D&D 5E [D&D 5E] Tattered Memories: An Adventure in Tethyr (COMPLETE)

[section]Brue looked at Bridgette with interest. "I hadn't realized there were more lawkeepers than just me and Greycastle, but it makes sense that there would be, especially now with the trouble. I thought I'd take a nighttime stroll, check out the dead woodcutters' home. Couldn't sleep. Care to join me?" Brue left her truncheon tucked in her pocket for now.[/section]

"Oh yeah," Bridgette replied, "there's still some of us left. The plague took the boss and some of his lieutenants, but there's still a few of us scrubs around. Sir Greycastle has us mostly patrolling the interior of the town during the day and keeping watch on the roads at night."

At Brue's offer, Bridgette briefly looked excited before frowning. "Nah, I probably shouldn't. The crossroads are my post, so I need to stay here. Good luck."

[section]Brue paused. "Sir Greycastle wasn't the boss all along? Who was it who died who was head lawman?" Brue styled Greycastle's honorific after Bridgettes example. The "Sir" felt heavy on her tongue.[/section]

"Cap'n Mycroft was the old lawkeeper. Plague took him a few days ago. Since Sir Greycastle has experience leading troops from the war, the task fell to him." Bridgette replied. The guard walked over to the town well and winched up a pail of water. The pail looked tiny next to the large mouth of the well. Dunking a tin cup into the pail, she took a deep drink. "Want some?"

[section]Brue shot out a hand to accept a cup of water. She'd had soup and a heel of bread earlier, and while both had been delicious, it had been a long day, her head continued to throb, and she was thirsty. "Greycastle didn't put me on guard duty. Doesn't seem fair." Brue drank the water. "Thanks. Any idea how Mycroft got sick?" [/section]

"Not really," Bridgette replied, scratching at her chin. "The woodcutters had come down sick the day before, so the Cap'n and his best were poking around where they had been. The next day, they all seemed sick. By the next day, most were dead. The last of them died the day after."

Shrugging, Bridgette turned back to her duties and nodded, "Good evening, then and good luck."

[section]Brue returned Brigitte's nod. "Thanks. I'll be on my way, then." She put down the cup on the lip of the well, then headed off, intent on finding the woodcutters' cottage. The dark pressed close. She wished again for a torch or a lantern, but, having none, settled instead for slowing her gait and picking her way through the byway.[/section]

Bridgette grunted farewell as Brue continued to make her way through the darkness. Following the Main to the east, she passed Greycastle's house. No light was evident in the house, the Lawkeeper was probably asleep. Continuing down the road, Brue soon approached the terminus of the eastern part of the Main, a circle of standing stones, the curve of the wall encircling Mosstone standing behind it. The genasi guessed this was the base for the druids who normally resided within the town. A faint aura of primal power suffused the area near the stone circle.

Just prior to reaching the druid's circle, Brue turned north along an alleyway, following the directions Jenelle had provided earlier. Picking her way past a few dilapidated structures, she arrived at one that was in greater disrepair than most of the other structures. The dim moonlight illuminated what was probably a one-room shanty. A large red X had been painted on the door. The woman had seen the markings a few other times throughout the village.


Artist: Eric J. Carter

[section]The large red X on the door gleaming in the dim moonlight raised the hairs on Brue's forearms. She suppressed a shiver and went forward toward the shanty. Brue avoided the door for the time being and looked instead for a window. Get a look, see what's inside before I go in. She circled around the side and back of the structure, trying to peer inside if she could, and also having a look at the ground and the sides of the building for clues. Maybe someone else was here, too? she mused.[/section]


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Even in the poor light, Brue easily spotted a pair of window openings on either side of the door. They are both closed and shuttered.