Cask Alder
Role: Fen Guide & River Pathfinder
Region: The Greymere Fens and surrounding wetlands
Reputation: Finds paths others drown in
Cask Alder is a lean, weather-beaten man with skin darkened by wind and marsh sun.
He smells faintly of peat smoke, river water, and crushed reeds.
His boots are always wet.
First Impressions
Cask speaks little at first.
- His eyes track the ground more than faces
- He listens longer than most people expect
- When he finally speaks, it’s usually important
He moves like someone who knows where the land will give way before it does.
As a Guide
Cask knows the fens by feel as much as sight.
- Can read water depth by plant growth
- Knows which trails exist only at certain tides
- Understands where the ground “floats” and where it swallows
He insists on traveling at specific times of day and will refuse routes he believes are unsafe.
What He Knows
Cask will share knowledge gradually:
- Which lights mean travelers—and which don’t
- Where stone ruins sink a little more each year
- Which paths are safe only in silence
He will not guide anyone carrying obvious hatred for elves, druids, or the dead.