Quinn does all that he is told to do when traveling to the Inn and carries Raius in with the help of the other soldier. With no knowledge of poisons, Quinn can only stand and nod sagely. as he heads to the Manor he feels weighted and feet leaden, but he has a duty to perform for her ladyship and all in the manor.
He salutes back when saluted which lifts his spirits a bit, but what makes his steps more sharp is the fact he is about to be in attendance to the lady of the manor, and she needs hope. before entering the Manor proper he takes several minutes to remove dirt from fighting and travel, with no recourse to hide wounds, blood and damage to his clothing.
In the presence of Lady Pendour, he answers her questions as aif giving a report, softening any of the worse of the details as well as he knows how.
"So it was a wererat, as you and the others originally suspected," Lady Pendour replies. "I am glad that you were able to find him and mete out some justice for Lord Ebal. It's unfortunate that the beast couldn't be taken alive, but it sounds like it didn't give you a choice. Well done to you and your allies, Sir Quinn."
"Caerth and the others will bring back the body, of course," Aeron surmises. "Hopefully we can discover why the creature did what it did and the identity of its master."
"I hope so," the lady says with a sigh. "This attack so soon after having my husband's body back can't be a matter of bad luck. There has to be a connection."
"We must consider all possibilities," Aeron says with a nod.
Lady Pendour stands and Aeron bows. "I will draft those documents for you immediately. Wait here, Aeron." She looks at Quinn. "You should return to your companions and help them bring back the wererat's body."
"Tell Caerth to take it to our home and place it on the old bier at the back of the cottage," Aeron adds. "I want to make sure it doesn't carry any diseases before anyone else inspects it."
Aeron waits for the lady while Quinn heads out of the manor the way he came. The guards salute him again as her leaves.
Caerth thinks for a few moments while studying the corpse and the armor.
"That's made from the hide of a woolly rhino," he points to the armor. "Most propably from the Northlands, although this guy doesn't seem to come from that place. Probably stole it, or killed the previous owner."
"That doesn't surprise me," Sir Ghal says. "Everything I've heard about this breed of werebeast is that they are notorious thieves."
JustinCase said:
The half-orc raises an eyebrow, and adds with uncharacteristic wit, "A wererat criminal. Who would've guessed."
Phar quirks his lips at the Half-Orc's unexpectedly humorous turn of phrase. Stress brings out the most interesting behaviors. Such thoughts only partially distract him from the dire situation of his companions.
"Indeed," Ghal chuckles drily.
Scotley said:
Phar puts his keen elven eyes to work helping Aureus, but it is his feet that do the trick as a floor board rocks under his step revealing that it is loose. He bends to the hole. A smile plays across his lips at the sight of platinum in the pouch, but he ignores the coins in favor of the pommel shaped vial which he takes gingerly and wraps carefully in a spare shirt. "This might help the healers figure out the best treatment for our fallen companion", he observes.
"Ah, you've found the poison," Sir Ghal says. "We must get it back to Aeron as quickly as possible."[/COLOR]
Scotley said:
The map and note cause his brows to knit in thought. "Well, well, it looks like our ugly friend outside, Odilos I presume, did not follow his orders." He taps the paper in frustration. "But who is the 'bastard son' and the 'breeder'? A couple? Mother and child? Curse this absent scribbler for neither being more specific nor signing his scrawl." He blows out his breath though his nostrils. "I guess we should return to the village and see if there are a pair of relative newcomers, one male, one female in town? I don't expect this little place gets all that many emigres." He shakes is head. "If that fails I guess there is nothing for it be to return to the tower and see if this Odilios made contact with the wereman there. Unless of course there is another in town." He adds ruefully, "We really must get some silver weapons."
"I haven't seen anyone else pass through recently that matches that description," Wieland notes. "This one," he points to the dead wererat. "He didn't mention anything about looking for anyone or knowing any of the locals."
"And the name, Odilos, is definitely not a Falcûnian name, so he's not from Wolffire, no mater what he claimed. That's good to know," Sir Ghal adds. He rubs his chin thoughtfully. "In fact, it sounds more western in origin. He could be from somewhere near Pretensa, maybe."
"The name almost sounds Izmirian," Wieland notes. "But, he didn't speak with an accent. He sounded like he could be from Wolffire."
"Something to figure out later," Sir Ghal says. "As Phar suggests, we need to check in Carnell and see if there are any more strangers lurking around. I doubt it. Visitors rarely go unnoticed." He motions to Wieland. "Find something to wrap the corpse. There might be something in the farmhouse but be careful in there."
The guard nods and rushes up the gulch to the old house while you all wait near the body.
"If we can't find this 'bastard' in Carnell, I think you're right, Phar. You'll have to go back to Gurnard's Head and question the other wererat. He's probably involved or knows something. If you can, bring him back to the village. It doesn't sound like he'll come easily. I can assign you more help. If you come in numbers, he might surrender."
Wieland comes back with an old rug that has seen better days. It is duty and pock-marked. Something has been chewing on its edges. "Lady Pendour should have someone knock that old place down," Wieland suggest. "It smells terrible in there."
"We'll worry about that later," the young knight replies. He works with Wieland and the group to wrap the dead wererat in the old rug. It doesn't take long after that to drag the werebeast up the gulch and sling it over Wieland's saddle. All the other horses were taken back to Carnell, so you have to walk the horse back to the village. The early morning has turned to late morning and Caerth knows it will soon be time for Low Luncheon*. By the time Carnell comes into view, Wieland's stomach is growling.
"I shouldn't have skipped my morning meal," he says while holding the reins of his horse.
OOC: *Commoners eating a daily fare of bread and cheese and some ale or mead. The time for this meal is just before Noon. High Luncheon, in contract, happens between 1 or 2 P.M. and consists of a larger meal shared amongst the community.