In the middle of the beautiful Summer days, as the Shire yet again put on a celebration of the warm air and the friendships formed through the gatherings on Summer days, darkness lurked in the few shadows cast by day. Shadows that prey on the innocence and sins of those near it…
After a row with her long-traveled significant other Towns, Samantha Wakeman fled to the roads of West Bree, away from the Townsend Corn Fields. After that, she was not seen again, by her friends or her family. A day passed, and Towns' sister, Melonee, was informed by Samantha's parents that there was trouble.
Towns' sister was of course very close to Samantha, as she was her brother's lover for many years. When Samantha went missing, Samantha's parents contacted Melonee, telling her that danger may have come to her, since in truth, Samantha was seeing another gentleman while Towns was away helping his parents move to another city to farm.
The row with Towns disheartened him, making him inaccessible the day Samantha was missing, so Melonee instead found Welstan, Towns' closest friend. Melonee told Welstan of Samantha's disappearance, and Welstan agreed to help her, and sent Melonee home. Welstan had every right to do so, as Melonee is young girl, barely older than 18. That night…
Melonee too disappeared.
Of course, Welstan did not figure this out until the next day, when he visited the Wakeman farmstead. While speaking with Mister and Missus Wakeman, they showed him a box of two necklaces, one belonging to Samantha, the other to Melonee, which was left on their doorstep that morning by someone who was not seen. This box was left by its lonesome, no note, not sign of the desire for ransom, but the seemed to have been repaired after fresh damage to the chain links.
From here, as Welstan has investigated, deaths, planted and real evidence, covered track, missing clues, unusual findings, and attempted murders have surrounded him in his search. Townsend, brother to Melonee, and long-time lover to Samantha, was even framed (though released) for an attempted murder. Welstan continues to investigate, and the clues continue to change form and confuse, but this hasn't stopped him yet.
Joining Alistar Welstan (a trained weapon smith and former Watchman) at this point is Rodereck Townsend (Towns' younger brother, an army officer in training and foreman of the Townsend Corn Fields), Alfirengwen (a healer and ranger whose master was killed during the investigation), Westleigh Sherman ('Lord West', who is either a suspect, or being framed as the kidnapper and murderer, and has so far chosen to help and comply with the investigation), and Garret Townsend himself (a master with spear and javelin, a farmer boy at heart, but a warrior in strength, whose health is quickly declining and his jolly soul sliding into sorrow).
Townsend and Welstan have formerly been employed by the Watch, but their family issues have drove them to putting in their notice of leave and taking to looking for the missing girls, and saving the lives of those that might get in the way of the criminal they are so desperately trying to find.
