Morning broke and Breya had arisen before all of you and prepared a breakfast of what looked like roasted insects of some kind and a flat bread. You were tempted to go to the tavern and risk being spotted before eating the blackened husks on your plate but Haden quietly explained there would be no greater insult than not eating the 6 legged creatures. You swallowed the food down with what you felt must be marsh water as it tasted muddy and had grit in the bottom of the glass which didn't improve how you felt. Aslter, wiped his mouth with his sleeve and smiled at you all as if it were real food and and said "what?" We just looked at each other and rolled our eyes. After 'breakfast' Breya directed us on a 'path' to the south east and bid us good luck. 

The Bordrad Marshes stretched out before us, an endless expanse of thick mud, murky water, and dense grass. You enter the marshes which is very slow going, mushrooms growing as tall as trees around you. Cautiously, you keep to the watery path and avoid the deeper waters.

 Each step was a battle against the ground as the mud clung to our boots, threatening to pull us down. The stale, rotten air, filled with the scent of decaying vegetation, rose up from beneath the surface with every step we took, making the journey even more unbearable. Insects buzzed incessantly, biting any exposed skin they could find, adding to our growing discomfort.

Alster, ever the botanist, was utterly fascinated by the tall reeds and the flowers they produced. He paused frequently, marveling at their structure and commenting on their unique properties, oblivious to the frustration building in the rest of us. 

"Alster, we don't have time for this!" Talik snapped, swatting at a particularly persistent mosquito. "We need to find those toxin-resistant crystals, not study plants!"

"Yes, botany man," Haden added, her tone tinged with annoyance. "You've got to stop, its slowing us down."

"Actually its the marsh that is making our progress slow, that and the fact that you're not completely sure where we are going right now Haden." Alster fired back his retort, frustrated not with the marshlands but with our demands to hurry up.  You complain to the group. "We've been at this for hours, and all we've found is mud and more mud. Are we even going to find these crystals?"

Talik nodded in agreement, struggling to pull her boot free from the clutches of the marsh. "It feels like we're going in circles. How are we supposed to find anything in this bog?"

Alster looked up from a delicate flower, a hint of guilt in his eyes. "I know it seems pointless, but these plants might actually help us. They thrive in this environment, maybe they could lead us to the crystals."

Talik sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "I hope you're right, Alster. But right now, it feels like we're searching for a needle in a haystack."

The marsh continued to challenge us with its treacherous terrain, each step forward met with resistance from the mud. The oppressive humidity weighed us down, and the constant drone of insects was maddening. Despite the conditions, we pressed on, driven by the hope that somewhere in this boggy, murky expanse, the crystals awaited. 

"What is that?" Talik says. She was pointing to a frog the size of a cat. It was sitting on top of a waist-high mushroom.

Talik laughs. "Those are the 'famous giant poison frogs'." "Yes," responds Haden, "a smaller one." 

You are a little surprised by Haden's response. "Are they dangerous?" you ask. Although you feel like it's a stupid question since it has the word poison in its name, Talik and Alster look just as interested and the conversation is a nice distraction from the awful mud or thinking about breakfast.

"Only if you get on their bad side." Haden pets the frog on the head, and it hops off. "They're very gentle creatures normally." She points to a glob of goop the frog left in its wake. "Their slime is useful for treating all kinds of poisons if taken in small amounts over a long period."

You're impressed but not as impressed as Aslter. Haden seems to know a lot about the flora and fauna on her island. You feel out of your depth, but she's as brave here as any place you have seen her although you know this is her first time to actually be in the marshes and not just be told about them. 

Alster takes out a small bottle and runs the edge of the glass through the slime, scooping some up. "Maybe I can use this in potions," the Healer says.

You grimace. At least he's not touching it with his bare hands.

Next: E5Q2 Guarded Treasure