As if the parents of our towns haven’t enough to worry about, it appears that someone or something, is sending a threatening message to their children. Over the past several months there has been an increasing number of reports of children’s toys gone missing. Normally a few lost dollies isn’t enough to capture any interest, but the manner in which the toys are returned is quite disturbing.

Children have been complaining of lost toys that have reappeared a few days later with deep gashes under their left eye. The markings look as if they have been carved into the faces of the missing toys. When asked to elaborate on her family’s traumatic experience, a young mother, who requested to be kept anonymous, had the following story.

“At first we thought Andrew was playing one of his silly games with us when he told us Sir Peter, his wooden toy Knight, vanished right before his eyes. Three days later Andrew came running into the kitchen waving Peter. ‘He’s back! He’s back! But I don’t want to play with him anymore…’ He dropped the doll at my feet and ran out of the room. The doll looked as if it had been badly abused and the wood was split open under it’s left eye. My husband burned the toy right away.”

Rumors have been circulating but no one is ready to put forth a theory on these mysterious events. Random acts such as these do not seem to be the work of professional criminals but an inexperienced, almost childish person or persons trying to send an as of yet to be determined message.

Having had their workforce reduced by mysterious kidnapping, local farmers are nervous for their harvest.  Unless they are able to increase their output substantially, it will be a hungry winter for the greater Elmerton environs.  For the farmers, the spring was exhausting, despite the best efforts of well meaning drifters who lent a hand throughout the farms, called heroes for they did not seek rewards.  Despite their assistance, much of the arable land in the Fiddleheads lies fallow.   An early frost is all it will take to throw the region into hunger trouble.

As for the kidnappings, there is little evidence to go by.  Stories of black cloaked figures standing at the edge of towns, and then the disappearances began.  Anyone who spoke up or tried to investigate found themselves missing young farmhands – so people began to keep quiet.  Here’s a silver lining with a touch of grey:  Recently, several farmers have found their children again, but they have undergone some sort of strange transformation.  Blank stares and white hair are all that’s left of the farmer’s legacy.  They have tried to nurse the young ones back to health, but to no avail.  Dark days, indeed.  With the Allegiant busy with keeping the government afloat, and the nobles seemingly doomed to their own self destruction, who will look after the farmers and workers?  Without the smallfolk to produce, what will become of the region?