They head back to their keep, hoping to see how far the dwarves have come with their repairs. They arrive a half-day later, and notice an elder human male conversing pleasantly with several dwarves. Roc, having had quite enough of surprises these past few days, places his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to strike at the slightest hint of hostility by the stranger.

The stranger ignores Roc for the moment, and politely greets the rest of the group. He introduces himself as Valrin, and explains that he has traveled here from the village of Umar, in the nation of Amn. The town usually sees a number of merchants pass through the area, and many of those traveling from the heartlands have shared stories of the recent liberation of Dagger Falls. Among these stories were tales of the local adventuring band who rescued and aided the rebel leader Randal Morn in the attack against the Zhent forces.

Valrin then explains that upon hearing these stories, he hoped the party would be just the sort of heroes he needed to investigate a series of gruesome killings in the lands surrounding his village. Normally, he would have sought out a local band of adventurers, but they all seem to be busy with other campaigns along the southern borders of Amn.

He admits (apologetically) that the party was, in fact, his third choice. The ranger Marella, who was the protector of the town and surrounding lands, was the first to investigate the killings. When she disappeared suddenly, Valrin hired a local adventuring party, who also disappeared soon after beginning their investigation. Word got out quickly about the killings and the missing adventurers, and Valrin could find no one else willing to help. So, he was forced to look outside of Amn for help.

The village doesn't have much to offer as a reward, but Valrin does say that with the lack of other local adventurers, he could easily help the party find an abundance of other work afterward. The party hesitantly agrees to help, but first wishes to get a full night's rest before heading out. Valrin concurs, and tells them that when they are ready, he will cast a Teleport spell that will take them back to his home within the village. After the party has a chance to rest, they meet with the wizard the next morning, and prepare to leave.

The party is teleported to a quiet farming village in the Umar Hills. There, they meet with the mayor, who offers them a small amount of gold and some equipment left over from his own adventuring days. The task is simple: discover the identity of the killer(s), and find the town's missing ranger if at all possible. Once they have agreed on a price, he tells them all he knows of the killings.

The killings started in the outlying farms. First, it was a few sheep, followed by the shepherds themselves. Then, several crop farmers began to disappear without a trace. As the killings moved closer to the village, more of the victim's bodies were found. The bodies were horribly mutilated, almost beyond recognition, and always found at night. But strangest of all was the fact that no matter what preparations were taken, the bodies would disappear by daybreak.

The killings have become so frequent (almost nightly) that many of the remaining farmers and herders in the area have fled with their families to the central village in hopes of finding refuge. Many of the local merchant caravans have stopped coming to the area, fearing that they may also become victims.

The villagers have several theories and rumors about who or what the killers are. Some of the refugee farmers believe it is a large pack of wolves that have lived in the area for the past few years. They have been hunting in the area more frequently since the killings began, and many of the villagers have formed hunting parties to track them down. The mayor is quick to dispel the rumors about the wolves, citing the fact that wolves aren't known to carry off entire bodies without a trace. Besides, Marella has known those wolves for years, and would discourage any such behavior.

The second rumor is that the killers might be a group of ogres that have been camping in the woods a few miles to the northeast of the village. Ogres are known killers of humans, and often feast on human flesh. Plus, they are more than capable of carrying off entire bodies. The mayor is only mildly skeptical of this theory, but admits it is a more likely possibility than the wolves. His only concern, however, is that the killings did not start when the ogres first showed up in the area. In fact, the ogres have been in the area for almost a month prior to the killings, and have had only peaceful encounters with a few of the locals thus far.

The third theory is that the fabled "Umar Witch" has come back from the dead to claim more victims. According to legend, the Umar Witch was a necromancer who lived about 500 years ago and would capture victims for use in her experiments. The bodies of her victims were almost always found butchered and mutilated, much like the current round of victims. While the local innkeeper seems especially fond of this theory, the mayor brushes it aside as nothing more than campfire tales meant to frighten small children.

Despite the odds against it, the party decides to investigate the Umar Witch theory first. The innkeeper proves to have a wealth of local knowledge, including the location of the cave where the witch was believed to perform her experiments. The cave lies only a mile north of the village, and a few local teenagers go there sometimes to play "adventurer". The innkeeper (somewhat sheepishly) admits it was his stories that probably egged them into going there.

The party gets within a few hundred yards of the cave, when they hear something big crashing through the forest growth. Once they prepare themselves, they come face-to-face with a stampeding umber hulk. It nearly rips Roc apart as he engages the creature, while the rest of the party uses their missiles against it. When the beast falls, Roc proceeds to skin the beast, hoping to use it's shell in a new suit of armor or a for new shield.

The party next approaches the cave with caution, unsure if there are any more of the beasts roaming around. They hear a low grumbling coming from the cave, and decide it would be best to use stealth to enter the cave and look around. Once inside, they discover a gruesome sight. On the cave floor are the bodies of three teenage boys, and nearby is a large ogre sitting up against a rock, nursing a nasty gouge in his side...