We encountered an extremely distressed old man shouting that a witch or a ghost had stolen his boy. He showed us into the Mushroom Caves. Upon investigating the supposed ghost's "goop", I determined it was actually web.
The man told us his son, Pakker, had been cursed into the form of an animal. He accused his wife, who had left them, of this heinous act.
Hulden used his flight to track the creature to a spot deeper in the cave. We found a cocoon eminating shrieking noises being fought over by a Cave Fisher and a Roper.
Whisper used their powers to imbue us with Haste, allowing Hulden to rush in and rescue Pakker and return him to his father. I freed the boy from the webs and checked after his health. At this point we learnt the boy is a boar.
We lured the monsters to a different part of the cave and despatched them. Thankfully, no one was injured.
We then returned to the man and his son to check in with them. We were suspicious of Pakker's nature. Whisper's connection to the weave allowed them to surmise that there was no curse on Pakker, but they did pick up traces of magic on his pocket watch. The man claimed a young lad gave it to him, saying it would bring him luck.
The watch was enchanted to send messages, and we got in touch with the man on the other side. A young human man soon appeared at the caves. This man was truly Pakker, and we learnt the old man was Percy, his father. It seems Percy's mind has been altered by his life as an alchemist working with mushrooms. He has truly come to believe the boar is his son and has been getting into a lot of trouble. Pakker thanked us for finding his father, and we left the caves feeling a little bemused, but glad we could save an animal's life and stop a fragile old man from getting into trouble.