By reading the still-human minds encased within the trees, we managed to deduce that the wealthiest man in Kolima, one Lord McCoy, commissioned a battery of lumberjacks to fell the woods surrounding the village for lumber so that he could build his beloved a palace of her own. The spirit that dwells in the forest--if there is such a thing--must have acted out in retaliation. McCoy has promised us aid if we can figure out a way to reverse the curse, and having a man of that stature on our side would not be a bad thing for our quest at all.