Tales of Neutral Ground IC

[3SecondCultist]

Castling

The body of the being responsible for the carnage can be found right in the centre of the red mass.

It might have once been well-proportioned, muscular and solidly built at least six and a half feet in height. A bruised, mottled hide of smoke-grey is visible under a torn up leather jerkin and the uniform of a Throne Warden, the skin smooth looking and furless at first glance. Pulling off a helmet to reveal its head, you see that it has a mane of flowing lustrous black hair and teeth of a decidedly pearly quality, which only provide contrast with its watery, bloodshot eyes, sunken cheeks and pair of straight black lips. Though your first impression is altogether that of a living corpse, some kind of undead creation, the thick emerald ichor-like discharge that has seeped out from its body would seem to indicate that this being was still properly living when it was finished off.

Of the wound that actually dispatched it you can find no sign. Most of the visible cuts and wounds look fairly shallow, certainly not enough to have finished off a creature capable of taking on an entire squad of elite Throne Wardens. The only major injury you can find is a deep puncture near the creature's gut. The skin around it has been charred and peeled away, as though it was burned concurrently or immediately after the stabbing took place. By one of the entity's outstretched hands is a single sword which is quite unlike most of the other weapons on site: unlike the disguise the creature was wearing, the blade is nearly four full feet long, and it bears absolutely no crest or adornment on the hilt or crossguard. For such a plain steel thing, the greatsword is remarkably clean of dirt and rust. It looks like it was just made yesterday.

"Magistrate Jarus and her team are still collecting the rest of the witness statements," interjects Lann, "but from what I've put together, two of these things entered the castle dressed as Throne Wardens, and they definitely didn't look like that when doing so. Neither of them carried any fancy swords either; that would have been noticed.

Tell me," he says as his eyes flit towards Gryphon and then come to rest on Drake, "what do you make of all of this?"