Many towns lie on the edge of deep, dank and fetid marshlands. Terrible things often lurk in these mires, and the town’s folk need protection. Enter, brave adventurers!

Use this list, to add pieces of interesting dressing to the marsh towns in your campaign:

1. Every surface is slick with green and black moss, making each step potentially perilous and ready to tumble the unwary to the ground.

2. Eerie screeches cut through the air, but the townsfolk act as if nothing is wrong.

3. Every door has a garland of dried herbs tied above the threshold, and sigils carved into its wooden frames.

4. The slow, steady and maddening incessant dripping of water follows the party everywhere.

5. A winged shadow whisks by; those who glance up see a creature with leathery wings disappear into the trees.

6. Two red, bulbous eyes watch the party from just above the surface of the nearby murky water.

7. Frogs chirrup in a cheerful chorus that seems out of place for the dismal state of the town.

8. Swarms of tiny insects hover about the party, no matter where they go. Swatting at them only seems to make them buzz louder.

9. Sagging willows form a grey curtain along one edge of the town; drooping branches hiding anything beyond.

10. This boardwalk ends in a jagged plank of wood with strange char marks.

11. A whole home appears to have collapse and lies toppled, half-sunken into the marsh.

12. Turtles squat on rocks and logs all around town. There must be hundreds of them.

13. A massive roar makes the whole town and surrounding trees tremble. Everyone pauses for a moment before, with studied indifference, resuming their activities.

14. A sulphuric stench engulfs the town.

15. A patch of mud burbles and bubbles, releasing a cloud of foul, green gas into the area.

16. Warped boards creak underfoot with every step, and no surface in town feels particularly solid.

17. A stand of thorny vines appear to be writhing slowly all on their own.

18. Shouts come from near the docks, followed by several loud splashes and cheers.

19. A single temple steeple rises above the moss-covered trees. A large bird nest sits atop the steeple.

20. Planks of wood form makeshift boardwalks across stretches of rank, sluggish water, connecting the town’s streets and alleys.

Want More?

The material in this article appears in Urban Dressing: Marsh Town by Josh Vogt which is available in 5e, Pathfinder 1, Pathfinder 2 and OSR editions.

Members of our Patreon campaign got all four editions as a thank you for their awesome support. Join today!