Marshfield

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Marshfield is a large community of hardy individuals who have learned to adapt and live in harmony with the ever changing and dangerous waters of the swamps. The community itself is comprised of multiple settlements built around the edge of the swamp. The water levels of the swamps consistently change and at certain times of the years can cut off access to some of the settlements.

This district is the least affected by flooding and other issues. This is the main road into Marshfield, it houses the Steele Brewery, lumberyard, the mine, as well as some local shops; including as smith, alchemist and general store. Recently this is where all the markets have been held in which adventurers attend.

Notable Townsfolk

Cynddaredd Fioch - Current Sheriff of Marshfield.

Jacob Steele - Owner and operator of Steele brewery.

Harrison Nerrano - Owner and operator of the general store

Emma Lynnwood - Local newspaper owner

Willis the Beggar -  A beggar that can be seen all over Marshfield begging for coin.

Emmit Cogsmith - Local engineer that keeps the pumps at Marshfield operating

Azalea - Local herbalist

Adventurers:
Oni and Ibsen - Two adventurers who led the charge against the tower in Baron's Well, now own the tavern in Marshfield

Sorrow - A death touched who freed the spirit of the Underswamp.

Other Allies:

Spirit of the Swamp - A spirit that seemingly only speaks to Sorrow, but is said to be the spirit embodiment of the swamp.

Lizardfolk Child - An albino lizardfolk who was to unite the clans, slain by adventurers, but later resurrected.

The Southern District until recently has been flooded out with most of the residents left to fend for themselves, recently the waters have subsided and the roads to the Southern District have been opened. There is a fort and small castle in this location that once belonged to a family of Vincuul until the recent floods have brought in the Lizardkin who have taken up residence. 

Porte Juniper – The area is known for harvesting the oils from the trees to make oils and getting the local lumber yards to cut down the trees that no longer produce to keep them from over taking. Many believe that the Porte portion of this district’s name comes from the fact that it lays on the river that passes the expanse, giving a chance for exports to go up or down stream rather than just by foot or wagon from the western side. 

Notable Townsfolk

Alzirr and Alhenna Mishra -  Solar and Shadow Vincuul twins, respectfully, who do constant research on magic and elemental ties to the world 

There is not much known about the Eastern District, long ago it was flooded and invaded by Lizardfolk

The northern district had some of the rarest flowers and trees that alchemists and woodworkers alike came from all around to find. 

The people of Marshfield describe the swamp as a living creature, that the swamp itself fights for territory and protects itself from outsiders. The lizardfolk of the swamp come and go freely from the swamp and attack the settlements on the borders. Many mysteries lay within the swamp.

Denizens of the Swamp

Lizardfolk

Lizardfolk are walking sentient lizards and are the primary residents of inside the swamps. Their ranks are filled with soldiers and shamans who lead campaigns against the people of Marshfield. The lizardfolk are not to be taken lightly, they are intelligent, they fight with tactics, they ambush and they stalk the night waiting for prey.

Bullywugs 

Bullywugs are frog like creatures that are residents of the swamps, while they are not in direct conflict with the lizardfolk, they typically do not work together. Bullywugs have more soldiers than anything, but they do have the occasional shaman. Bullywugs are not intelligent creatures and they lack tactics and strength, but they do have their secret weapon that only few have seen, and even fewer have survived encounters with, the deadly Froghemoth.

Swamp Elementals

These are elemental creatures that emerge from the swamp that are made of both water and earth. These creatures seem to be the will of the swamp itself, or at least something bigger lurking inside. They can be seen at times working with both the lizardfolk and the bullwugs.

Some of the plant life within the swamp also come to life: vines, flowers, mushrooms and other various plant life have emerged from the swamp as enemies of the swamp.

The Undead

Feral undead roam the deepest parts of the swamps as the Banshee brings back to life anything and anyone who was slain.

The Wendigos

Wendigos sleep within the swamps and caves, waiting for anyone to wander into their dens, but at night will hunt both inside and outside the swamps.

Spirit of the Swamp

The Spirit of the Swamp has only been seen recently and has been non-verbal, but for a time the spirit emerged and was hostile towards the adventurers of Marshfield. A few of the adventurers found a way of communicating with her and have helped to ease her pain, thus making her an ally of Marshfield, at least for now.

Leaders

Spirit of the Caves (Deceased) - A spirit that went mad after the pumps continued to harm the swamp

Granny Greenbriar (Deceased?) - The Master Wendigo and leader of the Wendigo Cult

The Red Gargoyle - Leader of the Darksea Cartel in Marshfield

The Banshee Queen - A powerful undead who resurrected the Lizardfolk Child as a death knight.

Other Monsters

The Angler - A gigantic fish that lures unsuspecting prey into the swamps at night looking for a meal.

The Undead Megapede (Deceased) - A powerful undead who would emerge from the ground and bind it's enemies.

Many parts of Marshfield are mystical in nature. Some things have been here for as long as people can remember and other seem to have appear suddenly.

The Gate
A stone doorway that has fascinated towns people and adventurers alike is said to lead to the Elemental planes, but whomever opens the door is buffeted by the elemental winds escaping, few have made it to see what lies in the depths.

The Mana Well

The mana well once swirled with great power as a creature stirred below, but the Mana Wraiths have been put to rest by adventurers and it sits still. Adventurers still stop by to draw mana from it, but something still seems to always be watching.

The Pumps

There are four pumps that are located across Marshfield, with only two out of the four currently operating. These pumps are an engineering master piece that has long stood to keep Marshfield from flooding.

The Caves

Deep under the swamp lies a vast cave system that was carved out from the gnomes of ancient times, with their mechanical city buried deep within. Researchers and adventurers alike are fascinated with the dangers and treasures that await.

A decade ago in 2017, when adventurers first came to Marshfield it was under the guise of a large gathering was coming to the town. But upon arrival they were met with dismal conditions. The town was ran down and crime abundant.

After a few days the adventurer Rell discovered that the current Sherrif was indebted to a local crime organization that just went simply by "The Cartel." After investigating into the Cartel they managed to pay off the Sherrif's debt and get him moved to a different town.

Two years later in 2019, during an excursion into the Southern District, adventurers fought through waves of Lizardfolk to get into a building in which a large swamp creature had taken control of. The creature was plagued by some sort of disease that upon defeating left an orb of immense mass. A shadow caster by the name of Sorrow, along with Alzirr Mishra managed to banish the orb to the plane of Shadow. Although the orb that was gone, the corruption that was held within it spread to parts of the swamp, causing the corruption of any creatures that wandered into it's path. 

In the year 2022 an engineer named Emmit Cogsmith called for help from the adventurers, the pumps that kept the water out of Marshfield have stopped working and were in need of repairs but Emmit was lacking supplies. A adventurer artisan by the name of Vorin provided plenty of components for Emmit to fix all the pumps. A group known as the Rat Pack, managed to fix at least one of the pumps, while Emmit managed the others with the help of adventurers. This seemed to upset the swamp itself as deep guttural sounds came from deep within the swamp, some say that it sounded like something turning on and shortly after large swamp elementals invaded the town.

Two months later strange being began to come from the swamp, spirits of sorts that took adventurers and towns people alike. After a few found a way to communicate with the spirts they discovered that by turning on all the pumps that it was hurting the swamp and upsetting the spirits. A balance could be maintained if two pumps stayed active while the others remained inactive. The spirits informed these adventurer that one spirit would not stop at any point and needed to be killed, but in return someone needed to take it's place. After taking two of the pumps offline, the swamp spirits seemed pleased and led them to the spirit of the one who was upset. Killing him, an adventurer named Sorrow offered to take it's place, binding him to the land.

The year of 2023 brought the cultists to the land and with them the wendigos. These creatures would shriek and cry in the middle of the night, waiting and hunting whomever dared to emerge. The adventurers soon discovered that a local baker Granny Greenbriar had been the ones conjuring these creatures with the help and sacrifice of the cultists. This culminated with a confrontation of Greenbriar as the Master Wendigo. But, in the shadows lurked something else as a lone Lizardfolk child was executed by a group of adventurers, which caused a stir amongst the remaining clans.

By 2024 the wendigos' had dwindled in numbers but still lurk the night, but a danger arose as the Gnomes from the Undercity began to emerge from their mechanoid city, bringing with them automatons of various size, Beyan discovering the progenitor of the gnomes and his assistant held ward off the gnomes and push them back into the undercity, sealing them within. At the end of 2024 though the Lizardfolk child re-emerged as a death knight brought back to life by a power Banshee that lives within the swamp. All the while a loan pie was found in the tavern with a note to Wreck "From Granny Greenbriar."

In 2025 the adventurers sought to make things right by resurrecting the Lizardfolk child and seeking out the different pieces of his heart that tied him to the land and his undeath. Oni performing the ritual freed him from his death, but something didn't feel right in the process as the Banshee continues to lurk around Marshfield.