Reed

Dr. Elwynn Reed, or Dr. Reed, was a cartographer from the Zephyr Steppes who traveled to chart Sornieth. His studies were tragically cut short 50 years ago when he was exploring the Mire with a fellow scholar, a nocturne by the name of Dr. Revia Draftley. One evening, he heard the voice of his young daughter crying frantically for help, saying that Miss Revia wasn't moving. Knowing that his child had a history of sneaking along, Reed rushed to the seen to find a seemingly unconscious Draftley surrounded by kelpie. When Reed approached, Draftley suddenly reared up and shoved him into the water, where the kelpie drowned him. Successful with her voice-mimicking ruse, Draftley fled with her life and the research, which she took all the credit for.

It is rumored that the vengeful spirit of Dr. Reed inhabits the swamps to this day. Locals warn not to get too close to the marsh, lest he snare you with the swath of stinking pond weeds that blinds and chokes his tormented being. He will, in his rage, believe you to be Draftley, and drag you into the murky depths to meet the same horrible fate he did. Pleading will not save you, as he will simply believe it is Draftley trying to fool him with her voice again.

Some say that the lost ghoul carries one final map with him, even as his clothes and belongings rotted away in the swamp. This map is theorized to lead to the afterlife, but the algae and weeds blinding the spirit make him unable to read it and leave this plane.