Meet Stygian

"There is no sun in Sodden.
'Ware the murk,
the dank dark earth,
the odd and awful fog -
where men have trod, and sank, and screeched
and each has frantic, thrashed and clawed 
the sucking, treacherous, murderous muck!
but none has ever 'scaped the bog.
There is no sun in Sodden."
      
      - A fragment on an ancient waystone marking the end of the marchlands between the King's country and the region of Meer.

The Cat sat motionless in the open. A light but depressing and steady drizzle was soaking its fur, but it paid no attention. It simply sat there and waited. This unusual display of resilience to wet did not go unnoticed. All areas of the Meer are watchful, even those left to themselves for centuries. And their guardians have very long memories.

Eventually, the Cat discovered that there was a figure resting against a stunted tree just on the edge of the surrounding gloom. He was wearing a burgundy coat two sizes too big for him which was patched in several places and missing buttons. A widebrimmed hat covered most of his face, but it was obviously reptilian. Scaly blue skin and grimy teeth are always a dead give away. He looked rather unpleasant. The Cat regarded him curiously for a long moment. Finally it said,

"Stygian."

The lizard-man grunted. "That's me."

"You haven't changed a bit."

"What're you doing in Bristlemeer?"

"A bit of a favor for a friend, actually. What do you say to a trip to Sodden?"

"Why did you come here? Sodden is in the other direction."

The lizard-man got up and turned to leave, but the Cat had somehow got in his way and he tripped and fell. It brushed against him and purred amiably at his cursing.

"Really? All right, it was a silly question. Sodden's a rotten place anyway. Not that I would know, of course. But there's something else I was going to ask you: what are you going to do about Candle Flame? Icarus has gone to find it, you know."

There was a pause.

"By Icarus, you mean the moth?"

"Exactly. It's a bit of a sticky business if the wrong person finds it. I'm sure you know what I mean."

Stygian scowled. "He's headed for Sodden right now, isn't he?"

The Cat grinned.