Entry 22: Ravensfield

Dear diary,
 
The morning of the 11th of Nuan, we set out for what has become my new home over the past five years: the village of Ravensfield. With our group back together, I decided to buy a new horse to help pull the cart we got from the villagers in Tarn so long ago.
 
The trek north was blissfully uneventful. The roads, narrow and seldom traveled, wind through sparsely populated areas. After the tumultuous events in Keralon over the past week, we all welcomed the tranquility.
 
We arrived early on the 13th of Nuan in Ravensfield. From a distance, I could tell the village was unusually busy. On the outskirts, locals were erecting a huge barn. Among them was my friend Saphira, working under the guidance of a person I didn't recognize.
 
I stopped Bart, the local baker, to ask him what all the commotion was about. With a flour-dusted smile, he informed me that the barn was being erected in the name of an organization called the Restoration Society. They are dedicated to rebuilding villages damaged in the war. Their leader, named Dan, had chosen Ravensfield as the headquarters for their efforts.
 
Deciding to investigate the Restoration Society later, I shifted the conversation to the thefts and attacks plaguing Ravensfield. Bart admitted that he had been a victim of theft just a few days ago. Curiously, only some bread had been stolen, leaving the money untouched. This unusual detail piqued my interest.
 
I thanked Bart for the information and led the others to my small house on the other side of the village, where I live with Zem and Saphira. The familiar sight of the cozy cottage brought a sense of relief and belonging. Saphira was already waiting for us at the door, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and excitement.
 
Inside, I introduced Zem to my companions. His enigmatic presence always seemed to fill a room, and I could tell my friends were intrigued by him. Once the introductions were made, I turned to Zem and asked if he had any more news about the recent happenings in the village.
 
Zem leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "There have been more thefts, but like Bart's case, they're peculiar. Items of necessity, like food and tools, have been taken, but anything of monetary value has been left behind. It's as if the thief or thieves are only interested in survival, not profit."
 
As far as the attacks go, two shepherds were killed when some sheep went missing, but after that, no more attacks occurred. It makes me think that whatever is doing this isn’t out to kill, but it does want to cover its tracks and avoid being discovered.
 
Zem then led us to the edge of the forest, where the most recent set of tracks could be found. He mentioned that he and Saphira had been debating what kind of creature it could be, but they couldn’t agree. Seeing the tracks, I understood why. Gael and I examined them and were left puzzled. The tracks were large and distinctly reptilian, but they had four claws instead of three, more like a cat. It seemed to be some sort of hybrid we had never seen before.
 
We followed the tracks into the forest to a small clearing, where they suddenly vanished. The only evidence left behind were signs of an apparent struggle, some scales, and a claw, but no blood. With no other tracks to follow, we headed back, and Gael asked Zem to lead us to the place where the shepherds were killed.
 
It was during our investigation that we learned something quite unexpected: Gael is fluent in sheep. This revelation led to much collective amusement and amazement. Despite the absurdity of it all, he managed to get some useful information from the animals, including a vague description of the creature. According to the sheep, it had no wings, was dark, and had a tail. Perhaps it was some sort of drake we had never heard of before?
 
Since the attacks and thefts always occurred at night, we decided to keep watch from the highest point in the village, the newly erected barn. Liliana secured permission from Dan, and we made ourselves comfortable on the roof while Zem went to fetch Saphira and some food.
 
As the stars began to twinkle overhead, I introduced Saphira to the others. We shared stories and caught up, our laughter echoing through the quiet night. Then, I shared the news from Velora’s army with Zem and Saphira. Their faces visibly paled upon hearing about the stolen eggs. Saphira, however, was not convinced they should have asked for aid from Keralon. She has always harbored a bit of a grudge since the war, and honestly, I can’t blame her.
 
During Liliana and Gael’s watch, they noticed a large shadow sneaking into the village. While Liliana woke the rest of us, Gael decided to investigate. I shifted my senses to Fiachna and followed him from above. We quickly spotted the creature—a bizarre blend of a large cat, reptile, and fish, with frills encircling its head. Unfortunately, it also spotted Gael.
 
As we rushed down to the village center, Gael tried to keep the creature occupied, or more accurately, tried to stay alive. Just as we arrived to join the fight, the creature teleported away, vanishing into the night. Undeterred, we tracked it into the forest, but it moved much faster than us, making it impossible to catch up.
 
A few hours after sunrise, we reached a clearing where the tracks vanished. This time, however, we found humanoid footprints leading away from the clearing, heading back towards the village. It became clear—we were dealing with some sort of shapeshifter.
 
We followed the tracks to a small, secluded camp. Gael, ever the direct one, called out, but only silence greeted us. A quick search of the camp revealed signs of a recent wound being cleaned and supplies hastily packed. I shared my suspicion that whoever lived here had likely gone to Ravensfield for more supplies and would return soon. Given that we were only a few hours behind, we decided to wait.
 
Spreading out around the clearing, we kept vigilant watch. It was Luke who first spotted a figure approaching—a half-elf, cautiously making his way back to the camp. Noticing something was amiss, he tried to flee, but Gael swiftly cut off his escape. The man, realizing he had no chance, surrendered without a fight. We brought him back to the camp, eager to get some answers.
 
His name was Raynis, originally from Drybank. He shared a harrowing tale of being kidnapped by cultists in red robes and cursed to transform into the monstrous creature we'd encountered. The curse twisted his body and mind, causing him to lose control and his memories whenever he transformed at night. The cult, dissatisfied with their twisted experiment, had abandoned him.
 
Raynis looked exhausted and desperate, his eyes pleading for understanding as he explained, "I have no control over the transformations. When the night falls, I become that monster, and everything becomes a blur. I wake up disoriented, with only fragments of what I've done." His voice trembled, and I could see the torment etched into his features.
 
Gael, always the voice of reason, asked, "Do you know why they did this to you? What their goal was?"
 
Raynis shook his head. "They mentioned something about harnessing chaos and using me as a weapon, but I was just a pawn to them. When they realized I wasn't going to be their perfect weapon, they discarded me."
 
We decided to seek help from Keralon to lift Raynis's curse, as this dark magic was beyond our abilities. In the meantime, we also needed to find a way to prevent his transformation from happening again. Gael and Liliana stayed with Raynis, while the rest of us headed back to Ravensfield. Alistan wrote a letter to Sir Donovan with our request and handed it to Zem for delivery to Keralon.
 
I gathered some supplies to craft a sleeping potion, hoping that knocking Raynis out cold might prevent the transformation. Zem informed me that Dan had come by to talk to me, so I headed over to the building site. Dan explained that the consortium he worked for was interested in setting up trade north of Keralon and genuinely wanted to help restore the village, which had suffered greatly from the war. However, the villagers were reluctant to trust strangers, so he asked me to vouch for them, knowing my word carried weight.
 
Seeing their genuine interest in supporting the local villages and recognizing the benefits this could bring, I agreed to talk to some of the traders in Ravensfield. After making the rounds and speaking with the traders, I bought a bottle of whisky to send to Zem as a gesture of goodwill. Then, we headed back into the forest to the camp.
 
Upon our arrival, Gael informed us of his conversation with a local dryad. She had warned him that both Raynis and Liliana were dangerous and needed to be watched closely. However, she also provided a crucial piece of information: the evil we were searching for originated from a place called Hollow Hill, deeper in the forest.
 
This gave us a new destination for the morning. But as the evening approached, we set up camp and prepared for the night, determined to prevent Raynis from transforming into the shadowdrake. Unfortunately, the sleeping potion was ineffective. As soon as the sun set, Raynis transformed into the monstrous shadowdrake. Thankfully, we had anticipated this and blinded him beforehand. Otherwise, the fight might have turned out very differently.
Both Liliana and Alistan were knocked out when the creature spit a ball of darkness at them, engulfing them completely. But with combined efforts, we managed to subdue the beast, forcing it back into Raynis’s true form. I quickly revived the twins, and we all anxiously waited for Raynis to regain consciousness. A collective sigh of relief swept over the camp when he woke up and didn’t transform back into the monster.
 
Maintaining control over this situation until help arrives will be a challenge. Our hopes now rest on finding answers in Hollow Hill tomorrow.
 
14th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree