Sanctity and Sanctuary

General Summary

Rook was a wanderer, a vagabond, long before his journey took him to the village of Fortree under the midday sun of 19 Midsummer 1604. He had travelled from the Silver Way, expecting a place to rest far enough away from the clamour of the major trade routes. Instead, as he crested the hills on the western edge of the valley, he found not a place of rest, instead finding the burned out ruin of the village raided but a week before.   As the weary rogue entered the village chapel, the focal point for the survivors who he had seen about the ruins, he came to the Matron Superior talking with a Templar at the altar. The ensuing conversation, he learned of the fate of the village ealdorman - who was suffering greatly with a wound sustained in the attack before. While Rook's knowledge of medicine was limited, he offered up his knowledge to assist them.   To the village - as Mother Galliya and 'Rusty', the templar, noted - seemed like a blessing, as that this man offering assistance would arrive as they needed him. Surely enough, Rook tended to the ealdorman, Jonah, helping to clear the infection festering in his wound. Impressed, he and the Templar had a chance to talk of the rigours of the road as they sought the town's herbalist, Nissa.   Their quiet was shattered, however, when a peasant from the village presenting a bloodied corpse, clawed and missing its legs - presumably, so the pair were told, the remains of the peasants who had set out the night before. Apparently, the villagers had seen movement among the ruins by night, and had assumed it to be bandits, or scavengers; the corpse was what can only be assumed to be the remains of that group. Spurred to action, Rusty invited the peasant who had brought the corpse to take them back to where it had been found.   On arrival, the two adventurers surveyed their crime scene. While the immediate vicinity was uninteresting, there was evidence of other corpses that had been dragged away. Following the trail lead the pair to an old farmstead on the outskirts of town. At this farmstead, Rook and Rusty were ambushed by a pair of corpse eaters - pallid, undead abominations that feasted on carrion. After a tough fight, the two decided to cut their losses and returned to the chapel to rest.   Gathering themselves the following morning, with Bjorim in tow, the party returned to the farmstead, to find it abandoned - the dust had settled from the day before, and lay undisturbed. Picking up the continuing trail of the corpses, however, the group were able to track the creatures to their lair - an old barrow, the mausoleum within home to a large amount of stored carrion. While their search bore no fruit, Rook did happen across a dusty journal as the group went to exit...

Created Content

Rook
Bryant Willowbark
Nissa Offund