The news reached Bastos in pieces, which was usually how bad news traveled. One merchant brought word of a burned settlement in northern Lotostra. Two days later, another caravan arrived carrying rumors that it had not been the first. Soon, travelers were speaking of blackened villages, missing bodies, and enough soldiers on the roads to make everyone wonder what had happened.
Nobody agreed on who was responsible. Some blamed bandits, others claimed cultists had been seen in the region, and several merchants insisted the attackers had crossed over from the Kingdom of Sands. Demons featured prominently in the accounts of the more religious travelers.
Celine had learned long ago that rumors became uglier the farther they traveled. She paid attention to the details that remained consistent: several settlements had burned, Imperial soldiers had been dispatched, and priests were now accompanying the investigators. Whatever had been found was serious enough to require their presence.
