Elisabeth's rescue

The group of adventurers leaves the town of Sandpoint over the Sandpoint Bridge in a southeasterly direction. Nikta manages to find a single horse track pointing south among all the tracks left on the road by the caravan heading to Sandpoint. The bright moonlight is enough to follow the track along the road through the hills to the south. Shortly before the road reaches the Brinestump Swamp and passes it to the east, the horses turn onto a small path that leads into the swamp. A short time later, the heroes are standing on a cliff that drops about 10 m deep. The Brinestump Swamp stretches out in front of them in the darkness, crossed by countless waterways that glitter in the moonlight and flow lazily eastwards towards the sea. A small path zigzags down the cliff and disappears into the swamp. Nikta examines the trail again and can confirm that the rider, a man or an unusually tall woman based on the boot prints, dismounted here and led his horse down the slope. 

The adventurers also dare to descend and enter the swamp. The path is clearly visible even between the rushes and patches of reeds, but off the path the terrain becomes swampy and impassable. The ground is soft and pulls on your boots if someone carelessly steps into a muddy hole. The temperature drops noticeably and the first wisps of mist drift over the water surfaces. There is rustling everywhere as small rodents or other animals flee into the thicket from the group's steps and from a distance they hear the dull, drawn-out call of some water birds - at least Sirca points out that these are harmless animals and not scary creatures. Visibility is only a few meters, as the path winds along the drier areas and the towering reeds or squat birch, swamp oak and eucalyptus trees block the view.

Sirca mutters quietly to herself and some time later a large black dog appears next to her. He has long shaggy fur and his eyes glow blue in the darkness. 
"May I introduce you to Ivar? Ivar is my friend and protector. He comes when I call him and stands by me." It is certainly good to have a ghostly black dog with you if you are likely to encounter goblins, as they are known to be terribly afraid of dogs.

After a while, the heroes come to a bridge made of planks. A low railing on one side allows them to cross safely. Behind the bridge, Fushigi, who has crept ahead of the others, discovers a lifeless heap in the darkness. The metallic smell of blood is in the air and covers the omnipresent stench of decay in the swamp. It is the carcass of a horse. It has several bite wounds on its neck and one hind leg has been completely torn out or cut. A clear and bloody drag mark leads off the path deeper into the swamp. The group leaves the path and follows this mark. It leads in a direct line to a wide and deep moat that cuts through the swamp in many places. On the other bank, about 20 m away, you can see the continuation of the drag mark. Whoever or whatever killed the horse and abducted Elisabeth and her supposed kidnapper made no effort to hide the tracks.

The sluggishly flowing river is causing some of the group a headache. Lian, dressed in heavy chain mail and carrying a sword and shield, cannot swim across the river. The prospect of leeches or other vermin that are sure to live in the river and are waiting for victims also makes the others hesitate. But a way to the other side must be found, and quickly, because every minute that Elisabeth has to spend in the hands or claws of her kidnapper could be her last. Sirca says goodbye to Ivar and instead conjures up a dolphin, with whose help everyone gets across the river safe and sound. On the other side, the heroes see a large pile of logs, branches, match and sod in the darkness. Everything is roughly stacked together and forms a pile about 3 meters high. It is clear to everyone that this cannot be the natural accumulation of flotsam, but has been artificially piled up. The bones and remains of a myriad of animals are scattered around the pile. Goats and sheep, but also larger bones that suggest humans or other humanoids. A narrow depression on the south side of the hill appears to be the entrance to an underground burial chamber.

The shrill scream of a girl from inside the hill freezes the group - Elisabeth! Nikta is the first to react. He storms forward, down the narrow entrance into the hill, drawing his rapier, closely followed by Fushigi and Lian. Since the entrance to the dwelling of whatever is now tightly packed, Hanrin tries to find a gap between the branches and twigs on the outside. A quick look at the creature would be enough for him, but the branches are so sealed with mud that they do not allow a view of the interior. The interior of the hill consists of a low, round chamber. It smells of decay and moisture drips down through the ceiling from above. A large creature with long claws stands bent over the girl. It has pale skin that is stretched tightly over a muscular body. Its legs are bent backwards at the joints like dogs. When she turns to Nikta, he sees a split lower jaw that opens wide on both sides, revealing a row of sharp fangs. The girl Elisabeth is in a desolate state. Her face is full of fear and torment. Her hair, usually a neat fiery red, hangs down in dirty and matted strands. Her clothes are dirty and torn and barely cover her body.

Nikta lets out a battle cry. He jumps forward and stabs his rapier down from above with both hands. The slender blade pierces the monster's shoulder and emerges again under the shoulder blade. The creature freezes in pain. Fushigi jumps to Nikta's side and thrusts her fist out in a quick punch. The blow knocks the air out of the creature's lungs and it doubles over. In the narrow chamber, Lian tries to get to Elisabeth to calm her down, but he can't get past the three fighters. A glowing fire beetle suddenly crawls along the ceiling and bathes the scene in soft light. Elisabeth calms down a little and her screaming turns into sobs. Nikta stabs again with his rapier. The blade goes into the creature's stomach, piercing it, and seconds later it sinks to the muddy floor, stained with its blood.

Lian takes the distraught Elisabeth in her arms and speaks soothingly to her. They turn away from the dying creature on the floor and leave the room. Hanrin is already waiting for them outside, who puts his red robe over Elisabeth's shoulders so that she can cover her nakedness. In tears, she tells how Piet, the miller's son, kidnapped her and brought her to the swamp. Her fathers wanted a connection between the two of them, but she was repelled by the clumsy Piet with his thick fingers and unwashed hair and rejected him. Once in the swamp, they were soon attacked by the creature, which first tore apart her horse and then Piet and dragged her to its home. She was bitten several times by the creature and each time she suffered not only physical pain but also agonizing mental anguish. The creature, however, seemed to feed on her torment.

Inside the hill, the others find the lifeless body of the miller's son next to a bed made of swamp grass. Piet is dead, an expression of horror and pain frozen on his face. There are also various items of clothing from almost a dozen people, obviously other victims from Sandpoint or travelers who have fallen into the clutches of the monster. A pile of pumpkin-sized clay balls in the farthest corner contains one last gruesome discovery, the severed heads of the victims preserved in clay. The heroes collect what they can bring back to Sandpoint in order to at least give the missing daughters and sons of the village a dignified burial. The way back to Sandpoint is long and arduous, but passes without further incident. Shortly before dawn, the group returns and tells the stunned Wim, and later the shopkeeper Vinders and the bailiff Hemlock, about the rescue of Elisabeth and the defeat of the swamp monster. Exhausted, the adventurers go to bed, each in their own room, and sleep in after this exciting night.