Day 2
The Ice Man
Noone from Moonrest has touched the body and noone has dared to.
Elder saelin tells us we do not let the tide take the dead but do not bury what we do not understnd.
Determine how the man died, take him to the fish house for an investigation.
She tells us to record everything for the moon rest arvices. "Do this carefully" she says.
Well dressed human male, frozen stiff and sea frost clings to the clothes. Clothes are very high quality, obvs not a fisherman. Bruising around the wrists, boots don't look worn so not used to much wear
Seb sees the body didn't drift here, he sees faint drag marks which the drifting snow have partly covered, the bag looks like its just dropped. There are no foot/boot prints.
Bryn suggest moving him to the fish house, we make an A frame strecher and carry him back.
We return to the fish house with the body, the villagers are outside looking. Not helping but having a nosey.
Approaching the fish house a man in his mid 40s stop =s us and says "your not bringing that into the village you don't know what he's carrying" A doesn't know the man but asks him if he knows who the body is - "he doesn't know" Calms slightly when A tell him elder saelin told us to do this. An old lady tells folk to let him pass - if the sea gave him back we take care of him"
Passing between 2 houses - we hear a group of children playing and singing... we recognise it a a sort of scary nursery rhyme. "l hear what you say. He walks where oaths are torn in two, And smiles like friends you think you knew. Lock your door when moon’s gone thin, Don’t let a traitor’s shadow in."
The villagers are asking if anyone knows him or what has happened. But we make it to the fish house and lay him out.
Exam - Head first. no paniced expression, so don't think he struggled. Check his chest, Guru notice water in his lungs, Salas thinks the water entered after death. Spine Salas notices a small puncture wound in his spine which looks itentional.
Wrists and hands - perception Slas and Guru sees the wrists are bruised which look like he was restrained - they see lavender marks under his finger nails which A and Seb believe is an alcheical residue, His hands seem to have reacted oddly to the cols
Spine puncture - Bryn says he's not seen anything like that from the sea
Outer clothing - high quality probably from one of the main continents. Jacket has reinforced seams, but in some areas they seem a lot thicker than you'd normally expect. Seb and Guru can see the stiching is deliberatly reinforced with different thread. Feels out of place with the rest of the jacket. Guru uses a knife from the fish house and unpicks the seams. Bryn comments the stitching was done to protect something, Seb thinks it was done to hide some thing quickly. Guru finds a wax sealed packet. (pockets of the jacket seem to be empty) Trouser pocket check - scrap of cloth and small piece of cord, but no coin. An inner pocket seems to ahve something inside it - seems to be a small metal ring, wrapped carefully in some cloth. Seems to be a signet ring, but seems to have been intentionally hidden. It's well crafted, not local. Doesn't seem to be cult based or magic. No insription in the ring. Bryn thinks he's seen the inscritopn before on crates from the mainland.
Guru open the letter from the jacket. Most has been worn away, but he can make out:
"Moonrest Isle classified low activity.”
“Threshold variance within tolerance.”
“reserves stable.”
“Knight oversight unnecessary at this stage.”
Guru thinks he's some sort of courier from the mainland.
We take a closer look at the needle mark in his spine. We know of plants that could be ground down and would casue paralysis and stop hearts and that could be the cause of death, then tossed into the water when dead. Seems to have had all ID removed apart from what was hidden.