Eastern Plains Watchtower - Scholar Report
Ruby was absolutely right that strange things were afoot. The diaries have much to tell us. But I get ahead of myself. On behalf of the Ravenmight Institute, and with several soldiers and scouts from various factions present, I explored the old watchtower present just past the forestry crossroads. The outside gate and doorway of the tower were damaged through what appears to be animal attacks. Within the walls surrounding the tower, we found hostile wolves, as well as several decayed and empty buildings. No signs of a defeat or hasty retreat. Inside, we found ancient runes warding the walls and a basement hatch. Inside the basement, an Ankhrav took offense to our presence and was quickly taken out. Again no signs of anything of import left behind. While there were tunnels leading into the basement, the tower itself showed no sign of having been breached by Ankhravs. Strange that the front gate had been defeated by a boar, yet the basement hatch was still intact. Searching revealed burnt bookcases, possibly deliberately destroyed, and old diaries which suggest that this part of the valley was abandoned a whole twenty-seven years after contact with the valley was lost. There also were standard-issued defensive daggers in the beds, while a single damaged shield was found, with traces of something magical having been involved in its destruction. The shield and diaries have been obtained for investigation purposes, with proper reimbursement planned for the finders. More research is required, but I have a hypothesis. First of, the locals had an unknown force as enemy. The runes then protected against that force. The Ankhravs are somehow related to that unknown force, as the runes seem to work against them. Wolves and boars, however, are just normal animals. Eventually, the valley residents forfeited most or all of their territory, meaning the unknown force was too much for them to handle. Given how the Ankhravs did not enter the tower even now, there may still be something left over of that unknown force. I suggest to apply caution.
I'm eager to learn how this story is going to unfold and was very happy to see the notification about this article ...
This session was full of foreshadowing for my players. ^_^
Too low they build who build beneath the stars - Edward Young