[center][color=FFCE00][h2][u]Soft Haven: Graveyard[/u][/h2][/color][/center]

[center][sub]14th of the Full Autumn Moon, 1698 P.A.
Early Morning - Partially Cloudy Skies[/sub][/center]

As those who found refuge amongst the dead faced the sudden threat, the faint ringing of a bell beyond the walls accompanied the protest of metal hinges brought attention to the door opening on the far side of the graveyward. A brief glance towards the Soft Haven wall revealed two halflings whose yellow robes bore the mark of Zubil, God of the Sun. One was carefully checking each tombstone, patting the earth around it and letting out a whispered prayer each time. The other was clearly less concerned, barely checking each grave before moving on. Neither seemed to notice the strangers amongst the dead.

[color=C9F532]“Do this properly!”[/color] The serious one snapped, repeating her through examination at the next gravesite. 

[color=F54432]“The dead ain’t risin’ no time soon. It's been seven, eight years and ain’t none of these damn dusty bones gave even a shake.”[/color] The other scoffed but made a big show of checking the dirt and offering prayer. 

[color=C9F532]“We can’t risk it. I felt it again, I know I did. That awful horrible presence.”[/color] The woman shuddered. [color=C9F532]“We do the checks, we make sure nothing was distrubed, and then we can go about our morning rites. We just have to be sure.”[/color]

[color=F54432]“I told ya, ya shouldn’t eat the pig at The Treant. It’s messin’ with ya dreams.”[/color] The man sighed in response. [color=F54432]“Gunther’s gunna be pissed that the rites ain’t done and I ain’t takin’ no blame for you ‘gain.[/color]

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[center][color=FFCE00][h2][u]The Snakeburrow Woods[/u][/h2][/color][/center]

[center][sub]14th of the Full Autumn Moon, 1698 P.A.
Early Morning - Partially Cloudy Skies[/sub][/center]

The road to the Bounty House was barely a stone's throw from the wall, branching off from the road from Wilree deeper into the Snakeburrow Woods. A deep set of wheel tracks in the packed dirt suggested heavy wagon or carriage traffic within recent days and the pattering of similar footprints showed someone going back and forth frequently. 

However, the strange part was the large footprints that easily eclipsed anything else pressed into the ground. They appeared out of the woods a few minutes beyond the first bend, a large swath of bushes and undergrowth left flattened at the roadside, and continued on in the direction of the Bounty House. 

Beyond the second bend a massive orcish woman paused, squinting as she peered deeper into the woods. Dressed simply in a loose tunic, trousers held up with a leather belt, and a sturdy pair of well loved boots, she clearly had been stomping through the woods with twigs and leaves littering her hair and shallow scratches across green skin. Seemingly unaware of the minor injuries, she sighed in disappointment. She towered above most other folk, easily passing seven feet, and was built like a professional mercenary with scars littering a powerful build.