A windy night is blanketing the town of Cortfel, perhaps a subtle appetizer for the stormy nights in the monsoon months.
In a regular home, just along the sidewalks, a kid is throwing a tantrum and refusing to go to sleep. The mother is tired but she knows the perfect story to make him crawl to his bed and not leave until the dawn breaks.
Its not just her, any person born in the kingdom knows the tales and legends of the Ravenous Beast of Rogue Forest. The mother places a hand on the kids forehead and starts:
“Far from the reaches of the mightiest swords and deep in the darkness of the Rogue Forest remains the…Ravenous Beast!” Suddenly the whining and screaming from earlier fade out and the kid begins to listen.
“Some say its stature can make even the greatest of heroes shiver and others say looking into its eyes could leave you trapped in the realm of tortured souls.”
A lump forms in the kid’s throat as his innocent mind races with the vivid descriptions of the supposed beast. The mother notices and continues the tale with more passion.
“Rumour has it that trees are easily PULVERIZED!…by the Beast’s bare claws and mountains can be crossed by its single leap.” she murmurs as she intentionally gets descriptive to implant the fear into her child, just as her mother had done with her.
Who knows how old the legend of the Ravenous Beast actually is but the narration of these tales have become more or less a tradition. She then gets close and whispers:
“It is said that the roar of the Beast can shatter the morale of the mightiest berserker. A few have heard its ominous howls on the battle fields of demons…some suggest it’s because the Beast takes pleasure in killing the mightiest of the demonkind…meaning it doesn’t show mercy to its own kind…Imagine what it would do to humans….Scary right?
The kid gulps and nods his head, his eyes never leaving his mother’s as he gets engrossed in her narration. A mischievous smile plays on the mother’s face as she asks:
“Do you want to know what it eats?”
The kid nervously breathes in anticipation as he slowly nods.
The mother continues “Well, it is said to live by hunting the toughest of beasts like the Dire Wolves, Teethed Falcons, Wyverns but it is said that the Beast has a certain craving…want to know what it is?”
The kid clutches onto his blanket and hesitantly says “W-What?”
“It is believed that it roams the shadows of Cortfel, searching for children who aren’t in bed.” The innocent kid didn’t even suspect the creative liberty taken by his mother as he started to bury himself in his blanket.
The mother giggles quietly and gets ready to slowly wrap up the story but not before putting the final touch on the tale.
“When it finds a munchkin who is awake past their bed time….It….GRABS THEM! Taking them back to the Beast’s lair and…” the woman narrates with exaggerated hand gestures to compliment the climax.
The kid now shivering with both fear and anticipation asks in a excited tone “AND?!”
The mother displays a content smile as she slowly kisses the kid’s forehead and slowly gets up from the bed. She stands up and says:
“And, well…You never hear back from those who are dragged away….One can only wonder.”
The kid now fully immersed in the tale says in a nervous tone “I-I think I should go to bed, G-Good Night Mama.” The mother chuckles as she makes her way to the doorway and just before leaving the boy’s room she responds:
“Good night baby, sleep tight and remember…don’t let the Beast catch you in its sight.”
