Many long years ago, there was a small village in Jala’s Forest.
There was nothing much to do there, except grow vegetables and hunt small animals.
Monthly trips to a slightly larger village for cloth. It could have been Potter before they turned to pottery to earn a living. Furs were traded for cloth. The small village figured they could do better by traveling to the nearest town called Kmoj, but they preferred living in the forest.
They didn’t want to go to the town, not exactly afraid of being made fun of, but what if they were robbed on the way back ? At least they knew how to escape problems and attacks in the forest. Open areas they had no idea.
In each generation there was always someone who felt that the village was being cheated of money on the cloth – fur trade.
The reasons for not going to the town, out in the open and the lack of hiding places if they were attacked, satisfied the worriers.
Time moved onward, but seemingly not so fast in the village.
A child was born and named Krini.
Krini didn’t like the explanations. Krini figured there would be a way to deal with attackers outside the forest.
The rest of the village was upset that Krini asked so many questions. No one ever harmed Krini, but did tell Krini to stop worrying.
They were safe in the forest, no harm could come to them there.
Then one day the warning horns sounded in the town outside the village.
Three brave men ran to the larger of the two villages to warn them of the Undead invasion.
They got to the large village, which was attacked. All were lost.
Krini was out and about, talking to the wolves. They got along with Krini. But then most wolves were not evil back then. At least not in Licieria.
At least not the ones in this part of the woods. Maybe they were wild dogs who remembered humans, no one knew for sure.
They warned Krini of a large group of Orcs headed this way. Could they talk ? No one remembers if they did or not.
Krini tried to warn the village, but they told her that nothing would harm them there deep in the forest.
A few supplies gathered, a book, off into the deepest part of the woods.
The orcs struck the village.
No survivors. The Orcs followed Krini’s trail… it did them no good. They found it looped back and forth on itself.
They were going to give up, but orders were orders.
They camped for the night, in the ruins of the small village. They would follow the trail afresh and deal with this problem.
That is when Krini and the wolves struck.
The Orcs were all killed.
Some of the wolves went mad from something in the Orc’s blood.
The good wolves and bad wolves now hunt throughout Krini’s Forest.
Those who encounter wolves now don’t know of Krini and the good wolves, few in number they are.
The elves and rangers know there is a force for good in Krini Forest. Yes, the name changed slowly, no one knew it was Krini’s Forest now, they just called it Krini’s Forest based on rumors that made their way onto maps.
No one, those who could have remembered never talked to sages, knew if Krini was a man or a woman.
Both men and women, one at a time over the long years, have been seen in the company of wolves.
Since they did help lost people get out of the woods, it is known they exist.
Others say it was a bad dream or madness brought on by the forest.
The original Krini couldn’t be 500 years old, but a human is still seen, moving about Krini Forest. In the company of wolves.