The group had a few hours to pass the time until we were to meet up with Hisvild and try and get Shala out. We went through a number of plans, settling on splitting the group in 2 parts – 1 being Darius, Thalin, and Eoghan and head in to effect a meeting to see some kids, waiting for an opportunity to head to the basement, and the other being Vulwulf, Shim, and Tidra being representatives appointed by the Adventuring guild and coming here to demand entrance and return of the girl.
However, in our talk around the town, it had been learned that a bar brawl out at the Wooly Rhino had turned deadly. A Canaslan Adventuring Band named Streams of Mithril had gotten into a fight and during it, a local scribe, Devin Scrivener, had been hurt during the conflict. The dwarf, Dogsbody McGuin, had at one point drawn his axe during the combat and even though he used the flat of it to defend himself, struck the Scrivener in the head and he died a few hours earlier. For now Dogsbody is in the stocks and a tribunal had been set up to find out the matter and decide on punishment.
We had spoken with various adventurers around town and at the guild during our morning and the feeling is that even though Streams of Mithril might be a Canasalan group, it’s still wrong what’s happening to Dogsbody. The other argument is that he drew a weapon during a bar brawl. If he used a mug, or a chair, or his fists, It would not have escalated as far as it did now to the potential removal of his hand, but it did and he did and he needs to pay the consequences.
The party noted these instances, knowing that the world spun on even without their direct attention or participation, and solidified their plans.
Hisvild, Taskmaster of the Sunrise Rabbits Orphanage, was idly pushing a loose stylus across his desk with an absent finger, chewing on his bottom lip.
“What has you in a tizzy?” Ghalen Artek, Headmaster of the same establishment, asked. He slid a chair back and lowered his form gingerly into it. “You’re as welcoming as a Sifian adherent who suffered a “C” on his latest temple treatise.”
The taller man frowned, eyes flicking up as one of the Practicals walked by in the hall, heading to check on the children in the main lecture hall. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”
“Didn’t you break a piece off last night with that git from Grymeria?” The half-elf gave a partial smirk and bobbed the desk once with his fist. “Let me guess, she was dead from the waist down?”
“Nothing like that or of the sort.” Hisvild let out an exasperated sigh and leaned back, eyes closed and head tilted up. “Just…have things on my mind.”
“Relax,” Ghalen’s expression softened. “I know it’s hard. I do. But we’re doing good work. We are.”
“Frigga’s Frozen Ass, Ghalen? Are we?” He pointed absently at the floor. “We have almost a score of kids that have been cut from the great skein languishing in our basement because returning them to their family means dooming them to Bedlam and madness.”
“What should we do then? Let them die?”
“No, no. We talked about this.”
The half-elf nodded his head. “Yes. We did. Exhaustingly. Through a number of candles and even more pints of oil, we burned the light to find our way.” The pointed one finger down and tapped the desk with it firmly. “This is the way. Damn it man, we save kids. Whether from starvation, slavery, abuse, abandonment, or even now, from ordination…there is no higher purpose in what we do than to save kids.”
Hisvild sighed, seeming to deflate. “I know that, you pompous prick. I know. But that’s only half of what we need to do.”
“What is the third tenant of Baldur?” Ghalen asked.
The Taskmaster frowned. “When a job is too great for one to accomplish, many hands and offered help is always welcome.” He blew out a short breath. “Seems rather self serving of you to espouse that banal claptrap when some foreign Underthane is looking to take the kids off our hands for 50 fucking crowns a piece.”
“Think I’m doing this for mammon?” The headmaster stuck up his middle finger tall and firmly. “Fuck you. Fuck your misplaced righteousness. The kids need help. There is no one within 30 fucking leagues who knows ANYTHING about Lathandar, and for a dozen years plus, how many thousands of kids images have flashed across the font as a warning and we did not have the wits to understand how important it was? How many kids did we let…die?”
Ghalen stood up, straightening his shirt, smoothing his sleeves again. “Listen. The Underthane has access to books that had been plundered from this temple. He had bankrolled 4 Practicals for us, genuinely feels horrible for the plight of the children, and is also willing to make reparations to us for the children. Once the funds come in, we keep half to improve the lot of the other children here, and use the other half to bring succor as a donation to the families whose sons and daughters they have lost.” He fixed his gaze on Hisvild’s. “And through whatever grace the Norns can give us in this, with all good luck, the Gorokian Dwarves will help correct the children and return them to us to eventually come home.”
Hisvild said nothing for a minute, eyes haunted, before looking up and asking, “And do you believe that? Really? Do you believe that is the case?”
The half elf tilted his head, slowly smiling and replied. “I have faith, my friend. That’s all we sometimes have in difficult days.” He made his way to the door, the hall teeming with running children. “It’ll work out. You’ll see,” and then he left.
Still seated, shoulders pressed against the hard back of the chair, the Taskmaster shook his head slowly and glanced out the window. “Faith doesn’t solve everything. Sometimes you need to take action.” He patted his pocket, assuring himself the keys were still in there and stood up. “Hmmph. I’ll bet that little fucker was in the room when I with Ms. Ilcinder.” He strode out of the office, head still filled with worry for what was to come.
Meanwhile…the first group had headed back to the Orphanage, just before 12, advising Shim and the other 2 to give them a 10 minute head start. Once there the Practical Stavern Shephard was surprised to see them again but let them in. Once inside the waiting room they hung up their cloaks and soon met with Ghalen and Hisvild. Darius then went into practiced speech about how he never had a chance to meet the kids and wanted to do that before any donation could be met. They were then taken to Hisvild’s office/classroom where two of the younger ones were brought in. Some light conversation followed.
Shim and the two half-orcs showed up next and demanded entrance, producing the paperwork cosigned by the watch and the GRSAG. This drew the attention of the Practicals who then went and got Ghalen. The Headmaster and Stavern went to go check out this matter, leaving Hisvild and the other 3 together for now. The Taskmaster sent the kids away, led the three men across the way, and then down to the basement.
They entered the larger chamber where the furnace was chugging away…and a good 15 count of kids were currently languishing. We were introduced to Shala, the young half-orc was pleasant and loquacious. Hisvild impressed on her that these were friends and we were going to take her out and home. The other kids wanted to know if they could go too, but were told that was not the case for now. We managed to look over the font swiftly, nothing to see for now, and then made our way out to the stairs and with the use of an Invisibility spell, snuck up and followed Hisvild slowly to the front door, pretending all was good for now.
Meanwhile the others had made some noise and Ghalen had them brought in. Cloaks were hung up and Shim tried to impress on the Headmaster and Practicals that they were looking for this girl. Was seen here. Playing outside. There was disbelief on both sides, half truths and outright lies. Some threats, veiled, did follow, and we were given a brief audience before we were soundly told that we were wrong, there was no such child here, and it was time to leave.
The other group was getting their cloaks back on, and given the snow outside and the cold, they did spy a small child sized cloak on the rack – and took it (it was Shim’s). Once outside they left and made their way sedately towards the main gate. Once safely far away, Shala was visible again and she was excited about the adventure she was on and possibly going to see her home and family, even though she had no memory or concept of them.
It was at the gate that things got a bit weird as the Wall Guard noted we were leaving with a child. Darius tried to continue his nobleman’s son routine, glossing over much of what they were doing. The girl was very talkative and some of what she was saying was raising some eye brows. So Darius did what he always did, he threw money at it; hoping that would solve the problem. They were eventually allowed to pass through and made their way north towards the Planter’s family. Not realizing that the Wall Guard had dispatched someone to follow them.
The others were ejected from the Orphanage, Shim pissed that his damned cloak was taken. Outside they hoped that the others had been successful and they had provided enough of a distraction. On seeing Hisvild at the end, the Taskmaster wizard looking pleased behind Ghalen’s back, they had high hopes. They also made their way west, heading for the gate.
Darius, Eoghan, and Thalin had made it to the Planters where they had Darca Planters, Shala’s mom, meet the child. She was overjoyed and the girl was unsure, but gave a weird warbling tale about her adventures the last 3 days – not knowing anything before. To Darca, it was presented that the girl was found wandering without memory and the Sunrise Rabbits Orphanage had taken the lost waif in. And the Vanguards of Ragnarok had gotten lucky in finding her. The story held enough water to smooth over any discrepancies. We were thanked and then we took our leave, heading north some more for the Adventurer’s Guild to present our completed writ and arrange the completion of the job.
Meanwhile at the gate, they had been stopped again. Some conversation followed and talk about Shim;’s writ and our job with the watch to find lost children came up. That’s when the Gate guard had us taken to the side and joined Sergeant Barrim for a side conversation. Missing children, it was the local watch’s job to uncover. But something just passed through the gate that had them concerned. A dandy named Darius Diamondcutter just came through with a 4 or 5 year old half orc girl who had said she had been in a basement and he was taking her from the Orphanage to get her a skill. A trade. And he bribed the guards which immediately set off the protocols to release the Wall Rats.
The Wall Rats are the local royal thieves guild and they work with the Wall and Royal Guards to help track down dissenters and maintain peace and order. Sergeant Barrim is concerned that this Darius is taking the child to a whorehouse to indoctrinate her early and young to eventual work there.
It was here that Vulwulf was doing most of the talking about how we didn’t know them, that was terrible, and what a shitty thing. Sergeant Barrim wanted to hire the group to find this Darius Diamondcutter and bring him in and back for questioning. Well, sure, go to the GRSAG and we’ll look into taking the job. Great, need to get pimps and scum like that off the streets.
We made our way through after more reassurance, learning that 3…or maybe more? Wall Rats had been dispatched and were tracking Darius at this moment in time. We then went north and headed for the Adventurers Guild, hoping to catch up with the party there.
The others had gone up to see Pha-iyr Carom and presented the job as completed. It was also suggested that they forego the money the Planters family had given and wanted it returned to the family. Pha-iyr said he would do what he could and thanked the party for a job well done. We left and downstairs met up with the rest of the party who let them know that Sergeant Barrim wanted to meet with Darius as he was suspected for trafficking children and possibly running a nascent brothel. “How the hell did they get THAT idea?!” Darius wanted to know, aghast at learning this.
“It’s a mystery to me how that happened,” Vulwulf assured him. “Who knows how these things get so out of hand?”
The party suggested he stay here for now and they would go off and back to the Wall guard to try and get this matter resolved.
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