4 AM Jitters: The Thing Beneath the Fog

 

4 AM Jitters: The Thing Beneath the Fog

If you’re reading this, you’re either a night owl or the swamp has woken you up with its cold, wet fingers. At 4:00 AM, the jitters hit harder than the caffeine. Outside, the Red River has been swallowed whole by a mist so thick you could carve your name in it.

But it’s the silence that’s wrong. Usually, the swamp has a rhythm—the rustle of nutria, the distant call of an owl. Not tonight. Tonight, the Cypress Swamp is holding its breath, waiting for something to pass by.

I was looking out toward the riverbank when I saw it—or thought I did. A slow, deliberate wake cutting across the current, headed straight for the cypress knees near the porch. It didn't move like a fish or a gator. Then came the sound underneath the floorboards: a distinct skitter-scratch against the wood. It wasn't the slow bump of a stray log; it was the sound of sharp, wet claws looking for a grip.

I remembered the old Cajun tales of the Letiche. These are the restless spirits of the abandoned—unbaptized souls raised by alligators in the deepest parts of the bayou. They aren't just myths; they are feral, human-like things with hide for skin and claws meant for tearing. They don't just swim; they hunt.

The fog is pressing against the glass now. I can see the absence of light where they stand among the cypress knees. They are the shadows that don't move when the wind blows. They’ve found the Shreveport Cabin, and they’ve smelled the coffee. Or maybe they’ve smelled the soul inside.

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Monster Files: The Letiche (Swamp Ghoul)

For those of you looking to bring this dread to your own table, I’ve hammered out the stats for our two primary systems.

Monsters! Monsters! 2.7 Stats

• Monster Rating (MR): 45 (Roll 5D6 + 23)

• Deadliness Rating: 2

• Combat Adds: +23

• Special Abilities:

  • Amphibious: Moves at full speed in water and muck.

  • Feral Grapple: If they win a combat round, the target must make a Level 2 SR on Strength or be dragged toward the water.

  • The Chills: A screech that forces a Level 1 SR on Luck; failure results in paralysis for one round.

Open D6 Stats

• Type: Aquatic Cryptid

• Attributes: AGI 4D (Stealth 6D), MECH 1D, KNOW 1D, PER 4D (Tracking 5D+1), STR 3D (Swimming 5D), TECH 1D

• Special Abilities:

• Claws/Teeth: STR+1D damage.

• Swamp Camouflage: +2D to Stealth in water or marsh.

• Fear: Moderate (15) Willpower roll or become Shaken.

nster Files: The Letiche (MoZ Swamp Ghoul Variant)

Out here in the Red River fog, we aren't just dealing with swamp legends—we are dealing with a cursed transformation. According to the Monsterary of Zimrala, being a ghoul is a disease of the body and mind. These creatures regenerate from every wound, but each time they do, they return in a more extreme, monstrous shape. Their jaws elongate, their skin turns a scabby swamp-green, and they develop an extraordinary hunger for things we’d call rotten.

Monsters! Monsters! 2.7 Stats

• Monster Rating (MR): 45 (Base attributes modified by Ghoul infection).

• Deadliness Rating: 2

• Attribute Modifiers: $STR \times 2$, $CON \times 1.5$, $DEX \times 0.67$, $SPD \times 1$, $INT \times 0.5$, $WIZ \times 0.5$, $CHR \times 0.5$, $LK \times 0.5$.

• Special Abilities:

  • Regeneration: Heals 1 point per combat round. If "killed" without fire or total destruction, it returns later in a more monstrous form with a higher MR.

  • Infection: Any successful hit with claws or bite requires a Level 2 SR on CON to avoid contracting the Ghoul bacterium.

  • Low-Light Vision: Perception and combat adds are doubled in the fog; halved in bright light.

  • The Heals ‘Em Clause: A Heals ‘Em spell can cure the disease if cast in the early stages of infection.

Open D6 Stats

• Type: Aquatic Ghoul

• Attributes: AGI 2D+2 (Claws/Bite 4D), MECH 1D, KNOW 1D, PER 4D (Search: Tracking 6D), STR 5D (Lifting 6D), TECH 1D

• Special Abilities:

  • Regeneration: Recovers 1 Health point per round.

  • Hardened Talons: Does STR+2D damage.

  • Fear: Moderate (15) Willpower roll or become Shaken by their elongated jaws and sallow, scabby skin.

  • Weakness (Fire): Fire damage cannot be regenerated and causes the creature to flee.

The Watchman’s Log

• Current Temp: 41°F (The kind of cold that sinks into your soul)

• Visibility: Zero. The cypress trees have vanished into the white.

• Warning: If you’re out on the water and hear scratching at the bottom of your boat... don't look over the side. Stay alert, fellow Monsters. Some things in the Bayou don't sleep, and they are getting closer.

— Captain Earl C. Hedges Jr.

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Product Identity & Legal The following items are designated Product Identity of Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. / The Adventures of Captain Hedges: The Tygerian Isles, the specific "Hedge Wizard of the Shreveport Cabin" persona, and the "Swamp Dread" mechanics of "The Twelve Mile Terror." Monsters! Monsters! and The Monastery of Zimrala (MoZ) are trademarks/property of Ken St. Andre and Trollgodfather Press and are used with permission. Mechanics referenced from the D6 System are used under the OGL. © 2026 Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. All rights reserved.

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