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The party has been investigating the cause of a series of brutal killings in the Umar Hills, and they have so far only met with limited success. They originally began investigating the legend of the Umar Witch, a necromancer who lived over five centuries ago. This lead proved fruitless, and a chance encounter with a wrongly accused ogre helps cast doubt on a second lead in their investigations.
The party is down to one last possibility - the pack of wolves known to hunt in the woods northwest of the village. The village's missing ranger protector, Marella, had intimate knowledge of the surrounding forests, and may have known where the wolves' den lies. The party decides a search of her cabin may reveal more clues as to her whereabouts and where to find the wolves.
When they get to the cabin, they can tell something is amiss. Though the outside of the cabin looks calm and unblemished, the front door is hanging wide open. Once inside, the party begins searching the place for clues. In the bedroom, they find spots of dried blood on the blankets, and a small diary tucked under the bed frame. The last few entries send a chill down each party member's spine as they read it in turn:
12th day of AutumnTucked in the pages of the diary, the group finds the map. With night quickly approaching, the group heads back to town to rest up before embarking on the journey to the wolves' den. They plan to head out first thing in the morning, so they can get there and back before night falls once more.
Dark creatures roam the forests. Several townspeople have been slain by some unknown predator. Everyone seems to have their own opinion of what is doing the killing. The strangest thing is that the bodies are disappearing in the morning. This leaves me baffled, for most signs point to a pack of wolves that have been in the area for a long time. Wolves don't steal bodies.13th day of Autumn
Or perhaps I should say wolf-like creatures. At night while I've been patrolling I've often caught shadowy glimpses of these "wolves" running alongside me. I've tried to attract their attention, but they ignore me. I find this most strange, as if the pack is being controlled by someone else. Years ago I spoke with the pack leaders, and they were quite cordial. Now they either flee from me, or perhaps even stalk me.21st day of Autumn
It is near noon and still the wood outside my cabin seems full of shadows. I've been hard pressed to hear birds and most of the larger animals have long since fled. I plan to find the wolf's den this afternoon, and have drawn a map to it. All signs point to them as being the culprits, but what wolves act like these? They are wolves with the cunning of men.And there is something else, a whispering in my mind. It is faint now, in the waking hours, but while I sleep I dream only of this voice and the face behind it. Whether it is connected to the wolves, I do not know. I suspect by the time that the sun sets tonight, I'll have answers to my questions...
Even with the map, the party's unfamiliarity with the area slows their progress, and it is almost noon before they near the location on the map. When they approach within a mile of the site, they all immediately notice something unusual about the woods ahead of them. Though the sun is high overhead, no sunlight seems to penetrate the darkness of these woods.
Once inside the darkened woods, the sun appears no brighter than a dim orb, and the woods around them are silent except for occasional noises which echo unnaturally through the trees. To his own dismay, Roc finds that his personal light source can only penetrate a few feet into the darkness beyond...
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