"Where the devil are we?" said Grifaldus, scowling as he examined the battered map. It was a dreary night, and the party had been traversing the woods for days. Grifaldus traced and retraced their path through the forest. Their rations were getting dangerously low, and he knew that if nothing was done, they would soon have to resort to drastic measures.

"I don't know, but...wait!" said Mirabel, the party healer, eyes furrowed as she stared into the fog. "Is that light?"

"Light?" Grifaldus blinked his eyes and squinted into the darkness. There was, indeed, light: a faint flicker of orange through the misty night. "By Jove, you're right!" He shook the rest of his party—Toria the rogue and Jax the warrior—who were napping against a tree. "Look, you lot! Shelter!"

"Shelter?" Jax said, his eyes popping open at the sound. "Food?"

Toria rubbed the sleep from her eyes and glared blearily at Grifaldus. "Really? We're going to march off towards a random light in the middle of the night?"

"Well, I daresay we don't have much of a choice, do we?" Grifaldus said, gesturing towards their increasingly anemic rations. There was little Toria could do other than reluctantly admit his logic, and the party set off. Soon, they reached a little bridge, with two lanterns beside, illuminating a charming village with cobblestoned streets and quaint shops. A sign hung from the streetlamp: DUNWALLON.

Heartened, and perhaps with a little less caution than they should given the circumstances, the adventurers set out over the bridge into Dunwallon proper. A cool fog permeated the town, rendering buildings indistinct. The streets were empty, and the gentle creaking of wooden signboards was the only sound. Grifaldus pushed away his slow unease, reasoning that it was, after all, quite late at night and that all respectable people were likely in bed, slumbering away.

After some more steps, the party came across a distinguished brick building with a little candle blazing in the window, warding off the fog. The sign proclaimed it as the local inn. Cheered by the promise of food and comfort, the intrepid party of adventurers entered without the slightest bit of hesitation.

The inn was cozy, with wooden walls and a small hearth with a cauldron of—Grifaldus sniffed appreciatively—boar stew. Though the inn was empty of patrons, the party was too tired to notice. Grifaldus led the party to the bar, though they stopped short once they saw the bartender.

The bartender was wearing the most peculiar mask, carved in polished wood with intricate lines and designs. It was a mask of a fox, and the bartender's eyes were hidden behind dark lenses.

"Ah, new customers!" he trilled in a melodious voice. "A hale and hearty welcome to Dunwallon!" He bowed theatrically. "What brings you here?"

"Well, good sir," said Grifaldus, his enthusiasm tempered by the oddity of the mask, "we were lost in the woods, and followed the light here. You see, we have been wandering for days, and we need a place to rest our heads."

"Oh, how tragic," said the bartender. "I'm terribly sorry for your plight. Please, take a seat! We'll get you lot some hot food and warm drinks." He clapped his hands and serving maids appeared from shadowed doorways, their faces hidden behind impassive masks carved in the shape of animals. They carried silver trays laden with steaming bowls of soup and meat pies. The party, baffled, sat at one of the tables.

"It's been so long since we last had visitors in Dunwallen," said one of the maids, her voice soft under her bunny mask. "So nice to see new faces." She giggled after uttering this last sentence, the dark eyes of her bunny mask peering with interest at Grifaldus. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that these odd masked servers were gathering around the rest of his party, whispering soft words and in general appearing a good deal more seductive than warranted, considering that the party was still dressed in their traveling clothes and haven't bathed in days.

"Oh, uh, ahem," said Grifaldus articulately. "Yes, I suppose so. Er, if you don't mind me asking, why are you all wearing these peculiar animal masks?"

The bunny-masked waitress tittered at his question, as though he was a child. "Oh! Oh my, what an intimate question! I daresay we'll need to know each other an awful lot better