Mysteries of Ugdenbog

is a note found in the Den of the Ancient.

By decree of the Emperor of Erulan himself, I and my esteemed colleagues were to set out into the wider empire and catalogue the flora and fauna of its vast domain. Little did I think of it at the time, but not all assignments are created equal...as I write this from the dank and foreboding murk of the Ugdenbog, outside of the town of Burrwitch.

In the three weeks since my arrival, I've already lost two of my escorts to, and I am being dead serious here, plants. Empyrion-forsaken plants. I might add that my specialty has always been in the acute impact of arcane energies upon natural life, not on whether a particular vine is capable of dismembering a man in two while a large bloom consumes another of my team whole!

If I were not weeks out from Erulan, I would have requested reassignment. The journey was not without merit however, as I did observe some peculiar phenomena along the way; creatures that, while seemingly natural, did not exhibit the standard range of phenotypes one would expect from this region, almost as if they've been plucked out from another place and relocated here within an instant.

Most fascinating of all has been the talk of the camp for days now, a creature the locals have named Kra'vall, the Ancient of the Waters. Thus far, we've caught but a glimpse of one of its massive tentacles. I can only guess as to the full size of the beast, but it is enormous and quite unlike anything else found within the waters of Ugdenbog.

Our journey had brought us to what I suspect is its underwater lair and my inquisitor companion immediately began complaining of headaches much like those she's experienced when near heavy concentrations of Eldritch magic. This combined with its unusual appearance leads me to conclude that this creature, and others like it, are Eldritch in nature. But are these manifestations the fickle playthings of the Witch Gods, or perhaps something else entirely?

-Gallad Nico, Imperial Archivist