Old Villager's Journal
This book can be found on a lectern in Helmshire. It describes a series of disappearances that fractured the community, resulting in about half of the village choosing to leave for a supposed sanctuary to the north.
Coordinates¶
| X | Y | Z |
|---|---|---|
| 2896 | 74 | 1265 |
Transcription¶
I suppose in retrospect it really shouldn’t have been such a shock when half of Helmshire up and left, but it still doesn’t sit right with me how things went down.
Times weren’t good, to be sure. Ever since the Second Order fell and that blasted one-eyed fox left for who-knows-where, our poor town has had to fend for itself, without so much as a single visit from our “rulers” in Mossfield. And visits were certainly necessary with over ten children going missing.
As soon as the disappearances started, we were enraged and energized, vowing that our children would be found by any means necessary. We got some pretty words from the capitol that a patrol would be sent our way, but it never happened. So we took matters into our own hands. Watches were set and investigators dispatched. The sweet old wizard of the lake even agreed to set up some wards to detect intruders.
But children just kept vanishing, as if into thin air! The closest thing we found to a clue was a single sock found near the cliff edge that belonged to little Holly Cedarman. Accusations began to fly at members of our own community, and former friends and neighbors withdrew into their homes.
It was soon after Holly’s disappearance that two events rapidly changed the general attitude in town. First, Bob Sandstrom spotted something attempting to gain access to the home of the Fisher family in the middle of the night. When he got closer, the figure abruptly turned to look at him with one bloodshot eye before consuming a potion and becoming part of the shadows. Though horrifying, the event at least cleared up the suspicion everyone had of each other. Everyone was present and accounted for within their homes, so no one was the intruder! For a short time, then, the theorizing turned outward. I heard disappearances blamed on Maelihs, whatever destroyed Avsohm, and everything in between. Given the intruder’s one-eyed mask, some even suspected that Vahid had come to make us his next experiments!
Before things got too out of control, however, Uncle E came back. I had thought that when he left on his last expedition and didn't come back for three months, he would never return. Part of me hoped he wouldn’t return. But I should have known better. Even though he’s approaching his 230th birthday, nothing can stop Elkhorn Myriksson.
After hearing about the horrific events of the last months, Elkhorn just laughed! He LAUGHED! And then he made a very in-character suggestion: just forget about all of our problems and leave! Just follow him north into the woods to a magical sanctuary full of bright colors, delicious fruits, and honey! Needless to say, I pushed back, and so did the Cedarmans. But others, including parents of missing children, inexplicably decided to go follow Uncle E through his hollow stump to the promised land!
I’m disgusted. With so many fewer able bodies around, we can barely spare anyone to investigate. I just hope that the children who went with that old madman are safe. Hopefully they will come back soon. Alive. In the meantime, it’s more of the same, and the lumbering is harder than ever. But at least, finally, we have stopped our bleeding. Under the new strict curfew system, no one else has been taken. I thank the Goddess (wherever she is) for that small mercy.