Beast in the pass
Summary
During the second age travellers moving through a pass between the Green Vale and the Ancient Kingdom of the Forest were attacked by a strange creature the size of a bear. A rumble and the sound of falling rock was the first sign that something was amiss. Turning around the travellers found that the road was blocked. A low growl alerted them to the fact that something was approaching from the direction they had been travelling in.
Wheeling round the travellers saw a large Striped Longclaw charing them. The longclaw tore open the stomachs of two of the travellers with a single swipe of its claws before the rest could do anything. It then attacked the remaining travellers, tearing them apart while shrugging off their feeble attacks with staves and knives. Only one of the travellers survivedby pretending to be dead beneath the corpse of one of their fellow travellers.
A hunt was organised by Clan Magrannor but while they found a few tracks they were unable to locate the beast. The beast attacked multiple times over the next several centuries and after each attack the clan attempted to track it down. Every one of these hunts failed and traps set with soldiers posing as travellers went unsprung. It became clear to all involved that this was some cursed beast with an intelligence far exceeding it's kin (not to mention an abnormal lifespan). Eventually the dwarves gave up on hunting it down and all travellers through the pass were told to go well armed. From that point to the present day any disappearances in the pass are atrributed to the beast.
Historical Basis
The beast existed and did launch attackers on travellers (though not as many as are claimed). The beast was really an elven druid who lived in the mountains named Jerian Autumnleaf. Jerian was very protective of his mountain and would warn travellers if they weren't behaving appropriately. After decades if being ignored Jerian decided that verbal warnings were not enough and started attacking those he considered defilers while in the form of a longclaw. Those who survived his attacks were usually those who hadn't broken his rules. Being able to change forms made it easy for Jerian to avoid the dwarven hunting parties and sometimes he even joined them as a local guide.
Eventually Jerian was quietly removed by a group sent by the Ancient Kingdom of the Forest, though the elves never revealed the truth to the dwarves.
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