Having successfully traversed the Rieuwood with the assistance of their guide Ivellios Amakiir, the party found themselves at the northermost point of the Pawluck river, just east of New Keep. At that point, Ivellios continued on his own course, while the party elected to take the river. After (?) days' travel, passing through several towns, they found themselves on the outskirts of the Vast Swamp. The last human habitation appeared to be a small collection of hovels and one rickety two-story inn.
Ann and Gronk entered the inn while Triben and West eyed the hamlet suspiciously. They spoke with the bartender, who warned them about raids by the swamp's lizard-folk and frog-folk. The attacks had only started recently, after a history of mostly-peaceful co-existence with the lizard-folk and no contact with the frog-folk. He also happily overcharged Gronk for the party's overnight stay, much to Ann's consternation.
Turning to leave, they were invited to sit by the only patron of the establishment, a human male. He explained he had spent the past two weeks seeking kin in the swamp, and was somewhat of an expert. Introducing himself as Minos, he offered to act as their guide in the harsh environs. After some initial queries, they accepted his offer.
That evening, West scouted the swamp, finding it mostly tree-covered. there were occasional clearings, and a handful of large stone structures. The next morning, the party left their horses in the inn's stable and headed into the swamp. Their map lead them southeast, then east. The ground was patchy and uneven, becoming as much as waist-deep at some points. The terrain was dark and foreboding. Snakes and bugs were everywhere, and the marsh was full of unsettling noises.
For the most part, the marsh creatures left them alone. There was one notable tree, though. It sat alone in a large pool of water. Nothing live moved near it. Wary, West suggested they go around. As they retreated, the tree uprooted itself and started plowing through the soft ground towards them. The party slowly fell back through the thick mud, with Minos trying both to mentally blast the tree and shoot it with an arrow. When neither proved effective, he withdrew with the rest of the group. They quickly outpaced the tree, and thought they could hear a deep sigh as it settled back down into the muck.
After circling the tree, the party continued on the path laid out on the map. They were constantly bitten and stung as they progressed. After another hour, they detected a particularly unpleasant smell. It turned out to be a days-old battlefield between the lizardfolk and frog-folk, whom West and Minos were able to identify as Bulliwugs. The scene was quite repulsive, as the bodies were quickly being eaten by the fauna and elements. West's inspection of the area did turn up one interesting thing -- there were clearly summoned animals at the battle, but they apparently attacked both sides.
Armed with this puzzling fact, the party set off again towards the artifact. Only a few moments later, they were ambushed by a pair of hideous, chitinous abominations. They looked to be all the worst parts of a crustacean, an insect, and a serpent. They tried grabbing up Ann and Triben with huge claws, but the rest of the party was able to free them, slaying one of the beasts and routing the other.
As it was approaching nightfall, the party decided to stop and establish camp. Triben conjured a rope trick, and the party retreated inside, closing it up behind them. Minos stirred during the night, and went for a brief walk. Otherwise, the evening passed uneventfully.
The next morning, the party roused itself to continue traveling. The journey was unremarkable for the next few hours. Pests remained common, and they saw the occasional predator, primarily snakes, but they were left alone. With the sun high in the sky, the party heard the sounds of battle ahead. They stealthily approached, finding a battle in progress between lizardfolk and bullywugs.
A few of the bullywugs employed summoning magic, but were apparently unable to control it. With the summoned creatures splitting their attacks, the lizardfolk barely emerged victorious. Not bothering to bury their dead, the five survivors headed south, towards the heart of the swamp. Not wanting to lose them, Minos dimension doored just ahead of them, only to be surrounded and threatened. A quick charm made them somewhat more receptive, and once the rest of the party caught up, they decided to bring the group back to their chieftan.
A few more hours of travel to the south brought the party into the lizardfolk encampment. As they approached the chieftan's throne, they found themselves surrounded by throngs of lizardfolk. The throne was made entirely of bone, and the chieftan looked as though he might have gathered them all personally. He stood just under 3 meters tall, with a husky build. Scars creased his scaled hide.
After interrogating the party in excellent common, he consulted his advisor: a red-robed human. Brotherhood red. They argued briefly, then the chieftan came to a conclusion. He proclaimed that the party would be taken to the lizardfolk's diety. He would decide their fate. They would leave in the morning.
That evening, West revealed to his companions that he had spotted the Brother speaking with another group of lizardfolk before joining the chieftan. They chewed this fact over, but didn't know what to make of it. The party had a restless night's sleep. Surrounded by lizardfolk, they had no opportunity to pitch tents or use a rope trick. They were awakened by a horrible keening wail, of inhuman pitch and lasting over a minute. Badly spooked, they set watches, but no danger was forthcoming.
In the morning, they were rousted by the lizardfolk. They warily led the party back into the swamp. Hours more in the muck brought them to a large clearing with a massive tree stump. It was easily forty feet in diameter, though clearly rotting. The clearing was full of bugs, snakes, and all other manner of small swamp life. Miraculously, none of them appeared the least interested in taking any more of the party's blood.
A few moments after they arrived, a very old lizardman stepped into the clearing. The party's escort immediately prostrated themselves, and the party decided to bow in addition. This elicited a chuckle from the lizardman. The lizardfolk backed into the swamp and left quickly, leaving the party alone with the old one. He cocked his head sideways, and said, "Excuse me a moment." He completed casting just as a handful of bullywugs burst forth from the swamp after him. Tens of thousands of bugs poured forth from the ground and surroundings, consuming the bullywugs utterly in moments. Leaning on his staff, he continued, "Thank you. Can I invite you inside?" The party deferrentially followed him into the stump.
Once inside, Szishinth explained the situation. Fighting with the bullywugs had split the lizardfolk into two camps. The younger warriors had started raiding towns along the swamp's edge to gather supplies to facilitate the war effort. The older warriors were concerned this would drag the humans into the fray against them. Regardless, all the lizardfolk knew they were losing.
Further complicating matters was the Brotherhood agent, who was agitating for the younger warriors and undercutting the chieftan behind his back. In his capacity as 'advisor', he had promised troops and supplies to the lizardfolk.
There was certainly no love lost between the followers of Wastri and the Scarlett Brotherhood. Wastri had opposed the Brotherhood since his emergence as a demi-diety. The party knew Wastri to be an evil, uncontrolled demigod seeking the supremacy of frog-folk, and their domination over all others. They had only not begun raiding into Sunndi because the lizardfolk were acting as a buffer.
Of course, the party had no desire to see either group come to power. They quickly decided to support the old guard among the lizardfolk. They debated several options, including direct military intervention, establishing formal trade between the lizardfolk and Sunndi, and simply gathering the neccessary supplies themselves.
Szishinth also told the party of the artifact they sought, a lizardfolk relic known as The Warmth of Semuanya. It sat atop the Ziggurat of the Watchful Sun, built eons ago. The relic, originally an offering to Semuanya, was blessed by the diety, providing light and heat to his followers, and providing for their defense. Many years ago, though, it slowly weakened, eventually ceasing to function altogether.
Recently the artifact has started showing signs of life. None know why it stopped working, and none know why it has started again. The ziggurat is a key point for the lizardfolk, and it is perilously close to the front line. Szishinth feels that a pivotal battle will be fought for the ziggurat in the forseeable future.
The party sat and pondered their options for long hours. Their earnest dialog convinced Szishinth of the party's intentions. He gave each party member significant material aid from his personal possessions.