved and they have resistance to non-magical slashing and piercing attacks)

Hex 7: Fallen Tree Den (Exploration) - A colossal tree lies fallen across the marsh, its roots torn from the earth like ribs from a carcass. Its bark is scorched in places, and twisted knots along its trunk bear faint, humanoid features—an eye here, a mouth half-swallowed by lichen there.

• DC 13 Nature/Arcana check reveals it was once an Ent, before it died.
• DC 14 Investigation check reveals the remains of a fallen adventurer, presumably died in combat with the Ent. The body has the following loot:
• A +1 weapon or shield (DMs discretion based on party composition)
• 2x Potion of Healing
• A Ring of Spell Storing
• 2x Magic Missile - 1st level
• 1x Cure Wounds - 3rd level
• 1x Shield - 1st level

Hex 8: Verdant Glade (Combat) - You push through a veil of hanging moss and find yourselves in a strikingly different glade. The air is sweet and damp. Tall, verdant grasses sway gently without wind, and vibrant flowers—red, gold, violet—dot the open space in painterly contrast to the dull greens of the surrounding bog. The glade is strangly quiet compared to the rest of the swamp.

Flower Nymphs - 5 vibrant flowers stand tall among the flora of the glade. Choose 3 of these flowers to be Flower Nymphs - If a player moves to inspect one of the Flower Nymphs, they must succeed on a DC 12 Charisma saving throw or fall under the effect of the nymphs Charm ability.

Alternatively, if no player moves to inspect the flowers, as the players enter the glade, have 3 of them, at random, make the save against the nymphs Charm ability.

Loot: 3x Nymph Spirit - Used in enchanting and alchemy, can fetch a high price, likely in a large city.

Hex 9: The Stuck Scholar (Roleplay) - A shout carries faintly on the air—high-pitched, desperate. Following the sound, you find a half-elf sunk chest-deep in a sucking mire. His robes are sodden, his glasses askew, and a satchel dangles from a nearby tree branch just out of reach.

Therin : Slender half-elf with disheveled hair, half-moon spectacles fogged and slipping down his nose. His robes are embroidered with academic sigils but are now soaked and caked in mud.

Personality: Thorin talks rapidly, often using unecessarily academic terms. He is affable but flustered, unused to field work and he constantly is checking over his shoulder, worried that a mob of frogs is following him.

Therin was doing field research for the Lyceum when a mob of frogs started hopping after him. He got spooked and ran away, getting turned around before falling into, and getting stuck in the mud mound. He will plead for the parties assistance in getting out of the mud. If the players are apprehensive, he will offer up the artifact he found, a rare, dwarven crafted beard bead. If the players assist him freely, he will offer the beard bead up after the fact. (See Beard Bead of Enduring).

Hex 10: Corpse Vines (Skill Challenge) - The swamp narrows into a corridor of overlapping willow trees, their long branches cascading down like curtains. Hanging from the branches of the willows, old corpses, wrapped in vines dangle - some skeletal, others appearing more fresh.

Challenge: The willows are overgrown with Corpse Vines—semi-sentient vines that respond to sudden movement and touch. The party must maneuver through without provoking an entangling reaction.

Players may attempt to sneak through the vines, or force their way through:

• Force - DC 13 Athletics/Acrobatics - push their way through the vines or bob and weave around the vines(1d4 bludgeoning damage if using athletics to force their way through)
• Sneak - DC 14 Stealth - Sneak through without disturbing the vines.

If a player fails one of these checks, they will become tangled in the vines, taking 1d4 bludgeoning damage and be restrained by the vines (escape DC 12).

Another player may attempt to assist the stuck player (same DC as escape DC). A player who attempts to help takes 1d4 bludgeoning damage.

A player who has become freed, or has helped free another player must attempt to get through the vines again or risk becoming tangled once more.

Hex 11: Frog Nest (Exploration) - Dozens of gelatinous sacs float in the shallows here, pulsing gently in unison. The air is heavy, humid, and still. Some of the egg sacs twitch—not with life, but with something slower, stranger. A low thrum rises from the water like a croak held too long.

DC 12 Nature check - the frogs are unusually warm and seem mutated, in some way, larger misshapen.

DC 13 Arcana check - There is a slight hint of transmutative arcane energy in the stream running above the eggs, perhaps it is the same thing that is effecting the villagers.

If the players take an egg or destroy an egg, and if they have not already defeated the Bog Frog from Hex 2, the Bog Frog will ambush them as they are leaving the hex. (the frog will be enraged, gaining advantage on all attacks but reducing his AC by 1).

Hex 12: Whistlecap Grove (Exploration/Zilis Quest) - Between warped tree trunks, bioluminescent mushrooms cling to rotting stumps. Their caps sway gently despite the still air. A faint tone—high, pure, and musical—emits with every movement.

DC 11 Nature check - The mushrooms are Whistlecap Mushrooms, they have a small notch in the top of them that emits a faint, high pitched whistle sound as the air passes through them.

Orwin: DC 11 Investigation - Nestled behind a log, about 15ft from the mushrooms, is Orwin, Zilis "Friend". Zili is a wildly disproportionate depiction of a human, his face and body crudely carved from a very large bone. He is trapped under some vines, almost as though deliberately placed.

Hex 13: Broken Boat (Skill) - The reeds thin as you push forward, revealing a broad channel, 25ft wide of still, dark water. Thick tangles of weed drift beneath the surface, brushing gently against the edges of half-submerged debris. On the near bank, a sagging wooden boat lies partly buried in the mud, its hull cracked and broken, but not beyond repair.

Across the channel, a lonely post stands on the far shore, wrapped with the remains of a frayed rope that trails down into the water, an identical pole stands on this side of the water.

The channel is too deep to wade through and too dense with weeds to swim across safely.

In order to cross the 25ft gap, the players will need to overcome a series of challenges. Below are the challenges, and a few suggestions for how they may overcome them, I encourage you to see what ideas your players come up with though and use the suggestions as a guideline.

Repair the Boat: The boat must be repaired enough to traverse the channel.

• Mending Cantrip: Can be used, but must be cast multiple times due to extensive damage (approx. 3–5 passes).
• Investigation (DC 13): Locate a usable piece of wood large enough to patch the worst of the hull damage.
• Survival (DC 12): Apply the patch securely enough to keep the boat watertight.
• Artisan’s Tools (DC 10): With appropriate tools (carpenter’s tools, woodcarver’s tools, etc.), a player may repair the boat using scrap wood.

Secure The Rope: The rope that once ran across the channel must be replaced on the poles on either side of the channel.

• Get the rope across the water (can use magic, tie it to an arrow and shoot it across, use class/race abilities to traverse water etc...)
• Tie the rope off to either pole DC 11 Sleight of Hand to secure the rope to each pole.

Cross the Channel: Players must now pull the boat across the channel, 2 people at a time, as the boat is too small to accommodate more.

• Athletics (DC 13): Required to successfully ferry across without stalling.
• Failure: The boat becomes entangled in the weeds or snags on something beneath the water. Additional help or creative problem-solving may be required.

Hex 14: Hollow Log Crossing (Exploration) - A thick, hollow log spans a wide trench of stagnant water. The interior is slick with moisture and overgrown with moss. As you step into it, your footsteps echo oddly, the sound warped like a low croak.

DC 12 Investigation check - A small niche carved into the inside wall of the log contains a round piece of wood with holes carved in various places. From one end, what appears to be a mouth piece protrudes.

• If a player blows into this whistle, a swarm of frogs flock out of the water and surround the player. A player in the middle of the frogs is heavily obscured. After 6 seconds, the frogs hop away.
• The whistle will only call frogs every 8 hours.

Hex 15: Crystal Leeches (Exploration) - Crystalline leeches cling to the rocks here, shimmering pink under their slick membranes. Their hum is nearly musical, but unnerving. They recoil slightly as you approach, then slowly stretch back toward the warmth of your skin.

DC 13 Survival or Arcana - The bodies of these leeches conduct and store energy. Their blood can be used to coat weapons.

• Can get enough blood for 1d4+1 uses
• The next attack made with a weapon coated in this blood deals an extra 2 lightning damage.
• applying the blood to a weapon can be done as a bonus action.

Hex 16: Bone Pile (Exploration) - In a quiet rise above the mire, a mound of bones rests in the shade of a dying willow. Some are small and brittle, others the size of wagon wheels. One in particular stands out among the rest, a large skull with reptilian features stares blankly out of the mud.

A DC 13 Medicine check reveals that one of the skulls bears features reminiscent of a crocodile, but the proportions are wrong—too narrow, too warped. Fine grooves, almost like veins, run along the bone’s surface.

A subsequent DC 16 Nature or History check indicates this skull belonged to a distant relative of modern reptiles—something ancient and altered. The vein-like indentations match patterns seen in rare creatures believed to have had magic suffused into their bloodstream, suggesting this creature was touched by arcane forces in life.

Hex 17: Verdant Crocodile (Final Boss) - The marsh opens into a still, silent clearing. In the center lies a low, mossy island—crowned with strange, luminescent mushrooms, vibrant trees and other various flora and ringed by shallow, knee-deep water. Bright insects hum through the air and the usual chorus of frogs and birds falls eerily quiet.

Note - I forgot to include it in the stat block, but see below for the Verdant Crocodiles spore ability:

• A creature currently affected by one of the Verdant Crocodile's spores cannot be affected by another spore. Additionally, after suffering the effects of a spore, the creature is immune to that specific spore’s effects until the start of their next turn.

Encounter Setup:
The "island" is not land at all, but the back of the Verdant Crocodile—a huge crocodile overgrown with moss, vines, and fungal growth. Its body is partially submerged and coated in vegetation, making it almost impossible to identify as a creature at first glance. Nestled among the growth on its back is the Paraboul Mushroom the party was sent to retrieve.

Due to the knee high water, movement speeds in this tile are reduced by half.

Trigger:
The Verdant Crocodile remains perfectly still until:

• A player attempts to harvest or disturb any of the plant life on its back, or
• A player casts a spell, attack, or disruptive effect targeting the plants on its back.

Once one of these triggers is hit, read:

The soft squelch of mud gives way to a rumble beneath your feet. The moss-covered island you've been standing on shudders. A low, guttural growl ripples through the air like distant thunder. Slowly, impossibly, the mound begins to rise—mud sloughing off in thick sheets, vines snapping taut and whipping aside.

Two yellow eyes, each the size of a clenched fist, blink open just above the waterline.

With a roar that splits the fog, the creature lifts its massive head—its back a landscape of sodden earth and fungal growths, the rare mushrooms blooming between armored scales like flowers in a graveyard. It is not an island.

Any creature that was on the crocodiles back is shaken off when the creature rises. The creatures must succeed on a DC 13 dexterity saving throw, taking 1d6 bludgeoning damage and falling prone on a fail, or half as much damage on a pass and not fall prone.

End