[color=#636775][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/7vGpl0k.jpg[/img][/center]

[hr][hr][center][h2][url=https://youtu.be/4ClfdJsG_60]♫[/url][/h2][/center][hr][hr]

[sub][b]Present:[/b] Ashon’amar’loiyang [@Ti], Cal’tuuro’jaros [@Suicharte], Casii’fyret’alan [@Pirouette], 
Dorothea Hohnstein [@Jasbraq],  Ismet’ych’lahiin’dichora [@Force and Fury], Kaspar Elstrøm von Wentoft [@Wolfieh], 
Edyta Łaska, Manfred Hohenfelter, Qasem Laghmani [@Tackytaff], Ymiico’luun’yoru [@Salsa Verde]
Father Jacques Dubosque, Constable Stigenroth, Constable Laura, Constable Leonhardt, Ines Baum, Viktor Strauss[/sub]

[center][color=#756CE0][h2]Anna Stigenroth[/h2][/color][/center]

[i][color=#756CE0]Graf Hohenfelter is already making a move?![/color][/i]

Constable Stigenroth, called as such as she was the 25th girl in town with the first name Anna, watched from afar as both Qasem and Manfred marched the rest of the way to the square. Beneath her hook was a face covered in cold sweats and a face sore from all the muscle tension she underwent during the ordeal back in the barracks. The poor young woman was overwhelmed with stress and thoughts that continuously pressed her. She needed to sit, and a convenient, wet bench by the baker’s was just what she needed. For a good ten minutes she gathered her breath, and eventually returned to the barracks to finish her shift.

[hr]

[color=E06CD7]“Hmmm? So what’s the matter?”[/color] asked Constable Laura as both women clocked in their shifts and headed out. Blasé as ever, she addressed Stigenroth’s growing number of nervous ticks.

[color=#756CE0]“Sorry, uhm …”[/color] caught in another thought, Anna struggled to center her mind, [color=#756CE0]“Do you not feel like something’s been wrong ever since the outsiders got here?”[/color]

Laura raised a brow, [color=E06CD7]“No, why?”[/color] she answered as both women walked the path they did every day.

Stigenroth looked over her shoulder before explaining, [color=#756CE0]“I feel like they’re watching me.”[/color] he uttered, again looking over her shoulder, [color=#756CE0]“Especially that one with the moustache.”[/color]

[color=E06CD7]“The Hohenfelter guy?”[/color] Laura flinched and grimaced as she was left perplexed, [color=E06CD7]“If this is another boy-talk then just get over him al-”[/color]

[color=#756CE0]“It’s not.”[/color] Anna’s tone aimed to strike and didn’t hesitate to cut off her colleague, [color=#756CE0]“My instinct is telling me something is very off.”[/color] she began to scratch her neck intermittently.

Laura sighed and turned to give her “friend” a hug. It pacified Stigenroth’s nerves, for now, [color=E06CD7]“It’s okay. We’ll talk to Leonhardt tomorrow about your gut feelings, okay?”[/color] she smiled that same, hollow grin she habitually shot.

And Anna somehow found comfort in it, [color=#756CE0]“T-thanks. I just,”[/color] she squeezed her short friend for a moment before releasing, [color=#756CE0]“I just feel like we finally caught a break and this happens …”[/color]

Laura nodded to indicate she understood. The two eventually parted ways as Anna’s house was the first stop. The younger constable sighed in frustration and rolled her eyes as she went off to her home, closer to the edge of town. The rain was getting stronger and the sun was setting. She did not want to be caught in the dark, even in the middle of town.

[hr]

[center][b][h2]Morning of Assani 17th - 2:00 HI[/h2][/b]
[sub][color=#302c2c]4 Days Remain[/color][/sub][/center]
[hr][hr][center][h2][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoM7GlnA7Uw]♫[/url][/h2][/center][hr][hr]

It was the middle of the night that Laura’s little abode was met with frantic knocking at the door. Surprisingly, she was the only one to answer the door, rifle in hand and lantern floating over her shoulder, [color=E06CD7]“Who is it?”[/color] she called out behind the wooden door, rifle readied.

[color=#756CE0]“It’s Anna! Please open quickly …”[/color] she sounded panicked and desperate. Laura obliged and saw a drenched Stigenroth standing at the entrance. Parts of her attire had been torn and her neck was red, even bleeding a little bit. A wide-eyed yet groggy Laura gestured for her to come in and quickly looked outside to see if anybody had followed her. 

[color=E06CD7]“Did someone attack you, Anna? Are you hurt?”[/color] Laura asked the moment she closed the door. Her first instinct was to secure the windows while taking a peek outside, [color=#756CE0]“I-I don’t know.”[/color] a terrified Stigenroth rapidly turned her head in different directions as if she was looking out for some predator, [color=#756CE0]“But something is coming. I heard it. I [i]saw[/i] it.”[/color] if it wasn’t for the fact that Laura knew this person and the clear signs of some sort of physical assault, she’d have believed Anna to be insane, [color=E06CD7]“Okay. Stay here for now, we’ll get Vikt-”[/color] she couldn’t finish her sentence before Anna burst into a fit of fear.

[color=#756CE0]“Did you hear that?! It’s behind that window!”[/color] her shaking hand pointed at a recently sealed window. Laura pointed her gun and slowly approached whilst drawing. There wasn’t anything, but that only made things more stressful. Again, Srigenroth screamed, [color=#756CE0]“FUCK! It’s in! No!”[/color] horrified at what she may have seen, she quickly unlocked the front door to run off with her left hand still scratching her neck.

[color=E06CD7]“Anna!”[/color] shouted Laura, [color=E06CD7]“Shit.”[/color] no choice now, she had to pursue. She would find Stigenroth a few acres away, in the middle of a field of one of the farms. Arms wrapped around herself and broken down into tears, [color=#756CE0]“It won’t stop …”[/color] she tried to reach out to her friend, but the cracking of a few branches nearby caught not only Anna’s, but Laura’s attention too. The latter aimed her gun right at the noise.

Then, came the most horrific, blood-curdling scream she had ever heard. A scream that echoed through Mandelein and sounded nearly identical to the one heard in the forest by the outsiders. Laura, with her blood running cold, heard a most gruesome set of goring sounds before she could even turn to see what had happened.

Three shots were fired that night. Two sounding like a Hermann 12’s, and the third being particularly loud, recognizable as something heavier.

[hr]

It took just two minutes after the gunshots for the balls of light coming from the village to converge into the scene. Armed villagers and outsiders alike would find a scene veiled by darkness, but as their lights engulfed the area, one would inevitably find the massive puddles of blood in a spot not too far from dense foliage. Not too far from the many traces of blood were the ripped remains of Stigenroth’s nightgown. The rain hadn’t washed away the more minute clues yet and a fine sleuth could quickly notice that blood trailed towards the forest.

Just a few metres away was Laura, on her knees with a few clean cuts on her thigh, arm and cheek, looking completely dazed. Her rifle rested a few feet away, still warm. She looked completely catatonic. 

[color=4AD6DB]“Laura!”[/color] a tired Leonhardt rushed to the girl and lifted her from the mud she rested upon. More and more people had arrived, including Sister Eberl and Father Dubosque. In just ten minutes, a good sixty or so people had gathered on the field with torches and pitchforks, scared and angry. Dubosque did her best to appease the masses while Sister Eberl tended to the wounded Laura.

[color=36AE36]“Herr Dubosque!”[/color] a deep voice called out for the priest. A tall, very well-built man with blonde hair and a large rifle on his back emerged from the thicket. He spoke again when he was at an arm’s reach of the priest, as to avoid disseminating what he was about to say too carelessly, [color=36AE36]“It’s the constable girl.”[/color] he confirmed in proper Kerreman whilst shaking his head, [color=36AE36]“It happened far too quickly. I’ve never seen it this bad before.”[/color] Dubosque pursed his lips and clenched his cane as he realised just how crowded the scene had become.

The clergyman whispered something to the blonde man before turning to the panicked citizens of Mandelein, [color=#E1F36E]“Es hat einen Angriff gegeben. Die Bestie durchstreift immer noch diese Felder.  (There has been an attack. The Beast is still prowling these fields.)”[/color] he announced with enhancement to his voice via magic, [color=#E1F36E]“Bitte kehrt in eure Häuser zurück. Viktor, Constable Leonhardt und unser Freibeuter übernehmen ab hier. (Please, return to your homes. Viktor, Constable Leonhardt and our privateer will take it from here.)”[/color] he reassured, shooting a glance at Sister Eberl as she finished restoring the injured constable, [color=#E1F36E]“Am Morgen treffen wir uns in unserer Kirche. Die Leute von Mandelein werden wissen, was passiert ist. (In the morning, we shall have a gathering in our Church. The people of Mandelein will know what happened.)”[/color] he finished before nodding at the few constables the town had left to evacuate the populace.

[color=#E1F36E]“Young envoys,”[/color] he addressed the students that had also come out to acknowledge the noise and crime scene, [color=#E1F36E]“there’s been an incident. Constable Stigenroth has been …”[/color] he shot a look toward Viktor, the hunter-like man that had delivered him the news, [color=#E1F36E]“attacked. We do not know if she is dead.”[/color] he then gestured to the man he was looking at, [color=#E1F36E]“This is Viktor Strauss. He has been conducting the efforts to limit the beast’s activities. If you intend to help with the issue and travel into the Teufelssumpf, you go by him, understood?”[/color] solemn and clearly rattled by the events, Dubosque left it at that for now. Although he would remain until daybreak to supervise the investigation.

[color=36AE36]“I hear you’re from Ersand’Enise?”[/color] Viktor was quick to introduce himself. He had a noticeable Kerreman accent, but nothing close to a caricature, [color=36AE36]“Good. We need competence.”[/color] he reached for the Koppelman 49 on his back and checked the chamber, [color=36AE36]“With the rain and the darkness of night, we don’t have much time if we want to find her alive. Who’s in?”[/color][/color]

[hider=Action Opportunities]
Something bad has happened during the night. Constable Stigenroth, after a troubling night, has essentially gone missing (as there’s no body left to confirm her death).

New opportunities have emerged:
-You may join Viktor in his search for Stigenroth and the supposed attacker.
-You can pursue leads you’ve gathered (and hopefully shared with the group).
-You can interrogate anyone that may have seen anything (Laura) and gather clues from the crime scene before the rain washes it all away.
-Continue exploring the town for leads. The farms are very close by, perhaps the farms have seen or heard something?
-Father Dubosque will be going to the Castle after his announcement to the townsfolk. Maybe you’d want to attend? Or is the Castle with the mysterious Graf of interest to you?[/hider]