New faces in the wood always bring excitement, and the arrival of Marshall Law, a servant of the beloved King Rupert – LONG LIVE THE KING – was no different. Heavily wielding his hammer of justice and anxious to clean up the dregs of Ravenwood, he initiated a chain of events that would alter the future of the town.
As Mr. Law investigated, town life went on as normal. The rain had dampened the earth, but spirits were high nonetheless. Frogs and flies were captured in jars, new wares were made available to shoppers, and cursed gold was discovered.
Meldryn the ancient wizard, after hearing rumors of an ancient weapon hidden somewhere in Ravenwood, tasked a group of 5 brave souls with discovering its whereabouts. In the travels that so often kept Wes abroad in recent months, he had come upon the map to a mysterious item. Experiencing an uncharacteristically altruistic mood, Wes was glad to give the questers the map, and they proceeded, after some trial and error, to discover the location of an ancient sword. After bringing the sword to Meldryn to show their success, however, he informed them that a dark curse had fallen upon it. He would not touch the sword, but Ilyn the Wanderer was familiar with the curse and aided the adventuring party in discovering seven crystals that could lift the incantation. Once the curse was lifted, however, there was the matter of who would wield it. A tournament would decide the winner of the sword.
During the festivities of the day, Mertag led a band of men to fight a group of goblins that was gathering in the forest. When they arrived, however, they found them slaughtered. Only a lone man in black remained, and he rushed into the woods before we could ask his identity.
Tensions were rising in town at Wes’ return to Ravenwood and Villius’ betrayal of the town some months past. This came to a head when the two engaged in an all-out brawl in town. Marshall Law, seeing that Villius appeared to be the cause of much strife, put him on trial for his crimes against Ravenwood. In spite of his pleas, and Mr. Law’s desire to execute him, the town resigned him to exile. He parted ways with the town, and with his once best friend, Wes.
In light of the approaching tournament, Thokk Earthbreaker and Samlough Caraway undertook the responsibility of training the rabble of Ravenwood in the art of warfare. Thokk’s Battle School Rules were numerous and informative, leading a number of young warriors to join in for the battle tournament. The battles were legendary. Arkham vs. Hiro, Mertag vs. Turtle… each match was both breathtaking and butt-clenching. None could hold a candle to the face-off of the century: Mara the Devout and a mysterious wanderer who only went by the title “Shadow of Sadness.” None could withstand the savage might of Sadness’ blows and the strength of her steel. As the strongest warriors moved through the ranks, a narrow margin of fighters emerged. When the time for drawing came, Mertag’s name was called. Knowing that he was sufficiently outfitted, however, he graciously gifted the magical sword to young Ivan instead.
After a delightful dance in the cool of the forest shade, the citizens of Ravenwood returned to town only to discover a harrowing scene. Samlough and his compatriots had been attacked by Villius in a mad rage, and he had disappeared with the magic tablets and threatened to return with an army.
Uncertain as to what this meant, and how seriously his threats could be taken, the townspeople were shocked by another occurrence. Goblin and Trollie ran screaming through the town, claiming that they had been left behind by a monster raiding party to guard a precious treasure, and had encountered an army in the woods. It appeared that Villius’ threats were legitimate, and the people of Ravenwood decided to split into three parties. In his routine searchings of the wood, Meldryn had encountered a sensation of darkness and evil magic. He took with him a group of magic users to seek out the source of this feeling. Ada Ciderbee elected to lead a group to seek out help from Mousling Village, and Mertag set out with the rest to find the Woodland Folk in the Wilds.
Deep in the woods, Meldryn’s group found a hidden grave, surrounded by black magic items and an aura of darkness. Upon turning over the marker, they found the name- Falcon. The grave was empty, and Ghost helped to determine that this kind of necromancy was Tiefling magic. Nevari had not been seen for some time, and it was not possible for Villius to have performed such an action on his own.
In the Wilds, Mertag’s band encountered a dark scene. The forest to the North had been razed, with the trees cut to their stumps as far as the eye could see. In the midst of the wreckage was a coalition of soldiers, led by none other than the banished McKenna MacKay. On the ground she had cornered a lonely Woodland Folk scout, who she slew without mercy. Her men were set to turn upon the band, when out from nowhere appeared the man in black, in the regalia of the Raven. He sent the townspeople on and bravely held off McKenna’s soldiers.
Ada’s group simultaneously made their way to the Mousling Village, singing mousling hymn and hoping to hear little squeaking voices in return. None came. They happened upon the settlement ablaze, and rushed haphazardly to fetch water and stomp out the flames. Once extinguished, they found the town destroyed, and the mouslings gone. Nothing could be seen of Portly Pete, or Invalid Eddie, or even Henry. Over the smoking ruins of Mousling Village they tearfully finished the hymn and returned to town, hoping to hear that the other groups had fared better.
They had no such luck. The townspeople shared their many misfortunes, finding that multiple armies were being raised and that their chances for survival were slim. In their darkest hour, Stellaluna shared a song in the town square, to encourage the indomitable spirit of Ravenwood. Heartened, they gathered their swords and set out to route the armies on the road.
In the forest, as the citizens of Ravenwood marched in formation, they encountered a mysterious figure. The Raven himself, masked and bringing further encouragement. He claimed that to be the Raven was more than a mask, and that anyone could take on the ideals of the Raven: heroism and selflessness.
The armies gathered from either direction, cornering the townspeople and the Raven who led them. On one side they were led by McKenna and Villius, and on the other, Nevari and the Falcon she had raised from the dead. They charged, and the villagers fought valiantly, until the Raven was taken captive by Villius and the violence was brought to a standstill. He was unmasked, to reveal none other than Wes, who had been training all these many months under the tutelage of the original Raven, Dee. When the time came, Villius was unable to kill him, and though the Falcon was held off by Mr. Turtle, he was able to strike a killing blow. Villius turned on his men, but was grievously wounded, and McKenna and Nevari both fled as the Ravenwood townspeople took the upper hand. Villius had struck down the Falcon, but as the villagers overcame their enemies, he lay dying with Wes. As the Raven breathed his last, the people of Ravenwood left Villius to succumb to his wounds, taking from his person a final letter. He lay in death beside his last friend. Thus ended the saga of the Raven.
Returning to town, the townspeople of Ravenwood sang a song to remember those that had fallen in the year that had passed since their first meeting with Dee. They read Villius’ final letter, and chose to reflect upon the courage of their lost rather than the betrayals of their once-friends.