Bogged Down

## The Threat

North Long Lake, Minnesota, is a fairly large lake in central Minnesota amply used by locals residents and citizens from cities such as Duluth, St. Paul, and Minneapolis as a summer home site, with beautiful lake vistas and ample boating and fishing opportunities. Over the past few years, a collection of debris from storms and natural deadfall has slowly grown in size on the central lake and formed itself into a large, roughly 100 by 45 foot floating bog. In this time, a series of unusual, but natural, flips in lakewater temperature zones have propelled microorganisms deep within the layers of nitrogen-infused muck at the lakebottom up to the surface. One of these, a single-celled amoeba-like microorganism, dormant, but alive from times long past, has started to inhabit the layers of detritus that have formed the floating bog– but is not natural in any way. This microorganism has the ability to both bind dead plant cells to its own body, and each member of these microorganisms has a deep, unnatural connection with each other member of its species, and can operate as “hive-mind” to move, bind to more cells, and most importantly, ingest food: live animal matter being preferred for energy production. The citizens of North Long Lake, however, are not happy with the existence of this large floating bog occupying their open fishing and waterways, oblivious of the dangerous organism that has begun to inhabit the bog. However, a collective obstacle to the citizens of North Long lake to their complaints and bog removal petitions came from the USFWS designating the bog as a potential essential breeding habitat for a population of Sandhill Crane. An appeal by citizens required a USFWS biologist to evaluate the bog for habitat. On the overcast day where the biologist  boated to the bog and began their evaluation, they never returned, and the boat washed ashore a day later. This mysterious disappearance has tripped the sensors of the Program, who dispatches a team of agents to investigate this unconventional situation.

## The Playbill

Through some method, the Agents are notified to report to a predetermined location in North Long Lake, Minnesota for briefing. The case officer briefs the agents on the disappearance of the USFWS biologist, why they were at the site, mentions the police presence,  where they were last seen (the bog) and what they were evaluating, and presents the agents with these goals:

* Investigate the disappearance of the biologist.
* Determine if an unnatural incursion is present.
* If so, eliminate or remove the incursion.

## The Opera

### LAW ENFORCEMENT PRESENCE

The disappearance of a US Fish & Wildlife Service biologist has caused an uptick in law enforcement activities by numerous agencies in and around North Long Lake.
The US Fish & Wildlife Service, in collaboration with the FBI, have sent a pair of federal agents (one from each agency) in a joint task force to investigate the disappearance of the biologist. These agents can be found in and around the sheriff’s office of Crow Wing County, about a twenty minute drive south of the lake. The two officers are determined to find a suspect in the biologist's disappearance, and will follow the agents if they arouse any suspicion, including following them out onto the lake if they make a trip there.
The Crown Wing County Sheriff has also taken some liberty in investigating the disappearance. Currently, they have closed the main trailer-fed public boat launch on the lake, where the biologist’s small watercraft was pulled out, and is currently being investigated by a county forensicist. They are willing to cooperate with the Agents if they present federal or Minnesota state credentials, but otherwise are unwilling to allow the Agents into their investigation.

### THE CRAFT

The craft that washed ashore is a fifteen-foot vessel with a gas-fed outboard motor. There is a moderate amount of biological equipment and sampling equipment on the boat. This includes a Garmin Striker Fishfinder, water test kits, soil test kits, bird banding gear, nets, and other equipment. Some bog samples have also been gathered in a small test kit in the boat. Analysis of these bog samples with **Science: Biology**, **Microbiology**, or **Environment** at **30%** or higher reveals the presence of an unknown, single celled microorganism in the sample. **50%** or higher reveals that this sample has a very low pH of 1 to 3, too acidic for most of any life to grow on– but this amoeba lives on, even thriving in these acidic conditions. **70%** reveals that the amoebas can connect their bodies with plant cells, and use it to expand their mass and locomote. **90%** or higher or **Unnatural of 10%** or higher reveals that the amoebas are moving in unison with each other, and can combine plant cells in connection to essentially create their own multi-celled organism.

### THE BOG

Traversing onto the bog requires some kind of boat or watercraft, but is not hard to accomplish with that tool. Because there are little to no boats out on the water because of the closed boat launch, approaching the bog is easier than expected. The bog will not immediately begin to attack once the Agents make their way onto the bog, but will if the Agents take samples, overly disrupt the bog, or swim in the water. The bog is essentially a large mass of plant matter covered with some live plant life, such as stiltgrasses, short willow bushes, and mosses. Investigating the bog, there is no organic evidence of the USFWS biologist on the bog. However, evidence can be found of the biologist’s presence. This includes a camera, sample test kit, orange life jacket, and a set of clothes: boots, cargo pants, socks, and a tee, all strewn about and covered in mud on the bog. In addition, there is some evidence of sandhill crane nests on the island: feathers can be found strewn about, and there are three large nests on the bog. However, the nests have been caved in the middle, and no eggs or cranes can be found present.
There is a chance the Agents may realize the bog is not necessarily a stupid, unthinking organism- from the behaviors of its plant masses or the bog itself. “Bartering” with the bog is not easy– the bog, as a mass of microorganisms, has no way to communicate besides through the release of pheromones or electrical impulses in the water. However, if the Agents have access to a ritual that allows them to speak with animals or plants (such as Speech of Birds and Beasts, found in the Handler’s Guide), they are able to communicate in simple terms with the bog. In simple terms, the bog wants food and to be left alone. It will negotiate terms with the agents with these goals in mind. It is up to the handler, and the Agent’s imagination, what this negotiation looks like.

## Appendices

### STAT BLOCKS

#### AMOEBAL PLANT MASS- A SMALL PROJECTION OF THE LIVING BOG

**STR** 8 **CON** 8 **DEX** 10 **INT** 2 **POW** 10 **CHA** 0

**HP** 8 **WP** 10

**SKILLS:** Alertness 60%, Search 50%, Unarmed Combat 40%,

**ATTACKS:** Grapple (40%, 1D4, ACIDIC DIGESTION)

**MOLDABLE FORM:** The Plant Mass is not an organism with vital organs, instead made up of hundreds of thousands of small microorganisms. As such, it cannot be killed by conventional methods such as bullets or blades. However, fire, acid, or an attack with lethality 10% or higher is enough to destroy the plant mass and retreat it back into the bog.

**ACIDIC DIGESTION:** When the Plant Mass has attached itself to a creature it wants to digest, it begins excreting acids from the individual amoebal cells and dead plant cells. Each turn that the creature is grappled, it deals 1D6 damage in the form of digestive acids. A creature killed by this method is ingested by the organism and it regains all hit points.
**SAN LOSS:** 1/1D4

#### THE BOGGOTH- MICROORGANISMAL MASS AND FLOATING BOG

**STR** 20 **CON** N/A **DEX** N/A **INT** 12 **POW** 20 **CHA** 0

**HP** N/A **WP** 10

**SKILLS:** Unarmed Combat 70%

**ATTACKS:** Tendril Grapple (70%, 1D4, ACIDIC DIGESTION)

**MOLDABLE FORM:** The Living Bog is not an organism with vital organs, instead made up of hundreds of thousands of small microorganisms. As such, it cannot be killed by conventional methods such as bullets or blades. However, fire, acid, or an attack with lethality 50% or higher is enough to disperse the bog and kill enough microorganisms that it will not reform. The Living Bog can also mold itself into many forms, opening up holes to swallow creatures.

**ACIDIC DIGESTION:** When the Plant Mass has attached itself to or pinned a creature it wants to digest, it begins excreting acids from the individual amoebal cells and dead plant cells. Each turn that the creature is grappled, it deals 1D8 damage in the form of digestive acids. A creature killed by this method is ingested by the organism and it regains 1D8 Hit points.

**SAN LOSS:** 1D6/1D10

## Credits

Bogged Down was written by Dhole for the 2022  Shotgun Scenario contest. Source: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19Sob-IRjIlQPCevWsf\_IIus3gZuZQSIr-1dR\_55qhwQ/edit.

Published by arrangement with the Delta Green Partnership. The intellectual property known as Delta Green is a trademark and copyright owned by the Delta Green Partnership, who has licensed its use here. The contents of this document are © Dhole, excepting those elements that are components of the Delta Green intellectual property.

Bogged Down is not available here under CC-BY-SA.

For preservation, a PDF backup of the original submission can be found here.