The Hermit & the Empty Woods

Local Rumour and Myth

Sitting around the fire, crackling logs sending embers into the night sky, three children warmed themselves in a semi-circle near the firepit. Their grandfather stood, hunched with age and looming over the flames to tell his tale.

"Long ago an old man lived alone in a cottage near the outskirts of Stretto." He pointed in a direction to imply it's wasn't far. "His wife had been a soldier in the first Goblin War and died in battle. Their only daughter was twice-married and was living with her husbands in the city. The hermit was all alone out here for years. No one to talk to, and with no one to care for."
The storyteller squatted down beside the fire, leaning in over the edge of the pit to create an air of suspense.

"One day an arrogant young lordling learned that nobody was collecting taxes from the hermit and came to the old man asking for payment. The old hermit had lived on this land nearly his entire life and had no money - he could not pay the noble - this had been his home and he kept it safe for decades without being taxed. He turned the young noble away and warned in a low, deep voice;
"The Mansa does not collect dues here. Should you or anyone else return to collect lats from me, you will regret it. I am no fool and I owe you nothing." Speaking low and deep, grandfather stood as tall as he could and spoke as if directly to the young man;

"The noble left in a huff, surpised that anyone would refuse to pay. After returning home he drafed an official writ of claim to attempt intimidating the old hermit one more time. However, the written notice had no meaning to the old man."
Grandfather crossed his arms, stubbornly planting his feet, "The old hermit refused to even look at the writ and once again demanded that the young man leave him be - now ominously declairing that if the noble should ever return, or if some evil should befall the hermit, the lordling would suffer as the hermit had all these years."

Knowing that his father would not look favourably on such a failure, the young noble paid his friends to visit the old hermit and bully him into paying. The men, having no scruples went and destroyed the hermit's home. Stubborn, the old man tried to stop them but he was easily beaten by the thugs. Left injured and alone, it took hours for him to slowly die from the beating."
Solumnly, grandfather looked to each of his grandchilren, making sure they were sadened by the death of the old hermit before continuing his parable.

"The next day the young noble returned to the wrecked house and discovered what his friends had done to the hermit. Inside the home he found the body of the old man and was disgusted, but he also knew that he'd be implicated in the death so he decided to burry the man in the garden behind the cottage and simply say the old hermit had disappeared."

"Later that same day he went to his father and told him how he'd approached the hermit for taxation but lied, by saying the hermit must have fled. The young noble happily cheered that his lord was now free to use the land for whatever they wanted! He was expecting praise but instead his father raged!"
Suddenly sweeping his arms wide, grandfathers' face turned dramatic and angry;
"The lord was furious with his son and told him the old hermit was living on the site where an ancient and powerful spirit had been bound. As part of the binding, there always needed to be someone living on that land, alone, just like the poor trapped spirit. Without someone living there, lonely and isolated, the spirit would become embittered and angry!"
Ruefully, grandfather smirked and raised one brow while spreading his palms wide,"So the young lord was exiled to the old cottage as punishment for his mistake."

After a moment, to break the tension in the air, grandfather sat down heavily and somewhat comically in his seat near the fire while letting out a deep sigh before continuing, sounding wise and thoughtful;
"Some say that the lonely spirit is still sealed deep within these woods, although..." Trailing off for a moment, his eyes dart into the darkness surounding the campsite, "nobody has lived out here in a very long time. Perhaps the spirit is free and angry at for being ignored." He waved his hands to indicate the trees and land surounding them. "Every few years we hear of a young person wandering into the forest alone, never to return..."

"Maybe the Empty Woods aren't so empty after all."