The town of Sweetwater -- called "Backwater" by citizens of Ibia City -- is known for its mushrooms, its mineralized creek, and its inbreeding. Situated far away from major roads and within the Mushroom Forest, little happens in Sweetwater, and the people there like it that way. Lately, however, with strange creatures prowling out from the Mushroom Forest and Blorgash the Brigand extorting a huge "tax" on any merchants visiting the town, life in Sweetwater is no longer so sweet.
The Mad Dogs are a fierce gang of bandits dedicated to hard drinking and bright colors. They keep half-feral growlfs as mascots, which is fortunate because the growlfs devour the garbage strewn around camp.
Mushroom Forest was a place for picnicking, day-tripping, and playing the occasional game of hide-and-seek. Now predatory creatures lurk throughout it and only a fool would come here to play. The howls of growlfs, the hissing of slynx, and the low, angry roars of the beram fill the dark shadows below the mushroom caps. Most terrifying of all, however, is the gruffin's squawk, a sound halfway between a goose's honk and a hanged man's gurgle.
The dank depths of the Mushroom Forest are a terrifying place that stinks with the sweet stench of decay. (Also, they give rise to purple prose.) These fetid warrens are home to the strange, mutated versions of the creatures that dwell in the outer forest.
