The bayous of the Black Swamp are not nearly as peaceful as they may seem. The placid, mossy waters hide a multitude of creatures. Some are natural while others are a vile parody of the creatures and plants around them. There are creatures that are humanoid-appearing piles of moss and vegetation, while others are reptilian, slimy imitations of humanity. Floating logs often turn out to be alligators or garfish that mercilessly attack those who inadvertently slip into the murky waters. Some of the trees are carnivorous, collecting animal skeletons at their bases like little trophies. These horrendous trees can be counted upon to try for larger targets when the opportunity presents itself. A strange mutation of the alligator has been seen in the Black Swamp recently. This creature crawled from the bayou and dragged a screaming fisherman into the turbid waters of the swamp. Of the man, the searchers found no trace but tattered clothing. The creature, on the other hand, left a trail of destruction behind it, attacking several nearby houses and abducting one of the inhabitants. The search for a kidnapped girl is the number one priority for the swamp dwellers, and they would welcome any help. Trolls are also a common sight in these quagmires. Their grossly deformed bodies are ideal for wading through the swamp, and few creatures dare to attack them. Their dominance in the deep swamp is unquestioned, but they seem to stay there most of the time. It is likely that they recall the times when humans came into the fens with fire and acid, and they now hide whenever a party of humans comes by. Of course, since they need to eat, they travel infrequently to the more populated areas of the swamp to snatch solitary wanderers. If they see a lone human in the bog, they will descend upon him in ravening fury. For this reason, those who dwell in the swamp generally tend to travel in groups of four or more. An odd sort of lizard man has been making itself known in the area. Originally considered a peculiar mutation of the common lizard man, this creature, known as a "newt," has become much more common in the swamp since first seen. Little more of it is known, but many different reports of it have come to the public eye.
Since the Horned Hills hold one of the few known entrances and exits into Thunder Rift, it is no wonder that some enterprising creatures have decided to profit from the trade into and out of the bountiful canyon. Three young minotaurs and their companion, a juvenile manticore, have established an interesting toll system: a quarter of your loot in exchange for your life. At first they were taking it all, but they eventually noted a marked decrease in trade. They then reduced the toll to half, plus one member of the caravan to eat, but trade continued to drop. Finally, they agreed to reduce tolls to one quarter of carried treasure, with the benefit of safe passage through the Horned Hills. Since the minotaurs and the manticore are frightful adversaries, they have no problem in assuring safe passage out of the Hills. If some creature were to violate their assurances, the minotaurs would, no doubt, exact revenge. They want to be known as good business-minotaurs and will not tolerate anything that might interfere with their reputations. Since they plan on hiring themselves out as caravan guards at some point, they want to make people The denizens of the Rift sure of their honesty. It has not yet occurred to them that most employers do not employ known caravan raiders. The minotaurs are reasonable creatures, as well as being fairly intelligent for their kind, and will surrender if it becomes apparent that they are about to be killed. If they are fairly certain that their enemies are dishonorable, they will fight to the death-it is far better to go down fighting than to die of a slit throat. The only other creatures in the Horned Hills are goblins and small game that one would expect of a hilly area. The goblins are thinking of moving to an area where they may attack caravans with impunity. They are tired of living in the minotaurs' shadow, and they have found out the hard way that assaulting caravans which the minotaurs have allowed to pass only leads to grief. The goblins are a tribe of weaklings who will flee at the first sign of the battle turning against them.
For a long time, the old cave of the dragon, Ash, lay unoccupied, his treasure long since stolen by looters. The Quadrial strived to keep Thunder Rift dragon-free, and they were fairly successful for a while. However, news of Ash's death eventually drifted out of the Rift and spread among the dragon-kin. Word of it reached his fierce cousin, Scorch-a larger, nastier version of Ash. Scorch winged his way to the Rift, more intent on protecting the treasure than avenging Ash, and was quite upset to find that it was missing when he finally arrived. In a fury, he killed several of the larger monsters of the Rift. This saved the citizens the trouble of killing the monsters themselves, but they would have rather faced those beasts than the incensed Scorch. Scorch has since vowed to recover the treasure that he regards as rightfully his by inheritance (after all, he is the next of kin!). He is absolutely sure that everyone within a day's journey has taken possession of at least a portion of the booty. To recompense himself for his troubles, he preys upon the farmers and the occasional "stupid" party of adventurers, taking all their goods for himself. If he's in a good mood, he even might allow them to leave alive (but medium rare). Usually he's cranky, though, and the adventurers fare much worse. His activities were duly noted by the former Quadrial, and they set out to teach the Wyrm a lesson. Unfortunately, they overestimated their abilities and underestimated his. The new champions of the Quadrial hope not to be so unlucky. Scorch is an adult, huge red dragon. Only parties with large memberships and many levels should even think about confronting him. His cave complex itself is a devious warren of tricks and traps for the unwary. His senses are very keen, so it will be extremely difficult to sneak up on him, or to catch him unaware. This is, after all, a dragon that even the Quadrial fears. Fortunately, Scorch is not a magic-using dragon, but he remains a terror in battle. He will usually attempt to use his breath weapon first: a cone of fire that extends 180' from his mouth to a width of 30'. A benevolent DM will find ways to discourage inexperienced players from challenging Scorch.