Getting into cover as Drewan suggests, Rocosmia mutters a spell and points to Drewan briefly as he hides in the tree. A quick few whispered words later, she looks to the others.
"There doesn't seem to be anything he can see." She continues whispering to Drewan, now just loud enough for the others to eavesdrop on her half of the conversation. "We'll come up by the tree slowly. Can you get atop that building?"
With that, she moves light-footed toward the tree while muttering another spell. Concentrating on it while moving slowly, she checks the others follow up while Drewan makes his next move.
Stealth:
"I go"
Mong picks up his sack and walks casually into town, being on his guard looking around.
Perception:
Dev is amused. "I still don't get what the problem is," he whispers even as he follows Rocosmia.
Jake whispers to Dev while also following the others quietly"It is the lack of people and activity. They are probably holding a big dance in the woods or something, but maybe they have been slaughtered. Might be a good idea to get something with scent in here." Jake waves his hand in general shape of a dog and says "Sdnoh" and hounds (dogs) appear. He speaks quietly to them briefly in an odd language
"You're a summoner," Dev says quietly. He turns his attention back to the situation. "I see your worry."
Jakes hounds sniff at the air and whine a bit as they follow on his heels.
I will lay may sack next to the body (away from the blood), and go full defense and slowly walk into the house.
Seeing Mong go separate, Rocosmia follows, albeit silently. Continuing focus on the spell, she keeps looking for any change. She points to Mong and whispers. "Don't go too far from us."
Each of you cautiously advances. The dead person at the door, a woman in plain peasants clothing, has been beheaded. From his vantage atop the closest building Drewan can see additional signs of violence. A man near the stables, also beheaded, a dog near a fire pit lying in a pool of blood.
Mong steps carefully over the dead and takes a peek in through the door of the first building where he can see another individual partially hidden by a table, a teenager, lying face down on the floor in more blood. Simple plates and cups rest on the table, partially eaten scrambled eggs on two of them. He steps into the open doorway as Rocosmia watches from near the corner of the home. A few cots adorn the back of the simple home.
Mong grabs his sack and walks out and around the building carefully to see what he sees, still in full defense walking cautiously
Dev keeps quiet, staying close to Jake.
Jake will continue to follow Roco slowly and quietly.
Drewan leaps to the roof of the southwest house, then drops down on the far side .
Rocosmia's expression hardens and waves those behind her over. After a point to everyone, she whispers, "It looks like they're all dead... keep your voices down. This was some messy work." She swallows, steeling her stomach, thinking of what may have done this. "Let's all stay close- no more than a hundred feet from the furthest one of us, alright?"
Still employing stealth, she moves to the window of the next building, looking inside. If anything were magical, she meant to find it. "I'll convey any whispers to everyone. Let's try to find out what did this."
Looking farther to the south Drewan can see several small fields or gardens. Currently unused during the winter months. Beyond that is an orchard of apple trees.
Still no indication of magic anywhere.
Drewan attempts to find any clues as to who or what did this.
What do i see as i turn around the building?
perception:
(whispering) "They were killed by something with a large blade, or a long, sharp claw. The wet blood... we just barely missed whatever did this. Why cut most their heads off and leave everything?" She looks afield. "This is terrible. They should have at least gone outside to defend their homes. Its like most of them didn't even see... it... coming..."
She twists to the others, her hushed voice a little louder in whisper. "Look for signs of invisible creatures...! Jake, can those hounds sniff out anything useful? Can they split up and bark if they find something? Let's make sure we're alone here, search everything!" Scanning about, hoping the Detect Magic would catch the sign of magical invisibility, Rocosmia moves closer to Drewan.
In a mutter, she means to speak only to Dev, though everyone hears. "I hope we might find someone alive who can tell us something."
"Sure." Jake whispers.
Turning the the dogs and speaking again in a strange language
Mong carefully searches the outside of the first building but finds nothing of interest.
Moving cautiously everyone else continues to look around the area. In the barn is a plow horse, also dead from a large wound in its side. On the far side of the eastern building Rocosmia sees a closed cellar door.
Searching the ground for tracks Drewan is quick to spot the markings of a horses hoof prints. These head south towards the fields and orchard. Following it just a short distance the trail becomes very clear as the earth becomes softer and clods of dirt have been pulled up from the ground marking the trail.
Jakes hounds soon pick up on the scent of the horse's trail as well and trot south a little ways before turning back to look at their master.
Mong will regroup with everyone
Drewan calls out to the rest, "I found a trail. A single horse. Have any of you found anything of note?"
"Just wanna be librarians shushing us all the time."
"The dogs have found something but I am loath to send them out there by themselves. Do we want to find who did this or avoid them?" Jake asks no longer whispering.
Coming around the house toward Digger, Rocosmia checks behind her once again while speaking. "The next patrol should find anyone alive and hiding here before too long. I'm sure they'd love to hear our story if they saw us anywhere near on the road."
She looks to Digger a brief moment, upset with the situation, before a sparkle of playfulness spreads across her. She swiftly pulls a length of cloth from her pack unto herself, straightens her hair, and narrows of her eyes to the likeness of a bookworm, almost as fast as Digger's illusion turned him into a mageocracy delegate. She speaks in a hush, prim tone. "But a catalogue of our findings would surely help us. If things were orderly, we'd have a much easier time learning new things." She smiles, though wiping the expression upon seeing some unamused glares. She clears her throat.
"That trail is more than what I found- nothing out of place, considering them." Rocosmia gestures to the dead folk. "If that's all we can spot, how about it? Drewan, can you follow the trail?"
Drewan nods at Rocosmia. "I believe so, yes. If we hurry, the dogs will be able to assist for some time, as well."
To the rest of the group he says, "Did you all check all of the buildings, open all the doors you found? I'd not leave anyone behind us..."
Mong merely stares at Drewan
Dev scratches his chest, somewhat amused with Digger's and Rocosmia's antics even in the current situation.
Looking at the corpses, he can't help but think that he wouldn't want to meet whatever killed them in person, but keeps his words to himself. Instead, he says, "I don't think there's anything else we'd find without searching everywhere again."
"It doesn't seem likely we'll find anything or anyone useful hiding, but it will only take a few minutes to check everything. Alright Drewan, let's do a once-over on the buildings. Let's not let the horseman get too far ahead of us, if there even is one. Together, now, if anything is hiding here, they almost certainly know we're here."
"What do?"
Mong says confused
"If there are clues to be found here as to what happened, I'd prefer to find them here, so we have some better idea of what we'll find. We have no idea what may be waiting ahead of us, other than it - or they - has slaughtered a small hamlet. Rocosmia does have a point, though - let's hurry."
Drewan runs through the village, throwing open doors and looking at the inhabitants.
"Help I will"
Mong does the same in an attempt to hurry things along and tries to do so from the opposite from where drewan is to keep from over-lapping.
As they quickly start searching he calls the the hounds
There is a third home north of the road with two more unfortunate victims. The door on that home shows signs of a forced entry and one smashed chair lying near the door where the first of the two victims lay.
As Rocosmia opens the cellar doors a scream pierces the silence. A young girl, seven or eight in age with blonde hair and simple clothing is pulled tight into a corner of the small 5' square room with simple shelves and a few sacks of potatoes and carrots. Her arms wrapped around her head. She is trembling and sobbing loudly.
Mong will run to the scream
Hearing the scream, Drewan rushes to the cellar door. Once he sees the girl, however, he stands back out of sight, but close enough to hear anything said. We've no idea who or what did this, and seeing someone not of her own kind might do more harm than good.
Dev approaches the cellar and sees the crying girl.
Not knowing what to do, he stands at Drewan's side, feeling awkward.
Jake comes running at the scream. He glances at Rocosmia as if asking a question then moves slowly into cellar. Speaking calmly and in soothing tone he says "You do not have to afraid. The bad man is gone." Jake sitting down on the ground next to the girl. "I know how you feel, I was younger then you when the bad men came." He turns to those waiting and mouths something.
Turning back to the girl, continuing to talk calmly trying to catch her eye and when he does he gives a cheeky grin. "Do you have any relatives that live in another town?"
The child leaves Rocosmia at a loss for a moment. She manages a few words before Jake arrives, holding the cellar door open. "You can come out now..." She rarely got along with young ones, and it showed as Jake took the initiative, her standing aside.
Seeing Jake's message, she lets the doors lay open and steps back. We don't have time to be cleaning this up. A resigned sigh takes her, and looks to the others, whispering under the effects of Message. "Jake wants us to hide the bodies. But we don't have time to coddle her..."
She looks back to the sobbing girl. "She's going to have to be tough, with or without our help."
The girl peeks from beneath her arms, her face is deathly pale and her eyes puffy and swollen. Her hair is a tangled mess and her face is grimy. After only a moment she throws her arms around Jake holding tightly to him, trembling violently and crying in soft sobs.
Jake holds on to her and continues to talk softly, something in her experience touches him unexpectedly "You have been a very brave girl and smart hiding down here. When the bad men came to me a friend came to helped me. He's very good at hiding too. You can meet him if you want, but I warn you he's a bit naughty. He lives far away but comes when ever I call. Do you want me to call for him?"
Watching that terrified expression, Rocosmia displays little pity with only a soft voice, speaking more so to Jake than the girl. "Something more than simple beheading happened here. What was it?"
A confused expression crosses the girls face as Jake speaks to her. Her eyes turn to Rocosmia when she asks her question, tears well up in her eyes again, her lower lip trembling, "He... he made me watch. The man in armor... he made me watch when he killed gramps and gramma..." Her gaze is unfocused as she tries to speak. "He threw me down here and said to tell them Radgar has returned."