L
Lia
Sliding off the side of the Horse Lia came to ground with a muted thud. Her armor clanked slightly, the metal plates striking against one another as her boots dug into the soft soil of the forest.
Behind her the great stallion whipped it's head, sputtering slightly as he scented the blood within the air. A frown touched her lips for a moment, and slowly the Ranger pulled the creature by it's reigns and patted his nose. "Shh. It's long over."
She told the beast, her lips thinning as the horse slowly calmed itself.
Leading him over towards a fallen tree she tied the reigns to a small stump, knowing that it wouldn't be enough to hold him if he truly wanted to get away but guessing that wouldn't happen.
Whatever had happened here was over, that much she was sure of. The danger had passed several hours ago and she was only here due to the concerns of the village less than a mile away. It seemed that a group of boys had stumbled upon a rather gruesome scene, and after telling their parents news had quickly spread through the village. The Mayor had approached the Rangers this morning, and Lia had been sent with two others to investigate.
Resting one hand on the pommel of her short sword she stalked through the woods for a moment until she reached the small alcove. Within it stood two men dressed in attire similar to her own, between them lay a body, or what was left of it.
What had once been a man was now a mess of flesh and organs. His torso was completely torn open, his face mangled, and most of his innards gone. "A beast of some sort?"
Lia asked as she stepped into the clearing, one of her companions shaking his head.
"Would have eaten the whole thing."
A frown touched the young Ranger's lips, her mind beginning to race with possibilities. The Allirian Reaches were generally a calm place, despite the recent Naga attacks. This was...unusual, especially for being just a days ride from Alliria itself.
There were possibilities though. Cultists, rabid beasts, necromancer, even Werewolves.
"Let's take what we can back to the village." Lia said slowly. "Ask some question."
She could only guess that this man had once lived in Veril, the town that sat closed by. She hoped that somebody would be able to identify him, and if not at least they would be able to gather some information about what's been going on around here.
OOC:
Hi there! This thread is open for anyone and everyone to join. The intent is basically to have a more slow paced mystery-ish thread going. There's been a murder, it wasn't normal, fun times! Please feel free to hop in.