[D2, All Afternoon] Hamlet of the Dead (Open-ish)

[Nathaniel Mason]

[OOC: I sent this to Reader for approval before posting to ensure accuracy.

They are investigating in public, so certainly anyone who would be in Blackbuckle at this time would be able to interact with them.]


Nathan, Maester Forthwind, Edmund and Ser Jon, sat on their horses outside Blackbuckle. Even at this distance the smell was almost intolerable. Nathan could feel the hand of the Stranger laying over the town. Nathan may not fear the God of Death, but he knew he must be treated with the utmost respect.

Nathan dismounted. "
I'll walk from here. Maester, you and Ser Jon will come with me if you wish. Edmund, you stay with the men and the horses."


"
I should go."
said Edmund, although it was clear he was reticent. The men, on the other hand, were very willing to stay right where they were.

"
You are direct Bartheld blood, Edmund. You will not put yourself in harms way until we have some degree of understanding of the threat."


"
I am not afraid."
said Edmund petulantly.

"
Well you should be!"
said Nathan sharply. He took a moment and composed himself;
his voice returning to soft, if frosty tones. "
I, for one, am terrified out of my mind, but I don't have a choice."
It was true. He might not fear death, but there were worse things than death.

Nathan glanced at Forthwind and Jon. "
I may not have a choice, but you two do."


"
You will need my expertise."
replied the Maester. "
That is why I am here."


"
There may be looters... or worse."
said Jon.

Nathan nodded and began to walk towards town.

They moved slowly. Partly out of caution. Partly in deference to the Maester's limp. The man was not old, but his club foot limited his mobility. "
Here. Put some of this ointment under your nose. Spirit of Hartshorn. It will help a great deal with the smell."


The nightmare of the town became clearer with every step. Dead soldiers were still at their posts, perhaps a month old or more, still guarding people who were now beyond harm. One lay leaning up against a wall, like he was patiently waiting to die. He held an open locket with a pair of painted miniatures of a young man and woman. Perhaps his parents. More likely him and his sweetheart, but he had rotted beyond any ability to tell. Nathan knelt down to look at it, then closed it and dropped it in the man's pocket. Saying nothing, he simply moved on.

"
Did Blackwood soldiers make it into town?"
asked Nathan.

"
We haven't encountered the bodies of any Blackwood soldiers."
replied the Maester.

The continued down the main street. "
Do you think this is plague?"
asked Jon.

Forthwind thought for a moment. "
Possible, but not likely. Survivors would have carried it to other towns. We would be seeing other victims by now. I won't know for sure until we examine more bodies."


There was ample opportunity to examine more bodies, and not just people. Dead dogs rotted on doorsteps. Dead birds littered the streets. Dead horses lay in the stables.

They first turned toward the town barracks. The fortified structure was thick with flies and the stench was overwhelming. Both guards and prisoners alike lay entombed here. Any conflict these Bracken guards or Blackwood prisoners may have had was now moot. Bodies on both sides of the bars rotted equally. The maggots did not discriminate.

"
These people died about a month ago as well."
said Forthwind. "
Why would Lord Haig leave the town is such condition?"


"
A good question."
replied Nathan evenly. "
Perhaps someone should ask him... when he and the others get back from hunting."


They examined the bodies as best they could. Nathan was especially interested in the condition of some of the prisoners. "
An interesting poison."
he remarked. "
Apparently it breaks fingers."


Leaving the barracks and heading down the street, they next came to a boy, dead in an alley, perhaps ten, certainly no older. A street urchin, forgotten in death as he'd been in life. Nathan and Forthwind both knelt to examine the waif.

"
I am thinking this is not a contact poison."
said Nathan with a disturbing lack of emotion.

"
Probably a good guess."
replied Forthwind. "
There would usually be burns or discoloration around the mouth and hands. I am not seeing any of that."


"
Then not acid, or something like Basilisk Blood."
said Nathan as he rose. He turned stiffly and continued down the street."


"
Not Strangler."
said Forthwind. "
There is no indication of suffocation. Tears of Lys?"


"
Too rare. Too expensive. Too large a quantity needed to retain it's potency in the well water."
replied Nathan.

"
This doesn't strike me as Greycap poisoning."
said Forthwind.

"
Nor me."
said Nathan. "
But we must consider it. It's cheap, deadly, and easily obtainable in large quantities. If a quantity, say the size of a flour sack, were thrown down the well, the poison would leach into the water more and more with every passing day. It would also take a very long time for that quantity of mushrooms to decay. It could be Wolfsbane. The same size sack of Wolfbane root would accomplish much the same and would be far less dangerous to handle."


"
But you don't think it's Wolfbane, do you."
said the Maester, reading Nathan's face.

The man thought for a long moment. "
Whatever this was, it gave no symptoms for a very long time, and then killed quickly, dropping people where they stood. Do you know of any poison that does that?"


The Maester shook his head.

"
Neither do I."
replied Nathan. "
And that scares the hell out of me."


The came to the center of town. More bodies strewn through the streets. "
We must first try to determine what the poison is."
said Nathan. He did not sound hopeful.

"
Will that tell us who did it?"
asked Jon.

"
Possibly..."
replied Nathan. "
Everyone assumes this poisoning was deliberate. I don't have the luxury of assumptions. This could be a natural phenomena. Something could have leached into the ground water. Or it could be accidental. If someone disposed of a body down the well, the decaying corpse could poison the water and cause these deaths, when the intent was simply to conceal a crime. Determining the poison will hopefully eliminate those possibilities."


"
You don't really think this is natural or accidental do you?"
said Forthwind.

Nathan shook his head and gazed around the square. "
No. I think this was deliberate. I think someone decided to poison the entire town, went out of their way to develop a poison that would give no sign so the most number of people would be affected, and killed so quickly that none would survive. I think we are dealing with someone so completely evil that they would only be happy with the death of every man, woman or child in Blackbuckle, Bracken or Blackwood. I deal with ruthless people every day, but this goes beyond anything I have ever experienced. Slaughtering people on this scale in this way is unheard of, and I can't even imagine what kind of monster would be able to so casually do this.

I am genuinely frightened, Maester, and I do not frighten easily. What frightens me most, is that anyone able and willing to do this once, can do so again."




[url=Ser Jon - Warfare (Strategy)][/url]: 4d6k3 10 +1 (Forthwind assist) +3 ([url=Nathan Co-ordinate Jon][/url]: 4d6 14) Total: 14

[url=Forthwind Healing (Diagnosis)][/url]: 5d6k3 15 +1 (Jon assist) +3 ([url=Nathan Co-ordinate Forthwind][/url]: 4d6 15) Total: 19

[url=Forthwind Knowledge (Nature)][/url]: 7d6k7+4 31 +1 (Jon assist) +3 ([url=Nathan Co-ordinate Forthwind][/url]: 4d6 15) Total: 34

[Septon Arlyn]

Septon Arlyn arrives in the late afternoon, sun beating down on the hamlet. A small cloth covering his nose and mouth, he approaches the Baratheld delegation. "
Ser Jon, Maester Forthwind, Master Nathan, greetings to you. This is place has been subject to a foul deed. I feel as though justice should be served."

[Nathaniel Mason]

All three men bow to the Septon as he approaches.

"
Indeed Septon."
replied Nathan. "
Very foul. However I think justice will be elusive. I am not sure what punishment would be severe enough to do justice for this."
He waved his hand throughout the square.

[Septon Arlyn]

"
I doubt that any justice that a man could preform would be enough to make the scales even."
Septon Arlyn looks to the sky. "
The Gods will ensure that a special place in the seven hells will be for the man who committed and ordered this atrocity. However I do think that I know how we can find this man."
Septon Arlyn whispers in a hushed tone to the three assembled men. "
I feel like in order for this information to be of use we must act quickly and with quiet purpose. I feel as if we are not careful the person who is responsible may go to ground."
Taking a moment to scan the village again Septon Arlyn continues in the hushed tone. "
Why Lord Bracken has yet to lay these people to rest is beyond me. I doubt that the Seven would be much pleased with the lack of action here."

[Nathaniel Mason]

"
I doubt there is any reason for them to be pleased more than anyone else."
said Nathan blithely. "
Perhaps he left things undisturbed to as not to impede our investigation, although, if he wanted to prevent tampering, I would have expected at least a token force of guards."

[Septon Arlyn]

Septon Arlyn thinks back to his own guards and their hesitancy to join the Septon in the Village itself. "
It may be that he left it for the royal investigators but could not find the men willing to guard this desecrated place. House Dulvers own soldiers where afraid to enter this place for fear of disease, let alone having to pack in fresh water and food continually for fear of contamination."
Septon Arlyn shrugs his shoulders in a gesture of defeat. "
I just wish that if that was the case the Lord Tully would have called this investigation sooner so it would not have had to wait for the king to act upon these damming acts caused by this feud."



"
But I feel like this act has caused casulities on both sides. Why would the alleged perpetrators of this act, the Blackwoods, ruin this well and kill both non combatants and their own men? And it makes little sense for the Brackens to poison their own people..."
Septon Arlyn pauses to see if there is any disagreement from the three men.

[Nathaniel Mason]

"
We have little information, Septon, but I can tell you beyond the shadow of any doubt, that it was not disease. It was poison. More than that, it was poison of a variety that neither the Maester or I am familiar with. Being from Highgarden, I am familiar with most of the standard varieties, and the good Maester here is an unrivaled expert on naturally occurring animal or plant toxins."


"
There could be a third party involved. Whatever Lord Haig Bracken may be, he is not a coward and I don't believe for an instant he would kill his own people in such a cowardly way. The Blackwoods are a harder case to make. I don't think the late Lord Blackwood would approve of such a thing, but someone in his camp might. I can believe that the Blackwoods would kill their own men if they felt it was necessary to silence them. I can also believe that if they chose to silence their men, picking a method that would eliminate much of the enemy along with them, would be attractive."


"
My difficulty is the shear scale of devastation. Are there Blackwoods that would be capable of something this evil? ... and if not them, what possible motivation would a third party have to do something as heinous as this?"

[Septon Arlyn]

"
Maybe someone who has been hurt by both sides of this fighting and hoped to score a victory against both, Or perhaps someone who has benifited from these hostilities continuing and is wishing for them to continue."
Another Shrug from the Septon. "
Maybe it was mearly someone who wished to show that neither party was safe from the reach of an individual. Although you do make a point about maybe they wanted to sileince their own people, but would it not have been easier to simply burn down the barracks and spare the small folk? If the blackwoods would have taken over this land again they would still need people to tend to the farmland. It does no good to rule over a land and not have people to work the fields or perform a trade to make monies that can be taxed."
Septon Arlyn shook his head again. "
These investiagations leave me with more questions then answers, even at the Sept where it appeared to be a cut and dry case of Blackwoods looting seems that there is more going on. The clues were too evident and the coinage was suspect."
Septon Arlyn pauses. "
I wonder if the Sept and this attack are related..."
Septon Arlyn's question trails off.

[Nathaniel Mason]

"
Not to mention the Blackwoods conveniently leaving their shields behind."
he remarks dryly. "
Septon, if you were going to attack and desecrate a church, would you be sure to bring things that could easily identify you?"


OOC: If the bandit are defeated, they would already have been questioned by Nathan. We must gloss over this for the moment. Assume that Nathan is not sharing any information until what was learned can be confirmed.]

"
There is an agenda going on here, but I cannot see it yet. To be honest, neither the Brackens or the Blackwoods seem to have much control over their lands. They have concentrated on killing each other for so long, they have let everything else go to rot."


"
Perhaps there is a third party, or more, involved in this. I would be surprised if there isn't. And perhaps both Houses are getting returns on investments they have long made... but this?"
He gazes around the square again. "
This is something different. This is a special kind of monster. This is someone who killed all these people as casually as snuffing out a candle."

[Septon Arlyn]

"
From the information I have learned I would have to agree with you young master."
Septon Arlyn got a weary look on his face, appearing to age his cherubic face many years in a short amount of time. "
They say eye for an eye, and tooth for a tooth, but what transgression under the eyes of the gods could warrant a response like this?"
Septon Arlyn asks rethorically. "
Nay I doubt this was. Done with the blessing of the Lord's. For as you say Bracken would be more like to storm raven tree hall then risk poisoning his own people for the slight chance that there would be a favorable outcome from the kings justice."


"
And from what I have heard the people at raven tree hall were much too preoccupied with morning the loss of their Lord's then planning an act like this. Firstly I do believe that this was poison. But not one that I am familiar with, so it's not common.

Secondly I believe it came from the well, which would ruin this land for human consumption.

Thirdly the targets are too broad, Yet incredibly specific. Killing a whole village to silence a few soldiers who may or may not have had any information is just an odd way to silence people.

Forth, they must have had great access to wealth in order to import this toxin. The shear size of the thing would mean that a lot of the toxin must have been manufactured to use, requiring someone with specialized skills and knowledge to create that amount of toxin.

The fact that even your own Maester could not figure this out leads me to think that the clues we are looking for are not going to be in this village.

I feel that this act was carried out by a third party. But now the question is who would have the motive, means, and willpower to commit this atrocity. "

[Nathaniel Mason]

But now the question is who would have the motive, means, and willpower to commit this atrocity. "

"
That I do not know... yet."
The words were soft, but had a distinctly ominous edge, the last being particularly sinister.

[Septon Arlyn]

Well if you are in need of assistance then I will gladly provide it. What happens here goes beyond a simple fued and I would like to ensure, by the madien and her innocence, that a this act could never be repeated. "
Septon Arlyn spoke with conviction and dedication, so much so that there almost was a hint of a dangerous undertone. (Awareness empathy tn 12)

[Nathaniel Mason]

[url=Awareness (Empathy)][/url]: 3d6 10

"
Thank you, Septon. I will certainly keep that in mind. To be honest, the situation is a bit... overwhelming. I need time to consider the best course of action."

[Septon Arlyn]

[OOC I feel that this is scene unless someone else pops in, or you come up with something else.]

[Nathaniel Mason]

[OOC: At this point in the timeline, I think you are right. I am quite sure that Nathan and the Septon will be revisiting this subject again very soon.]

[Benedict Marsten]

Ben slowly walks through the town soaking in the devastation. He does not look away, but forces himself to commit the dead to memory. This grief showing him the value of life high or low.

Thank the gods for what I was given.

It is in this distracted state he stumbles upon Nathan and his band. Maester Ronnel calls out from behind. "
My Lord, watch your step."


Ben turns to look at the man, a small case under one arm, numerous rolled parchments under the other. His eyes still red from weeping.

"
What's that Ronnel?"


Looking back he sees his companions from earlier in the day. His mind tells him to smile, but his heart will not allow it. In its place his lips remain a tight neutral line. Blue-gray eyes show his comfort in seeing friends.

"
Nathan, Ser Jon. Were it that we were back in the woods where only the guilty were being punished, not the innocent along side the guilty."


"
Septon, I will admit I have never spent much time at the sept, but tonight I will lend my prayers."


(ooc: If Septon has gone then drop acknowledgement. The rest of the statement stands. Technically this would be LA after our investigation.)

[Nathaniel Mason]

Nathan nods in acknowledgement. He too, does not seem to be in a mood for smiling.

"
Lord Marsten."
he bows to the Lord and the Maester. "
It has indeed been a very strange day. If you had asked me this morning, I would have said the desecration of a holy place was one of the worst crimes one could commit. It would seem, this afternoon, I stand corrected. I was saying earlier that I am a loss as to what punishment would be fitting for an act so vile as this when we discover the culprit."

[Septon Arlyn]

"
Lord Marsten, "
states Septon Arlyn in acknowledgement. "
I do not think a punishment of man could be enough. I would say send them to the Gods who are one and have the father determine their punishment. I believe the person responsible for this act will have a special place in the seven hells reserved for them."

[Nathaniel Mason]

"
I agree they will need to be sent to the Gods for judgement."
says Nathan. "
... but I do not think they need to be sent quickly. The Gods are patient."
After the events of the morning and the devastation of the afternoon, that distinctly viscous part of Nathan's personality, usually buried under layers of decorum, floats dangerously just below the surface.

[Septon Arlyn]

[url=awareness to notice nathans "
DANGER ZONE!"
(https://youtu.be/vJldKIL5WjI)][/url]: 3d6 8

(Septon Arlyn continues to be the least observant PC here )

Septon Arlyn is startled for a moment by the boy's sudden vemenhence.It must just be a long day, for all of us here he thinks to himself.

[Benedict Marsten]

Drowning. There is no death like it. The darkness, the cold, the burning in your lungs.

The thought rolls through his mind but does not cross his lips. He only nods at there talk of punishment.

"
This ... is disturbing. Even assassination holds less contempt in my eyes. Positions of power come with responsibilities and dangers. A ... child should never face anything of the like.

Here some children have fell to those dangers not of their making and another has been forced into that position power."

[Nathaniel Mason]

Nathan shrugged. "
I feel that sometimes assassination is necessary when justice can be served in no other way. I am sure no-one would have objected to the removal of Ser Benjen Frey with a short blade in the middle of the night. However whoever did this needs to be made an example of. Perhaps, after he is caught, we can release him into the forest and let Lord Bracken hunt him. He seems to be good at that."

[Benedict Marsten]

"
It, like many hard decisions has its place, but advancement and striking out are not among them."
It is easily discernable, that he is referring to the death of Lord Blackwood.

"
The Beast may yet be the prey. Unless you have found more the Maester Ronnel. I do not wish to pry. I am sure you have plans on plans. I will say this if house Marsten can aid further in this investigation, more than the bumbling of Ronnel and myself, do let me know."

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