Animals

The forests and valley around Ravenshollow have long been home to abundant wildlife—graceful deer, cautious hares, wandering bears, sleek wolves, foxes, and countless birds nesting high in the trees. Animals once roamed freely, thriving in a balanced ecosystem that sustained both predator and prey.

Since the arrival of the Gloom, wildlife has grown scarce and elusive. Deer skitter nervously through the trees, their eyes wide and wary, bodies gaunt from stress and illness. Wolves roam silently in smaller packs, cautious and avoiding human contact entirely, their howls now rare and mournful. Bears have retreated deeper into secluded dens, appearing only rarely, wary and disturbed.

Disturbingly, some animals have changed dramatically, twisted by the encroaching corruption. Wolves have been sighted with mangy coats, eyes glowing strangely in the shadows. Deer with antlers grown sharp and twisted, aggressive rather than timid, lurk unsettlingly at the edge of the village. Even hares are sometimes found misshapen or aggressive, their behavior unpredictable and unsettling.

These corrupted strains remind villagers daily that Ravenshollow's wildlife, once familiar and comforting, now harbors new and unpredictable dangers within the spreading shadows of the Gloom.