Blessed Frigga! It had been 20 months plus since we had the chance to be back at the table and play the campaign. I advanced time in game some 6 to 8 weeks and pulled them out of the Terror Dungeon and brought them to Erylond. With one of the players no longer here and a new player in place, I had 3 threads for the campaign bustling about - so I picked one of them and fed some power to it, came up with this 8-10 meeting adventure, and sent the party out on it. Gives them a chance to remember their characters, fill their lives again, and reengage with the world that has been waiting for their return.
Follows:
Somewhere lost in time, the party had found themselves in the Terror Dungeon, trapped between two main halls, an unknown foe wandering down a passage. The group discussed their predicament and decided that they had achieved what they needed, they had gotten the Magic Cup from the Runegate, dealt with Decron and the Bandersnatch, it was time to leave.
So they worked their way up out of the dungeon and then slept the night in Bork Keep. The following day had them fill their skins and take the 2 day trip back to Erylond, stopping briefly in Paxian, in the Stolen Kingdom of Canaslan, for a brew and a bed. By this time, there were more days with snow than not, and the group as a whole decided that heading back to the Terror Dungeon during the winter months was a bad idea.
But that led the party to discuss options for now. Most shops wanted a journeyman level personage to work there, and the group not only did not have any journeyman badges, but had no interest in apprenticing themselves to a master, tradeguild, or merchanthouse for a 2, 4, or even 6 year indenture. Because of this, they were able to get work, but at menial rates of pay…a few coppers at best. We had a crate of food stuffs arrive about once a week from Durcent province, thanks and appreciation from the Lordship and Sheriff there for work done, so we would not be starving. But the group was not making any money, and anything beyond subsistence meant that the party was losing cash.
We also had some adjustments in the group. Barb had grown weary of the fight and struggle, especially after the recent foray into the Terror Dungeon. She had made up with her father and brother and felt the call of Famyr pulling her back to Sorton. So for the next season, two maybe, she planned on heading west before the snows got too deep and reconnecting with her family and tribe once more. Not wanting the party to be without a competent fighter, she introduced us to her sparring partner, a half-orc warrior named Tidra. For about a week we all worked together and found Tidra to be a competent warrior and a good fit for us, so we felt well equipped to handle whatever situation might come our way, having a small farewell party for Barb.
The next number of weeks moved on; the snows grew deeper, the days colder, the work more numbing. Some visitors from the Canaslan Adventuring Bands would come to town and we caught them strutting their way around the Flying Pegasus or attending a night of song and revelry at the Erylond College of Performing Arts. With travel retarded, many locals had taken to asking the local Greater Rand Sellsword and Adventuring Guild for help in whatever matters were important for the locals. Missing animals, helping a sick family, raising barns, harvesting fields, and other tasks. Some were taken immediately, others we hoped to get the chance to do.
It was around the 15th of Icemonth, 3 solid weeks past the official start of winter but 5 or 6 weeks of snow on the ground, when a 6 count of us decided that going to work for 2 hots and a common or two was just not going to happen today. It was early enough, so Thalin, Vulwulf, Shimlagesh, Tidra, Darius, and Eoghan donned boots and cloaks and made their way north through the busy streets of Erylond, on their way to the Adventuring Guild to see if there was anything they could do.
On arrival they met the two Half-Ogre gate guards, were waved in, and then walked around the Fountain Chamber and the Stairway of Trophies. Hibuela Asalin, the Guild’s Esquire, lawyer, and notary, met the party and talked to them for a bit. There was a job that had come in and she was hoping that we could help out the nice family who needed the guild’s aid. She led us to the Facilitator’s office, Pha-iyr Carom and then continued on her way, cracking gum and swishing ponytail as she walked off. “Don’t let her appearance fool you,” Darius warned the group, “I hear she's rather good with a blade.”
“Yes, my friends,” Thalin agreed. “In the dark!”
The half-elf rose to meet up, ushering us into his office. As always, the desk was laden with folders and papers, bundles and scrolls spilling off to the floor. Pha-iyr was an attractive fellow, ready smile and twinkling eye. After some chit and chat, got right to the point. A Finn and Darca Planters had their youngest child, a daughter of 4 named Shala, disappear 3 days ago right outside their home. No one had seen anything and the child was with the mother and other children. The watch had been contacted but the Planters were growing concerned that time was passing and contracted the Guild to get someone to help. They put up 83 commons as a reward and the guild as usual matched the number. In addition, there was an additional 20 commons added to the reward from Pha-iyr himself, bringing the payoff to find the child and return her home to 186 common. Thalin was already looking to sign off on the job and we took it, getting a stamped letter of conduct that would allow us to deal with the watch and look for the child without crossing into any illegal lines.
We left and were going to visit the Planters when Darius suggested we head to the local tavern and get something warm to drink as well as something to eat. He spent some money on mulled ale and hot cider, getting some sausage and honey bread as well. We then went to the neighborhood, coming to the home in question. It was a 3 story affair, a different family living on each floor. Finn (half orc) and Darca (human) met us at the door and were happy that we were there. They had 3 other children (all older) who we met briefly.
3 days ago the family and the ones upstairs had gone outside to throw snowballs in the street and have a good time, Darca and the other mother watching, when there was a crump and a large swath of snow had fallen from the eaves above. The entire group of 8 were looking the snow over and it was maybe 2 minutes tops when Darca realized Shala was missing.
A search revealed nothing and the watch was summoned. The case was being handled by a Watchcorporal Mercer and he thought there was some tracks in the snow, but they ended up not showing anything. The tracks were not Shala’s and could not be confirmed by the Planters. Vulwulf had requested a pot of water and was spending some time studying over it, performing a divination. Eoghan wanted something personal of Shala’s to use to help Grin possibly track the lost child.
The half-orc druid did try to zero in on the child but was growing weary as the reflecting pool spell was fighting against him in an effort to scry on someone he’s never seen. But he did get lucky, nose bleed and all, and the party and Planters were able to see the young quarter orcish child in a dark room, on the hearth by an industrial looking chimney, wearing a set of silver wrist cuffs or manacles, having a rabbit symbol on them. Shim quickly drew the rabbit and we left, the Planters having hope on learning that their daughter was alive and somewhere lost for now.
Once outside, we searched the local area, finding nothing obvious. Eoghan had Grin sniff the doll we had been given and then try to track to the east in the direction of the wall we had been told the Watchcorporal had thought the tracks went. The mound of snow there was 9’ tall, the wall over 40’. Burrows had been dug in the snow but the local kids and we looked in and around, but saw no sign of Shala. Darius was stomping in the snow, kicking and digging down a bit.
He came upon a sewer grate where the melt and runoff had cavitated under the harder packed snow, leaving a hollow. We dug it out and the sewer grate was held on by 2 “L” pins, easily pulled out. This would allow the grate to lift, 2’ x 3’. We could look down; rungs went down 5’ to the sewer pipe below, most likely 4’ diameter. Right now though it had swiftly moving water filling it to roughly 2/3rds full, so it was nothing the party wanted to risk navigating. However, from the direction, it did run from the east under the wall.
We discussed a situation that Sybil had run into in the bazaar with street urchins from an orphanage in the 2nd Ring of the city. They were being poorly treated and abused by the taskmaster, and it something to do with rabbits. Perhaps this was the same place? And if a person, invisible?, did kidnap a child, a nice secret way to the 2nd ring would be a benefit in spiriting the child away swiftly and away from any watch issues.
Thalin was concerned that other children might be taken as well and we should learn a pattern if that was the case. The Watch for this section of the city was not too far from here in the entertainment district. Eoghan and Darius were going to go and talk to Watchcorporal Mercer and the rest of the group would keep their distance for now.
The few watchmen outside the watch were disinterested in help or conversation, giving the two men a less than happy feel for this. However we did get in and met with the Watchcorporal, a chatty half orc. We showed him our paper and we commented that the stamp was very nice (could he even read?) and then we talked about the Planters’ child. His feel was the child was abducted and they are looking for her during their normal watch. Other children had also disappeared in the area over the last 5 weeks. And he suspects that the next two watches, north and south of here, also had some missing children. Taken? Seemed to be orcish or half-orcish kids. Darius buttered him up and made him feel good about what they were doing and we left with Mercer willing to share with us anything he comes across and we do the same for him.
We met up and shared what we learned. The thought was then for some of us to go on to the other side of the wall into the 2nd Ring and look around on that side for a sewer grate, hoping to pick up the trail there. Two of us should go to the next watch and see if the story checked out and other kids were missing. Since it was a more orcish section of town, Tidra and Vulwulf were opted to go and talk to the watch while the rest of us go and find the sewer. And we meet up on the other side.
So we split up at the queue to the 2nd ring and the party were met with some nice guards, reminding them that curfew was 9 PM and they had to be out by then. Reminder to keep weapon’s sheathed and good luck. From there we through the wall and into the 2nd ring. Streets were nicer, homes bigger, guild halls, temples, cathedrals, libraries, parks and the like. We travelled north and kept looking at the walls hoping to find the right area that would match up with the Planter’s neighborhood. Eoghan and Darius were pretty confident they were in the right spot and were looking around the residential area.
A few dwarven icemelters were working the streets here and Darius went into his “nice guy who has a lot of money” routine, getting the icemelters to warm up to him (lol) and eventually (he implied that he was part of the inspection crew for the interior and public works) they let him know that “yes! There was once sewer grate where the pins had rusted away.” They led the group to it, and if you didn’t know where to look, might have never seen it. It was in a cul-de-sac in the heart of the residential section. The pins had rusted away and the grate was propped partially open by a bit of shifted street cobble.
We wished the dwarves well, thanked them (paid them off too) and after they were gone, Eoghan and Grin tracked the area, the wolf catching the faint scent of Shala; and pulling the party slowly out of the area and to the south. They walked along, eyes peeled for any chimney that looked like the one from Vulwulf’s pool.
As for the two half-orcs, the watch here were more diligent and they were introduced to WatchSergeant Valad, a half-ogre who was painstakingly writing a report when they came to visit. He could read the charter they presented to him and they talked about the 5 kids missing. 3 orcish descended children, 1 human, and 1 dwarf. All over 6 weeks. It wasn’t outright said, but the WatchSergeant was convinced the kids were still in the city and might be in the abandoned slum section along the south walls. They thanked him and left, heading for the second ring. The guards there were less kind to the two party members, were curt, and suspicious of them, and told them they had to be out by 7 – after wanting to know EXACTLY where they were going. Vulwulf gave some story about the fighter’s guild and they were let in – but walked east after noting the guards were watching them.
The Guard and the Watch were not associated with one another – the Guard answered to the Council of Lords and ostensibly worked for the Duke. Their charge was to keep the walls manned and keep the peace should need be. The Watch was the local constabulary, and answered to the People’s Council. Think of them as a mix of public supported vigilism and low order police work.
The two friends walked east, noting that as they walked along, the south area was a mass of former and unused massive temple grounds that had been parceled out and carved off. Making a number of orphanages. And it was the 4th one that had the symbol of a rabbit on the front iron gates, named the “Sunrise Rabbits” Orphanage. They checked it over but there was no easy way to get and no way to get around, barring ringing the front gate. So they retired across the street to the park where they sat on a bench and waited a bit, watching the place and trying to think about what to do.
The rest of the group was making their way along, coming to the south section of the ring, Grim still following the scent. They two parties spied each other and we reconnected, sharing what we had learned. There was a food merchant at the east end of the park so we went over there to discuss what our next plan was and how we were going to execute it. It was Icemonth the 15th, 2:30 PM at this point.
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