D&D: Confront the woman about this situation and find out everything you can before you continue.
From Create Your Own Story
You start back quickly towards the village woman. "You need to tell me everything you know, now." you say, planting your fists on your wide hips.
"What did you-"
"That over there is my guide, reduced to ash and bones!" you say in anger born more of irritation than any emotional attachment to your guide. "Is this what happens if you go too far from the village? What causes this? I need to know whatever you can tell me before I go any further, otherwise I can't help you."
Tears fill the woman's eyes. She struggles to maintain her composure as she starts speaking, "Y-yes ma'am. Anyone who tries to flee simply turns to dust if they get too far. Your guide, he must have gone to the village to resupply. Anyone who gets too close falls under its influence, and if they try to leave..."
You already don't like the sound of this. "Tell me everything. When it started, who or what is involved, anything will help."
"I-it started four months ago. Two of the village boys came back from hunting, said they'd found a ruined hut of some kind. Penn, the younger one, he started acting... strange. Got quiet, wouldn't spend time with anyone that wasn't his brother. The only thing he seemed interested in was that ruin. Hedric, h-his brother, didn't like the place much, gave him the creeps, but the game was plentiful out that way, so they went together often anyway. Then, about two months ago... you have to understand I was visiting some relatives in Neverwinter at the time, and nobody seems to want to talk much about it. All they tell me is two months ago, Penn came back, but... Hedric didn't. Some say he was carrying some totem or something, others say he was soaked in blood and holding a knife. Whichever it was, he locked himself a cellar and hasn't come out. We know he's still in there, we hear him talking to... someone. We didn't know about the curse until his parents tried to go to Waterdeep for help. His poor mother stopped for some reason and his father walked ahead when... when she... saw him just... just..." The woman begins to break down.
"It's okay," you say, touching her shoulder reassuringly. "Breathe. Is there anything else you can tell me?"
The woman sniffles and sobs as she tries to collect herself. "J-just... just that... this might not mean anything, but it's so damned uncanny... a black wolf with pale blue eyes started popping up at the outskirts of the village around the time Penn started acting odd. It doesn't hurt anything, just... stares. One of the village men tries to feed it - everyone else thinks he's insane, think the wolf's got something to do with it - but it won't eat anything offered, just darts off if he tries to get close."
This has all the hallmarks of a cursed object. Possessing an innocent, causing odd behavior, culminating in a murder. What made you curious was the curse on the village. Most cursed objects you had read about or dealt with were about spreading fear and causing havoc. There must be something else going on here if it was choosing to remain in one place. You could start with the village, get a sense for any magic in the area, speak to some townsfolk. The ruined hut would be a good place to check out, too, in case something there held any clues. But there was a small, selfish part of you that wanted little more than to get away from here before you fell under this curse yourself...
D&D: Go to the village with the woman and find out what you can there.
D&D: Find the ruined hut and see what secrets it may have to reveal about this situation.
D&D: This is more than you bargained for. Start back for Waterdeep and hope your supplies hold out.
