The Town
The town exists.
They pay tythe to the Pale Compact, remembering the harsh winter that happened when the full tythe was not paid.
We belong here and all look to pretect it.
Today begins as a normal day with the faint feeling that something is slightly off.
Then the Bell at the shore rings....... and some of heard our name called.
Characters
Aethswold - Orphaned at an early age. Joined a local seminary as a Cleric. Early in his semiary journey. Can be a little Grupmpy
Guru - Dwarf from the mountains. Was training to learn some magic, but lmostly learing his traditional weapons training 214 years old, but had to flee after the calamity hit. Therefore didn't finish training, survived by using his smithing skills
Sebastian - Fisherman bytrade. Lived here all his life, parents still live here. Not very ambitious.
Salus - been here for as long as she can remember In her 40s, on a quest to learn magical scrpts, scriptures etc
Called to the Elder Salin. Given jobs for the day:
The broken smokehouse (outside of town near some docks) Looks to have been damaged over night. Town worried aboutt food spoilage
The missing net (younger islander has gone east to find the net and has not returned)
the ice-tide beast (
The broken smokehouse:
Smells wrong, one side has bucked in wards. No Blood or can see footprints
Dock Worker Bryn - no dogs barking no gulls screaming.... COnfirms there shouldn't be any one there over night.
Guru checking tool shed. ---- Naroww bench with one draw opened carefully and contents spilled. Looks like a knife is missing, probably just a villagers knife
Seb checks the snow trail towards the woods. Snow shows something heavy was dragged here, wind hasn't been able to hide it. Gets the impression the snow was deliberatly used to try and hide the trail.
Seb+Aethswold think some sort of carcas was dragged, not by a predator. Seb thinks something was stolen from the smoke house
Blodd stained cain. Salus can see the snow is darked and compressed, snow is blood stained like something was dragged here. Cairn is new and the villagers wouldn't have made it. Looks like an old burial marker, but doesn't look llike it honors the dead. Blood is new and from multiple different creatures. Seb believs that it was intentional and meant to be seen. SOmething large was dragged forom the Cain to the shoreline
Fire Pit is cold, but not long dead. Melted frost clings to the stones in unnatural patterns. SOmething was added to the embers; not fuel but it has been burned away. Can smells a faint smell of ash and sweet rot. It's unfamiliar to Aethswold. Guru can tell the is a necromatic residue. Very weak and unstable. The fire was disturbed after it had died down. Maybe ash was used in the ritual
The collapsed wall and the smokehouse door
Door is part open, but looks it's been forced form the inside. Small of fish, also smell of cold iron and fur. Hinge was bend by strenght. No splintering, no bite marks on the fish which looks like they have been disguared.
Bryn mention the door is always locked
Salus sees a darker smear of blood behind one of the beams.
Bryn is not sure what's missing
We know no creature hunts like this. Footprints by the door seems to have been there for a while What ever came through the door was intentional. Gura sees very faint marks scratched on the inside door frame, probably mabe by nails. Aethlwynn wonders if a caster was here. Guru disagress and thinks its ritualistic and could be fiendish or devilish. Wanted us to see the ritual or didn't care if we did.
Characters opt to repair the building. Bryn helps. Spend several hours to make it secure. Some of the smoking racks seem to have been snapped. One of the racks was delibertaly pulled down, some of the racks have been arranged to make a crude sigil. Blood patterns on near suggest fish were cut.
a single bare human footprint is found near the racks, but bigger than normal footprint.
Found items:
Bryn says to take twine and net repair kit, resin soaked kindling, soot stained cloths, bone shards, salt block, jar of rendered fat(looks a bit spoiled but usable), 3 smoke house hooks.
Follow path to the east in search of the missing net: