After handing off the note to Wulcrath, the gold and silver dragonborn would look around the area... first inspecting the glyph and then the ground around the constable... looking to see if he could spot any new footprints and checking to see if the glyph had changed. 

Investigation. 8

It doesn’t take long for Wulcrath to find the floorboard. It creaks softly under his boot and he notices the colour is slightly different from the rest. One careful look from the dragonborn reveals that it is not even secured to the floor. A tiny bit of pressure on one end leads to the discovery of a small space, where the fighter finds a neatly folded parchment of paper and a book underneath it.

Constable Alena presses her hand to her forehead for a moment, thinking. Then she slowly rises to her feet, looking around.

“I see, “ she mutters in her raspy voice, her eyes scanning the surroundings. “I remember I came to fetch my bow. I'm quite certain I left my equipment here, near the front door..." She takes a step outside, her gaze locking onto a spot beside the door. “But it was not here. So I thought I might have left it in the house instead. So, I pushed the door open…”

Her hand reaches out but freezes mid-air as her fingertips hover over the peculiar glyph etched into the door. 

"Curses," she curses herself softly, shaking her head in clear vexation. "I must have touched it. My distractions with the rats led me to this mistake."

She sighs heavily, then reaches inside a pocket in her clothes, pulling out her small journal book. "Good thing I didn't leave this here. Whoever stole my belonging, could have stolen it too."

Finally, Alena turns her attention to the group, scrutinising each of them. "How did the encounter go? Is anyone injured? These wretched vermin can be quite relentless."

While the constable talks, Dracor examines the glyph, noting that it seems to glow slightly brighter than before. And he finds the same tiny, glowing traces all over the area around the front door that were not there earlier. The dragonborn recalls seeing the constable put her belongings at this very spot when they first arrived, but the space is empty now, save for the tiny glowing prints.

"The glyph is brighter now.... and look... More glowing footprints where your pack used to be." Dracor would rub his chin and glance around the area. "is it possible that there could be some invisible creatures around? Anyone know of any small invisible creatures that could leave footprints like that?" The dragonborn would ask as he looks to his companions. "I think the creatures are still here... and close.."

Preston feels relieved that the Constable seems alright despite the strange glyph’s effect. It’s also a good thing that the Constable had her journal on her. At least they wouldn’t have to start back from square one. 

Being unfamiliar with creatures with magical abilities, Preston would concentrate on trying to find tracks. The highborn dragonborn could be right. If whatever they were looking for did take off with the Constable’s equipment, they might have left tracks. Perhaps much fresher ones. 

Investigation: 8

"We're fine... We managed to deal with them Constable" Wulcrath responds to the Constable's questions a little absentmindedly, more focused on the parchment and book he's discovered under the floorboard. Luckily with Kariella's healing, only the Red Dragonborn's gear and clothes had more marks to show for his encounter with the rats. He's crouched down on the floor, reaching a hand in to grab at the book and parchment like some kind of big scaly cat chasing a mouse into it's hole.

"Another piece of paper for the collection." The Fighter comments idly as he seemingly grapples with the floor itself for a few moments. He has to admit to himself, he's becoming a little enraptured with Farmer Hal's disappearance. It certainly hasn't been the walk into the woods he was expecting at first. Although... maybe it'll turn into that.

Strangely, the tiny tracks don't appear to be connected to the path and the rest of the tracks that Dracor and Ella looked at. They are most definitely left by the same species but... there is no trail leading from or to the spot. The tracks are as erratic as the other ones, despite being concentrated in a smaller area. 

The book turns out to be a journal, filled with entries starting a few years ago. The majority of it are simple observations related to the changing seasons, meticulous records of crop yields, and notes about the farm's productivity with some mentions of the village, Farmer Hal’s family and the events that shaped his days. The most recent entries from this year read as follows:

The next pages are torn from the journal and missing.

The neatly folded paper looks somewhat like a map.

Dracor would make his way inside and stand next to Wulcrath. "did you find anything good?" he would ask as he looked around the hulking dragonborn to see what he was holding. "Did the piece of paper I gave you go in that book?"

The Red Dragonborn skims the most recent pages, his silver eyes narrowing more and more the farther he gets down the passages. He takes in the important stuff, names, places, and times. The mention of a sudden quiet stillness and a wind from the woods make Wulcrath’s stomach drop, and the talk of a strange stone causes his skin to crawl a bit. Could it be…? Surely not? The more he discovers about Farmer Ha’sl situation and his family the more he feels for the man. And the more worried he gets.

“You could say that… And I don’t know, I’m not sure.”  The Larger Dragonborn looks up, staring at the sigil on the door and world outside beyond it for a moment. “But I have a feeling it was all written by Old Hal all the same.” Wulcrath responds. He sets the Journal down on the table, laying the map down atop it. He also produces his two scraps of paper, adding them to the little pile of evidence. “Here, You Preston, and Alena have a look at that. I’ll be right back to explain myself shortly.” He says to Dracor before he steps out the door, just making sure of something before he lets everyone know what he’s thinking. The well… he just has to be sure, he has to check that strange clear stone again… could it be the one Hal mentioned in his journal?

Dracor would watch as his fellow dragonborn excuses himself. When he disappears outside he would look towards the constable and point towards the door. "Maybe we should destroy that glyph.. What happens if the take the door off the hinges and burn it? Since it seems to glow brighter now that it was touched... and touching it seems to do bad things... maybe we should see if we can destroy it?" The dragonborn would suggest while looking to the others. 

Preston would come have a look at the journal and the papers that Wulcrath left on the table before heading outside. He would read through the journal entries, clenching his fists as they go on. Some foul creature from the Whispering Woods seemed to be tormenting Hal for some time before luring him away. 

Then Preston looked over the map they had found. The young soldier wanted nothing more than to run out and follow it to wherever it may lead, but he restrained himself realizing it would be foolish to go alone.

But overall, Preston was scratching his head to understand how all they had found was connected. The journal, the map, the tracks, the glyph, the giant rats,…How did they all relate? 

"I wouldn’t destroy it just yet.", he replied to Dracor. "We don’t really know what it is or if it’s even safe to destroy. It might also be the house that’s cursed and destroying the glyph does nothing at all."

"This is what I was most worried about, " Constable Alena says gravely as she reads through the journal as well. "Hal has indeed ventured into the woods. I should probably head back to the village, send a party of hunters and rangers to see if they could find him... Or what is left out of him. In his state of mind, I am afraid it is highly possible he might have already fallen victim to all the beasts that lurk there..."

The woman sighs deeply as she smooths the torn crumpled page a bit, before aligning it with the journal. "These two pages have come indeed from here. You can see the edges fit perfectly. And from what I can see, " she turns back to the adventurers. "There might have been other pages as well or he has just torn some paper away. Ah, what a mess."

Alena falls silent for a moment, thinking. "Preston might be right. Just be careful not to touch the mark, the villagers know not to come here."

The well looks exactly the way Wulcrath last saw it earlier. 

"Well, if Hal is in the forest, then I guess that is where we should go next." Dracor would reply with a grin. Standing tall he would puff out his chest. "there is no fame or reward until he is returned... so that is what I intend to do" The drsgonborn would then start to make his way back outside and stare off towards the woods.. looking to see of there is any opening or trail to follow.

Wulcrath inspects the well one more time. "I probably should've expected that." he says to nobody but himself as he promptly turns back to return to the Farmhouse. All of this has every gear in his mind turning... maybe a little too much. He catches Dracor outside the Farnhouse staring into the woods as he enters, being careful to not touch the glyph. The Fighter takes a seat at the table, letting out a sigh as he comes to a rest. "Alright... What are we all thinking?" He says as he sits down. "I could only guess what Dracor is." He jokes lightly.

He idly wonders where Karellia's gone as he looks down into his lap. He hopes she didn't walk into the woods like Hal or anything. "So we've the scribblings of a Farmer turned Madman, a strange eerie wind and silence, a magical Glyph..." He lists off before sighing. "I can't even begin to make sense of it." The Red Dragonborn comments, letting out a little laugh at the situation. "So, what are we thinking?" The wanderer adds as he looks at Preston and Alena.

Preston stroke his beard, lost in thought. He couldn’t make heads or tails of this situation. They managed to find some answers, but a lot was still uncertain of unanswered. He turns to Wulcrath when asked about his thoughts.

"I don’t know how much more we can find here. It seems we should head into those woods and follow this map.", he proposes. "Constable, what can you tell us about the Whispering woods?"

At Dracor’s mention of fame and reward, he shoots the dragonborn a dirty look of disapproval.

Constable Alena looks down at her journal as she scribbles more notes inside it, detailing the findings from the farmer's journal, as well as the effect of touching the glyph. As she writes, she answers Preston, "The Whispering Woods... there isn't much to tell about it. It's a place that's been shrouded in mystery for generations, and with good reason."

She pauses her writing, her gaze distant as she reflects for a moment. "It has been mostly discouraged to venture there unless you are a hunter, as it's incredibly confusing to find your way around. There have been persistent rumors of spirits and dangerous animals living within for as long as I can remember, and they've deterred many from exploring its depths. From what I've heard from the hunters, once you walk in, all the trees look the same, and they grow so tall that it's nearly impossible for sunlight to penetrate through the dense foliage."

Alena's expression darkens as she continues, "When I was still a child, a man dared to enter those woods. He was lost for a week and completely lost his mind. Eventually, hunters found him, but the damage was irreversible. Until his last day, he would scream randomly about 'the whispers,' 'the monsters,' 'the witches,' and whatever else tormented his fractured mind."

She blinks and finishes her scribblings quickly, then closes the journal, puts it back in her pocket, and finally looks at Wulcrath and Preston. "If you feel confident you want to continue, I will come with you. But I am not going to hold it against you if this sounds like too high a risk for you all."

Dracor would turn and look towards the constable and his companions. "I'm ready to go now I'm not afraid of a bunch of trees or any whispering creatures living there.."

Wulcrath listens intently to Alena's words. Nodding silently as he takes in what they're apparently about to do. "Hmm. Well... all the more reason for us to get in there and get him back safe and sound as soon as we can." The Red Dragonborn says, standing from his seat as he adjusts the sword at his belt. He was a little more okay with that than he really wanted to be. Besides... Meadowhaven was missing a husband, father, and just all in all important member. Nobody should lament a 'trade' so to speak, should it come to that. A Vagabond for a Farmer.

"The village needs our help, and we've got a chance to provide it. Seems fairly cut and dry to me." Wulcrath adds, his Silver eyes scanning the room, noticing Preston's scowl at Dracor. "A-and besides, A little Fame and Reward shouldn't hurt anyone. Farmer Hal will be back either way." He says, sensing a little tension between the other Dragonborn and the Paladin.

"I agree Wulcrath, we should leave as soon as possible... That is unless some of us need to take some time to recover from the our fight with the mice..." dracor would say as he stands a little closer to the large dragonborn. He would quickly cast a sideways glance towards Preston before looking towards the rest of the group. He would then open a small pouch on his belt and pull out a piece of dried meat to chew on as he waited for the group to decide on a time to go off into the woods.

 Ella's rejoined her friends by now, and chides Dracor, "We certainly can't let the dead stop us from rescuing the living, but they're not to be taken lightly, either. Nor should your first concern be fame or fortune when someone's life and safety hang in the balance."

She turns to Alena. "We will go," she says. "It sounds as though time is of the essence where this forest is concerned, so I agree with the others. We should leave sooner rather than later."

"Well of course I hope he is alive and well!... I wouldn't be willing to waltz into those filthy woods if I assumed we were just going to retrieve a corpse after all..." Dracor would reply before turning to head outside once more. "Alright, then I guess we head out! no time to waste!"