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Author's Notes

# Fibians

Story
The night mist hung thick above the water, and the torch on our canoe hissed as it fought the damp. We had been told the Fibians might trade with us if we brought trinkets, so we carried beads, bronze pins, and bright scraps of cloth. The swamp was silent, save for the slow dip of our paddles.
Then came the first croak. Low, deep, so close it made the wood beneath me tremble. Another answered, then another, until the air throbbed with unseen voices. Shapes slid from the reeds-broad-shouldered, slick-skinned figures with golden eyes that reflected the flame.
One stepped onto a fallen tree, spear in hand. His skin was mottled green and brown, his throat pulsing with sound as he croaked something I could not understand. Behind him, more rose from the water, silent but for the ripples spreading out from their webbed feet.
Our guide raised the beads in offering. The lead Fibian cocked his head, his unblinking eyes fixed on us. He reached out with a long hand, took the trinkets, and held them aloft. From the reeds, a chorus of croaks erupted, echoing across the swamp like laughter.
We were not killed that night. But as they vanished again beneath the water, leaving only ripples, I understood the truth: in Murkwater, mercy was a choice, and we had not earned it.

There are two kinds of Fibians, one in Murkwater, one in Tideforest.

## Murkwater Fibians

Fibians are an amphibian people, frog-like in appearance and temperament. They stand roughly the height of a man, with long limbs, webbed fingers and toes, slick mottled skin that shifts in tone with their surroundings, and wide golden eyes that catch the light like lanterns in the dark. Their voices are deep and guttural, filled with croaks and clicks, and their language sounds almost like the swamp itself speaking.

They are natural swimmers and can hold their breath for remarkable lengths of time, making them dangerous hunters both above and below water. Fibians are agile despite their appearance, able to spring great distances, climb wet stone, and vanish into reeds without a sound. Stealth is second nature to them, and they can remain still for hours, waiting for prey or enemy.

They are oviparous, laying eggs in clusters in water, and their young grow through tadpole-like stages before reaching adulthood. There is no distinction of gender roles among them, and all share in raising the young. Family bonds are communal rather than individual, with hatchlings belonging to the group rather than a single pair.

Fibians have little concept of wealth or hierarchy, often valuing shiny trinkets, carved shells, or colorful stones over more practical goods. Outsiders sometimes take advantage of this, but the Fibians are not simple. They remember insult and betrayal with long patience, and their vengeance is often slow and merciless.

Their beliefs vary between swamps and tribes, but most Fibians see the world as alive with spirits, every ripple and croak an echo of something greater. They often sing or croak together in chorus at dusk, their voices blending into the sounds of the night.

While they lack metallurgy and advanced building techniques, they are cunning and resourceful. They excel in ambush, guerilla tactics, and hunting, and they are well adapted to their environment, wherever it may be. To make them enemies is to live in constant fear of unseen eyes and sudden blades from the dark water.

Murkwater Fibian

## Tideforest Fibians, or The Bright Fibians

The Bright Fibians dwell in the steaming jungles where the canopy shuts out the sun and the air drips with heat. They are smaller and more slender than their swamp cousins, but far more vivid in appearance. Their skin gleams in poisonous hues of crimson, emerald, and cobalt, often streaked with jagged patterns that make them hard to track among the flowering vines and mottled bark. Their eyes shine like polished gems, unblinking and predatory.

They are masters of the high branches, moving with eerie silence despite their colors. Their padded hands and feet cling to bark and leaf as they creep through the canopy, watching travelers far below. Then, without warning, darts hiss from the shadows, tipped with venom that stills the lungs or paralyzes the body. Knives follow, plunging down from the trees, and before the victims can scream the Bright Fibians vanish back into the leaves.

Their villages are strung high in the canopy, invisible from the ground. Platforms of woven vines and bridges of living roots form shifting labyrinths where intruders easily lose their footing and fall to the jungle floor. From above, their warriors mock intruders with shrill trills and rattling calls, a sound meant to mimic the cries of jungle birds but carrying a message only they understand.

Despite their brilliance, the Bright Fibians are no less patient than their swamp kin. They stalk for days, waiting until their prey is tired, hungry, and half-mad with fear. To trespass in their domain is to walk beneath a hundred watching eyes, never knowing when the next dart will come.

Tideforest Fibian

## Possible Secrets

### The Forgotten Shape

The Fibians were not always as they are. Some ancient carvings hint that they once had smoother skin, straighter backs, and spoke clearly. The transformation into what they are now was a pact, either a curse or a gift, from something that dwells beneath all swamps.

### The Dry Death

Fibians cannot live long away from water, but some ancient sects found a way. They coat their bodies in oils made from strange herbs and blood, allowing them to walk dry lands for weeks. These wanderers are called the Parched Ones and are both feared and revered among their kin.

### The Hidden Queen

Legends tell of a single Fibian born once in a generation, larger than all others, who carries the will of the swamp gods. She is said to sleep beneath the waters, her dreams shaping the moods of every Fibian tribe. When she wakes, great floods follow.

### The Black Egg

On rare nights when the moon is eclipsed, a Fibian egg may turn black instead of translucent. Such eggs hatch into offspring with dull eyes and a dead croak. These young are taken by the priests, never seen again, said to be fed to Azghurra, or turned into her servants.

### The Unseen War

Though outsiders think all Fibians are one people, there is an ancient hostility between the swamp tribes and the bright jungle kind. They share no open war, but both secretly hunt and sacrifice the other to their gods, each believing the other a corruption of the true form.

### The Memory of the Water

Fibians say that the swamp remembers every death. Those who die within its waters are never truly gone, their reflections sometimes appear in still pools, watching. A Fibian who stares too long at such a reflection may find themselves drawn into it, joining the memory forever.

### The Tree That Drinks Blood

High in the canopy grows a monstrous tree called the Red Spire. Its roots drip red sap that the Bright Fibians use for poison and paint, but it is said to grow only where blood has been spilled. Beneath its roots are bones, human, Fibian, and things that were neither.

### The Hushed Song

In the deepest part of the jungle, Bright Fibians do not sing. They say Zal'kara sleeps there, and if disturbed, she will open her eyes. The last tribe that forgot this vanished overnight, leaving only bright feathers stuck in the bark of the trees.

### The Hollow Sky

Their priests teach that the sky above the canopy is an illusion-merely a reflection on the surface of Zal'kara's endless leaves. To pierce the sky is to pierce the flesh of the goddess herself, a sin that draws her wrath. Some explorers who climb too high vanish without trace.

### The Silent Rain

When the rain falls but makes no sound upon the leaves, the Bright Fibians hide. They believe the silence means Zal'kara has stretched her roots to drink the souls of the dead. Those caught outside during the silent rain are never seen again.

## Adventure Hooks

### The Trader's Debt

A merchant who once profited from unfair trades with the Fibians has been cursed with unending nightmares of croaking voices and black water. He hires the players to journey into Murkwater and beg the Fibians' forgiveness before he goes mad.

### The Swampfire Feast

Strange lights are seen over Murkwater, said to mark the time of the Fibians' greatest ritual. Scholars wish to witness it, but they need an escort who can survive the journey-and the Fibians' attention.

### The Vanished Explorer

A famed explorer vanished in the jungle while mapping the Bright Fibians' territory. His notes hint at bridges of living vines and creatures that vanish into color. His sponsors want him found, or at least proof of his fate.

### The Rain of Arrows

A ship beached for repairs is attacked from above by unseen assailants firing darts and arrows from the canopy. The survivors swear they saw bright colors flicker among the leaves before each attack.

### The Feather Bargain

A coastal trader seeks protection while bartering with the Bright Fibians for exotic poisons. He swears the profits will be immense, if only someone can keep him alive long enough to return.

### The Drowned Sky

Heavy rains have flooded the jungle trails and left entire regions cut off. The Bright Fibians are restless, their chants echoing night and day. Travelers trapped among them must survive until the waters recede.

### The Venom Bloom

A rare flower that blooms only one day of the year, deep in Bright Fibian lands, is said to hold unmatched alchemical power. Alchemists and poisoners alike are offering fortunes for it, but to claim it, one must enter the jungle alive and leave alive as well.

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