The Wolfden Affair
a.k.a. Ash and Rope
The Conflict
Prelude
Buzatia accused Wolfden of withholding timber profits and demanded an audit. Rumors also suggested the envoy had a personal agenda involving Bright Village land. Tensions rose when Toren Halveth arrived with new restrictions and threats of punishment. Local resentment boiled beneath the surface.
That week, the Haunted Hills were unusually loud at night, the fog unnaturally thick. Elders took it as a warning.
Deployment
Envoy Halveth and his three guards were stationed in the House, using is as a temporary base.
While Wolfden doesn't have an official militia but the Mayor and town elders were there. Several spiritcraft practitioners were set up around town. And townsfolk worked in small groups while others worked independently as observers.
The confrontation was never meant to become violent. Wolfden wanted pressure, not blood. But fear, suspicion, and the envoy's arrogance set the stage for disaster.
Battlefield
The event unfolded in three connected areas:
- Old Wolfden’s narrow lanes
- The House courtyard
- The foothills of the Haunted Hills where the envoy was last seen
Fog smothered visibility. Lantern light barely reached across the streets.
Conditions
Dense fog throughout the night
Sudden wind gusts blowing sparks from hearthfires
Overcrowded alleys making quick movement difficult
Buzatian soldiers unfamiliar with uneven ground and Wolfden’s shifting trails
Locals navigating easily through low visibility due to generational knowledge
The eerie atmosphere fueled panic and misinterpretation.
The Engagement
Accounts vary, but the commonly accepted sequence is:
- Heated arguments broke out at The House between the envoy and the mayor.
- A crowd gathered outside, angry and frightened.
- Someone threw a lantern or a torch—whether by accident or intent remains disputed.
- Flames spread rapidly through nearby cottages.
- Amid smoke and chaos, the envoy attempted to flee toward the Haunted Hills.
- His guards were separated in the fog; only two escaped.
- The envoy ran along the Fogstone Path and vanished.
- A man, possibly a scapegoat or an accomplice, was found and hanged by sunrise.
- No trace of Toren Halveth was ever found: no body, no clothing, no footprints past a certain point.
Witnesses claimed the fog “swallowed him.”
Outcome
Buzatia blamed Wolfden for murder and arson.
Wolfden claimed the envoy fled into the hills and never returned.
No consensus was ever reached.
The Duchy tightened oversight but avoided a full military occupation, fearing rebellion. Wolfden complied outwardly but distrusted all envoys afterward.
The Mbali community suffered additional scrutiny, though no evidence tied them to the disappearance.
Aftermath
The envoy became a cautionary tale: “Don’t wander the hills without blessing.”
The House increased its security measures.
Bright Village grew more insular for several years.
Buzatia’s taxes on Wolfden increased, deepening resentment.
The fire damage scarred Old Wolfden for a generation.
Every anniversary, the fog is said to thicken unnaturally.
Historical Significance
Historians record the Wolfden Affair as a failed audit gone wrong, but local accounts insist on supernatural involvement.
The magistrate of Buzatia sealed several documents related to the investigation. Only fragments remain.
Among locals, the truth is treated as forbidden knowledge… known, but never spoken aloud.
Legacy
“Ash and Rope” became a local phrase meaning "a terrible price for pride."
The envoy’s disappearance is still argued about in taverns.
Bright Village’s cultural pride grew stronger in response to blame and suppression.
Haunted Hills became permanently associated with vanishings and restless spirits.
Children dare each other to walk Fogstone Path on fog-heavy nights.
In Literature
Several ballads and whispered poems exist, the most famous being “The Fog Took Him”, sung softly near hearthfires or during the Festival of Lanterns. A banned pamphlet entitled Ash and Rope circulates quietly among Wolfden’s youth.
On a night when the fog didn’t lift/And the hills were a darker gray,/An envoy came with coin and quill/To count what wolves won’t say./He walked with pride through the House’s gate,/With guards at either side,/But pride burns quick in Wolfden’s air/And fog will swallow pride.
Chorus
Oh, the fog took him, the fog took him,/Where no footsteps ever stay./He called to the moon, but the moon turned its face,/And the hills carried him away.
Verse 2
The lantern fell, the bell was rung,/Fire ran wild down the lane./Ash rose up like winter snow/While night drank up his name./Through smoke and shouts he fled uphill,/Past hearth and broken beam,/And the last who saw him swore he walked/As if waking from a dream.
Chorus
Oh, the fog took him, the fog took him,/Where no footsteps ever stay./He called to the moon, but the moon turned its face,/And the hills carried him away.
Verse 3
Some say the hills were hungry then,/Some say the spirits stirred./Some say the envoy heard a voice/No mortal should have heard./Bright Village swore the wind cried out,/Old Wolfden held its breath,/For no man runs to the Haunted Hills/Unless he runs to death.
Chorus
Oh, the fog took him, the fog took him,/Where no footsteps ever stay./He called to the moon, but the moon turned its face,/And the hills carried him away.
Verse 4
At dawn the fire’s glow was gone,/But smoke still kissed the ground./The gallows rope swung slow and low,/No envoy to be found./The House wrote lies in iron ink,/The Duchy claimed their truth,/But Wolfden whispers softly still/What elders told their youth.
Final Chorus
Oh, the fog took him, the fog took him,/As the river takes the rain./If you hear your name on a night like that,/Turn back or be taken the same.
Technological Advancement
None directly, though the Duchy introduced:
- Improved record-keeping requirements
- Reinforced lantern designs to prevent accidental fires
Wolfden ignored most of these reforms.
Table of Contents
Conflict Type
Battlefield Type
Start Date
Ending Date
Conflict Result
A fire consumed part of Old Wolfden
One man was hanged (officially a "local suspect")
Massive breakdown of trust between Wolfden and Buzatia
Event shrouded in rumors and sealed records
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