Lykteholder - Elderwood Draugr

Though many legends and tales surround the dark forests of Nordheim, none is so pervasive as the legend of the Lykteholder, a story that has travelled far beyond the dark pines of Nordheim and into every household of Tharador’s northern kingdoms. Parents whisper in the dark to their children of the horrors of the forests under night’s veil: a bony man the sole saving grace of any who might find themselves lost in the woods at night. Though his warmth might be welcoming, and the light a sole beacon of hope in a place of utter darkness, you must not step towards him, or take his outstretched hands. Those who welcome his aid will find themselves not led out of the forest, but deeper within, and where he takes his victims, none know. Some tales tell of the victims finding themselves standing at their graves, already marked and dug, before their heart suddenly ceases beating and they collapse into it, trapped within the woods forevermore, food for the trees. Others believe he is simply a sadistic monster that will tear you limb from limb once he takes your hand. Though there are still some who hold delusions that he is indeed a sign of fortune, and actively seek out the Lykteholder in hopes he will lead them to a place of gold and fortune, or secretive sanctuary. Like all legends, small grains of truth are hidden through a desert of exaggerations and fabrications. Though one thing is certain: the only ones who know the truth of the Lykteholder have never lived to tell the tale.