Exploring the farmhouse, you discover that it had been occupied by a family of four, including a child of six or so. One of the rooms had walls that had been written on with a child's hand.
It had not been looted either; all signs point to it having been cleared out in an orderly fashion.
You study the flow of the aether and the aura of this farmhouse feels moderately haunted. That Wraithspawn was probably at fault. It feels strongest in the departed family's youngest child's bedroom.
Pacing through the farmhouse, Skiia is at a loss as to what to make of the evidence - no sign of a rush or huge disturbance, but just of the family having quietly left. She takes a last look at the child's scribbles on the wall, stomach lurching as she remembers what happened in this village, keeping an eye out for anything unusual in the marks in case the group chances upon something else to compare them with, perhaps in the next house. Unless anyone else has found something more significant, she recommends they proceed to the next house to the southwest, to start a loop around the village, as long as it takes.
Pooling your knowledge, you determine that this farmhouse was where the Allen family resided, at least until their only child was killed by the Beast of Lepidstadt. At least according to the authorities.
The wraithspawn that you destroyed certainly resembled the sketchy description you have of the victim, and the traumatic aura in the childs bedroom here suggests very strongly that the child was NOT killed by the Beast, but by some Undead creature.
Unfortunately, this by itself has little weight in a court of law. Hopefully there is more solid evidence to be had elsewhere in town.
After healing up and preparing as you might, you leave the farmhouse and circle cautiously down south and west to the next house, watching carefully for more beartraps.
At the edge of the old track up to the next farmhouse, you see the house seems intact, some fifty yards away across fallow farmland. No corn here, just wild wheat.
After conferring quietly, Skiia joins the others in the slow trek to the next house.
Even with her cantrip offering an unearthly light in the evening, though, the trip through the deepening darkness is unnervingly dreamlike, and Skiia narrowly avoids another beartrap hidden in the overgrown fields. She wonders who set them all up, and what they were hoping to catch.
If the Allen child was killed by something like the creature the group just destroyed, the traps can't have been of any use. The thought worms worryingly into her mind, distracting, as the shadow of the next house coalesces into greater solidity.
Ereviss points out the traps with his keen Senses as well as the new wraith.
He prepares arrows that can hurt the creature.
"Where is it?" Skiia asks, wheeling in the direction Ereviss indicates. As she does so, she slides a wand into her off hand, and reaches for her spell component pouch.
"Should we go after it, carefully?" She advances cautiously towards the farmhouse, keeping an eye out for any other traps, and planning to circle the house.
Despite the terror generated by the ghost child, your familiarity with another wraithspawn and your increased coordination on the attacks results in its dispersal before it can drain any of you.
Checking in the farmhouse, you determine this was owned by the Ellsa family.
Moving on to another of the farmhouses, you are ambushed by another wraithspawn, disperse it, and discover that it was anchored at the Gaard family house.
So far you have discovered that three of the dead children, Gaard, Anton and Ellsa, have been turned into wraithspawn.
HERGSTAG OVERVIEW
One thing bothers you. Wraithspawn haunt the areas they died in life. But the witnesses are clear on the point that the Beast came into town bearing Ellsa's lifeless body. Wouldn't that mean she died outside of town? But her haunt anchor is her family's farmhouse. THAT means she died right there. What's the deal? Something is missing from this tale...
Looking south of town towards the lake, you come across The Hermit’s Tangle.
A tangle of willow trees grows by the shores of this small lake,
many of them scarred by fire.
This odd dwelling, which once resembled a house, was the Beast’s former lair. The villagers ransacked and burnt the lair when they found it, as evidenced by the remains of spent torches on the ground.
You find the burnt remnants of a Taldan poetry book lying in the ruins.
Ereviss easily finds the book of poetry, and picks it up. Curiously, he found most human poetry somewhat fanciful, but was willing to give the book a chance.
"No..the death happened here, not out of town. We need to search this area to find more clues. She died near the spawn."
The group begins a systematic search of the area around the spawn.
The interesting thing is, you don't find anything else there that seems part of what you are searching for.
Continuing on towards the middle of town, you come to a chapel.
A small, whitewashed timber building stands in the center of the village, surrounded by gravestones.
chapel’s graveyard can be easily identified, as they are named and dated.
Retooling.
Still retooling I swear!