Dawn Raid

JP with Bandorchu, Cindy and Winteroak

Saliam Farm - Dawn

One bell before dawn the group was assembled at the Keep's courtyard. There were around 15 people including Islana and Alexis , mostly soldiers supporting a couple of Knights including Sir Zane.

It was clearly a show of force and intimidation to use the military and not the City Guard for such a raid. Alexis also quickly realized that if she had given her answer to Zane yet on her promotion she would have likely been in charge of this group.

The group made their way across the city towards Saliam farm, through Suncross square where they saw a gallows being built. Regardless of the outcome of the raid people would die today.

Alexis couldn’t say she was too disappointed not to lead this thing. In fact, stuff like this oughta go firmly into the ‘decline’ column of arguments pro and contra the promotion.

While she understood that the leaders of the city had to show strength to keep control with the very wild mix of people they governed over, this raid still left her with a bad aftertaste.
‘Protect the people’, huh? Didn’t feel very protective to her. At least not of the people.

Islana looked around the group that had been gathered for the raid. Despite being on the side of people around her; the young huntress still felt intimidated. She could only imagine how the villagers would feel.

The young woman silently prayed for a swift end to the raid, one in which the casualties were minimal. Asking for no casualties might have been too much but, of course, that was the real outcome she wanted.

The group moved out, Islana's eyes were keeping watch all around her. The gallows would have been difficult not to spot, anyway. Feeling her stomach sink a little, the red head breathed. In and out, feeling each breath. Refocusing herself to the task at hand and the reason for it - to save a child from being sacrificed.

Sir Zane had been informed of what had happened last night with the Arbiter and some sort of cult member wearing a boar's head and some dead suspect.

He had briefed everyone involved to expect the resistance and the worse at the farm. But his orders were clear. They were to round up every person at the farm, take them to the Keep for questioning. He was hoping that seeing the public execution followed by a few days in the dungeons would loosen the resolve of a few.

There was the question of the children as well. He could not discard that this potential sacrifice would be done willing by members of the cult, thus he was planning to wrestle some of the potential victims out of the Creed's grasp.

The group arrived at Saliam farm as the winter sun starts coming up across the land. Most farm hands are starting to get up and come out form their hut as they do every day.

However two strange sights greet them this morning. Some of the other farmhands did not emerge from their huts and at the edge of the farm were around a dozen armed soldiers...