New Leads.

A new witness has stepped forward to speak on the tragic death of Thurinrat Appleton.

A hobbit, known to the locals as Big Marty, has this to say:
"Well, it was around six 'o' clock, I think, and the moon was shining brightly on the sky. Then suddenly I heard a man jump out of a bush behind me and when I looked I saw him draw a bow and shoot an arrow into Thurinrast's head and then he ran up a tree and disappeared."

This man, the hobbit claimed, had been wearing a green cloak, green boots and had a lot of knives strapped in braces over his shoulder; a description in stark contrast to that of the ones given previously.

Of course, the helpful and concerned citizen then went on to warn our reporter that he had recently seen wolves using knives when hunting deer and that he suspected the feral canines of planning to lay siege to Bree in the coming weeks.

Perhaps, then, his testimony cannot quite be trusted, however some few of our scribes have asked that he get in touch with our offices because they want to know from where he buys his pipe weed.

Daggers are especially Defiant!

The Bree Jail house was besieged earlier today.

Members of a group believed to be the be called the Defiant Daggers took possession of the jail house early this evening, barring the doors against all attempts to retake it before capturing one Zeldaran of the Defenders of the Free People and locking the poor man in a cell.

Other members of the Defenders of the Free People, led by Captain Isilorbor Ventris, forced their way into the building in an effort to rescue their captive friend and a fight ensued. Eventually, Zeldaran was rescued and the Daggers were run off.

Perhaps in an effort to save face or boost their moral, an estimated five or six of the Daggers later went to the Prancing Pony where they then all attempted to mug a single woman. Luckily for the victim, a recent arrival to Bree known as Marinette, there were many locals on hand to jump to her defence,

The scene was chaotic at best when our local reporter arrived with one group of people facing off against another before the Daggers were eventually persuaded to leave or else be ejected.
Some witnesses described it as alike to a piece from a pantomime, which begs the question: which one of the so-called Defiant Daggers is the donkey's behind?

Further attacks on the guards.

Further attacks on the Bree Guard have taken place.

Freawulf is believed to have been quietly enjoying a drink in the Prancing Pony after his harrowing day when he was set upon by another man. The brave guard narrowly avoided further injury before the unnamed assailant made his escape with two others, a man and a woman.

They were chased through town by members of the Bree Guard and the Defenders of the Free Peoples before being apprehended and arrested.

Unfortunately, shortly after their arrest, the three criminals fought with their noble captors within the jail itself and made their escape. Luckily, they were again caught and brought back to the cells in short order.

This attack is not believed to have any connection to the murder of Lance-Constable Jospaph, his wife Ashwen, or Captain Thurinrast Appleton.

Devious Double Death-Dealings

Two men died today in circumstances that shocked and horrified the denizens of Bree-town.

The first, Josaph, was a young man of good reputation and a Lance-constable in the Bree Guard. His slaying was witnessed by another of the guard, Fraewulf, who was understandably distressed, although still admirably professional, as he recounted the tale to our locally-based reporter.

Fraewulf heard the sound of a horn whilst upon his rounds near the Beggars Alley, he went on record as saying, and ran for the Jail House from whence the call emanated. Alas, he was too late to aid his fellow guard whom he found upon the floor, a man dressed in black standing over his fallen companion.
He and the man fought, but unfortunately the brave guardsman was outmatched, receiving a wound to his leg and temporarily losing the use of his sword arm. The terrible murderer then impaled Josaph upon a spike and fled the scene.
Fraewulf took Josaph down from the spike and sought aid from a healer, but sadly the young guard was already dead.

Much later in the day the man struck again, this time with an accomplice.
Thurinrast Appleton, Captain of the Bree Guard, stepped outside the jail house briefly, presumably for some air and was shot in the back. He was set upon by unknown persons, sustaining deep wounds to his left side before being brutally decapitated. His headless body was then dragged back to the jail house and dumped outside.
Guards at the scene reported seeing two men in similar dress fleeing the area on horseback.

In a terrible twist to this awful tale, the woman found beneath the bush yesterday was none other then Josaphs wife.

This tragic triangle of murder most foul is, as yet, unsolved. Both men remain unidentified, thanks to their concealing clothes and full-faced antlered helms, although one of them was seen to be in the company of a man believed to be part of the Bree Brigands shortly before the first of the slayings.

The guards remain alert and suspicious, aided in their hunt by sympathetic folk who also seek answers to the questions of who these men were and why they targeted these two guards and one of the guardsman's family.

Citizens of Bree and outlying areas are asked to be vigilant for the two antlered men and report any suspicious activity in and around Bree-town.