The Abductions of Bal'Gol Fjord

What can be said about the vanishing of peoples from the borderlands, near where the Kingdom of Keel fades into towns and villages that fly the Rymbyrig banner, where the bergs slosh in the fjord, and the thawlands are icechurned muck. It started in the early autumn, reports around the townships came in, a missing ship here, a missed shift at the cannery there, but eventually it became clear to the denizens of this region: the people they knew, loved, were not coming home. There were grieving widows, frustrated traders, waiting on a shipment or a loved one out to sea, but also average folks who simply noticed their neighborhood baker closed, the loaves growing stale and moldy, as if the shopkeep just... never showed back up. Sons, daughters missing their parents, Grandparents wondering when their grandchildren will just come home...
It coalesced quickly though, and let's not pretend there was a coordinated effort from those who claim to protect this realm, and when everything came to a head in the Battle for Balgowatch well... Folks knew that something had changed.
There are a few folks so I've heard, out there on the trail, trying to get them back... But our leaders have holed up in their manors, doubled the guard, and closed the gates. They all blame each other, and do "what they have to do" to save us from whatever horror lurks out there, snatching people. They tell us to keep our heads down, prepare for winter, and these 'heroes' will come through soon enough. Soon enough they say...