Subject: The Farm

The three Falcon's arrange themselves several yards apart, and just inside the cover of the corn field. Robert whispers to Rennik before he leaves, "It will be a long shot, sir, if it comes to shooting." Rennik nods. The Falcon's will be more useful in covering a retreat than they will be in actually hitting anything at the farmhouse.

The halfling then leads Pensive through the low brush and cover to the tree by the south side of the house. Up close now, Pensive's nose wrinkles in disgust at the stink of rotting flesh. Rennik moves as quietly as possible to the inset cellar doors, mentally cursing when a hidden twig crackles under foot. The doors are stout wood planks on metal hinges, with a simple deadbolt on the outside keeping them shut.

He turns to look back at Pensive, who just shrugs and moves over to his side, tightly gripping the stonesash. Rennik slides the deadbolt to one side, moving very slowly and trying to keep it as quiet as possible. He then slowly lifts one door, and takes a quick peek into the cellar.

The sunlight dimly illuminates the short stairwell, and a small portion of the cellar itself. Though the stench has become almost overpowering, there is nothing in view. Rennik opens the door the rest of the way. Still nothing. Pensive opens the other door to let as much sunlight into the room as possible, and then Rennik moves slowly down the steps, gripping the shortened halberd in one hand.

At the bottom, he pauses to let his eyes adjust, and then he sees the first victim.

In a distant corner of the room lies an adult human female. Probably the wife of the farmer. She has been slowly and meticulously cut to pieces, in a manner very similar to the way Cadfael was butchered after his death. But in this case, there is no quick death from a wound to the heart. Someone killed her slowly, keeping her alive as long as possible. It must have been several days ago, as the body is rotting and crawling with maggots. There is no one else in the cellar, just shelves of canned food and dry goods. Rennik spends a few moments searching the hard packed dirt floor, then moves to a second stairway leading up into the house.

The stairway leads to a large kitchen. From there Rennik and Pensive move into a large living area. Still no one in sight. A door leads from this room to the outside, and a second door into another room. Rennik moves to it, and stands at one side. Pensive moves to the other side. Rennik yanks the door open quickly, and looks in the room. No one. He finally speaks. "I don't think they left anyone else here, unless they're in the barn. We should check that next. There are footprints downstairs. Halfling. Murrkat is my guess." He spits.

Pensive replies, "There is a bed built for two adults in this room. In the larger room, there are two more adult size beds, and one that looks as if it could hold three or four children. At least four adults and three children lived here. Where are they?"

Rennik shrugs, "The farmer is dead in Overlook. I'd guess that's his wife downstairs. The other two... hired hands maybe? Perhaps they weren't here when this went down. Maybe they got away with the kids."

"Rennik, isn't it more likely that the Murrkat took them back to the temple you spoke of?"

Rennik spits again, then nods. "If they did, looking at the state of the body downstairs, they have a three day head start. We'd never catch them."

[Scott and Matt, let me know where you want to go from here.]

Subject: Re: The Farm

OOC: All right; so the woman was killed a few days ago. Feasibly, that means that the farmer was being held captive for a few days as well. Was he being held captive in Overlook, pending the arrival of our bunch? It would seem so, especially from what the Thug Brothers implied. What did the Thug Brothers do, leave the tower, and run right to Overlook to await orders? Where/how did they meet up with the Murrakat who killed the woman? Did the Murrakat (specifically) kill her? If so, does that mean that they may have also snuck into Nesalin and killed Cadfael?

:) I keep thinking I'm overlooking something.

I'll write up a turn a little later. . .

Subject: Re: The Farm

Those are all excellent questions, with very logical answers.

You just don't know what they are. :)

Subject: Re: The Farm

I've got scads of hypotheses, though; alas, I'm going home right now, and will probably forget them in the hour and a half commute on the way home.

:)