A Tragedy in the Farmlands
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An ominous rumour has transpired from the farmlands.
News of what appears to have been the ritual killing of a total of twenty-four individuals, of which nineteen were mere children, arranged in a curious five-armed spiral pattern. The children seemed to have been burned inside out, somehow. The five adults, instead, were hanged from a tree, their necks snapped.
With the culprit still at large as far as anyone can tell, city officials and adventurers both work on solving this impossible puzzle that seemed to leave no traces behind, and the good people of the farmlands are being instructed to keep lights always burning around their residences and cold iron charms close at hand.
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(Piggybacking off of this one for other farm related defense things relevant towards both the dark fey and the demon plot lines)
For the last little while, defenders have been patrolling the farmlands after the fey incursion, though with rumors now of Varya fighting an actual demon that appeared in the farmlands, hard initiative is finally being taken.
Rumors have it that after a demon attack in the farmlands, Captain Varya Tiller mobilized the defenders and have the farmlands under constant watch. Furthermore, it seems she has arranged a meeting for all the community leaders in the farmlands.
The meeting will be covering numerous topics about farm security, utilizing the tunnels for escape, defenders doing patrols, and what to do in the event in case there's future Demonic and Dark Fey Incursions. Varya doesn't share all the details about Nenufar or the Fey below in the tunnels whose living directly under her house, but would map out escape routes that would lead into the sewers or outside the far edge of the farmlands if absolutely needed, of course with defender escort to protect against threats of either.
Non-defenders and farmers Varya trained herself will be given masterwork weapons to deal with lesser threats, though greater ones will be left for more experienced defenders to deal with, as she mentions.
Varya communicates loud and clear that like the nexus war before this before she was born (as older people from the farmlands will remember, like her mother and others), things might turn tragic, and makes things clear that anyone who doesn't wants to send their children away to keep them safe from threats abound will have arrangements to have them taken care of in Norwick other other neighboring places the Chauntean church has influence
""We're stronger than these things people. We will protect, and save our children and send them away. But those with the strength to carry on and continue to serve these lands will reap the Grain Goddesses rewards, in this life or the next. You are all loved, and each and every one of you is important to us. Times are rough, and we might feel afraid, but we'll see through this storm as these lands have seen through it many, many times before. Faithful of Chauntea and Lathander among us, people of Peltarch, and those who are part of the Tiller Barony, we will not be driven away!"
