Chapter 1: The Body

You do not recognize the symbol. As you console the woman and investigate the bodies, you hear the distinct sound of metal armor-clad people approaching the area, seemingly in a rush. After a moment, you see a five-member watch patrol appear, crossbows drawn. They survey the scene, and then look at you. "What’s going on here?"

One of the guardsmen, presumably the patrol leader, checks the body of the man, frowns, and covers it with a tarp. Three others begin collecting the bodies of the dogs, stacking them in a heap. The fifth guardsman departs the scene with an air of purpose. The patrol leader rises and addresses all of you. "We'll need statements. No, it is not a common occurrence. Hope Park is known to be home to a lot of animals, but wild dogs are not among them, and the animals here have seldom attacked anyone who didn't molest them."

The woman approaches the guard. "My name is Marina, and these folk saved me. I was walking home through the park, as I often do when I came upon this pack devouring a man on a bench. When they saw me, they turned on me." He dutifully jots down everything she says without comment.

The guardsman stops writing. "A brand, you say?"

Lunori, you recognize it as a gang marking, but which one you don't know. The guardsman notes the branding in his log, along with a sketch of the brand.

Breg did a cursory search, looking for identification, of which there was none. He did not find any unusual tattoos or marks on the man's arms or hands, but he did not have time to thoroughly check the entire body before the guards arrived.