Time passes and the late day's sun stretches long shadows across the forest floor.  The wyrwood turns towards you all; "We are approaching the area of the forest where the swamp is expanding, consuming the forest floor with slick and vile mud." 

They point with wand in hand towards the edge of the swamp ahead; you can see wet clumps of mud slowly pushing out over the forest, at a noticeably steady, yet slow pace.  "Deep in the swamp is the cause of this expansion.  We are not built for such travel, but you brave heroes shall go forth and halt whatever evil thwarts our land."  The more time you spend with this wyrwood, the more you get the feeling that they were built for entertainment, and not magic.

Penris eyes the edge of the swamp with a grimace.  "Ugh.  A swamp?  I hate getting dirty," she complains with a whine.  She looks at the wyrwood.  "If you can't travel in the swamp, how do you know the cause of its expansion lies deep within it?"  She turns to look at Vanyel and Kip.  "This is going to stink," she says with a resigned sigh.

The wyrwood turns towards Penris and lifts it's arms in a shrug.  "Because no one has reached it yet."

The wooden creature steps aside and motions towards the swamp.

Kip would look to the group with a look of nervousness before forcing a smile. "Alright! Let's go everyone! There is nothing to fear in a swamp... just stinky mud is all!" The squirrling says as he turns away from his compaion and starts marching off to the north along the path. Kip's tail would be suprisingly still as he allowed the worry to spread across his face once more, now that his friends could not see it.

Vanyel smiles at the discomfort his companion showed at the mud and began to stomp happily though the mud, enjoying the feel of the mud oozing between his toes. "If you don't want to get dirty you can ride on my shoulder. I like how it feels around my feet."

Kip immediately jumps on to the bugbears back and climbs up on to his shoulder. "thanks friend!" He says with a smile.

Penris, having never gotten down from her perch on Vanyel's shoulder, smiles happily at the bugbear and Kip, delighted to have a ride above the stinky muck.  "I wonder what could be causing the swamp to expand?  Have you ever heard of something like that happening before?" she asks her companions. 

'I bet it is Bubug.... " Kip will say looking to his companions from his nice bugbear perch. "He didn't want me heading this way becuase we would discover his evil plan... and only let us pass earlier because he setup some kind of evil trap for us I bet" The squirrling would say as his tail twitched nervously behind him.

Penris snorts at Kip's explanation.  "I doubt that is true, Kip.  Surely the gods wouldn't send us here for Bubug.  Besides, he seemed nice," she says with a smile.  "And it's okay, Vanyel and I will protect you from Bubug," she says with a giggle.  "Won't we, Vanyel?"

"He just wants you to think he is nice" He would say with a small smile. "I am not afraid of him, especially now that i have this!" the squirreling would say as he pulls out his fancy sling and spins it around a bit with a big smile on his face... much like a child with a new toy. 

Vanyel thinks for a while trying to parse out why the swamp could be expanding. After a time he finally answers. "Could there be some sort of water that is feeding the swamp making it to expand. Something new or bigger than before?"

The wyrwood looks, well angry since his face is carved that way, but he also looks confused.  He ponders on how water might be getting into the swamp, then shakes his head.  "This forest used to stretch for miles more north; but slowly the land is claimed, the trees are changed, and the wisp of the swamp that was, and their fey cousins, get farther from our aid."  He just shakes his head, saddened.

"Well, don't worry, Bubug," Penris says brightly.  "We're here now and we'll figure it out.  Won't we, guys?" she says to her companions.  "But I suppose we should move - the problem isn't going to solve itself!"  She waves at Bubug as they head off into the muck. 

(that is not bubug, bubug was the one with wheels that had a long tube he used to poke Kip in the head with and shoot arrows at him with)

((ahh, sorry, read wyrwood and my brain translated that to Bubug, lol)) 

(That is exactly what Vanyel would do. lol)

As you travel deeper into the mud, you make slow progression; but progress.  The smell becomes a bit fouler, the ground wet and muddier, even the trees seem to be changing shape as you travel farther.  A distant hiss calls out from an unknown source; until you see something slithering away in the mud.

Penris grips Vanyel’s shoulder tightly.  “Did you see that?” she hisses in his ear.  “What was it?  Was it a snake?  I hate snakes,” she says with a shudder.  

(It was a snake, lol)