[center][h1][color=slategray][b][u]Gerick[/u][/b][/color][/h1][/center]

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The caravan rolled into the decrepit Kendles without fanfare. It had passed through this town dozens of times, and would pass through hundreds more. Gerick appeared almost lethargic as he walked alongside, seeming to pay little mind to the ramshackle houses and half-ruined buildings.

The convoy of wagons came to a sudden stop, and Gerick snapped to attention. They weren't supposed to stop here. What was the matter?

It didn't take him long to find out. A man lie naked in the street, face down. Edgar sent a pair of guards forward to inspect him, and they confirmed that the stranger was still alive. With a frustrated sigh, Edgar ordered them to drag the man out of the way, which they did rather unceremoniously.

"Poor bastard," Ivan commented. "If the cold doesn't get 'im, the body snatchers will."

Ah yes, the body snatchers. Gerick had heard the stories. People went missing all the time in Kendles. Some people were murdered, with their body hidden so well it would be months before it was found. Others simply got up and left without telling anyone, abandoning the town for reason or another. Yet these stories were different: people being dragged off in the middle of the night, and taken to who knows where. Slavery? Sacrifices? Cannibalism? Impossible to say. The occasional kidnapping had never been unusual either, but for it to be so frequent that people [i]outside[/i] of Kendles were hearing about it? Then it was an issue.

An issue Gerick would have normally been quite happy to overlook. He had learned long ago not to stick his nose into other people's business. Normally, he would have stayed in town for a while, performed a few odd jobs in exchange for food or goods, and then signed on to a trustworthy caravan heading out of the town. Normally.

He thought of the crown in his pack.

Again, he asked himself the question. Was it just a coincidence, or did he have a higher purpose?

Still, he did not known.

The caravan came to a stop before a tall ruined building. Once, it had been an tavern. Now, the roof of the second floor was missing and there was a giant hole in the side. Some say the damage was done by a Giant; others say it was done by time. Either way, the building no longer served as an inn, and had instead been converted into a stable.

The last of their 'pay' was passed around - a meager ration of stale bread. Gerick plucked the green bits off and began to eat. Some of the guards who were on a more permanent arrangement with Edgar would stay to act as his bodyguards and continue to keep his goods safe. The rest of the guards and passengers would scatter to the wind, going on with their lives, and perhaps rejoining the caravan when it turned back around.

Gerick finished the piece of bread, and set off toward the center of town. He would in all likelihood regret it, but for some strange reason he felt compelled to look into these... 'disappearances.'