More scum have disappeared in the Blood Tree Wood in the past year than normal. No bodies have been found in more than a year. Located in a small province between the Valley of the Unfortunate Undead and the Bergen Chrypt, a handful of hardy locals from the village of Borda eke out a miserable but relatively stable income from harvesting Blood Tree Sap. Many of these harvesters have gone missing in recent months, vanishing while out tending the trees. Lord Felbane grew alarmed by the loss of revenue, and then his twin children vanished from inside his home two weeks ago. His wife, the Lady Gurntch, has cloistered herself and will not see anyone. Last night the advisor hired to find the children, the Forlorn Philosopher Aerg-Tval, went missing with a bloody trail heading into the forest. All of these calamities are taking a toll on his business, and he is now beyond desperate. The lord is a wealthy man, and he has decided to use his wealth to solve his problems in the most final way. He commissioned a huge posse, led by a brutal Fanged Deserter calling himself Captain Bemulg, with orders to sweep the Blood Tree Wood of foul creatures, discover the source behind the vanishings, and most importantly to find his children. - from the publisher's blurb