The Frogfolk of the Eastern Swamps

On the easternmost edges of the lands above there is a vast swamp that spans for miles in all directions. The canopies of willow, maple and birch dot the landscape and cast a haze of dancing shadows and beams of light across the water and foliage below. Occasionally a dense mist envelops the landscape and imparts a beautiful, eerie atmosphere. The air is always warm and humid and although the land did experience seasons, it felt as though they simply skipped over this place to leave it in peace. The Frogfolk have been here for thousands of spawns.   There are many different species of Frogfolk that live amongst the trees and calm pools. They live very simple lives with very little worries. Food is always plentiful, there is never a lack of water to keep the skin slick and cool, there are no outside threats that care to wander this deeply into the swamplands.   Their large pitch black eyes and bright colouring were once a warning sign to ward off predators in times long past but now they are simply vibrant and distinctive characteristics. Often brighter colours or more bulbous eyes are seen as attractive features to those that want to indulge in traditional spawnship. Every few years in the spring, the Frogfolk pair off with the partner whose hue or bulbs appeal the most. These pairs migrate to the nearby spawning pools to give life to the next generation. A week or two afterward and baby polliwogs emerge and begin their lives. It takes a few more short weeks for them to start to display vibrant colours of their own.   A Frogfolks life is to be happy, be loved and to love others, raise a family of tadpoles and return back to the pool when their time has come. This is simply the way of things.  






Or at least it was.   The morning of the devastation was just as idyllic as any other. A fresh spawn had hatched only a week prior and all of the Frogfolk were looking to take care of the younglings for the upcoming year.   The first signs that something was awry was the noise of the trees rustling. A cold wind whipped through the lands and chilled the air, carrying an ominous mist with it. The inhabitants of the swamp had not experienced this in their lifetimes and a sense of dread filled their hearts.   “Rush under the pools younglings. Keep warm now. This will pass. I’ll speak with the elders and see what’s going on.” A brightly coloured blue she-frog ushers her pollies deeper into the water and they acquiesce.   Moving through the low level brush along a smooth cobbled path, she moves hastily in the direction of the village where elders' stilted mud huts house their colony's knowledge. A number of other parents and young Frogfolk seemed to have the same idea and were moving in sizable numbers in the same direction of the village. The trickle of Frogfolk grew as more and more started to follow suit. A harrowing noise came from the sky above and the temperature dropped suddenly. The crowd were now hopping faster towards the village. Some even diving back into water to hide. Others, however, were stopping completely in their tracks.   “How will that help?” She chirped quietly to herself.   And then she saw, at first from a distance but then all around her. Those that had stopped still were fixated on something. Something that she had not yet seen. Their eyes had clouded over. Their skin turned dry and shrivelled. Their mouths were biting shut so forcefully that crimson blood had started to leak out between their lips.   Many began collapsing in silent agony and into the spawning pools that surrounded them. Those that remained upright suddenly snapped back into control of themselves with a singular, newfound goal.   Spill the blood and appease them. Everything must bleed. Spill the blood.   The fixated, statuesque Frogfolk suddenly animated once more and crouched down into their primal form to begin their hunting frenzy.   The pollies could only look on as bodies of their elders rained down around them. The blood of their loved ones slowly infused the pool with a crimson veil. They were helpless here and worst of all, they were in the midst of maturation and would need to emerge to face the horrors taking place above. They were trapped with no way out.          

This article was created for my first World Ember - I hope you enjoy my writings and I'm looking forward to hearing your feedback!