Round 1 — Match 5 / 18 — Addled Frog vs. Elder Rothé
"Green. Leaves. Shallow. Water. Argh."
The Addled Frog is a frog found in the Sunlit Wetlands during Act One.
Using Speak with Animals reveals that the frog seems to be in a state of painful madness, somehow caused by the corruptive magic of Auntie Ethel . If the hag is dead or forced out of the area, the frog regains her sanity and leads the party to a hidden stash of items as a reward. If pestered for too long, the frog becomes hostile.
"If you talk to her you after defeating Ethel she gives you a present! Idk I just think she's really cute :3"
"Addled Frog is exactly why Speak With Animals is one of the best spells in the game. without it, she’s just a weird frog in the swamp. with it, she becomes an early warning sign that something is deeply wrong in the wetlands, way before the area fully drops the act. she makes the whole place feel creepier."
vs.
"Rest, little one. But do not take long - I feel his shadow."
The Elder Rothé is a rothé livestock which can be encountered at the Grymforge during Act One. It can be spoken to using Speak with Animals.
The Elder Rothé is a particularly long-lived rothé. It claims to have outlived its "mother, and her mother's mother, and many mothers beyond". Speaking to either Elder Rothé or Deep Rothé Calf starts a joint conversation with them both. The rothé communicate using the spell Dancing Lights, which (if not using Speak with Animals) the party can observe to discern the emotions of the Elder Rothé: pain, sadness, and a fear stretching back generations. With Speak with Animals, the party can join in on the conversation. The Rothé speaks of Ketheric Thorm and his Dark Justiciar army, who have left their mark on the area: the rock shivers from the sound. The Ketheric Thorm. The Elder Rothé has lived long enough that it worked during the time of Ketheric's war. It recounts the bloody battle and Thorm's army, and Yurgir, the hellbeast that broke them.
"I find him very soothing to talk to, even though what he's saying isn't. His perspective as a thoughtful, ancient, domesticated herd beast is a rare one in the game. I even try to avoid grabbing rothé meat for camp supplies in his honor."
"He's just randomly immortal and doesn't know why. He's so old and wise and sad ;_;"
Vote!
Addled Frog
Elder Rothé
