In the last three years, settlers hoping to open up Karrnath’s northern coastline have reported a new menace along the outskirts of the Icewood. What at fi rst appear to be lone members of the common races come stumbling along out of the woods, or wandering along their perimeter. But as they draw nearer it becomes apparent that there is something terribly wrong with them. The eyes of these strange apparitions glow with a midnight blue light, and they endlessly mutter nonsense strings of words, often from several languages. Once they draw close enough, they suddenly attack, unleashing waves of psionic power or more often rushing in to bite and tear at the settlers. Large groups report the creature dragged stunned victims back into the woods, never to be seen again. How many smaller groups have been wiped out entirely remains a mystery. Recently a group of timber cutters reported seeing a group of these staggering horrors and fl ed before they were noticed. Thought to be linked to the fabled Madstone, they have been dubbed “madborn,” and travelers are warned to flee for their lives if they spot them. It is clear that the attacks by the madborn, whether singly or in packs, are steadily increasing.
Madborn are the bodies of those consumed by the Madstone, released to do the bidding of the fractured, composite consciousness that lurks within that deadly dragonshard. They infest the Icewood in growing numbers, and are beginning to venture out of that forest in search of new prey to be sacrificed to the stone. Most wander “unattended,” possessing only a rudimentary intelligence. The Madstone may manifest itself through the madborn to a limited degree, suddenly transforming a mildly dangerous zombielike servant into a powerhouse of psionic fury. Releasing madborn from its grip is a new ability for the Madstone, one gained only four years ago. Whether the stone was somehow infl uenced by the release of dire energies in Cyre, or if it crossed a critical threshold in absorbing victims around that time, is a mystery.
With new towns being built near the Icewood, the local counts are hiring adventurers and mercenaries to guard their supply caravans and map the Icewood in greater detail. The idea of offering bounties for slain madborn had to be dropped, as once killed they are diffi cult to distinguish from ordinary folk. Many believe that Karrnath may have to turn the full might of its armies against the cursed wood to end the threat, while others hopes a small group of champions can destroy the stone before more lives are lost.