The Stranger slams the metal box onto the tavern’s grease-stained table. He isn’t smirking anymore. His fingers, glowing with a faint, violet "eye-magic," twitch as they hover over the lid. Every time he reaches for the box to reveal its secrets laughter breaks out. Being taunted he slams the box down agian on the table and looks toward you.

"Listen close, because I'm only saying this once before I start cracking skulls," he hisses, the violet glow in his eyes pulsing with frustration. "I’ve cracked vaults and tombs deep within Rúncyld itself, but the opening of this box eludes me. My magic is bouncing off it like a drunk off a stone wall, and frankly, I'm tired of the smell of ozone and failure."

He leans over the table, his shadow stretching long and jagged across the floor. "I’ve spent the last hour digging through the legends, and I’ve found a lead. Deep in the forests of Douxel Vale lives a solitary creature—a corpse theif —that can read the history of any object just by touching it. As far as I know, there is only one of these things left in existence, and it’s tucked away like a prize in a trapped chest."

His gaze sharpens, sweeping over the group. "But here’s the catch for you lot: it’s surrounded by protectors. They aren't just guards; they’re fanatics. They’d rather kill the creature themselves than let it be captured or used by an outsider. If you go in there swinging steel like idiots, you'll end up with a dead guide and a still-locked box."

He pulls a crumpled piece of parchment from his sleeve and taps a spot marked with a charcoal X. "Go forth. This is the last known location of the beast. Bring it back to me alive, and I’ll use its ability to peel back the secrets of this box. Fail, and you can stay out in the woods until the Frost takes you. Move now—I want that box screaming its secrets by sunrise."

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yjn4LDzOyBhLNOPPrBdmUdKwIV51dhIQ_6sDEIWcgi0/edit?usp=sharing
Douxel Vale Region Document (Updated)
Roll20: https://app.roll20.net/join/20194449/RWTX8A
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