The Hive

> "*There are monsters in the marsh, the souls of the taken that return to hunt in the streets of the town they once inhabited. They are a foul sort of creature, and many adventurers like yourself have succumbed to them.*"
>
>

The Hive is an anomalous hive mind entity found within the bogs of Dawsbury near Greenest. As of 1663 DR, the Hive is considered neutralized.

## First Sighting

The Hive was first introduced to the members of the Boundless in the town of Dawsbury, after the de facto mayor and tavern-keep discussed the details of a strange entity residing in the bog that drove travelers and traders away from the town. Warned by the tavern-keep, the Boundless were informed of a strange phenomenon that occurred during the dead of night, where the souls of the ones taken by the bog would return to haunt the town. This phenomenon, colloquially known by the people of Dawsbury as "The Bog Men", would be seen inadvertently by Revan after awaking in that same night. The sound of running and skittering in the street ways outside would cause him to investigate via magical means, causing him to see the flare of hundreds of creatures.

## The Hunt for the Hive

The day following the first sighting, the Boundless would take it themselves to investigate this unnatural event and potentially free the town of Dawsbury from the haunting of these Bog Men. After a short discussion with the mayor of the town, they learned that the source of the corruption came from the heart of the bog, and that they were not the first to offer to aid the town in its trouble. The mayor revealed that several adventuring groups sought the same objective and never returned, whose apparent deaths the mayor felt personally responsible for. The Boundless regardless assured the mayor that his troubles would be over this day, and set to hunt for the bog. Using polymorph, Revan took to the skies and scanned the surrounding bog, returning with no conclusive information regarding the size or nature of this entity. Thus, they party chose to embark on a land trek across the bog to their destination, leaving behind Revan to provide a form of security and guard the town from any creatures that might return.

The Boundless (now comprised of Lady Bell, Planetesi, Yeep, Adam and Callan) marched through the bog for the better part of two hours, finally arriving at an unnatural clearing crowned by what seemed to be an oversized wasp's nest, completed with large gaping tunnels leading deeper into the unknown structure. Scanning the perimeter, the Boundless decided that their answers lay deeper within this formation.

## The Inner Chambers

Upon arriving to the deeper chambers of the hive structure, the Boundless soon discovered the nature of this entity. The hive walls and tunnels were made from a material created from bone collected by these bog men. The hive reeked of the smell of rotting flesh, and the party arrived at a submerged chamber filled with a biological mush, where they found several rusted weapons and pieces of armor, arriving at the conclusion that this is where the previous adventurers met their end. Adam would hear the sound of skittering, turning to face a creature known as the Marshspawn. The marshspawn was a strange undead entity formed from the carcasses of those the bog claimed. It attacked the Boundless with blinding speed, thrusting the party into a bloody combat. More would collect, pushing them into the final chamber of the structure.

The Boundless then came into contact with the Heart of the Marsh, which was the entity responsible for the undead creatures and the architect of the structure itself. The heart was pumping a yellow liquid into the veins within the structure, providing the required material to preserve the entire hive. After a long battle and an encounter with a Hive Tyrant, the party successfully destroyed the heart by severing the connections that suspended it, causing it to tear open and spill the remainder of the liquid into the chamber, effectively killing the Hive. From within the liquid emerged an undeveloped fetal humanoid, which promptly disintegrated. The hive nest began to crumble and cave, as the force which sustained it was no longer present. This marked the apparent end to the sorrows that plagued Dawsbury and the surrounding bog.

## Creatures of the Hive

The Hive sustained a variety of creatures known as the Marshspawn within it, of which there were varying sizes and roles:

### Marshspawn

A quick and vicious form of undead, the hive guard was the main worker force that operated within and without the hive structure. Though weak, the Marshspawn was agile and delivered a devastating attack in the form of an infected strike. It was also capable of extending its maw, revealing flexible proboscises which could penetrate a living target and extract blood, which both weakened the enemy and sustained the guard. The Marshspawn had a poor eyesight, and relied on noise and tremors in order to detect creatures within its vicinity.

### Marshspawn Guardian

A large and more humanoid form of the Marshspawn, the Marshspawn Guardian acted as the main defense entity within the structure. It was a brutal and unyielding creature, whose main attack was that of a terrible swing that dealt a great deal of damage. Unlike the standard Marshspawn, the Guardian had the ability to see things directly, and had no infectious attack. It could also blend into its surroundings with uncanny perfection, allowing it to ambush unwary targets provided that it remained motionless. It could also sustain far more damage, but was far less agile than the smaller Marshspawn. It also had a limited magical resistance provided by the structure itself, as well as pseudo-armor made from the same bone-like material that the hive was made of.

### The Hive Tyrant

A gigantic, monstrous form of undead that was the apex form of the Hive entity. It carried a large cruel blade made from reinforced bone plates, sharpened to a cruel edge. The creature itself was a crude mimicry of life, resembling the image of a knight. It was the final line of defense the Hive had, and that was punctuated by its strength and powers. Its main form of attack was the blade, but it was also capable of limited innate spellcasting. The tyrant had the greatest amount of armor and could deliver several hits within quick succession, causing incalculable damage to its opponents. It also had a great command over nearby undead and could rally and buff any friendly entities within its immediate area.

### The Heart of the Marsh

The core entity of the hive, this "creature" is immobile and consistent, performing the sole task of sustaining and supporting the Marshspawn. Though unable to carry out its own attacks, it could command the surrounding corrupted terrain to hinder or harm enemies within the hive. It had three primary actions:

#### Bone Shard

The heart can transform the nearby bone walls into forming jagged spikes that launch from beneath the soil, impaling enemies.

#### Poisonous Cloud

Using nearby rot spores, the heart can burst them prematurely to release a toxic cloud which causes nearby creatures to go blind momentarily, as well as deal a consistent damage via inhalation.

#### Blood Wave

A bloody red hue spreads from within the heart, healing undead entities and giving them an increase in physical strength and dexterity.