The dark mass of the Arthfell Forest looms just to the north of the trade route, an ominous wall of unbroken green and shadow.

Not far ahead is the famous Travelers Stop Inn, the only safe refuge in the area. Rounding a bend in the road, you see a trio of mangy dogs playing a gruesome tug-of-war with some sort of humanoid corpse.

Their snarls and barks break the silence of the otherwise calm afternoon.