[color=blue]One of the magi (not Justus) discovers the following incident when he or she is walking the covenants grounds.
Three men are standing arguing and at their feet there is a dead man with a piece of rope tried around his neck. The dead man is the werewolf captured who where captured at the fateful night when the werewolves attacked. All the men wears the mark of penance, that is a special cap administered by the town hall to those who have committed some minor crime and are serving out time in community labour. The largest of the men shout to the other, [color=red]We drag this corpse to the crossroad and dig it down there! A man with a large nose shouts back, [color=red]No we ditch him to the hogs, they need the meat so they grow fat for the winter. There has been a rather poor time and I don’t want to starve. And besides it is far to long to drag this sorry looking fellow to the crossroads! The third with a limp leg shouts at the other, [color=red]Are ye daft?! Of course we can’t feed it to the hogs, remember last time. The hogs where slaughtered and feed to the dogs, and dog food doesn’t make me less hungry. And there is far to long to drag this one to the crossroads, I say that we throw him in the waste pit. After all it smells already horrible and in time no one can see his bloody corpse anyway! There is a lot of tension in the air and the men looks as if they are going to start a fight, perhaps that where the reason that they got punished the first time.
[color=red]I take it you have had your orders, Yannick interrupts them in a harsh voice.
[color=red]Congratulations, your arguing just earned you more work!
This man will get a proper burial. As will the remains of all the other werewolves. You will be digging the graves.
And before you ask: It turned out that the werewolves had been forced to attack us. Their families had been taken hostage. And killed for that matter. They deserve a proper burial.
Meet me by the graveyard within two hours.
Unless the men are looking for trouble, Yannick turns to find father Gerald and Horst to arrange the burial. He'll ask about the mens orders and why they are being punished at the occasion.
When Yannick orders them to drag the corpse to the grave yard they the large one protest. [color=red]But it is custom to dig down corpses of those who kill ‘em self at the crossroad. He frowns and pick up his shovel and order his two compatriots to start dragging the corpse.
Father Gerald states that he told them to deal with suicides in the usual manner. He thought that they would dig the corpse down at the crossroads that is common.
Horst can inform that the men where given a minor penance for a fist fight after to much ale.
Suicide? Is this body the werewolf that survived? I am pretty sure we didn't allow him to run around free. And I for sure didn't give him no rope.
I'll ask Bartolomaeus to have a look before the burial.
I doubt this was a suicide.
[color=blue]Yes it is the body of the werewolf that survived. Somehow he managed to sneak away unguarded, after all he has been in your care for some time. Bartolomaeus can’t find anything that looks suspicious. But he can point the way to the one whom where lax in his duties so that this tragedy could happen.
In that case, Yannick will inform the magi at the covenant.
Immediatly therafter he'll assume his Crow shape, fly to Aldrick, ask him if he could come Ad Fons and have a look at the corpses. Maybe he knows any of them, so we can hand the bodies over to their relatives.
I thought I mentionned Yannick would have Aldrik informed? I need to be more explicite in the future...
Perhaps that where forgotten but they are no kin to Aldrik and he believes that the now dead werewolves family where all slain in the attack and as the victim of your foe last season.
Once Yannick meet up with Justus and the other magi what does he say?
Sodales, we got a problem once again
Marcus let the werewolf slip out. He got hold of a rope and hung himself.
He is going to be buried at the crossroads, without the proper rites.
That seems to be the usual way to deal with suicides.
Given the circumstances, I'd like the man properly buried. Maybe I can talk some sense into father Gerald.
What do you think?
And what are we going to do about that careless guard?
[color=red]He committed Suicide that is a Mortal Sin it would be completely inapropriate to bury him on consecrated ground . It is indeed customery to dispose of Suicudes at crossroads it makes it more difficult for them to come back. Unfortunatly I know no magics to ensure his spirit stays quiescent but it will probably haunt our enemies so that is less important.
It seems like a realtively minor discipline matter for the guard I beleive we would normally allow the commander of the guards to discipline his own men I see no reason to intervene.
I do not particularly regret his death , for all he was coerced he tried to kill me and as such I will shed no tears. I will however add it to the list of crimes of our enemy giving more reasons for killing them.
OCC
All opinions in this post are those of Mariella and my recollections of the medieval catholic church
[color=blue]Sorry about the miss of information earlier, I thought of what I should have written but never did it. There where nothing more to learned than I stated above, that is no information at all.
Justus starts to speak apparently with much thought behind his words, [color=red]I know the custom but I can’t help to see that this werewolf is a victim as much as those other in his family. But perhaps there is best to let the local custom pass at this time. After all we don’t know what the reaction could be if we break this custom. We might need a full council decision on this matter, perhaps a discussion for a later time. We inform the captain of the guard of his underling failing and let him deal with it, this is no errand of us.
OOC: Considering this subject it is important to note that real persons view and character view on subject may differ.
[color=red]We can't wait for the other magi to return, the corpse is beginning to rot.
So far, that is one voice against a proper burial, one undecided, one for a proper burial.
I'll have a word with father Gerald then. It's a spiritual matter, so he will probably have a thought or two about this.
Unless one of the magi objects, Yannick will go and see if anything was already done with the werewolves corpse.
If the corpse is not yet buried at the crossroads, Yannick will explain the circumstances to father Gerald and politely ask him if there is a way to have the man buried with a proper ceremonial.
If the man is already buried, or father Gerald does not see a possibility to have the man buried in the graveyard, Yannick will ask him to include the poor soul in the prayers for the departed in the coming sundays mass.
A little later at the blacksmiths:
[color=red]Hello Gottfried.
The Blacksmith looks at Yannick: [color=green]sigh Another nail?
Yannick nods. [color=red]The name will be Lucas Lupus.
[color=green]What do you need all these nails for?
[color=red]To nail someone to our covenants door...
Mariella objects
[color=red]I will not tolerate the body of a suicide being buried on consecrated ground it is wrong. If you are not happy with a crossroads I can turn the body to dust and scatter to the four corners of the earth but I will not have it buried in the graveyard.
You have my word on that.
Disregarding what happens to the body some time passes, day turn into night and night to day.
At supper, this time rather late in the night a guard rushes into the council hall, stops in the entrance and bows. [color=red]Masters once again a horrible tragedy has occurred. The man is clearly shook up by what he has seen. [color=red]A murder most foul has been committed, a man and a woman both slain in the most horrible way. The murderer has run of into the forest. The guard has organised a search but it is getting darker and the murderer is a skilled woodsman. Can you please aid us in our effort.
[color=red]Of course take us to the scene of the murder. We will see if we can locate this man .
Mariella turns to one of the servants
[color=red]Fetch the duty guards at once
A few guards assemble, the magi are informed that the guards have secured the murder scene and that a few guards, the militiamen and the captain are organising a search of the forest. Your guard force seems to work in a most competent and well trained manner. Justus accompanies you to the murder site.
The murder scene is inside the house of one of the woodsmen. Outside there are a few lightly injured persons, the ones that discovered the grizzly act. Inside there can be found two naked bodies, one of a dead man and a dead woman. They are brutally slain and blood is all over the floor and walls. There are numerous wounds in the bodies, and the marks are consistent with that with bites of an axe. Both corpses are in the vicinity of the bed.
To the militia captain:
[color=red]I will need you and the other magi in there. Points to the house.
Everyone else: OUT!
After quickly looking around he turns to the magi and the captain.
[color=red]We have two possibbilities here. It could be a husband murdering his wife and her lover. But it is more likely that is another ruse, to get all of the magi away from the covenant for another attack.
I propose that most of the militia go to the covenant and prepare an ambush, along with the magi.
I could assume my dog shape and try to track the culprit in the woods with a couple of man, in case of a normal murder.
Captain, are the dogs already trained for tracking? Get them here, quick.
[color=blue]OOC: i guess what the magi are discussing goes here, just before...
[color=red]Please tell the captain that i will make the dogs grow to twice their size.
Yannick assumes his rottweiler shape and sniffs around to identify the scent of the murderer.
He will tell the guards dogs (yes! Animal Ken!) what scent they will be tracking in the woods. Yannick will tell them, that he is going to make them bigger and stronger, just as himself. After that he casts "beast of outlandish size" on himself and the guards dogs and "Intuition of the forrest" on himself. Then we go hunting!
The guardsmen captain shouts, [color=red]Yes my Lord, turns around to his men barking new orders, [color=red]Men return to the covenant now, prepare for imminent magical assault. Now remember the drill, throwing axes at ready. If something appears throw your axes and then ask question. There is no time for failure now, this time we make our Lords proud. The captain points towards two militiamen,[color=red] You two, take the witnesses to a secure location. The militiamen rush around in frantic haste, carrying out the orders given to them. The captain once again turns to Yannic, [color=red]Yes the dogs are trained for tracking. However I must tell you that the forest make them uneasy at night.
Without trouble the casting of spells begin and once transformed Yannic can easily feel the scent of blood and the murderer. They are leading into the dark Pomeranian.
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