DISCLAIMER: The Furship Chronicles narrate the adventures of our gaming group as we playtest the Age of Animus Storytelling Game. Bunwick is played by Frank, Emeraldine Fiera is played by Melanie, Raz is played by Steve, Wilhemina is played by Fab and Zouly is played by Lyne. The interactions you read are not straight transcriptions of their conversations in the game (My memory isn’t good enough to remember them all) but rather my interpretation of their characters as they played them in our gaming session. I hope I do justice to the fun we had playing.
“What are you doing to my crime scene?!!” Constable Copley repeated irritably.
Wilhemina rose up to her full height, “Only your JOB!”
Raz quickly stepped in, “Er, what my companion meant to say is that we’re ASSISTING you of course!”
“That’s not what I meant to say,” Wilhemina grumbled, “I SAID what I meant to say. When I say things I mean them and I mean what I say…”
Copley peered in silence at the weasel for a second and then turned back to Raz, “I already told you lot I didn’t want your help!”
Raz nodded, “That you did. However, we could not in good conscience stand by while there was evil apaw.”
Zouly sighed, “For Six’s sake, just show him the writ!”
Raz looked down to the frog, “Oh! Right…” He fished the mayor’s writ from his pouch and pawed it over to the constable.
Copley looked over the piece of parchment and frowned, “So you went over my head? Just perfect.” He took a moment to sulk in silence and then finally asked, “Well have you found anything?”
“Just everything!” Wilhemina replied. She held aloft the jar of artificial musk. “The thieves used this to mask their scent!”
Copley curled his nose, “I see…or rather I smell…” He took the jar from Wilhemina and examined it as Zouly presented his findings.
“The thieves accidentally tore open one of the sacks of flour and spilled some. There are boar prints over here.” He pointed to the spill. “Are there any boars in town?”
Copley stroked his ear, “Haven’t seen a boar pass through these parts in months.”
Emeraldine was next, “Under here there are some crumbs from something that was eating bread of some kind.”
The constable considered this new piece of evidence, “That could explain how they got in.”
“That was my thinking,” Raz agreed.
Bunwick shook his head in confusion, “I don’t get it.”
Raz explained, “The thieves send in a rat to hide and wait in the storehouse until dark. When it’s time, the rat unlocks the door and lets them in. Then under the cover of darkness, they empty the storehouse.” He looked to Copley, “Which reminds me, Constable. What happened to the lamp posts on this street?”
Copley frowned, “Vandals have been cutting down lamp posts all over town. At least I assumed they were just vandals. I’m starting to think the plan all along was to cut the lamp posts on this street down so the street would be pitch dark when the thieves struck. The other lamp posts were just to throw us off.”
Raz rubbed his chin, “Sounds to me like this was a carefully thought out and executed plan. I’m thinking the Coven is involved.”
Copley growled, “The Coven? In my town? That’s preposterous!”
Raz shook his head, “The Coven are everywhere, Constable. It’s naive to think otherwise.”
Copley opened his mouth to say something, then thought better of it. “What would the Coven want with our stores? It doesn’t make any sense!”
Bunwick chimed in, “You know, I’ve been thinking. The thieves must have loaded all that food into a cart. But where did they take it when they were done?”
“Most like they left town with it,” Copley supplied.
Zouly furrowed his brow, “I saw a sentry post when we came into town. Wouldn’t there have been a fur on guard at night? Maybe he saw something?”
Copley snorted, “Good luck with that one!”
Zouly looked quizzically at the dog, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Copley replied, “It means that the town sentry is a good-for-nothing slacker who wouldn’t know a thief from his own backside!”
The sharp reply cut Zouly short, “Oh.” He thought for a moment, “Well it couldn’t hurt to ask him anyway, would it?”
Copley nodded, “I’d have all manner of questions for him, if I could find the bum! He went missing this morning!”
“That’s convenient,” Raz noted. “Perhaps he was in league with the crooks?”
“I wouldn’t put it past him,” Copley grumbled.
Something didn’t add up in Bunwick’s head, “If the sentry wasn’t trustworthy, why was he left in his position?”
“He inherited the post from his father,” Copley explained, “The mayor doesn’t have the heart to fire him even though I’ve told him time and again to get rid of him. Now that we’ve had a cartload of thieves pass right under his nose, the mayor won’t have a choice but to listen to me!”
“Yes about that,” Raz said slowly. “We were camped along the side of the road last night. No carts passed by us from either direction.”
Before Copley could comment, another dog rushed into the storehouse. From his dress, the five guessed he was the constable’s deputy. “We found Dross, sir!”
Copley turned to the newly arrived deputy, “Finally! Where is he? I”ve got a choice word or two to say to that bum!”
“That might be a little difficult to manage, sir,” the deputy warned, “He’s dead!”
“Well that’s not good,” Zouly said darkly.