In life, Davik Nettles ran a small bridge crossing over the Shrike River in the Greenbelt region of the Stolen Lands after retiring from his engineering job in Brevoy. Charging only five coppers to cross, he didn’t make much coin from his crossing, but he made enough to keep himself and his two dogs fed. When the Stag Lord came upon Nettle’s Crossing for the first time he demanded not only that he be allowed free passage, but also that two-thirds of Davik’s monthly earnings be turned over to the Stag Lord in return for his “protection”. In response, Davik ran the Stag Lord and his men off.

Unfortunately, that night, the Stag Lord’s men returned and killed both Davik and his dogs, shooting Davik as he tried to flee across his bridge. Ever since then, Davik has haunted the waters of the Shrike, demanding that the blood toll be paid before he can be laid to rest.