He knew where he wanted to go. Already an outcast, Laurentius pressed deeper into the unknown regions of the great swamp, hoping to find some sign, some indication of where the great witches would be. Lordran was the answer, but the path to those forgotten lands was elusive and strange. As long as he kept to the swamps, he was at least in familiar territory, and could rely on himself to survive.
Lost in thought, he came to the edge of a large pond, nearly a lake. Despite being so close to the water, he noted that there were few insects around, and little in the way of bird song. This instinctively set him on edge, and he mentally prepared himself for the worst. Scanning the dark thick water of the pond, he became aware that he wasn't alone, and that figures were coming up from the water's depths towards him.
The heads that bobbed on the water's surface looked deceptively human, with wild green hair and half submerged faces. Safe on the shore of the pond, Laurentius watched them, as they watched him. It was hard to know who was afraid of who at that moment, but fear quickly melted away as it became apparent that neither side was immediately threatening violence. There seemed to be some motion of excitement, except for the one in the middle of the group, who remained still and staring.
The others suddenly swam away, disappearing into the brackish water, leaving only the one. Laurentius stood in place, wary for attack from the sides, but he could detect no such movement. Instead, the one who remained slowly came forward, revealing a little more of her head. She was certainly a female of her species, with a delicate face and long elfin ears. He eyes were more human than amphibian, but with deep red irises that stared at him unflinchingly.
He wasn't afraid, in as much as he knew the creatures of the swamp, and was confident in his pyromantic spells to protect him. Instead, he knelt down, looking at the strange green woman with kind open eyes, wondering if he could draw her closer. More of her head emerged from the water as she did so, exposing her face and elegant long neck. Her expression was hard to read; curious, yes, but also intent and purposeful. Did she expect such an encounter? Had she met humans before?
Now the humanoid amphibian was close to the shore, the soft earth squelching as her body fully left the pond. She clearly bore no weapons, or indeed clothing of any kind. This didn't mean she was harmless, of course, but so far she was showing no signs of aggression.
He was fascinated by the various red tribal markings across her entire body; circles, lines, small arcane symbols. He knew that the skin of small amphibians in the swamp was very sensitive, and various paints and pigments were almost always poisonous to such creatures. More to the point, this was evidence of intelligence and culture. She was no mere monster, but a representative of an entire race he'd never encountered before.
Stepping forward, it looked at him intensely with those unsettling red eyes of hers. It was a strange thing to realize, but he was struck by her beauty; not just in the way an animal could be said to be beautiful, but as a woman is beautiful. Her naked body, slender and sleek, could have passed for a dancer's despite her translucent greenish skin and the gill slits along her sides. Her hair too was green, like unkempt swamp weed, but fairly short, and framed her face in a way that was actually quite pretty.
