Stumptoad lives close to the Crusted Swamp outside of a nearby village. When strangers see him, they are frightened. He has visions of his kind from long ago but he has not seen any of his kind in the present and he is lonely. He spends much of his time raking leeches from the swamp. One day while at the swamp, a visitor stopped and asked him about Prince Tilbert of Hickling. Stumptoad pretends to be the prince and from that moment his life is changed forever.