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# 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

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