5punk

As Captain Schiller said, it only takes a few hours to get back to the crossroads, and you find the ruins of Fahndorf about a quarter of a mile down the overgrown track. More apparent, before you're even really aware of the ruined town, is the column of grey smoke dissipating into the morning sky. Drawing closer you can see a bonfire in the middle of a field just outside the town. It seems to be on its way out, but it's still burning with enough vigour to be visible from quite a distance.

Alice wrote:Um, guys, I'm guessing that's no cooking fire - fires that big are usually...

Much more sombre than usual, she leaves the thought unspoken.

As you get close you can see a body on the ground near the fire, and scattered patches of charred grass around the area.

We'll approach cautiously.

You reach the body without incident, which is lying sprawled with arms akimbo. It's Granny Moescher. She doesn't show any signs of injury, in fact she looks almost happy.

I'll approach and give her a gentle poke with my foot.

She doesn't move. Her eyes are closed and she looks peaceful, but you can't see any signs of movement or breathing.

I think she might be dead.

I look around, worried expression on my face.

Not hurt, just dead. I've got a bad feeling about this.

Can I do a perception check to one look at her, and two look around to interesting/suspicious things?

Yeah sure. Are just looking or poking about too?

Just looking, partly due to having a bonus, but also because I don't want to tempt fate by trying to pass more than one roll at a time...

Int 32 + 10% for Excellent Vision = 42
Roll(1d100)+0:
53,+0
Total:53

Fate tempted.

Well, with a modifier for being easy you'd pass. She's definitely dead.

I was intending to have a look around the area to see what's been burnt, or more usefully, what hasn't been burnt as well

The fire's made up of fallen branches and there doesn't look to have been anything burnt in it. The grass around it is all trampled in a rough circle about 20 feet away, like there were people or animals moving around it but didn't want to go closer. Scattered about, up to roughly ten feet away, are scattered chunks of wood and small branches which look to have sat burning in the grass then gone out.

So, someone was building a bonfire but didnt light it. Nearby is a dead woman who some people think might be a witch. I think what we have here is a failed witch burning.

Which begs the question, why have we not found a gently roasted Granny in a burnt out bonfire? What made them stop? Its possible that she died before they could tie her up or something, so they got bored and went away, but that seems unlikely. My guess is that she did a something which simultaneously killed her and scared everyone off. I smell magic.

Lads, I think there may have been black horses in play here. I think it might have been magic. I dunno, I've not seen magic before, is this what it looks like when magic kills someone? I think she might have been a witch after all, and someone had a mind to burn the wicked out of her.

The fire was lit, still is in fact although it's mostly burnt down now. The burnt chunks are more like hefty ejections froom the fire rather than discarded brands or torches.

Anything else you want to do here, or shall I shuttle you back to the caravan?

Well, we're in a ruined town right? Might as well have a poke around to see just how ruined it is and if there's anything useful left.

By all means. The village looks to have been abandoned a long time ago, the buildings collapsed and overgrown. Search rolls please for anyone who fancies a dig.