Introduction :
In the dead of night it wakes once agian. Like all the other nights proceding this one it is hungry. It must feed to appease it's ravenouse urges. It slinks out of it's hiole, hidden by a moss covered tree trunk. It stands there for a few minutes, stretching, flexing in mock swings with it's long muk crusted claws. It turns now. To face the direction of the town on whitch it has now chosento relese it's chaos. It moves quikly, switfly, silently through the forbidding woods. Like a silent shadow of death.
It can see the town now. All is silent and unmoving. It chose the small red house as it's target this night. It moves to the door and tries the knob but it's long, bony sharp hands are of no use so it instead heads for one of the windows near the door. The creaturecoils it's legs beneath it and tenses it's muscles. Then it uncoils with amazing speed and smashes through the window. Even though it has been cut in many places it seems not to mind. It senses movement in one of the rooms in the small single-story house. The crash through the window must have disturbed the residents slumber. The door leading to the room opens. The beast without thinking charges the man in the door frame. It reaches for his throat and slashes it cleanly. The man was dead before he hit the ground. As he did it started to feed while he was still warm and juicy.
This slightly obese man was a great feast and such an easy kill. He had put up no resistance, no running, screaming or yelling.He just stood there waiting for death to claim his soul. It was proud of its self. It new that the next day panick would break throughout the town when the remaining skeleton would be found. Once again he had fulfilled his masters witches and advanced the causes of death and chaos. Now its feeding over it switches it's yellow gaze back to it's hole and heads back to rest. Then it had in idea, somethng very rare when it comes to undead creatures, it should visit it's master and tell him of what it has done. Surely he will be very pleased, so it went off into the forest to find it's lord. It must hurry for the sun is rising and it must be hidden before it's rays reach it�
Chapter 1 :
"Please hurry Feynhorn." The impatient half-elf urged.
"But if I hurry I shall not be able to enjoy all the gifts of nature" replied the slender elf.
"You will be able to enjoy all of natures gifts ass soon as we get to the town. We are all very tired, are supplies are running low and we all need bathes so `please` hurry." Feynhorn noticed the seriouse tone in the warrior-mages voice and one look at hid other companion, Lexander the priest, told him he was on his own for this argument. Fine, he told himself, I shall put away the gifts of nature aside for now. Awww, but so few understand the ways of the rangers.
So the band walked on for the rest of the day, along the small, rough road. During thier treck they mat no other travelers. They found this strange. This road seemed well traveled, and yet it was deserted, but there was nothing for them to do but to keep on going. By sun down they reached a small town. The streets were strangely empty, early bed time they thougt. The three travelers went to the towns only inn, the Sun Ray Inn. They entered and night attendant was dosing off in a corning, but the cold air from the outside awoke him.
"We are looking for three rooms, to rent for a week. Whould your inn happen to have three empty rooms" Zoltan, the warrior-mage, asked the small, bald man.
"Why, yes we do, these rooms go for 4 silver eagles a night though, whould you be able to handle the payments?" the diminutive man asked them, not knowing if these travelers where adventurers or hacks.
"Here takes this" Feynhorn hands the man a pouch, half filled with cold coins. The man just took one glance into the purse and led them to thier rooms. For a small town this inn had suppured rooms. The walls where covered in tapistries of fine workmanship, chairs and tables where of exeptional quality and the space was spotless. So the odd three settled in for the night, not nowing that the morning would open to them a new chapter in their lives and most certainly lead them to adventure.
Early the next morning Feynhorn gets up before his two compagnions, he did not want to miss any second of any day for fear some gift of nature would pass him by. He was up and walking the streets as the first early markets were opening thier stalls. He was making aquantances and be plaisent with the locals when a screem was heard coming froma small red house on the corner of the street. He ran to the house, as did most of the other villagers. A woman came out of the door, she was hysterical. Most of the folk present knew her and where trying to calm her down and understand what she was babling.
"Fernan is dead" the mad wamon yelled and then fainted in the arms of the locals around her. Feynhorn ran into the door of the house and was met with the grusome sight of a man that seemed to have been half eaten.
"By Silvanus, this is no normal death, this man was consumed by some foul beast. I must tell Zoltan and Lexander." So he ran off to the Sun Ray Inn to relate his findings with his comrads. He got them to his room and told them "my friends a man was found dead this morning in his home.."
"That is terrible. But why are you telling us this. To you druids a death is a mere complation of the natureral order." Lexander answered him, knowing his friend did not revear death but merely accepted it.
"Aww, yes a natural death is the completion of the natureral order. But this was no natural death, this man was eaten almost completle,. It was not the work of any woodland creature. I think we should look into this. Perhaps adventure awiats in the shadow of this death."
