Here, the Kingswood’s beauty gives way to a foul-smelling quagmire. In places, beings of water and fire boil the mud into soup and spit steam at passerby. Giant dragonflies that the quicklings (31.09) capture and use as mounts flit about. Though it’s possible to avoid the mud by walking along a web of rickety platforms, various fairies claim sections of the network, and demand tolls from travelers.
A fairy named Toadvine lives in a little castle of iridescent minerals in the center of the bog. Despite his bat ears, vulture’s beak, goat eyes and squat, warty body, he is one of the Kingswood’s more agreeable fey. Those who brave the perils of the bog and present him a suitable gift are often granted small boons. He is famous throughout the forest for the enchanted jewelry he crafts from minerals that bubble up through the mud.
Connections
- The Bastard Prince (34.04) wears a pair of Toadvine-crafted earrings that alert him to any nearby dangers.
- Toadvine’s jewelry sometimes appears in the Goblin Markets (33.04)
- Anastasia, Princess of the Seers (23.11), communicates with drow-ghosts via a jet choker crafted here.
Hooks
- Who or what created this unusual bog?
- What other creatures dwell here?
- What tolls do the fairies demand for use of their bridges?
- Why is Toadvine so ugly?
- What gifts please Toadvine? Which offend him?
- Who else wears Toadvine’s jewelry?
