Swamp Lurkers

> *"It's difficult to tell where the swamp ends and those people begin."* -"The Traveler's guide to Soi" on the Lurkers
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   **Swamp Lurkers**, **Swamp Folk**, or **Mossbacks** are a race of ab humans that inhabit the swamps of central Soi. They are very reclusive and often hostile to outsiders entering their land.They differ from the normal human strain by their thick, greenish-brown, lumpy skin and ability to stay submerged underwater for 15-45 minutes at a time depending on their level of activity. They have been observed to be able to see very well under water. They are known to have natural night vision but very poor hearing except when underwater. Swamp folk do not see so well in bright conditions and are known to get dangerously sunburned very quickly, so they often cover themselves with mud if they must venture out into open fields. While they suffer no negative effects from being submerged for hours on end, their skin becomes cracked very quickly in dry conditions They are nearly immune to infection and are resistant to most other diseases and poisons. They often wear camouflaged cloaks made of moss, leaves, mud, and twigs in while traversing their swamps, allowing them to move completely undetected around the areas in which they live.

## Land

The Swamp Folk live as their name would imply, in the massive wetland sections of central Soi near the Ashed City States. Other swamps and colonies of the swamp people exist in a few other places around Soi, including near the Broken Kingdom

The land is rich in life, often providing enough food in flora and fauna that the Swamp Dwellers have never had to move past the hunter-gatherer phase of civilization to remain comfortably fed. The swamps are rich in medicinal plants that are kept track of by their "witches."

The land has proved impassable by all but the most experienced of woodsmen, and even then they are best avoided if it can be helped. The combination of opaque water with sudden drops, sinkholes, quicksand, disease, and various dangerous flora and fauna, such as Scale maws, tanglevines, and the flesh eating fish swarms endemic to the environment leave the area a death trap for the inexperienced or foolish. Many swamps are rumored to have ruins and other structures hidden within, though few have been able to get past the Swamp Folk or environment to confirm or deny this.

## Religion

Swamp Lurkers worship gods whom they call "Those that wait below." Supposedly, ancient spirits that shaped Soi wait just below the surface of the briny, opaque waters they call home, which they believe are a conduit between Soi and a place they call "The Deep." They honor their gods by living in the ancestral ways, as close to the animalistic state as they can, the truly devout ones living as feral animals in the swamps, only hostile to animals and outsiders but not each other.

The less devout form villages and small towns. Some towns are built into the roots of great swamp trees; others are built on floating platforms that move and migrate thought the murky waters. Those that have spoken with Swamp Folk say they believe these rituals give them control and awareness of everything that goes on in the swamp, in addition to other abilities.

The Swamp Folk await the day of the rise, where the murky waters will flood the earth and wash away everything on the surface of Soi, then will they themselves submerge and go willingly into the dark abyss so they may join the deep. The longer a Swamp Lurker can stay under water before coming up for air, the more blessed they are in the eyes of their religion.

## Culture

Swamp Folk are highly tribal people, fiercely loyal to their family and clan. They live simple lives, hunting, fishing, and gathering in the swamps, rarely farming as the swamps more often than not provide all the food they need. Small, floating gardens of medicinal herbs are often kept by the village elders, often called "hags" by outsiders.

The society is matriarchal, tracing bloodlines back through the mother's side and deferring to their female priests for leadership. The oldest and wisest often fall into the category of leaders. The males of the tribe are encouraged to spend their time smoking herbs, drinking the locally distilled alcohols and hunting Scale maws and freshwater sharks in the swamp.

Swamp Folk are a very religious people. The more devout, the more reclusive and hostile to outsiders they are. The less devout ones will go as far as trading with outsiders or kidnapping those that get lost in the swamps to be used as thralls or human sacrifice by ritualistic drowning to "The Deep." They have been known to accept women joining their villages if they are willing to join them in their witch coven, but men are usually killed. The males of Swamp folk society are the only ones that trade with outsiders. When fighting, they commonly use traps, ambush, and hit and run tactics, utilizing the environment to defeat outsiders. They have been known to use poisoned bone weapons and dress in the armored pelts of Scale Maws which can resist most slashing weaponry.

## Reaction to outsiders

Swamp Folk ignore the outside world as a rule, however, venturing too deep into their swamp will lead to them stalking you and hindering your passage; getting too close to their villages will result in them attacking, using the environment, animals, poisoned weapons and traps. They prefer to capture trespassers so they may be used as human sacrifices or as thralls to serve in their dark ceremonies.

Swamp folk routinely ignore outsiders that skirt the edges of the great swamps, occasionally leaving their borders to strike at small settlements and passing caravans. They generally keep to themselves.

**Trade**

Some of the less traditional villages will trade with outsiders. They are cited as an excellent source of scale pelts, exotic foodstuffs, including rare meats, seasonings, and medicines. They more often than not prefer barter systems, as they have very little use for minted coins. The massive swamps are home to unique creatures that are considered delicacies, like the giant underwater scorpions and flesh eating slugs that live in the depths.

#### **Monster Hunters**

Like most abhumans that are too different from humans and unable or unwilling to meet the Broken Kingdom on the Kingdom's term, the Swamp Folk are widely considered monsters along side all Biomorphs. This is compounded by the presence of witches among the Swamp Folk, as the generally superstitious people of the Kingdom have a general belief in magic rooted in their belief in their god-king's supernatural power. While the horse-loving Kingdom generally stays away from areas of swamp, bog, and marsh, all that is required to bring them to the Swamp Folk is an angry father making loud proclamations that his daughter has been kidnapped, be it that she left willingly or not. The result is a steady stream of Riders who would rescue the damsel in distress until they are either successful or the call falls out of circulation. As in most instances, the Riders who respond are generally seeking knighthood meaning they are either young, extremely idealistic, or mildly desperate.