The Swamp - One-Time Box Purchase

In May 2025, subscribers explored the Swamp.

Travel beyond Birdmoss’s Forest, and you will find a place where the ground grows muddy and uncertain. The path is narrower here, and it is flanked by a sign:

The gentle-hearted may walk upon this water,
for the brutes will be devoured

The Swamp is a sanctuary, a magicked place of darkness and mysteries.  Here there are flowers, scampering creatures, and occasional sunbeams; but also shadows, mushrooms, spiderwebs, and stretches of black water. Someone has built a leaning house of bark between the mossy trees.

The Swamp Box includes an abundance of beautiful objects; hints and additions to expand the story; a mysterious document; and a lore card.  

Some items are available for individual purchase.

• Mysterious Document
• An instructional document is augmented with marginalia which will help you interpret clues.  It is available only in the Swamp Box.

• Lore Card
• The Swamp are introduced in a full-color collectible 4x6 inch lore card.  The artwork for this month's lore card was created by Joanna Rzepecka, a Warsaw, Poland-based illustrator. She says, "My work is inspired by biodiversity, mainly animals. Through my work, I'm trying to capture moments where nature is untouched by humans. Peaceful scenery, colors, and rough textures are some things that I enjoy the most."

• Pussy Willow Twig
• Pussy willows thrive in the Swamp. In Birdmoss, perhaps because of its association with water, pussy willow is used to summon rain but also to protect against lightning strikes. Quicken a twig by dipping it in water to gently shake forth blessings as the silvery drops scatter.

• Miniature Water Garden
• The Swamp is rich with life.  Some plants are of gargantuan proportions, while others are tiny and whimsical. Plant your own miniature water garden with ferns so minuscule that they resemble moss. You receive a sparkling glass bowl, with a gently rippled rim that evokes the surface of the swamp. Wash your bowl and fill it with filtered or spring water, then spread your ferns on the surface.  Place your garden in indirect sunlight and change the water on a weekly basis.

• Dried Mushrooms in an Apothecary Jar
• You knock on the door to the hut and Stormswift invites you inside.  As your eyes adjust to the dim interior, you see that the walls are lined with provisions and supplies: bunches of herbs, bottles of jewel-toned preserves, jars of wild rice and dried mushrooms. Stormswift offers you a jar of dried shiitake mushrooms. Add them to your pantry or your altar.

• Stormswift’s Jottings
• The hut’s supplies extend beyond foodstuffs: Stormswift has also amassed all kinds of resources: patterns for aprons and sunhats; diagrams of garden layouts; books on animal husbandry; stockpiles of beeswax, sewing needles, and soap. You also find her own copious notes, including a compilation of recipes.

• Glass Instrument
  • A workbench in the corner holds a miniature distillery, some kind of steam-powered clock, and all kinds of blown-glass vessels. Your host has been studying the workings of vapor pressure: clouds, rain, and electrical storms. She shows you a delicate instrument and instructs you to cup its liquid-filled chamber in your hands for a few moments..

• Arthropod Sphere
  • The Swamp is a safe harbor for creeping creatures like insects and spiders. Sometimes Stormswift lies on the ground to watch their movements.  Their lives are short. She finds them beautiful, even in death, and preserves their forms for closer study. She offers you an orb for your own curiosity cabinet. 

Photo props are not included.