The De Cabra Murders

One of the bloodiest incidents to ever occur in the small village of Aldeia de Raiz of the Cthonic realm of Mag Duinn is known as "The De Cabra Murders"; a vicious slaying of an entire family and the unfortunate employees of the estate that occurred on the 80th anniversary of a similar incident in the same house.

Though the murderer was apprehended and identified as the patriarch of the family, Mithá De Cabra, his body vanished after his public execution, leading others to question whether or not he actually died. The body was never recovered.

History

Mithá moved his family into the D'Albergaria Estate; a manor built the same year as the cataclysm befell Mag Duinn. Though it is the largest and most extravagant home in the Valley of Fog, it had been vacant since the brutal murders that took place 80 years before.

From what can be gleaned from the records of the town hall at that time, it appears that the same fate befell the houses' original inhabitants; the noble D'Albergaria family - a powerful house that ended after the bloodshed. Town records state the manor was built by commission of Francisco D'Albergaria in AC'00 (the first year after the cataclysm), and inhabited five years later following the construction.

For 40 years the family lived peacefully in their home, raising a family and involving themselves in the betterment of the village. Many claim that it was only through Dom Francisco's efforts that Raiz established itself as one of the largest and most prosperous towns in the realm.

This peace was shattered when Franciso's son Loro D'Albergaria inherited the manor after his father's death. Loro, who was born and raised in the estate, had a dark personality and often talked of the voice of the house - which he described as seductive and demanding. This darkness manifested in the year AC'40 when the man took up an axe and murdered his entire family and staff in their sleep.

Loro made no attempt to deny his deeds or resist arrest; he was found wandering the streets laughing maniacally with his bloody axe, and happily recounted what he had done "in service of the house". Though he was put to death, there is no record of an internment and no stone in the Cemitério dos Prazeres bears his name.

After this horrific incident, the manor sat empty for many decades. Word of the gruesome nature of the murders travelled throughout the realm, and none in Mag Duinn cared to inhabit this cursed home.

The De Cabra Family

After 70 years the stigma of the murders had largely become a thing of rumor and myth; with the distance of time the harsh reality of the event faded against the glamor of the estate. Arranging to purchase the property from the Aldeia, Mithá De Cabra moved his wife, her elderly mother and their staff into the building in AC'110. He believed the country air would help strengthen his wife, Eva, with her weak constitution.

During the ten years that the couple inhabited the D'Albergaria Estate, they flourished. Eva regained her strength and was able to walk without the need for her wheeled chair. She found endless inspiration in the commanding views of countryside and took to painting landscapes and carving statues in a soft marble quarried nearby. The couple gave birth to two children: Ana and Sprey.

This picturesque existence ended abruptly on the 80th anniversary of the D'Albergaria murders.

While it is impossible to know exactly what happened that night, the results of the homicidal spree were well documented. Mithá knocked on the door of the jail the night of the murders covered in blood. He maintained a calm demeanor and informed the constable that his "service had been rendered". He presented a bloody axe and requested to be interred in a cell.

The first corpse found was that of his oldest child Ana. She appeared to have attempted to flee the house, her body was found on the path between the estate and town - the trail of blood suggests that she died of wounds sustained inside the manor.

Eva De Cabra was found in the gallery - the room in which she showcased her greatest pride; the artwork she labored over. Her limbs were completely severed from her torso, which was propped up as if it were a work of art. The youngest De Cabra child, Sprey, was found in his crib. He was just an infant. Brita Conseu, the elderly grandmother, died on a bench in the greenhouse. Her head was left on the tea tray under a cloche. The blood in the children's room suggests this is where Ana was attacked.

The De Cabra's butler, Alberto Ferrugento, was found in the parlor with 16 deep lacerations in his back. He died slumped over the grand table in front of the fireplace. There was a great deal of blood found inside the trophy room, though the bodies of Joane Ferrugento or their young son Francis were never found. They are considered casualties of this slaying.

Aftermath

Mithá was convicted of the murders, and made no attempt to deny his involvement. He also made no attempts to mask his glee when recounting the events of the evening. He mentioned, frequently, that he was following the will of the house - chilling words that echoed the deranged statements of Loro D'Albergaria eighty years prior.

He was hanged at dusk the following night. In the morning when the constable went to cut the body down, he found only an empty noose. The remains were never recovered, leading some to believe that Mithá survived his execution. This mysterious end to a grim situation wove itself into the urban legends of the village youth - who sang a number of twisted rhymes about the incident.

Once again, having hosted not one, but two identical mass murders, the D'Albergaria Estate once more sat empty for many decades.