This area starts out as the Sunlit Wetlands and looks colorful and friendly, but eventually it transitions into the Putrid Bog and turns dark and dangerous. It contains a dungeon under the Teahouse, which culminates with a boss fight, and it includes a major optional quest called Save Mayrina.
Note: The original version of this guide was written by Luxrah, and much of its information was sourced by her initially.
Map
Points of Interest 1 – Auntie Ethel, Johl and Demir 2 – Dispelling the Illusion 3 – Stuffed Bear 4 – Ravaged Camp 5 – Druid Sanctuary 6 – Reinforced Greatsword and Helmet 7 – Hidden Pouch 8 – Addled Frog 9 – Well 10 – Gandrel
Treasure ? – Dirt Mounds $ – Treasure Containers
Exits A – Blighted Village and Forest B – Teahouse Entrance
Waypoints W – Riverside Teahouse
Area Note
The Sunlit Wetlands are more dangerous than they look. Eventually you’ll see through the illusion, and they’ll turn into the Putrid Bog (see #2). So be careful during your explorations. Many Spike Traps litter the waterways, and they require a DC-15 Perception check to detect, and a DC-10 Sleight of Hand check to disarm. There are also Barbed Bulrushes. They contain Juicy Apples (really Poisoned Apples), which you don’t want, and they trigger a DC-10 Sleight of Hand check to see if you get pricked.
If you fail to avoid Spike Traps and Barbed Bulrushes, then you’ll take an Open Wound (no debuff other than existing). If your Open Wound goes untreated for 10 turns, and if you fail a DC-15 Constitution check, then it will turn into Rotting (disadvantage on ability checks and saving throws using Charisma). If Rotting goes untreated for 25 turns, and if you fail a DC-15 Constitution check, then it will turn into Flesh Rot (Rotting’s debuff plus vulnerability to damage). If Flesh Rot goes untreated for 25 turns, and if you fail a DC-15 Constitution check, then it will re-apply itself until you eventually save.
Luckily, an Open Wound can be cured through any sort of healing (including Potions of Healing), and Rotting and Flesh Rot are diseases that can be removed in a variety of ways, including Lesser Restoration (which is available to Shadowheart), Lay on Hands, and Potions of Vitality. Or if you’re patient, you can just wander away from the game for a half hour, and see if anybody is still afflicted when you come back.
At this spot you’ll stumble into an argument between Auntie Ethel (whom you might have met in the Emerald Grove) and the brothers Johl and Demir. The brothers will demand that Ethel release their sister Mayrina, and Ethel will deny knowing what they’re talking about. If you beat a passive DC-19 Insight check, then you’ll realize Ethel is lying.
Regardless of the Insight check, you’ll have three ways to respond:
If you support Auntie Ethel in any way, then the brothers will attack you. They’re both level 1, so the fight should be short. Afterwards, Ethel will admit that Mayrina is staying with her, but she’ll claim that Mayrina asked her not to reveal her whereabouts to her brothers, which is why she lied to them. Ethel will then invite you to her house (Exit B), and she’ll disappear.
If you try to stay out of the matter, then Ethel will kill the brothers, and she’ll get mad at you for not supporting her. Then she’ll disappear.
If you question Auntie Ethel in any way, then she’ll get mad at you and disappear. This will leave you with the brothers, who will explain the situation more fully — how Mayrina went to Ethel for help in bringing her dead husband Connor back to life — but if you offer to help them, they’ll decline. This will trigger the quest Save Mayrina.
The brothers will then rush off into the wetlands, where they’ll get killed. You should find their bodies by the Riverside Teahouse Waypoint (W), but sometimes Johl’s corpse won’t appear, and you’ll only see a big pool of blood where it’s supposed to be. You won’t miss anything from not seeing one — or both — of the corpses. Talking to the brothers using Speak with Dead won’t reveal anything new, nor will reading the Tattered Letter that Johl is carrying.
So no matter what you do, the brothers will die, and Auntie Ethel will teleport to her house (Exit B). If you don’t trigger the quest Save Mayrina at this location, then you’ll trigger it later inside the Teahouse.
When you venture far enough into the wetlands, you’ll suddenly feel like you’re being watched. This will give you a reason to assess your surroundings. All characters will get a DC-20 Investigation check, but some classes will get an easier check, like Sorcerers, Warlocks and Wizards with a DC-15 Arcana check.
If you beat your check, then you’ll realize that the Sunlit Wetlands are just an illusion, and you’re really in the Putrid Bog. This will change the look of the area — and also of a few things. For example, Juicy Apples will turn into Poison Apples, and Sheep will turn into Redcaps and Redcap Sages.
If you fail to dispel the illusion here, then you’ll get more opportunities elsewhere:
If you interact with a Sheep, then passing a DC-15 Animal Handling check will dispel the illusion.
If you attack a Sheep, then it will turn into a Redcap or a Redcap Sage and run away. If you track it down and attack it again, then you’ll start a fight with all of the Redcaps, but you’ll also dispel the illusion.
When Auntie Ethel changes into her true form inside the Teahouse (Exit B), the illusion — if it’s still active — will disappear.
If you’re able to dispel the illusion (rather than Auntie Ethel revealing it), and if you have an Outlander (like Karlach) in your party, then you’ll gain the “Eyes of the Wild” inspiration.
Of course, there isn’t any advantage to removing the illusion. It is purely cosmetic, and you might enjoy exploring the Sunlit Wetlands more than the Putrid Bog.
3 – Stuffed Bear
Abandoned in the water here, you’ll find a Stuffed Bear. It’s interesting because it can be used as a container, and, if you ignore the Muddy Note inside, it’s more fun than sacks and crates and the like.
If your selected character beats a passive DC-10 Nature check, then you’ll realize that the camp here was destroyed by Redcaps. You won’t find much of interest when you loot the camp, unless you’re in need of Camping Supplies.
5 – Druid Sanctuary
Enemies
x4 Ancient Mud Mephits – Lv. 3
x2 Wood Woads – Lv. 4
Young Mud Mephits – Lv. 1
Notable Loot
Letter to Kagha
The Sparkle Hands
Wood Woad Shield
You’ll find this island guarded by four Ancient Mud Mephits and two Wood Woads. The Ancient Mud Mephits will explode when they die, dealing damage to anyone nearby, and they’ll summon Young Mud Mephits, which will also explode. Wood Woads can regenerate 10 hit points each turn. So kill the Ancient Mud Mephits as quickly as possible — ideally before they summon anything, and before they get to your party — and then gang up on the Wood Woads one at a time. Young Mud Mephits will disappear (and explode) when their summoning mephit dies, so you don’t need to attack them at all.
When you search the sanctuary, you’ll find a few things of interest: The Sparkle Hands in a wooden chest, a Wood Woad Shield on one of the Wood Woads, and a Letter to Kagha in a wooden crevice in the large tree stump. The letter is a part of the quest Investigate Kagha. If you’re working on that quest, then someone in your party will point out the crevice to you, making sure that you don’t miss it.
You’ll find a Reinforced Greatsword and a Reinforced Helmet in the water here. If someone in your party beats a passive DC-10 Investigation check, then they’ll point out the items, making them glow. The two items aren’t illusory, but despite the name, they’re also not anything special.
If someone in your party beats a passive DC-20 Perception check, then you’ll detect a Pouch on the ground here. Inside, you’ll find a trio of spell scrolls. The Addled Frog (#8) will reveal this Pouch to you if you help it out.
You’ll find a pink frog here. It’s not an illusion — it’s really pink. How the frog responds to you depends on how things are going in the bog:
If Auntie Ethel is still alive, then the frog will be in pain, and most dialogue options will lead to a fight. If you decide to attack the frog, then you’ll find it surprisingly difficult to kill. Between Venomous Discharge (which deals area-effect poison damage), Reflective Mucus (which reflects the first projectile it encounters, and improves AC), and the Mirror Image spell, the frog deals nasty damage and has a 31 AC. But luckily, it only has 12 hit points, so you’ll only have to hit it once or twice to kill it. However, the frog is only worth 1xp, and it doesn’t drop anything, so fighting it isn’t worthwhile.
If Auntie Ethel is dead, then the frog will be in a much better mood. If you have Speak with Animals active, then it will lead you to a nearby hidden Pouch (#7) and detect it for you. Inside, you’ll find three random spell scrolls. You can also detect the Pouch on your own with a DC-20 Perception check.
9 – Well
If you’re in the Sunlit Wetlands, then the well will contain “fresh, sweet-smelling water,” but if you’re in the Putrid Bog, then it’ll have a “fetid smell” and be full of “rotted flesh.” Regardless, if you drink from the well, then you’ll become Refreshed (+10 maximum hit points) until your next Long Rest. But after awakening from that Long Rest, you’ll be Nauseated (vulnerable to acid and psychic damage) until you take another Long Rest. If you drink from the well while Nauseated, then you’ll become Sickened (vulnerable to all damage) until yet another Long Rest. Thankfully, if you drink from the well while Sickened, you’ll just stay Sickened.
Gandrel is a monster hunter. He’ll tell you that he’s in the area hoping Auntie Ethel will help him to catch his current prey. If you pass a DC-20 Intimidation check or a DC-15 Persuasion check, then Gandrel will reveal that his prey is Astarion. See Astarion’s companion quest The Pale Elf for details.
Gandrel is also a shopkeeper, but he won’t have much for sale. However, if you kill him then you’ll find the heavy crossbow Gandrel’s Aspiration on his corpse.
As with all dirt mounds in the game, you’ll need to beat a passive Survival check to detect these mounds, plus have a Shovel in your inventory to dig them up.
$ – Treasure Containers
You’ll find a few miscellaneous treasure containers in the area. They’re a good source of Trap Disarm Toolkits.
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