oog: working on it right now. just opening the thread so I can link to it.

TISLIT - NIGHT 1

The night is dark and chilling... for some moreso than others.

oog: Awaiting Death Scene.

Mara returns home and, after securing her door, proceeds to stitch a cross on her sleeping gown. When finished, she changes into it and, unable to sleep at first, sits by the fire, thinking about Samuel.

Several hours later, now slumped in her chair, Mara wakes to a noise inside her house. Against her hopes but not to her surprise, she realizes that she has an unwanted nighttime visitor. She has no time to react before death descends upon her. Eternal unconsciousness snuffs out her last thought: "I have failed."

TILSIT - DAY 2

DAWN


The hooves of many horses pound the cobbled streets of Tilsit as Count Esrom rides into town.
He stops by the platform in the square and dismounts.

"Gather the survivors," he orders. "Let us see what great tragedy this night has brought us..."

Cecilia looks at the people gathered together, and notices immediately that one is missing.

"Where's Mara?" she asks.

*sigh* "I'm sorry to say that she's dead, Cecilia," Megan says, depressingly.

"The wolves killed Mara?" Cecilia tried to work this out. "But - that doesn't - why would they kill her? What threat did she pose to them?"

"What threat do any of us pose?" asked Orla in a tired voice. "What threat were the people of Tilsit, or Herve, or Edam? None. None at all. I don't know what they want, beyond the sadistic pleasure of watching us die. Perhaps we are not the target," she said, casting a dark eye at Count Esrom. "Perhaps they are trying to pressure someone else..."

--tll

Count Esrom glares daggers at Orla.

"I will not entertain such a fantastic notion -" he starts, but is cut short as two of his guard approach, running to the square.

"Count! Yer Lordship!" one pants. "Sir, you've got to see this. It's... it's not...."

Esrom pushes his way past his own contingent of soldiers.

"We've just come from the Seamstress's house. Something's happened..." the soldier continues.

"And after yesterday's slaughter, this surprises you?" the Count demands, coldly.

"Sir, it's not like that..." the other begins... then hesitantly draws closer to Count Esrom to speak softly, in confidence.

The Count's eyes widen, then he glares again. "You're sure?"

He is met by the nods of both men.

Count Esrom turns to the Chosen and his men. "Come. I hear tell there is something to see...."


*****

Once all are assembled outside Mara's home, Count Esrom enters in, follwed by the rest. Making their way to Mara's fireplace, they see her in her chair nearby... but not alive.

She seems... thin. Her body is contorted in an arch of pain. Her hands, gripped tightly to the arms of her chair, are rigid. Her head is tipped back, and her mouth frozen open in a silent scream. She is deathly pale....

Count Esrom takes a step back.

"We found her like this, Sir. We thought it best that you see her...."

The Count nods, then looks to the Chosen. "In all of Herve and Edam, my men have never found a corpse like this. I demand an explanation... or at least a theory."

Julienne reports to the Count as ordered and follows everyone to Mara's house. He is quite subdued until they look at Mara, but once he sees the body he is noticably shaken. He backs as far away from the body as is allowed. When the Count demands answers or theories Julienne says "Why are you asking us?" and as he continues his voice changes pitch the longer he speaks until he is screeching by the time he is done. "How would we know? This is all your fault anyway. I shouldn't even be here. If your men hadn't blocked the roads I would have continued on and been far away. Do you want us all dead? Why haven't you stopped this? I do not want to be here! I am leaving!" and he tries to run away before being stopped by the guards. He fights them as best he can but is easily restrained. "Let me go!" he screams "Let me out of this house!" before finally slumping against a wall and beginning to cry again. "I want to go home." he whispers "I just wanna go home."

Annie stepped towards the body.

"As a lady o' tha healin' arts, will ye permit me an' my gel to examine tha body, my lord?"

Audrey trembles. "Why wouldn't the wolves eat her like they did the others? Are they teaching us a lesson? I knew the fingers were a bad idea..."

Cecilia assembles outside Mara's house easily enough, but doesn't go inside - until one of the guards takes her by the wrist and drags her in.

"No -" she says, fighting against his pull - "no, I don't want to see -" she objects, but the guard does not listen to her protestations. And, as she tries to free her wrist, her eyes fall on Mara's pale body, and she gasps in horror.

The guard, his duty done, releases Cecilia's arm, allowing her to suddenly sit down, curled into a ball, covering her eyes so as not to see that gruesome sight any longer.

[/quote]

At Annie's suggestion, Count Esrom nods. "By all means, ladies." He seems reluctant to leave, however, should some clue be discovered. At the very least, he turns his back.

As Annie (and Lillium?) examine the seamstress' corpse, Count Esrom takes Mara's Will from his inner pocket.

"The seamstress wrote a Will yesterday... and asked, in the event of her death, that I read it aloud...."



Several of the soldiers curse.

"Is it true, then, what she said in her Will, Sir?" one asks Esrom as he looks over the Will once more.

"In Edam, the Healer's power was manifested in death. There was no body found. My men still ride from Herve," the Count says, looking to Mara's remains. "This case is strange... but, then, nothing of late has been... normal."


oog: Annie and Lillium will report what I've PM'd them, as per their examination

Frederick had joined the group quietly and without fuss, since he still wasn't sure what to make of the events of last night, but now he purposely drew some attention to himself by clearing his throat and stepping forward slightly to speak. "Lord, you have given us evidence we can all clearly see there are more than werewolves at work here, but you also hint you knew of that before. I think it is our right to know all of the forces that went to work in Edam that you knew of, and that when your men return from Herve you tell us of who or what was involved in those affairs too."