Origins & History

The bullywugs have dwelled in the Hool Marsh, west of the Dunwater, for as long as anyone can remember, forming small, quarrelsome broods scattered among the wetlands.

Over two decades ago, King Gulpa’Gor (Bullwug Royal) rose to power, uniting several southern broods under his rule. Brutal, cunning, and deeply superstitious, he proclaimed himself King of the Hool Marshes and Prophet of Ramenos, claiming the slumbering frog-god had chosen him to rule all swamp-folk.

Not all bowed to his crown. A northern sect along the upper Dunwater rejected Ramenos, naming themselves the Chosen of Wastri, the Toad God. They withdrew into the Drowned Forest, where no other bullywugs dare tread, practicing strange amphibian magics and preaching Wastri’s creed of ascension and purity.

King Gulpa’Gor fears the open sea and forbids his followers from crossing the Dunwater Delta or walking the coast. He calls the deep water “the realm of demons and dryskins,” and resents humans for sailing freely upon sea. His jealousy festers into hatred: he considers all dryskins, humans included, unclean and demands their blood at his sacred rites.

The bullywugs of the Hool Marsh thus tolerate smugglers and bandits only when trade is necessary, dealing in fish, hides, and swamp-spice beneath the wary eyes of Gulpa’Gor’s sentries.

The Blood Moon, the first full moon before the autumn equinox, marks the start of the fertile season. Broods lay their eggs in the warm shallows, believing Ramenos blesses each clutch through the coming dark.

At its height, the blood ritual begins. Captured dryskins; humans, halflings, elves, and any who trespass the marsh, are hung in bone cages above the spawning pools. Their blood is drained to “feed the young and strengthen the brood.” Gulpa’Gor claims the eggs will only hatch strong when washed in the lifeblood of the land-born.

Even the bandits of the Dunwater fear this season. Most avoid the marsh entirely; the most ruthless instead capture travelers and trade them to the bullywugs to spare themselves from the hunt. When the Blood Moon wanes, the cages are emptied and the marsh returns to uneasy quiet.