Lambor's Hold

Mork sighs. "He did and he didn't," he says vaguely. "Over the last few weeks, the village has been attacked repeatedly by some... creatures. He does not know what they are but they have grown bolder recently. And it seems like they can command all manner of disgusting vermin - spiders, centipedes, wasps, you name it. More, he doesn't know." He shakes his head. "Living in the middle of the forest, so close to the more swamplike parts is an invitation for trouble. But Lambor's Hold has stood here for most of a decade. They will survive this crisis as they have all previous ones."

Mork shrugs. "I can't tell you that," he says. "The mayor just called them 'ugly little bastards'. As for how long they've been here... They don't seem to be a new arrival, they just grew more aggressive recently."

"His house is at the north edge of town," Darney says. She thinks for a moment, then points in the direction that you assume from context must be north. "It's the furthest out into the forest and he always has some skins and meet hanging out to dry. You can't miss it." Then she chuckles and says: "Well, I hope he doesn't have anything hanging out to dry right now, but you know. I can't say if he'll talk to you. These attacks are really bothering him and he's been a bit grumpy recently. Not as safe going out in the woods anymore as it used to. But it can't hurt to try, I figure."

Mork watches as you make your way out into the rain, shaking his head. His red dreads are still dripping water furiously and while he knows he has to head out as soon as they've made an arrangement for where to park the carts, he wouldn't go out there again until he absolutely had to.

As you leave the tavern, you immediately remember why you were so happy to get inside earlier. The rain is still pouring violently and, while you didn't have time to get dry inside, you just immediately feel completely soaked again as soon as you step outside.
You fight your way through the pouring rain and towards where Darney indicated and soon find the house she must have been referring to. A few meters farther into the forest itself than the rest of the houses, the hunter's home sits dark and seemingly empty. No light is burning inside and no meat or skins are drying outside. As you approach the building, you can smell meat and wine from inside it - just a smell that is so ingrained in the wood of the house that it won't ever dissipate - but again, no sign that anyone is home.

This hunter, Leffint, must actually be out roaming the forest despite the heavy rainfall, which will not only be a huge hindrance to him but most likely also drive most wild animals into hiding. You doubt he'll catch anything tonight, but if his hunting success has really become as sparse as Darney claimed, he might be a bit desperate.

Knocking is unlikely to achieve anything but you do notice that the door has no lock. In fact, you would assume that most houses here don't have locks. It's not really needed in a tight-knit forest village community.

Following tracks in the middle of a raging thunderstorm is difficult business. Still, Arphaxad is confident that he could follow the path the hunter took, at least for a while. If that's what you want to do.