Inspecting the body

The snake hisses and rattles in warning, but as no one moves within striking range, it soon glides out of sight into the scrub brush moving swiftly to escape the threat of armed warriors.

Now that they can approach safely, the recruits quickly see that the body is that of a young man wearing the green uniform of a King's Messenger. He has been dead for at least three or four days, but not much longer. There is a strong smell of putrefaction and much animal damage to the remains, but the process is not too far along.

There are no weapons on the body, though there are signs that he had scabbards attached to him – a cut belt for one. The green coat is covered in blood and it has at least two arrow rents in it and a great slash across the abdomen.

You can see that whoever did this has left tracks showing in what direction they went – uphill, to the north. The foot tracks go quickly to a place where horses milled around for a while – there is hard dung still there – and then the horse tracks of perhaps two or three riders continue up the slope towards a fold in the hills.

Below you, on the trail, the caravan continues to move. The chow wagon is about level with you now and one of the younger guards gallops up to you with a sack of rations and a goat skin of water.

“Chard says it will be enough for two days,” the youth says with a grin at Venya and a shudder at the moldering body.

OOC: Feel free to investigate in detail. Tell me what you do and I'll make rolls for you.