An Untimely Encounter

Whispered by GM Yurifury...

Karl doesn't miss a beat. "Of course, you have to! It's protocol out here in the Dead Scar. Have you ever travelled through the Dead Scar before? I don't think so, otherwise you wouldn't be asking such silly questions. How many of you are there?" The ranger pauses for a moment to count heads. "Right-O. There are five of us, including me. Come along now. Stay behind me, travelers. Don't lag too far behind, and watch your back for lynxes."
So you are ushered deeper into the forest, and closer to your destination. After nearly an entire kilometer of following Karl, you realize you're walking along a hidden trail that dips through the gorges and ravines of the Dead Scar, dodging open fields and places where the shadows don't reach. The ranger may be peculiar, but his knowledge of the land is credible.
Only then, as soon as you have this cheerful thought, the air begins to move. The spidery tree limbs that lattice the sky scrape together, making an unholy sound. An evil chill creeps along the surface of your armor, weaving through your chainmail and your leather like curious fingers. You suddenly feel very uneasy. Did you hear that? You ask, perhaps aloud. Your muscles tense involuntarily.
Something is coming.
Karl fails to take notice initially. No doubt the ranger has become desensitized to the immediate impression of danger that hangs in the air here, having spent so many days and nights patrolling the decayed landscape from the safety of its treetops. At least, that's your rationale. Otherwise, you fear this ranger may be quite daft.
Aooooooooooooooooooo.
The bloodcurdling moan descends upon the forest like an unsuspecting clap of thunder. Karl squats in place with his hands over his head, something the ranger would later explain is known in the Ranger Corp as the turtle tactic. "Holy FUCK!" He crawls like a crab over to Mignon, where he appears to gain a significant amount of courage. "That sounded like a pack of roamers. We must have attracted them with our hearty banter," he whispers.
What approaches is not for the faint of heart. If the group wasn't prepared before, they better be now. Who will lead the party into battle—or away from trouble?