[ Definitely a different mage tradition this person was working with, because the idea of turning a rune on or off is certainly not the way it works when Reynir does it. As soon as the pattern was complete, that was it. Done. He's intrigued, but he also gets that asking this guy to explain how someone else's magic works probably isn't the most efficient way.

Still he's pretty tempted. ]

You had horses?

[ Oh snap we got a rich guy over here! ]

Hmm. Sheep are idiots, too. Do you have any dogs to help?

[ Reynir honestly can't imagine managing a herd without at least two dogs, it would just be a disaster. If deer are as uncooperative as it sounds, Pratt will definitely need reinforcements.

There's silence for a few seconds after Pratt explains. While Reynir has heard of cults, the idea of one that was kidnapping and killing people - multiple people! - is extremely shocking to him. He'd grown up in a deeply different cultural context - one in which the human population had been almost completely devastated by disease, and continues to be in constant peril from actual monsters. The idea of humans voluntarily and intentionally killing other humans, uninfected ones, is jarring and horrifying. ]

That's- so awful, why would they... were they being controlled by malevolent spirits?

[ Yep, that really is the first and most rational explanation, according to Reynir's experience of the world. ]