Disclaimer: I do not own Dungeons & Dragons. But I still enjoy playing it.

The light of the candles on the shelf flickered casting shadows in the bedroom of Laura Steiner as she readied herself for bed. She had washed her face and dressed in her nightgown before ambling to the mirror to comb out her long dark hair. She looked at her reflection as she combed her hair and gave a slight grumble. It was getting late and her husband Gregor had still not come home yet. At this hour, he probably wasn't performing any of his duties as village mayor. More likely he was out carousing around some tavern with some cheap drunken floozy.

She frowned at her reflection and gritted her teeth slightly as feelings of resentment bubbled up within her. Ever since her looks had begun to fade, her husband had started to ignore her in favor of his job as a village official and finding release in the arms of other younger stupider women. She hated his smug and sanctimonious behavior in public, pretending to be some paragon of virtue and champion of the community. Ever since the growing scare of witchcraft being practiced in the community of Nordenheim, Gregor had found a new cause, throwing himself whole heartedly into eradicating the threat of evil, but she knew better. If there was evil and corruption anywhere it was in his heart. Of course, she had put up with it and turned a blind eye to his indiscretions. He had provided her a comfortable life, though she couldn't be certain why he kept her around either. Perhaps it was because she kept quiet about such things but Laura was not about to question things either.

She ground her teeth again and froze when she suddenly heard a cracking and popping sound. She opened her mouth and found that several of her teeth had suddenly come loose and began falling out. She cried out in horror as small gouts of dark red blood emerged from the stumps in her mouth. Laura fumbled about in a confused panic before she looked in the mirror and saw her reflection had changed.

Her image had taken on a life of its own. It sat calmly in place and regarded her with a sinister open mouthed grin. The monstrous thing slowly wiped some blood from its mouth and smeared it across its face, still wearing its malevolent smile.

Laura staggered backward in terror choking out, "What… what are you?"

The apparition rose up and crossed over from its side of the mirror as its eyes flared and its hair began to trail behind it like a living mane of shadowy tendrils. The demonic looking woman from the mirror pounced while her shriek drowned out the last terrified screams of Laura.


Early that morning, Sheriff Hans Brunner and his young deputy Klaus Hess of the Nordenheim Town Watch arrived at the home of the mayor. After pushing past the crowd of other watchmen and alarmed townsfolk, the two walked upstairs to survey the grisly scene. They found Laura's body on the floor. Her face was frozen in a mask of terror, made all the more unnerving with her missing teeth and bloodied mess of a mouth. Klaus swallowed hard and took a breath while Hans used his lantern to sweep its light across the room. He stopped when he saw the large vanity mirror at the other end of the room. It was cracked and blood smeared appearing as if fingers had traced down the length of it.

"Sir? What do you make of all this?" the younger blonde haired man asked.

Hans frowned and paced the room with a thoughtful expression, "I can't be sure… but this sure as hell does not look normal."

Klaus studied the bloody shattered mirror, "You don't think this has anything to do with all the talk of witches… do you?"

The grizzled sheriff put a blanket over the body of Laura and gave a hard look, "If it is, we should be worried about what the mayor might do."

"You're talking about those people he had hung," Klaus inferred.

Hans nodded, "The townsfolk are already scared and paranoid Klaus. The mayor passing judgment on those other people without a fair trial has not stopped anything. This will only make things worse, son."

The two men left the room went downstairs to meet mayor Gregor Steiner in his living room surrounded by several of his confidants in the village. He held his head in his hands, "I can't believe my dear Laura is gone… her life cut so tragically short."

Sheriff Brunner stopped at attention with a stone faced expression as the mayor finished his weepy words. Gregor rose, "Sheriff? What do you think of all this?"

"I think we're going to need to investigate more, but I admit the circumstances are… very unusual."

Gregor made a fist, "I'm sure this is the doing of those damned witches! They've caused us enough grief! I won't let them terrorize this town any further!"

"I ask that you not do anything too hasty sir," Hans cautioned, "The public is frightened enough but if there's a threat from within, we have to tread carefully. We can't be sure there's even a real supernatural threat here."

"Now is a time for action Sheriff!" Gregor cried rebuking him with an impassioned growl "It's my duty to protect the people of this town and if you're unable to do it, then I'll do what needs to be done!"

Hans bristled and placed his cap on his head before walking out the door with his deputy. Klaus cast one more look back at the manor as they walked off the front porch into the cold dark night. As they approached the crowd, one of the town watchmen hurried over to Hans with a fearful look. "Sheriff Brunner! We have a problem, sir. A very big one."

Hans pinched the bridge of his nose, "Oh? What is it this time?"

The watchman grimaced, "Reports are coming in that three of the village girls have been reported missing... as if they had been plucked right from their beds."

Hans stared at the man for a moment before exchanging an incredulous glance with his deputy. Klaus furrowed his brow, "Sir… this can't be a coincidence. What are we going to do now? How do we know if there's a real witch out there?"

"We find someone who knows what they're doing. Now come on. We have some work to do and I have a letter to write."


A light breath of chilly autumn air swirled about the lone horseman as he made his way through the empty forest. He could see the dying light of the sun clinging stubbornly to the skyline in the wake of the encroaching dark of night. The brightness which passed for sunlight here in the Shadowfell was always a weak golden hue even at the very best. Yet, the dim light and warmth that it provided remained a source of constant comfort to the people who did their best to forge a meager existence warding off the persistent gloom and despair that permeated the world.

The horse gave a low whinny as it made its way down the foreboding wooded trail and her rider reached down to pat her neck. It had been a long grueling trip and the rider sympathized with his horse's weariness. He spoke in a low voice and gave his mount a few reassuring words, "Easy girl. Just a little further. We're almost there."

He was a man in his early thirties with dark features and a tall wiry build. He wore a grim countenance across his patrician features while a dark tricorn hat sat upon his head. As he rode along, he pulled up the collar of his dark leather coat to ward off the damp chill that was setting in over the land. He took a moment to survey the woods and couldn't help but notice how the branches of the barren trees above took on a more menacing demeanor as night crept closer. Several of the branches curled toward the path like skeletal fingers while others stretched out toward the dark skies, as if crying out for release from a fate of slow agonizing decay.

As they continued along, the rider saw the trail before them was strewn with fallen leaves. In this particular meadow, the leaves had been dark red and the spatters of crimson almost had the appearance of a path stained in blood. He passed a large tree stump and felt his horse suddenly stop. He reached for his silver rapier at his side before looked in surprise to see a woman in a black hooded robe lounging upon the makeshift seat. She had an odd ethereal beauty about her with smooth pale skin and piercing dark eyes. Although her robes and hood obscured her hair and other signs of femininity, the Dark Lady fixed him with a slight look of amusement as a thin ghost of a smile curled at her the corner of her lips.

"A beautiful evening for a ride, isn't it Alaric?"

"If the Lady says so," he sighed while taking his hand off his blade to address the ghostly woman.

The Dark Lady idly turned her head and looked down the path, "Best you enjoy the quiet scenery now, Hunter. There is great danger ahead in Nordenheim."

"In this place, there is danger everywhere my Lady. I've already come to expect your appearances as omens of such things."

The Lady smiled and gave a small laugh, "Come now Alaric, you know I always come to warn you of danger. But I freely offer you counsel and direction to your mission as well."

"At the behest of the Raven Queen," Alaric pointed out, referring to the goddess of death and the ruler of this realm, "Whatever mission that is..."

The Lady sighed and shook her head as she got up from the tree stump. She quietly paced over and gently stroked the horse's flank, "It's not our place to question the will of The Mistress. What her purpose for you is, I cannot say. Only she is privy to the strands of fate and your true destiny."

"One that involves killing all manner of dark beings and monsters that prey on this realm? There's no shortage of them here," Alaric said sourly.

The Dark Lady smiled and gave a shrug, "You were once an adventurer in your past life weren't you? Of all your lost memories, surely you haven't forgotten the art of savagery and how to kill your enemies."

"It's all I have now," Alaric admitted as the ghostly lady in black robes floated back toward the tree.

"Have faith my brave Hunter. She has empowered you with all you need to survive here. In time, I know you will find your way."

As Alaric blinked his eyes and turned to follow her, the Dark Lady had seemingly vanished leaving him alone once more in the barren woods. He shook his head and gave a mild snort before spurring his horse forward. He dared not waste any more time in these unfamiliar woods. He checked his inner coat pocket which contained a letter along with written orders from the clergy. Alaric tucked them away and began the last leg of his journey before reaching the remote settlement of Nordenheim.


Twilight had already begun to set in over Nordenheim as the people of the village made their way indoors. Being out late at night and wandering from the safety of the village had always been a danger in this land. With the recent death of the mayor's wife the people had been put on edge. It was at this time that the Town Watch did their grim duty of taking up their weapons and lanterns to do their nightly patrols. Klaus Hess slipped on a blue and white tabbard over his chain mail shirt before taking up his lantern and mace to go on patrol.

The young watchman stopped at the door of his little house as his girlfriend Kirsten came to kiss him goodbye. She was a young modest peasant girl of about twenty, like Klaus. She was an attractive girl but her features were contorted in a look of genuine worry. "Please be careful out there Klaus. I have a bad feeling that something might happen tonight."

"Ah, you must be spending too much time around that old fortune-teller," Klaus laughed giving her a reassuring hug and trying to be brave. He had been referring to an older woman known to the townspeople as simply Tala. The lady had been a wandering Vistani trader in her younger years and had picked up all sorts of odd talents like card reading and crafting along with stories from her travels. Presently, Tala ran a small business with Kirsten's help as her apprentice. Kirsten gathered herbs in the nearby woods and Tala would brew them into potions that were used to heal all manner of ailments and sickness. Although old Tala was considered as a bit of an eccentric by many, the people of Nordenheim thought of her as mostly harmless and tolerated having her around.

"Klaus, I'm serious! The mayor's wife is dead and those girls went missing recently! Promise me you won't take any needless risks tonight."

The deputy sighed and gave her a light kiss before walking out the door, "I promise. When I get back later, we can sit down over your chicken stew and I'll tell you all about what a boring patrol I had."

Klaus walked down some cobblestone roads across the length of the village toward the guardhouse building where the Town Watch mustered. It was a humble stone building serving as both the village's jail and office for the sheriff. As he ambled down the path and turned a corner around a house, he stopped when he heard a great commotion coming from the sheriff's guardhouse. In the flickering light of some of the torches placed near the building, Klaus could see several humanoid figures circling around the building. The eerie figures had the appearance of feral marionettes made of wood. Leaves and vines clung to their spindly arms and legs while they moved about in a macabre sort of dance, as if manipulated by invisible puppet strings. The heads of the artificial creatures wore menacing grins which were permanently carved into their faces as they circled around two watchmen who were standing their ground with spears. Three watchmen lay injured on the ground while the remains of one of the feral marionettes sat shattered on the lawn.

The guards thrust their spears into the puppet men only to have the spearheads stick into their wooden bodies. The monsters slapped aside the watchmen while the doors of the guardhouse flew open as a pair of them dragged out Sheriff Brunner. Hans looked beaten and disheveled and he groaned as he was tossed face first into the dirt. The monstrous puppet creatures circled around like wolves to a kill and Klaus gripped his mace. He had made a promise to Kirsten to be careful but he was still a watchman and he couldn't leave his comrades in danger either.

He mustered up his courage and charged forward smashing aside two of the monsters with a great swing of his mace. The deputy stood over the injured sheriff and faced down the monsters as they regrouped and turned on him, "Hey! Back off! You've still gotta deal with me!"

As the monstrous marionettes circled around, Klaus felt his bravado suddenly melt away. He had been doubtful about the presence of dark magic in the village, but in the face of these demonic creatures, he was certain there was a witch about. He lashed out with his mace but one of the monsters swatted it away as another knocked Klaus to the ground from behind. The young man grunted and shook the stars from his eyes as he crawled over to try and protect the downed sheriff. He gasped in fear and whispered a silent apology to Kirsten before closing his eyes to await his fate.

In the near distance, the deputy watchman suddenly heard the sounds of horse hooves pounding forward and passing by. There was a rush of wind overhead and several marionettes were thrown to the ground before Klaus could see a dark rider rear his horse and quickly dismount to face the horrors. The mysterious man wore a tricorn hat over a long dark leather coat that kicked up behind him. The flickering torchlight nearby reflected off the horseman's steel pauldrons and bracers that he wore over his coat while he drew a long silver rapier.

The monstrous puppets focused on their new prey and scuttled forward to attack the new target. Alaric tensed and took a defensive stance while giving a small smile to himself, "Six against one... those odds are hardly fair for you."

As the monsters pounced, Klaus sat and stared in awe as his rescuer swiftly evaded the strikes of the puppets and skillfully parried them aside with his blade. Alaric moved with an almost preternatural grace and confidence born of practice and experience. The Hunter spun through his foes and counter-slashed at their limbs and joints cutting two of them apart into pieces. As the others moved to strike and cover their downed allies, Alaric rolled clear and reached into his coat to produce a wand. With a quick arcane gesture of the implement, Alaric called out an incantation to send a crackling bolt of searing blue energy that blasted apart another marionette. The remaining three spread out and circled around Alaric to try and attack from all sides.

The Hunter struck the head off the first puppet and kicked it away before parrying the next with a whirling sword strike. Alaric turned on his heel and used his momentum to throw the monster into the third attacker and tangle them up. Alaric gestured with his wand again and unleashed another jet of eldritch energy that destroyed the pair with one blast. As the remaining chips of wood and embers rained down, Alaric gave a nod and sheathed his sword before he felt a tug at the end of his coat. He looked down to see the last headless puppet had crawled over and feebly tried to pull at the ankles of his mortal foe.

Alaric paused in surprise as he saw the young town watchman come over to bash the puppet down to the ground. Klaus thrust the flaming torch into the wooden marionette and stepped back as the monster was set on fire. The headless automaton thrashed and convulsed several times before falling still like a sick imitation of a corpse.

The two men watched quietly as the remaining monster burned before Alaric broke the silence, "Thanks for the help kid. And quick thinking with the torch too. It was a good touch."

Klaus stared in slack jawed amazement as Alaric clapped him on the shoulder and began walking toward the injured men of the Town Watch. The Hunter gave a wink, "Trust me, killing monsters with fire is always a safe bet."

"I... what's going on here? Who are you anyway?"

The Hunter turned his head and touched the brim of his hat, "I'm a Hunter and I've been sent by the clerics of Raven's Eyrie to help."

Klaus blinked again in shock, "Raven's Eyrie? In the city of Gloomwrought? Then that means..."

"That's right," Alaric nodded as he tucked away his wand into his coat, "My name is Alaric and I'm here about your witch problem."


A/N:
For anyone curious, I'm going to be drawing on the world lore provided in the 4th Edition Points of Light setting.