Chapter 2: Playing With Fire

[Vardaen]

You make your way down the hill approaching from the east. You can see most of the homes and shops are burning or burnt out, some are nothing more than a few posts now, the thatched roofs have gone up instantly. It seems much of the worst of it started in the center of town, where the ashen remains of a chapel crumble, the stone falling in staggered moments without its supporting wooden structure. Mongo notices some homes on the north side are still alright, likely because a small stream splits the town there creating a firebreak.

You are about fifty yards from the first of the burned buildings and you spot two corpses on the ground face down in the mud, a middle aged man and woman, arrows in their backs.

[ManWithDoor]

Mongo makes sure his shield is at the ready, not wanting to get sniped himself. "Villagers killed from behind, surprised or chased. Not an accident, someone murdered them." His muscles are bunching and flexing, and he is clearly getting more agitated by the moment at this butchery.

[Grimbold]

"An attack! Who would attack a whole town? I do not know much about your city dwellers, but is there some war you know about?" Eyris says, moving her gaze from left to right trying to spot movement.

[Vardaen]

An examination of the bodies reveals these are locals, likely farmers or tradesmen of the village. They have on simple clothing, no items of war save for a shovel that has fallen from one of their hands. Rolling one over Mongo looks the man up and down, and the only thing to note on him is a dangling amulet on a leather thong around his neck, small leather medallion painted with a black hand.

[Othniel]

"Dark things," murmurs Morwen as she stoops to look at what Mongo has turned over. She grasps the medallion, yanking it from around the corpse's neck and holds it up. "The black hand denotes the Order of the Ebon Hand," she explains, tracing the outline of the hand with her fingertip as she holds it in the palm of her other hand. "But was this poor man a member or a victim, and if the latter why was he wearing one of their medallions? Members usually sacrifice one of their hands. Hm." Morwen peers at the corpse to see if it still has both hands.

[ManWithDoor]

The barbarian looks blankly at Morwen. "Who are they? Secret tribe?"

[Othniel]

"I am unsure how secret they are," Morwen admits. "Though they certainly wouldn't advertise themselves in good society I should think. They serve an avatar of Agares the Black they call the Ebon Praetor. Enemies of Icatia and the Order of Lietbur as well as the Elohim. Rumors of vampirism in their midst persist. We must be cautious."

[Vardaen]

The man does have both his hands, however his left hand has an odd marking. Around the wist is a tattoo of a black band. It goes all the way around like a bracelet of ebony.

[Grimbold]

"What is this?" Eyris says, as she sees the tattoo.

[Othniel]

"Could be an alternative to removal of the hand," Morwen says. "Or perhaps in preparation for it?"