In Ravenloft the answer truly is "a wizard did it", except that it's "the Dark Powers did it"
There is no functional ecology and there doesn't need to be one. The DP just reset certain thing from time to time.
The miller's boy is eaten by wolves, the village is in horror and mourns and one day the boy wakes up in the morning in his bed, has breakfast with his family and goes on with his daily routine as if nothing ever happened. Next week the smith's girl might get eaten by wolves and the village is in horror and mourns and .....
There's no question as to what all the predators in the woods eat and how the villagers are supposed to sustain their population with all these untimely deaths. It is a simulation and the DP keep working.
There is no functional ecology and there doesn't need to be one. The DP just reset certain thing from time to time.
The miller's boy is eaten by wolves, the village is in horror and mourns and one day the boy wakes up in the morning in his bed, has breakfast with his family and goes on with his daily routine as if nothing ever happened. Next week the smith's girl might get eaten by wolves and the village is in horror and mourns and .....
There's no question as to what all the predators in the woods eat and how the villagers are supposed to sustain their population with all these untimely deaths. It is a simulation and the DP keep working.