🍃 Attacked by the Marsh

As the party gets the news of the missing procession, they continue to attempt to loosen their cart from the mutated fungi and vines that have seized it. Eventually, they take to try burning the flora off, but anger the vines and spores which they realize too late are sentient, and are thrown into combat with the surrounding vines and trees which attempt to stab and restrain them.

🕷️ The Cart Rises

Amidst the chaos, the party realize that the purple, mutating water has also affected the very cart that they had rode here, as it mutates itself, coming to life and becoming agitated by the party.

🪵 Enter Little Licklittle

As the party fend off the marsh, a small, quick-footed elf child named Little Licklittle suddenly bounces into the fray along a wooden log that he appears to be able to submerge, and resummon from the mud of the marsh.

Little quickly helps fend off the attacking flora, and attempts to settle down the now-sentient cart which appears to just be startled and scared. Xolo throws together some food for the cart, feeding and befriending it before naming it Cartinho.

🛖 The Marsh Way

Little introduces himself to the party, and explains that he comes from the Licklittle clan, an expansive marsh-elf community that has set up in a town called Little Thorn along the Marsh Way. He warns of other enemy factions within the Marsh Way - the Clungwaters and the Albarettas.

As the discuss, the party realize that they route they took into the marsh has become completely strewn with these mutated vines and trees, and decide that cutting through the Marsh Way would be an easier solution.

Following the lead of Little Licklittle, they hop into their new, sentient, spider-fungus cart hybrid and ride off through the waters towards Little Thorn.

🛶 Arriving at Little Thorn

The deeper the party venture into the Marsh Way, the more the sky becomes covered by a thick canopy of trees and leaves, and the less the surrounding flora appears mutated by the purple rift rain. Guided by hanging jars of fireflies, the party continue towards Little Thorn.

🪿 Long-neck Geese

As they move, Xolo attempts to fish with his head and gets entangled by a long-neck goose. The goose begins to drag Xolo beneath the water, and B too once she leaps in to help. Xolo eventually manages to kill and capture his goose, while B is saved by Nicholas Licklittle, a cousin of Little Licklittle.

Nicholas shares a breathing device with B, a stick that allows them to breath and speak beneath the water. While down there, he shows off the bottom of the Marsh Way to B, his isolated spot far beneath Little Thorn.

🛖 Little Thorn

The party eventually dock into Little Thorn, a makeshift town of huts and hovels that float and are connected over the Marsh Way, lit by fireflies and built about a great, hollowed out tree at the centre.

Upon arrival, the pale, sickly, rural marsh elves appear weary of the party, and keep their distance. They are confronted by Melma Licklittle, Little's sister, who confronts them with her stick-wand and questions if they and their freaky cart have anything to do with the influx of glimmer water that's been surrounding the marsh. She instructs the party to discuss with Mama Licklittle about their stay, and leads them to Licklittle Hall for the meeting.

🌲Licklittle Hall

At the hall, the party are confronted by the rest of the Licklittle clan - 'Mama' Mariah Dandelion Licklittle, Dorian Door Licklittle, and John Roos Licklittle.

Mama Licklittle appears to be their leader, and is somewhat hostile towards the party, explaining that they are at war with the Clungwater and Albaretta factions of the Marsh Way. It is also here that the party learn that the Licklittles each have their own mystical stick that empowers them, and that the clan's belief system revolves around finding one's stick.

Mama explains that her child, Blunt Licklittle, had been taken and killed by either the Clungwaters or the Albarettas, hence why they are apprehensive about outsiders in their town. Despite this, Mama is reassured by the party, and allows their temporary stay once they don't cause trouble, and potentially help her children as they ward off the enemy clans at night-time.

🌒 Night at the Marsh

After the meeting, Melma links up with the party to usher them away from town. She explains how everyone is on edge due to Mama's hysterics over Blunt, and suggests they spend the night somewhere near, but not in Little Thorn.

Following her advice, the party drift out into the Marsh Way in hopes of finding some grotto to camp up in for the night.

They find a cosy mound and settle down for the night, until Lyra hears a call out for help across the marsh while keeping watch. She wakes Xolo, who can swim and navigate the marsh with ease, and sends him to investigate.

🪡 The Grafters

As Xolo slinks through the dimly lit marsh, he spots a raft, gliding along through the trees, led by burning firelight. Odd, cloaked figures stand atop it, with strange, patchwork skin and limbs. Xolo overhears them discussing their plans, and how they need to keep searching for something, for their leader Richtor. They mention that directly entering Little Thorn is too risky, and so they must remain on its outskirts.

Xolo gathers the rest of the party then, and they set off towards the strange men, remaining hidden in the darkness of the night. They find where the men were headed, and discover a young Licklittle kid trapped in a cage, being seized by the men.

Combat Start | Grafter Scouts

The party jump to action in an attempt to save the boy from the strange men. Before they have a chance to board the mound, Xolo surprises them from beneath their raft, biting at their legs and submerging them into the water. Meanwhile, Lyra launches B skyward towards the cage to rescue the kid while herself and Ember defend Xolo from their own raft.

The fight gradually slips away from them, as the men appear to have abilities from an array of races that they have stitched and grafted onto themselves. One uses drow-elf shadow stepping to get the jump on Lyra, sinking vampiric fangs into her. Meanwhile, one beneath the water fights Xolo with ease using their triton gills and fins, and another takes to the sky with feral tiefling wings.

After taking enough hits from the party, the men give up on the child, and instead try escape with what members of the party they can - knocking Xolo unconscious, taking Lorna off guard, and fleeing deeper into the marsh both underwater, and in the air between the trees.