The rain poured down in torrents, tapping insistently against the windows of the small tavern. Inside, the patrons huddled around the flickering fire, nursing their drinks and chatting in low tones. Among them you sat as a retired hero, a grizzled adventurer with scars etched deep into your weathered face. You had long ago hung up your sword and settled into a life of quiet solitude, but memories of your past adventures still haunted you.

As you sipped your ale, you noticed an old woman shuffling towards you. She was dressed in tattered robes and her wrinkled face was hidden beneath a hood. Despite her age, she moved with surprising agility and purpose. She approached you and placed a small piece of parchment on the table.

"Take it," she rasped in a voice that was low and gravelly. "It's a message for you."

You looked up at her, curious. "Who are you?" you asked.

The old woman simply smiled enigmatically and said, "That's not important. What matters is what's on that paper" as she tapped her bony finger on the parchment.

With that, she turned and scurried away, disappearing into the shadows of the tavern. You looked down at the parchment and saw that it contained a riddle.

"I am a wooden creation with curves and bends,

Carved by Bards, my form transcends.

I have no voice, yet I make sweet sound,

With skillful hands, I can make your heart pound."

You furrowed your brow, trying to make sense of it. What could it mean? As you pondered the riddle, a strange sense of unease washed over you. There was something about the old woman that was deeply unsettling, and you couldn't shake the feeling that she was not quite human.

You turned the note over. On the back was a poem scribbled in something that didn't seem like ink...

"And now we stand, before the portal's gate,

The answer in hand, our fate to contemplate,

With a magical word, the way is un-sealed,

Unlock thunkboardgames.com/answer, and your quest is revealed."

Don't forget about your Journal, it could come in handy as you've jotted down lots of information over the years about various beasts and monsters you've encountered.