In northwestern Heron, somewhere near where the Piers Highlands meet the Karn mountains, very old folktales have begun to resurface among the peasantry, prompted by tragic circumstances. One every two weeks, on average, coming to a total of twenty six men, have gone missing from the small border community. Families have become reluctant to allow their sons, brothers, and husbands to go hunting alone, or even to venture to the farthest reaches of their fields, for fear of losing their loved ones. After a loss of an entire scouting party, the town has been hesitant to make another effort. Elders speak of rumors passed between their great grandparents and grandparents, many recalling a particular name that has not been spoken in decades: Kutan Village.
At a town meeting, an old woman recalled the story of Kutan Village, a cautionary tale told to her when she was a young girl who had tried to venture close to the mountains. If you go too close to the mountains, her mother told her, the men of Kutan will steal you, roast you on a spit, and eat you! The villagers failed to see the relevance of this anecdote, at least until other elders began to recall their own tales about the place called Kutan. It was a place of savages who love to kill, some said. There were stories about people who were taken a very long time ago, said others. One of the most thorough accounts came from a very old man, who seemed to recall more the more he spoke. He told of an unknown man who had wandered into the village from the mountains, covered in scars and burns, acquired over the course of years. The mountains near the village being as harsh and treacherous as they are, the people wondered where he could possibly have come from. The man was tight lipped and said little before leaving, but one phrase did resonate: We live and die only for the glory of Chaos.
Devout Chaos worship is widespread in Heron, and phrases honoring the god of war in a manner such as this are not absent from pulpits in Heronite churches. That being said, there have been extreme sects who have found society at large to be insufficiently observant in their daily lives, and have separated themselves. While the more visible of these sects are known for being highly austere, there have been very few throughout history who have been violent towards outsiders past the confines of their territories.
Some in the border community have speculated that this Kutan Village could be one of these sects gone rogue, and that the man who had come from the mountains may have been from Kutan. After all, they say, it is clear from the tales that these disappearances have happened before, roughly a century ago. If the sect had existed in the past, it would explain those as well. Some devout Chaotics in the community object to this, claiming that Chaotics are not savage, and would have no reason to kidnap men who are busy toiling for their families. They claim that the disappearances must be the result of either a dangerous beast roaming the mountains, or perhaps dark magic, but even they seem to be haunted by the stories they've heard about Kutan Village. If the place does exist, what could they want with their men? To eat them? Kill them? Convert them? Most feel helpless to answer these questions, and lack the strength to try. Those who fear for their loved ones have started praying for a miracle, or even just some help.
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