Entry 38: The case of the (not) missing villagers

by Hayley Thomas

Dear diary,

With our coffers running dangerously low after the resurrections and the costs of acquiring the village, Gael suggested we make a trip to Keralon to consult our respective knightly orders for bounties. Honestly, I’d nearly forgotten that was even an option. Joining an order had been more of a pragmatic choice for me—a way to help people while easing some of the red tape that comes with traveling.

At the Briar Ring the pickings were slim. Only one bounty remained: a request from a local museum in Keralon for an exorcism. They suspected their premises were haunted, though the details were vague. Gael returned with two more promising options from his order. One involved a mysterious disease spreading through the Aerie in Keralon, and the other was a noblewoman’s plea for help—several people had vanished from her village under bizarre circumstances.

The disappearance case caught our attention immediately. It sounded more in line with the kinds of threats we’ve been dealing with lately—strange, unsettling, and steeped in mystery. We decided to prioritize it and made our way to the noble’s residence to learn more.

Lady Meredith Marsh greeted us with the look of someone carrying the weight of too many unanswered questions. She explained the situation with a grim voice. She’d been away from her village for the day, running errands, and returned to find the place eerily silent. Not a single villager remained. No signs of a struggle, no blood, no bodies. Just... emptiness. The suddenness of it chilled me.

Lady Marsh had ridden straight to Keralon to seek help, her desperation evident in the haste of her journey. The case felt heavy with the kind of foreboding we’d come to recognize. Something unnatural was at play here, and as we thanked her for the details, I knew we’d need to approach this with sharp minds and sharper blades.

We decided to take on Lady Marsh’s request, and after tying up some loose ends back in Keralon, we set out for the south. The journey to her village would take two days, and during that time, Meredith shared more about her past. She told us a curious tale—her grandparents had vanished into the surrounding marshes nearly fifty years ago, never to be seen again. Meredith believed they’d simply drowned, as many others had over the years. But the timing of their disappearance, paired with the recent events, was too coincidental to ignore. Could the two mysteries be connected?

We traveled quickly, the weight of unanswered questions driving our pace. By the time we reached the village, the sun was melting into the horizon, casting long, golden shadows across the dirt roads. What we saw upon arrival left us speechless. The village wasn’t abandoned—it was bustling with life. Villagers who had supposedly disappeared were now going about their business, as if nothing had ever been wrong. Women carried baskets of laundry. Men hammered away at tools and wagons. Children laughed and chased one another through the streets. The warm glow of lamplight spilled out of windows, painting a picture of ordinary life.

Meredith’s reaction, however, told a different story. Her shock was palpable. Her confusion and growing unease made it clear that this wasn’t some misunderstanding or overreaction. Whatever had happened here, it wasn’t normal. And if this was her home, she would’ve known if her people had simply "returned."

Sensing there was more beneath the surface, Luke decided to cast a spell to detect magic. Surprisingly, there were no traces of magical interference in the village itself—not in the buildings, the villagers, or the environment. But when his gaze fell on Meredith, his expression changed. Her bow and ring both shimmered faintly with magical energy.

When we brought it up, she was unbothered about the bow, casually mentioning that it was a family heirloom. It wasn’t unusual for nobles to possess enchanted items, especially weapons. The ring, however, caught her off guard. She stared at it, turning it over in her hands as though seeing it for the first time. It had also been passed down in her family, but she’d never known it to be magical. A strange heirloom, a village full of people who’d supposedly vanished without a trace... the pieces weren’t adding up.

The village’s outward serenity felt like a veil—a fragile mask hiding something far more sinister beneath. We knew we had to tread carefully. Whatever was going on, it was far from over.

Intrigued by the ring’s unusual magic, Meredith handed it over to Luke for inspection. After a few moments of careful study, he identified it as a Ring of Nature’s Binding. And it wasn’t just enchanted—it was still active. I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. How could someone not know they possessed something this powerful? Rings like that didn’t just slip through generations unnoticed. There had to be a story here, one I was certain would unravel soon enough.

Still, we were all bone-weary from the journey. With night settling over the village, we decided to turn in and rest, knowing we’d have plenty to investigate come morning. Alistan volunteered to take the first watch, while the others tried to recover some energy.

The village was quiet at first—eerily so. But then, as the moon climbed higher, he spotted movement in the shadows. A handful of villagers were slipping out of their homes, their faces blank and glassy-eyed, like they were sleepwalking. They wandered toward the edge of the swamp, their steps slow but deliberate.

Hidden in the darkness, he followed them. Each one knelt by the murky water, scooping it into their hands. They drank deeply, then splashed it onto their faces and arms with almost reverent care. Their murmured prayers—or were they whispers of gratitude?—were too soft to catch, but the ritual was unmistakable. They moved like they were bound by some unseen force, drawn to the swamp as though it were calling them.

When the villagers finished, they drifted back to their homes without a word, leaving nothing but ripples in the water behind them. This wasn’t normal behavior, not even for people living near a marsh.

Whatever was happening here, it was tied to that swamp. And I had the distinct feeling that Meredith’s mysterious family heirloom—and her village’s strange “return to normalcy”—was just the beginning of a much larger puzzle.

Continue reading...

Entry one: The trials

Entry two: The bramble

Entry 3: Rosebloom

Entry 4: Hearts and Dreams

Entry 5: of ghosts and wolves

Entry 6: Hillfield and Deals with Fae

Entry 7: mysteries and pastries

Entry 8: The scarecrow ruse
6th of Lug, 121 Year of the Tree

Entry 9: A betrayal of satyrs
7th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Entry 10: The fate of twins
8th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Entry 11: Cursed twins
10th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Entry 12: Loss and despair
11th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Hayley's rules to being a Witch

Entry 13: the price of safety
12th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Entry 14: A golden cage and fiery tower
13th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Entry 15: A trial by fire
14th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Entry 16: Keralon
15th of Lug, 121 year of the Tree

Letter to Luke 1

Letter to Luke 2

Letter to Luke 3

Letter to Luke 4

Letter to Luke 5

Letter to Luke 6

Entry 17: I shall wear midnight
1st of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 18: peace in our time
2nd of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 19: Caern Fussil falls
3rd of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 20: I see fire
4th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 21: Cultists twarted
10th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 22: Ravensfield
14th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 23: The Hollow Hill Horror
15th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 24: Burn your village
16th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 25: Ravensfield burns
17th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 26: There will be blood!
21st of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 27: A happy reunion
22nd of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 28: The embassy ball
23rd of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 29: The fate of Robert Talespinner
24th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 30: A royal summons
28th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 31: of Dogville and Geese
29th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 32: A boggle named Pim
30th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 33: A deal broken
1st of Aran, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 34: The cost of doing what is right
2nd of Aran, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 35: A dish best served cold
9th of Aran, 126 Era of the Tree

entry 36: Cornu returns?
10th of Aran, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 37: A letter from Amarra
11th of Aran, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 38: The case of the (not) missing villagers
14th of Aran, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 39: A curse broken
15th of Aran, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 40: Into the Lorewood
18th of Aran, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 41: Cabin in the Woods
19th of Aran, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 42: Myrdin and Anaya
20th of Aran, 126 Era of the Tree

Entry 43: Into the Immerglade
21st of Aran, 127 Era of the Tree

Entry 44: A tale as old as time
22nd of Aran, 127 Era of the Tree

Entry 45: The truth
23rd of Aran, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 46: Luke's Ordeal
24th of Aran, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 47: The festival
26th of Aran, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 48: Trouble at the Cathedral
2nd of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 49: Quinn's court
4th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 50: onwards to Latebra Velora
5th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 51: Where is my cow?
6th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 52: Here be dragons
7th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 53: Dragon hoard with a side of scarabs
8th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 54: Leave the basilisks alone
9th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 55: Return to Ravensfield
10th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 56: The needs of the many...
11th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 57: Dreams of Sister Willow
12th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 58: wetlands be wet
13th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 59: Baron Perenolde
14th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 60: Talebra Velora and the lady Morenthene
15th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 61: Cypria
16th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 62: Dragon takes Knight
17th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 63: Return to Talebra Velora
18th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 64: Your presence is “requested”
19th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 65: I stand alone
20th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 66: A day of normalcy
21th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 67: Into the Neverhold
22nd of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Entry 68: The Warg King

Entry 69: Chased by birds

Entry 70: Whitewail

Entry 38: The case of the (not) missing villagers

Continue reading...

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