A Murder in Hearthlight

     ~Day 1~

The air is cool and it feels light. Each breath is no longer choked with moisture. It's a good break from the hot climate of the summer. I'm sure if the road had more variety in trees, it would be covered in oranges and reds. With the breath of autumn flowing through the air, the wildlife is preparing for the winter. The pitter-patter of tiny feet can be heard off in the distance. At the edge of my vision, I see a brief shuffle in the pine needles.

"Babe," Lilah's voice calls, soft and sweet. Her airy tone always puts me at ease. I break my gaze from the distance. I see the woman I love, walking alongside me. Her robes a deep purple, flowing behind her in the light breeze. The rich color accents her dark complexion and as the cloth dances in the wind, her curvature is revealed. She holds the fine form of a dancer. Her dreadlocks bounce lightly with each step. They are held together by a bandanna, obtained from some far-off land. It matches her robes, decorated lavishly with golden stitching. The pattern varies and flows as elegantly as Lilah herself, always graceful even in such a mundane time as this.

The mule jerks his head up and brays. Lilah pats his neck to comfort him. "-look. We're almost there."

A short way in front of us, I can see the outline of a little village - Hearthlight. The houses, are peppered around the north and south edges of the village. They aren't the best quality in terms of construction, but compared to other homes seen in our travels, they also aren't the worst. Each building looks as if you gave it one strong push, it would crumble in to a pile of muck and straw. They apparently make do, though. In the center is the town square. It has a wooden gazebo as its centerpiece. All around that are market stalls. Since the town is on a sort-of crossroads, it is a good trade post. It should not be difficult for us to off-load a few of our exotic foods and if not that, our herbs and trinkets are usually pretty popular. To the south of the square is the longhall. It's built of stone. Each is stacked unevenly, and it seems that they had been lain many years ago. They're dark with age and weather. In front of the longhall is a building built of stained wood. It stands two stories high, and on its east wall is a very basic stable, with an awning to protect the beasts beneath. The inn should be suitable for us. We have stayed there once or twice in the past, and they can normally accommodate the wares of our troupe.

"Hey!" A yell from our carriage. "Where is Canis!?" I look to see a very disoriented Brenda. Her eyes are bloodshot, hardly open, and puffy from sleep. Her stringy brown hair, tousled, is sticking to one side of her face. She tries, unsuccessfully, to hide her concern. She is visibly worried.

"Ah." I reply, "He never came back from his piss-break last night. We had to leave him behind!" Canis is very interesting person. He loses himself very frequently, whether it be in a city, or on the road. It is very hard to keep track of the man. Nonetheless, he always finds his way back to us. Lilah and I get tired of keeping tabs on him. So the job is left to his partner, Brenda.

"Ugh. Can't that boy learn to keep to the convoy?" She sits down with her arms crossed in frustration.

Lilah giggles. We continue heading toward the village. Canis should be fine. He knows where we're headed and we only parted ways a short distance away, only an hour's walk. Besides, he keeps a good humor about his getting lost. So, it's all in good fun.

After a short trek, we close the distance to Hearthlight. We make way to the Inn. A crude sign is posted near the entrance. Depicted is a beer mug with a rat, floating atop a bath of ale, fat and contented. The Ratty Tavern. Lilah and Brenda go around to the stable. I head inside to negotiate prices with the inn-keep. The man was small and sweaty. The dim glow of the fire glints off of his shiny forehead. He intermittently dabs away the sweat with a washcloth. I tell him our needs: Four people, one beast, and one carriage. He was very firm on price, but we came to terms once he learned that I wanted to book his venue for the duration of our stay. The troupe always enjoys performing, and even more so when they get a cut of the overhead.

"Sounds like we have a deal..." The inn-keep scratches his head, and pockets the coin for our stay. "What'd you say your name was, again?" He pauses for only a fraction of a second. "Never mind that. Our town could definitely use some livenin' up. Especially in light of the murder."

"A murder?" I ask, "What do you mean?"

The inn-keep looks a little worried, as if he said something he shouldn't have. "Well... Last night there was a murder. A little girl, in fact. She was found mangled by the creek!" All signs of reluctance leaves his expression, "The locals haven't seen anything like it before! Her body was rip't into, as if a beast with huge claws had opened her up. Some of her flesh was missing too! The beast gnawed down to the bone! I heard her chest was wide open!" He dabs the sweat on his brow once again. "Some people think it was a bear or some other such beast. There've been reports of animal activity out by the creek!"

"Don't lie to this kindly stranger, Gerald!" The slurred voice of a drunken patron comes forth among the commotion of the inn. "It was Lyca!" The man's dark, oily, hair contrasts with his reddened face. He grabs his mug haphazardly and tilts it back, taking a final draught, and slams it back to the table. "She has returned to the place of her death to take vengeance!"

The in-keep interjects. "I don't think one of The Blessed has come to our small town. They have better things to do than harass villagers." He offers a dry chuckle, "There is a war going on!"

"Plus, Lyca has been dead for at least the last one hundred years." I offer, "She was was found long before this settlement was established." The legend of Lyca, is one I am familiar with. The knowledge of The Blessed and their campaigns are worth knowing since they are often featured in the epic tales that our troupe performs.

Before Hearthlight was settled, it was a military outpost. It was one held by The Eternal Flame. The Sanguine was on a rise in power and they were interested in extending their reach across the lake. They must have assumed that the outpost was far enough from the mainlands to overtake easily, because they sent a small crew to do the job. Among the single war-boat that was sent was Lyca, The Terrible...