Steady drizzle falls from the ash-gray sky. The crowded, rain slicked buildings seem especially bleak and frightful this morning, as though hunched together beneath the tireless rain. A few lights burn in their eyes, but most of their shutters are still closed. The scent of chimney smoke fills the air, and you hear the din of water trundling from rooftops, splashing into dark alleys, and turning the street gutters into rivulets.

The orphanage rest on the corner of Lantern Street and Avana Avenue, its charcoal-colored stones held together with mold-encrusted mortar. The windows on both stories are tightly shuttered but a few slivers of light manage to escape from within. Lanterns hang on either side of the oaken front door, mounted to which is a green copper knocker shaped like a smiling gargoyle's visage, its nostrils pierced by a copper ring.
This message was last updated by the GM at 23:29, Mon 11 July 2016.

Marik stare in silence at the orphanage building, on top of Rani.

"Delightful...as if losing your parents wasn't bad enough when you're nine, they have to put you in a place looking like this...Actually, I would understand any child wanting to flee from here. I certainly would..."


He turns to Filimena.


"Well, hem, here you are. This is the Lantern Street Orphanage..." he begins. "Would...Would I be wrong to think you are also looking for the missing childrens?"
This message was last edited by the player at 03:25, Tue 12 July 2016.

People have started going about their day so the streets are filling up even with the rain coming down. You hear people talking as you stand looking at the Orphanage.

"... a cloaked figure collided with me in the street just earlier this morning, and knocked down. She uttered some horrible curse, glared at me with a ghostly face and haunting blue eyes before running off! ... "

".. I heard that some cult is kidnapping people and sacrificing them to a tentacled god..."

"... One of those kids kidnapped was the bastard son of the mayor..."

Filimena hesitates before replying. "No, you'd be right," she says to the elf, not quite making eye contact. "I suppose I am looking for them. I assume you are as well?"

Filimena's attention is drawn to the people speaking around her, and particularly to the person claiming that a hooded figure had bumped into them earlier in the morning. She doesn't approach any of them, though. Instead, she turns to the elf, "I suppose we should go in and speak to whoever runs this place. Unless you'd rather see if any of these people might have witnessed anything first."

mood music

The orphanage is slowly coming to life as the shuttered windows are being opened and people come delivering goods to the building. A dwarf comes out from the rear of the building and is picking up debris and such from the grounds. He does stop and help those making deliveries get things into the orphanage then goes back to walking the grounds.

Marik stays silents a few seconds and appears to consider the idea. He's a bit unsure of the way forward in this unknown hunting ground. He has also picked up the conversations happening around.

"I don't put a lot of stock in stories. I'm a wood hunter. I believe in scents, tracks, footprints...stories, especially those of the frightened, have a way to inflate and change like the most capricious wind. But I think you're right. We need to get into that orphanage and get our hand on some traces of these children's. Something to help Rani pick a scent."

He pause and continue.

"It will go faster if we work together. I will go check on these people in the street for some hint of those hooded figures. In the meantime, you could go knock at the orphanage door and introduce yourself. The sight of a halfling woman will probably be less unsettling for human eyes than a mountain panther. I will join you soon after I checked the streets."

The people give Marik and Rani a wide berth as the big cat is unusual in the city. Children often look twice at the pair before their parents pull them along.

OOC: Give me a perception at disadvantage - as people are avoiding you.

OOC:  Marik rolled 15 using 1d20+5. Marik rolled 9 using 1d20+5.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:40, Thu 14 July 2016.

Filimena shrugs in agreement, and heads over to the front door of the entrance. It takes her a bit of effort to reach the knocker, but she does eventually manage to by tiptoeing. She gives the door a good, solid knock.

OOC: Sorry if this is a bit brief. Heading off to a job interview!

Marik heads out into the streets leaving Filimena at the door.  A few moments after the knock an older halfling female opens the door.


"Can I help you?"

---

In the street Marik and Rani continue to cause quite a stir as people move out of the duo's way and actively avoid them. Unfortunately whoever was talking about the hooded figures is no where to be scene.

[Private to Marik: Just FYI w/ disadvantage you take the lower of the two d20 rolls.]

Marik grit his teeth and stops Rani.

"This won't help anything. Better return to the Orphanage"

Marik makes the panther turns around and run back to the Orphanage. Upon arrival, he guide Rani toward the side wall, out of view of the front door and dismount. He then makes his way slowly toward the front door, where Filimena stands, leaving Rani to lay against the brick wall, paws crossed under her head, waiting.


[Private to GM: Yeah, I'll just put the lower number from now on.]

The older halfling women eyes the pair, "Who are you two ... gentlemen?"

OOC: Before responding, Marik look at Filimena and will wait for like five seconds in game to see if she respond first. If not, he will talk.

Filimena frowns and purses her lips slightly, more surprised than bemused. Gentlemen? She smiles at the halfling woman and replies, "We're here to enquire after the missing orphans. We understand you require help locating them?"

OOC: Marik stays silent at the moment, content to let Filimena start the conversation. While this happens, he tries to come up with the proper words in Common to introduce himself. He also think about what would be appropriate manners in human settlements in this situation based on what he has seen so far. He tries not to show anything, but this is quite stressful for him.

She gives Filimena a weary look, "I'm sorry young lady, my eyes aren't what they used to be first thing in the morning. You say you're here to help with the children? Just a couple of kind souls?" The older halfling looks a little closed off, jaded if you will.

OOC: Give me a persuasion roll

Filimena is momentarily taken aback by the halfling woman's apparent lack of interest, but quickly regains her composure, and resumes her smile. "Why yes. It wasn't too long ago when I was a child myself, fending for myself on the streets. Do you think we could come in and ask a few questions?"

OOC: Filimena the Gentle rolled 10 using 1d20+4.  Persuasion.

Oops.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:22, Mon 18 July 2016.

The frown on the older halfling's face deepens into a scowl. "Just going to show up and hope for the best then? We don't have any money to pay you campaigners... mercenaries." she spits the words out as though they where daggers.

Seeing the situation get out of hand, Marik try to intervene, speaking quickly to try to overcome his shyness. He don't really know how to reassure the women of his good intentions.

"I...I'm not here for money, even if it can sometimes be useful. I can provide pretty well for myself in these lands. I'm here...We're here because we saw the posts in the tavern telling of mysterious children disappearance three days ago. We thought you could use some help. I'm a good tracke...well I've never hunted in cities before...but I think...I'm pretty sure I could find them with a good scent... Or at least find theirs bodies and figure out what happened and..."

Filimena starts to get impatient. She's had enough of trying to be nice, and decides to get straight to the point: "Alright, listen, ma'am. If this were about coin, we wouldn't be here. My friend and I have skills far beyond your grasp. There are a dozen jobs out there waiting to be done. We're here because of the children. They're orphans. Nobody cares about them. Certainly you don't seem to. Have you had any other offers to help? I doubt so. We don't need your help. You need ours. Do you want it or not?"
This message was last edited by the player at 03:34, Tue 19 July 2016.

"Think you can intimidate me into letting you in here to terrorize these children?" she pauses and looks over Filimena's shoulder. "Acolyte Laro! Praise to the saints you're here! Please speaks with these two...

Behind Marik at the entry to the grounds is a man dressed in priest's clothing, a 7'-0" tall dragonborn in chainmail with a shield, as well as Marcus that guy you both met at the tavern last night.

Approaching the orphanage entrance, Marcus hears the tail end of the ensuing conversation, and shakes his head.  Great, he thinks to himself.  Just the sort of disturbance I was hoping to avoid.  He remembers these two from the tavern, wanting to answer the advertisement for assistance to the orphanage.  Evidently, they haven't managed much as of yet.  But if the situation can be calmed down, perhaps they could all work together.  You can never have too many eyes and ears.

"Ruphus, if you would..?" he says to the acolyte, gesturing toward the halfling standing in the doorway.  "Please introduce us and explain our mission."

"You two," Marcus says, looking back at forth between the crippled elf and the thin waif.  "Come here for --"  He stops short, realizing that he has no business barking out commands, and softens his tone.  "Can we please speak with you for a moment?"

Marik had shut up the moment Filimena started talking again, and listened awkwardly as the rest of the conversation played itself out...

He hears a commanding voice calls behind him and turn quickly to face the three figures. He recognizes Marcus as the brooding man in armor from the tavern yesterday.

Confused, but curious, Marik gingerly approach the three individuals, ready to call Rani at the first sign of trouble. Not really knowing what they want with him, he stands before Marcus, trying to appear as calm as possible, and gently nod the head to show he is listening.

Ruphus frowns, "You know these two?" he asks Marcus in a low whisper.

"Yes, I saw them earlier this morning," Marcus says, not deigning to whisper.  "They're here to help, I'm sure.  But first, let's explain our presence.  I believe this woman knows you?  Please tell her that we're here to investigate, as Priestess Urikas asked."

Marcus attempts to lead Ruphus up to the elderly halfling in the doorway, nodding politely to her as he approaches.

Filimena raises an eyebrow and turns to face the heavily armed man from the tavern, putting on a confident front, although she's secretly relieved at the appearance of someone who seems bring to with him at least some authority to act over the orphanage. She doesn't say anything, since he seems to want to address the elderly halfling woman at the door first.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:06, Wed 20 July 2016.

Ruphus follows Marcus then walks past everyone to speak with the older halfling woman, the two go inside and the door closes behind them leaving the four of you to talk.

Raszire turn to the elf "Greetings, I am Raszire Toumash priest in the service of St. Fenwyn."

"Right," Marcus says, first glancing around briefly to see if anyone was lingering nearby or eavesdropping.  "Marcus Bournstride.  The Church of St. Cuthbert has taken an interest in these kidnappings.  I've been asked -- commissioned, I suppose -- to investigate, along with this fellow here."  He nods toward the dragonborn.  "And I've had a Cuthbert acolyte accompany us to explain the situation to the orphanage."

He pauses for a moment, studying faces and gauging reactions.  "I've also asked the acolyte to speak to the children," Marcus continues.  "It's something he's got experience with.  Perhaps he can find a witness to the kidnappings.  In the meanwhile, I intend for us get a look at the interior and speak to the staff."

Marcus looks back and forth between the elf and the waif.  "I should warn you, though.  One of the local thieves' guilds is involved," he says.  "They've proven themselves willing to resort to violence to keep us from discovering the truth.  So if you want to help, stick close, keep a sharp eye out, and let's see what we can discover."

mood music

The rain picks up as the group talks about whats going on. People are moving quickly to get in out of the rain. A older dwarf stands off to the side of the building under an awning looking up at the sky as though hoping the rain will stop.

Marik do not mind the rain- He's used to it- and turns toward the towering dragonborn, feeling quite small on his wooden legs.


"Moien Raszire. I am...very pleased to meet you..." reply Marik, trying to remember the correct greetings rules in the Common Tongue.

He was about to continue, but shut up when he hear Marcus stating his plan. Definitely somebody used to give commands and orders.

"Agreed. I will let you and the acolyte deal with the staff and the children. I'm not very used to the subtleties of social interactions among city-dwellers. But I'm a good tracker. If I can find some traces of these children or their attackers, like a piece of cloth or clues on their last whereabouts, I could probably pick up a trail."

He paused.

"Oh...and don't worry about thieves. I've dealt with bandits ambushes in the past. I may be crippled...but I'm not defenseless." he continued, cracking a little smile. "And I can tell you this one isn't either..." he say, pointing to Filimena.

OOC: Can I make a check to know if Marik ever heard of the church of St. Cuthbert and St. Feywind?
This message was last edited by the player at 15:04, Wed 20 July 2016.

OOC:  St. Cuthbert is a human saint of wisdom, dedication, and zeal; more concerned with law and order, with converting the uninformed, and preventing backsliding among the faithful.

Feywind you've never heard of must be a Dragonborn saint.

Razire move over to the older dwarf, "Goodday sir, might I impose upon you to share your awning with myself and my friends until this rain slows?"

The dwarf looks up at Raszire then at the others, "Well ah dinnae see whys nae ... Nae sure we'll a' fit though." He glances back at the sky shaking his head, "We micht be standing 'ere a while though, a'm jaromir copperbeard th' gardener 'n' grounds keeper 'ere at th' orphanage. Fae th' young priest a'm guessing ye a' ur 'ere aboot th' missing bairns?"



OOC: Translation from "dwarf common" to common common ;)
"Well I don't see whys not ... not sure we'll all fit though."

"We might be standing here a while though, I'm Jaromir Copperbeard the gardner and grounds keeper here at the Orphanage. From the young priest I'm guessing you all are here about the missing children?"

Raszire motions to the others to join them and takes a spot barely under the edge of the awning leaving enough room for the others, "Yes sir, the Church of St. Cuthbert has asked use to look into the matter. Do you live here as well or only come during the day."

Filimena doesn't need the shelter too badly. She's used to operating out in the rain. Still, it'd be a good opportunity to listen in on the conversation. between Raszire and the dwarf. Filimena joins them under awning, smiling and thanking the dwarf as she does. She's small enough herself that she fits quite comfortably.

Jaromir smiles back atFilimena in almost a fatherly way - as often the way of dwarves and halflings. He shifts his eyes back up to Raszire "Ah bide 'ere a' mah lee, orphanage gimme a roof ower mah heid 'n' fairn in mah belly as lang as ah keep th' grounds up. " He holds his hand out and lets the rain pool into it then after moment pulls the hand to his face and drinks the bit of rain. "Kirk o' Cuthbert bin guid tae th' weans. We teuk alot o' weans in efter th' fall o' th' Southern Sanction, parents sent thaim tae Titan's Gate tae fowk bit th' family didnae aye tak' th' young ones. Damn pity if ye ask me, fowk nae taking bairns juist cause thay weren't auld enough tae wirk. "



OOC: I live here all my life, orphanage give me a roof over my head and food in my belly as long as I keep the grounds up .

Church of Cuthbert been good to the kids. We took alot of kids in after the fall of the Southern Sanction, parents sent them to Titan's Gate to family but the family didn't always take the young ones  Damn shame if you ask me, family not taking children just cause they weren't old enough to work.

"Yes it is a shame, an unfortunate tendency that I have witnessed particularly in large cities. Some people get so preoccupied with were the next gold piece is coming from that they end up having no concern about family, friend or neighbor." Raszire pauses for a moment and watches the rain, "Mr. Copperbeard, it is my understanding that the children that were taken were to boys and two girls. Did you know them."

A frown forms on Jaromir's face  "Aye ah knew thaim. Thare wis Deakon 'n' Terrem - git taken fae th' boy's room while Evelyn 'n' Lucinda wur in th' girls. Deakon's folks didnae come back fae an outing in th' deid kingdom ah think - smart bairn wanted tae gang tae korim 'n' learn tae craft constructs. Terrem cam 'ere whin he wis a newborn. Evelyn wis a wheesht young thing, likelie cause her parent died fae th' filth fever that spread thro' some seven years ago noo. Lucinda's maw jus' gave her up ... brassic thing."


OOC: Yeah I knew them. There was Deakon and Terrem - got taken from the boy's room while Evelyn and Lucinda were in the girls. Deakon's folks didn't come back from an outing in the Dead Kingdom I think - smart kid wanted to go to Korim and learn to craft constructs. Terrem came here when he was a newborn. Evelyn was a quiet young thing, probably cause her parent died from the filth fever that spread through some seven years ago now. Lucinda's mom gave her up ... poor thing.


[Private to GM: Deakon Stormshield (male dwarf, age 12) A bright dwarf, Deakon was taken from the Lantern Street Orphanage three nights ago. The orphanage took him in when he was six years old, after his parents failed to return from an adventure.

Evelyn Radavec (female human, age 9) A quiet, sullen girl, she was taken from the Lantern Street Orphanage three nights ago. Her father and mother succumbed to filth fever, which spread through Titan's Gate seven years ago.

Lucinda Aldreen (female human, age 8) A gregarious but superstitious child given to the Lantern Street Orphanage at age four by her poverty-stricken mother, Lucinda was abducted from the orphanage three nights ago.

Terrem Kharatys (male human, age 9) This orphan, taken from the Lantern Street Orphanage three nights ago, is a dour and temperamental lad. His parents died shortly after his birth (circumstances unknown).
]

"I was under the impression that all the doors are kept locked ... for the children's safety i am told ...., any idea how the kidnappers got in to the children?"

As this conversation happens, Marik joins the group and adopt a similar position to Raszire, at the edge of the roof with part of his left side exposed. While Raszire and Jaromir talk, he takes off his bow from his shoulders as well as a piece of cloth rolled next to his quiver. Listening closely to the conversation, Marik wrap up the bow into the cloth to protect it from the rain, while his mind races thinking about what the dwarf said of the children kidnapping.

"So they were caught while still inside the Orphanage..." He thinks for himself. "So they are chances that the kidnapper left some traces of his presence in here...Well, thinking of it, there is also a good chance the kidnapper is one of the staff. This way they could easily open the doors and fool the children's into trusting them. "

OOC: Can I insight check Jaromir?

OOC: of course!

OOC: Marik rolled 13.

Marik doesn't believe the dwarf is lying about anything nor does he seem to have any malicious intent but rather he's an old fellow who's sad about what's happened.

Several minutes pass, the rain becomes more of a drizzle with the sun peeking though the clouds occasionally. Ruphus steps around the building with a smile, "Come inside Headmistress Tashykk has agreed to speak with you while I talk with the children."

Ruphus leads the group into the ground floor of the orphanage. The place is dimly lit and contains a main hall with a staircase leading to the second floor, a kitchen with stairs leading down to a cellar pantry, a dining hall, a playroom for the children, a schoolroom, and staff quarters.  Waiting at door to the school room is Headmistrees Gretchyn Tashykk. Ruphus nods to Tashykk before heading up the stairs

---

"Please come in and have a seat, let us speak way from the children." the older halfling waits for you all to come in and sit before closing the door behind her, "I must apologize to you two," she says looking at Marik and Filimena. "Please understand you were the second group to come here after the initial guard investigation. "


[Private to GM: The second floor is divided into three rooms: a spacious bathroom with two large tubs and two large bedrooms filled with cots. One of the bedrooms currently holds 19 girls; the other holds 18 boys. ]

Filimena pauses before the Headmistress. "Not at all," she replies, with a slow bow. "I apologise for being a bit rude myself. I imagine this must be a... difficult time."

"The second group? What did the first group looked like....if I may ask? Mariks says, one eyebrow raised in surprise.

Though eager to begin asking questions regarding the crime, Marcus bites his tongue, allowing the Headmistress to first answer Marik's question.  It did seem suspicious that another party attempted to investigate -- and apparently made a poor impression.  Perhaps they purposely intimidated the children, in an effort to keep them quiet?

She nods, "A couple of half-elves who said they worked for the mayor ... names were Fario Ellegoth and Fellian Shard. They asked similar questions to the guards. Talked to the entire staff - Jarmoir, Neva, Temar, Willow and Patch before they left."

Making a mental note of the names, Marcus ponders whether to track those fellows down later, to see how far along they are in their investigation.  Perhaps they could exchange information.  But for now, it was time for his team to have its own look around.

"Well.  If it's not too much trouble, we'd like to speak with the staff ourselves, as well as inspect the premises," Marcus says.  "In particular, if you can provide a list of everyone who has access to the keys to the locks on the children's doors, that would be helpful.  We're not making accusations, of course," he adds.  "We just need to be thorough."

Raszire sat quietly and listened to the conversation, trying to make sure he remembered all the names and facts that were mentioned.

"Of course, of course I'll gather the others for you to talk to. As for the keys I'm the only one with the key to those rooms."

"Thank you.  We've already spoken with Jarmoir a bit.  If it could be arranged for each of us to interview one of the others, that would be most efficient," Marcus says.  "In the meanwhile, if you could give us a brief tour, we would appreciate it.  Perhaps starting with the children's rooms?"  He is eager to get a look at the locks, but if his years of soldiering had taught him anything, it was self-discipline.

Marik begins to understand where Marcus is going with his questions... investigations apparently works pretty much the same way as hunting, except you need to look for clues and patterns into the words rather than solely on the ground. He put his hand on Marcus shoulder.

"Wait Marcus. I'm curious to know a bit more about what happened." He pause a bit, taking a moment to form sentences in his head, before continuing "You say...we read that the children disappeared from their room three days ago, right? Do you...Do you recall what happened between the last moment you saw them and the moment you learned of their disappearance? Do you recall what you were doing, who you talked to at the time? Every little detail could help."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:16, Mon 25 July 2016.

"On the night that the children disappeared, no one really saw or heard anything... although one of the young boys did have a nightmare about an evil dwarf with crooked teeth and a tattered cloak trying to snatch his breath... "

"Sure..." thinks Marik. "Just like asking other hunters for hints on a trail...Follow the stories instead of the tracks and you could end up hunting a crouching ettercap instead of a deer..."


"And did you had the keys with you all the time that night? Could someone had entered your room and robbed them?" ask Marik.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:34, Mon 25 July 2016.

Filimena remains silent throughout all of this. Since the start of this discussion, she has been hearing the voices again, whispering at the back of her head. They were quiet at first, so quiet she barely noticed, but now they are getting louder and louder, and she can no longer ignore them. What are they trying to say to her?

What's this about an evil dwarf with crooked teeth? At its mention the voices get louder still. Suddenly, Filimena recalls the line in the poem from her dream last night, Half a dwarf binds them, but not for long. And wasn't there talk of locks as well? The locks are key to finding them. Look beyond the curtain, below the gate. Beware the doors with teeth.

As the elf addresses the halfling woman, Filimena looks towards the human who introduced himself as Marcus, not wanting to interrupt the discussion, but hoping to catch his eye.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:14, Tue 26 July 2016.

Gretchyn frowns, "I do not believe so, as the key was on my person when I woke the next morning." She reaches under her shirt and pulls a rather impressively elaborate key which is tied to a leather thong.

"Right, then," Marcus says, feeling that the discussion was not proving fruitful.  "Perhaps the locks themselves were bypassed in some fashion.  Let's take a look at them, if you please, to see if they've been tampered with."  He stands up, glancing briefly at the rest of the group.  Surprise briefly flicks across his face as he notices the halfling waif staring at him.  What now?

"Of course of course," Gretchyn says nodding to Marcus. "Follow me." The halfling schoolmistress heads out of the office and up the stairs to the second floor. The second floor is divided into three rooms: a spacious bathroom with two large tubs and two large bedrooms filled with a couple of dozen cots in each.

Marik follow the schoolmistress as best he can to one of the bedrooms, trying not to rattle his prosthetic feets on the floor too much.

"Is it the boys bedroom?" he whispers to Gretchin. "Could I...Which are the beds of Deakon and Terrem? he ask.


OOC: Saying this now as I don't know If I can connect again today, but Marik will go take a look at the beds of the boys, and take a good five minutes to investigate for clues and hints on a possible kidnapping, like if they are signs of struggle, if they are footprints of adults still visible besides the beds, if they are interesting objects and the like...
This message was last edited by the player at 19:27, Tue 26 July 2016.

She gestures to the room on the left, "That's the boy's hall, their beds are first row third cot and last row fifth cot." The dozen cots are arranged in four rows of six with two rows on the left side and two on the right.

"Adiya Hama ...erh Thank you" says Marik, before entering the room and making his way to the beds.


OOC: Can I make a Investigation check to look for clues?

Raszire stops at the door and examines the lock to see if he can discern any tell tale signs of tampering "Lady Tashykk might I borrow your key for a moment?"


20:40, Today: Raszire Toumash rolled 10 using 1d20 with rolls of 10.  Investigation on Lock.

She gIves the key to the dragonborn

Ooc: Marik investigation is fine

[Private to Raszire Toumash: The lock appears to be rather nice and in good order ]

OOC: Marik rolled 21 using 1d20+3.Yeah!

While the elf and the dragonborn are speaking to Lady Tashykk, Filimena shuffles up to Marcus, taps him on the forearm to get his attention, and whispers to him, "I noticed you were interested in taking a closer look at the locks just now." She pauses, not quite sure how to explain herself in a way that doesn't come across as lunatic. But perhaps a man of his stature has seen enough of the world by now he won't be too taken aback. "I... believe there might be something to it. Last night, I heard a poem in a dream. It... It mentioned locks... and 'half a dwarf', and somebody being bound, needing to be found."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:10, Wed 27 July 2016.

Completely taken aback, Marcus stares blankly at Filimena for several heartbeats.  If he needed any further proof that forces beyond his understanding were at work here, this would more than suffice.

"Yes," Marcus says quietly, nodding slowly.  "The Church of St. Cuthbert received a similar -- er -- message.  'The locks are key to finding them.'  And so forth.  We still don't understand entirely what it all means."

Looking back at Raszire, he watches the dragonborn fiddle with one of the locks.  As he does so, Marcus recites in his mind the words of the poem that the Cuthbert priestess had shared.

Look beyond the curtain.  That was the start of the next line.  The obvious thing to do would be to look behind every drape, blanket and hanging cloth in the whole of the orphanage.  But the riddle was tauntingly opaque.  Perhaps it referred to something else.

"Check for curtains," Marcus mutters to Filimena, as he follows Marik into the boys' room.  Scanning about, he looks for any hanging tapestries or similar adornments.  He also looks at the floor for any rugs or cloth coverings.  Behind or below each of these, he makes a cursory inspection for any sort of seeming aperture, as well as any scrapes or marks indicating that the boards of the walls or floor may have been disturbed.

When the only entrance to a keep is well fortified, Marcus thinks to himself, you dig a tunnel.

Raszire finishes his inspection of the locks and the key, then hands the key back to the Lady, "Does this key work all the locks in the building or just the ones to these two rooms?"

Taking the key back, the halfling returns it to around her neck, "It works for the whole of the building, yes. I really only lock the front and back. The children rooms occasionally but mostly to prevent runaways."

Marik finds the cots of the two missing boys have a few personal items (drawings and such) but nothing strange or unusual.

Filimena nods awkwardly, and begins to look around. She doesn't typically involve herself in investigations of this sort, especially not ones where other people are involved. Still, she had been a curious child growing up, and something about rummaging about a room looking for clues excites feelings in her she hasn't had in years. What was it that Marcus had told her to do? Check for curtains, was it? Well, it seems he has that covered already. Filimena sees him sweeping the room, paying particular attention to drapes and hanging fabric. Still, it can't hurt taking a look around too, simultaneously giving a bit of thought to whether "beyond the curtains" might mean something else. Might "curtain" be a metaphor, meaning some sort of boundary? Perhaps they should look outside. The poem did mention a gate, didn't it?

OOC: Perhaps an investigation check? Maybe two? One for looking around the room, and one for examining the idea of a curtain, and whether it might be metaphorical? I'll go ahead and roll first anyway, before I go to bed. Just ignore the rolls if you don't think they work.

Filimena the Gentle rolled 1 using 1d20.  Physical curtains.
Filimena the Gentle rolled 19 using 1d20.  Physical curtains (rerolled, lucky racial trait).
Filimena the Gentle rolled 6 using 1d20.  Curtain metaphors.

Omg.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:21, Wed 27 July 2016.

Marik consider for a moment the results of his search.

"Nothing here. Strange. The way they described Terrem on the poster, I would have expected him to at least make some noise or some form of ruckus if someone strange came for him in the night. And now it's like they vanished into thin air. Could be there was some sorcery involved. Or it plays into the hypothesis that is was a member of the staff around which the children felt safe."


OOC: Before making his way out of the room, Marik will take some personal items around Terrem and Deakon beds. Things that would appear to be worn or touched often by the children.

Marik finds a few pieces of clothing which he feels will work for getting Rani a scent as well a couple of toys for each boy.

Marcus and Filimena find no tapestries and only a few rugs which mostly keep the floor from being too cold in the winter time - there are no secret doors or hidden compartments.

Marik put the clothes and the toys in a pouch on his belt, and go see Gretchyn. The others all seem pretty occupied in their own investigation, and he see no reason to bother them.


"Could I also check the girls bedroom?"

As the group going about its investigation, Ruphus steps to the door of the boy's room and smiles at the happenings within. "I can escort him if that's alright headmistress Tashykk." To which the halfling nods.

"This way friend, the children are all downstairs currently working on their studies." The youthful priest walks across the hall towards the other room.

Marik open the mouth as if he was about to say something, but promptly shut up and quietly follow Ruphus to the other room, shambling behind him. He was about to say the help wasn't necessary (and thought it would be good to be alone for a moment) but decide against it. It could be a good opportunity to know a bit more about the acolyte and discuss with him, out of the schoolmistress earshot.

The priest nods slightly as he watches Marik cross the hall. "I've talked with the children and will give the group a ... report when we've finished whatever looking around we feel are needed."

When he's made enough distance to feel comfortable that Gretchyn can't hear him, Marik respond.


"So...hum...Ruphus, is that it? What did you learned talking to them? What did they told you about the events of that night?"
This message was last edited by the player at 22:13, Wed 27 July 2016.

"I'd rather speak of it with the group but overall the children saw nothing. They slept through the night. One kid had a nightmare but he'd been having them for a while it seems." Ruphus says quietly. "We should talk with staff, they might have seen or heard something that the children didn't."

Marik enters the bedroom and starts the same kind of investigation he did in the boys room.

"And the schoolmistress...When you talked to her earlier, did she said anything to you about the events?" says Marik, while crouching to examine the floor near one of the beds. "Surely she's already talked about it at length with the staff since she's the one with the keys?"

Ruphus frowns, "I asked but she trusts them implicitly, most of them have worked here all their lives."

The girls room looks nearly identical as the boys save for the slightly brighter color drawings on the walls and the general colors of the clothing.

"That wasn't the question, Ruphus..." respond Marik, while continuing to check the floor "I'm not asking you if she trust them. I'm asking if she told you some details about what happened that night...They already had the visit of the local guards and those half-elves who pretended to work for the mayor. Surely they must have already talked and give a story about what everyone was doing that night...Oh, and you wouldn't happen to know which beds are Lucinda's and Evelyn's, do you?"
This message was last edited by the player at 18:15, Thu 28 July 2016.

The priest looks at Marik with a confused expression on his face, "I think you miss the whole point of trusting someone implicitly master Elf. She didn't speak to them because she trusts them."

OOC: Raszire, Marcus, Filimena - anything else y'all wanna do up here?

Marik, crouching, suddenly stop what he's doing and stare at the floor a few moments, bewildered.

"That makes no sense... thinks Marik. Three days and nobody among them even checked with the others to understand what happened? Children's disappear without a trace, probably kidnapped and she don't even try to check what went wrong or how someone could have done this and escaped?"

But then, he thinks, had he ever trusted someone implicitly?...besides Rani?...Never...Well, not after the incident...He had worked with some people since then, but had always choose to assume the worst in them. This way, you could never be surprised if they turned on you. It was a good way to stay alive, especially when dealing with bandits and drows.

He gets up.

"Trusting anything without question is a fast way to get into something stomach where I come from, young one..." He begins, brushing some floor dust off his clothes. "So I guess we'll have to see if the others can get a hold of something and... ask questions to the staff ourselves" he says with a resigned tone. "But first, let's finish here...Could you help me find the beds of the two girls"


OOC: Can I roll Investigation to check the room? If possible, I will also take some clothes from the girls. 
This message was last edited by the player at 22:02, Thu 28 July 2016.

Filimena turns to the others in the room. "Perhaps, if we're done in this room, we should check the locks on the front and back doors?" She then turns and looks specifically at Marcus. "And it might be a good idea also to speak to the boy with the nightmares."

"Yes, that is what I was about to suggest. As best I can tell these locks have not been tampered with. It would be nice if we had an expert or an actual locksmith to take a look at them. I am beginning to wonder if the abductors used magic to gain entrance to these rooms."

"I'm sure they were spoken to and their whereabouts confirmed but I don't think the Headmistress could fathom her staff being part of some nefarious plot," Ruphus says as he looks over the room. "Grew up in a place like this myself, staff has to trust each other so the children can trust them."

OOC: Sure investigation will be fine.

OOC: Marik rolled 9.

Raszire, Marcus, and Filimen are escorted by Gretchyn to the rear of the building where an impressively imposing door stands closed. She leave you to your investigations, saying something about gathering the staff for you to speak with them.

---

Marik finds a few items of clothing but nothing that gives any idea why these girls were taken.

OOC: Raszire, Marcus, and Filimen - if examining the lock and you are proficient with Thieves Tools then Roll and an Int check with proficiency ... else its an Investigation check

PM

[Private to GM: 13:00, Today: Raszire Toumash rolled 21 using 1d20+2 with rolls of 19. Proficency check with Thieves Tools. I guess that Urchin background does pay off.]

As it seems that the doors to the children's rooms are typically left unlocked, it did seem to make more sense to perform a close inspection of the locks on the front and back doors.  Approaching the back door, he opens it, in order to inspect the outside.

Having no expertise in such matters, Marcus simply leans in closely, looking carefully for any discernible scratches or marring of the lock indicative of someone attempting to force it open.

13:19, Today: Marcus Bournstride rolled 5 using 1d20+1.  Investigation.

PM
[Private to Raszire Toumash: You find no marks on the lock indicating that someone had attempted to pick it.

To pick this lock would be a feat of skill beyond anyone you would've known growing up. This lock is FAR more complex than any lock you had ever dealt with, it is a work of art. You would wager that this lock and those in the children's room were fashioned by the same locksmith]

"It appears that this lock and the ones on the children's rooms were crafted by the same locksmith. And from what I can tell it would take a highly skilled individual to bypass any of these locks without damaging them." Raszire pauses in thought for a moment, "We should ask the headmistress who supplied these locks, maybe they could be of some use in finding out if they were tampered with. But that still leaves the possibility of magical entry or a secret entrance that has yet to be found."

After a last verification on the beds, Marik stands up.

"Nothing. No traces of a scuffle or any marks that could indicate the identity of the attacker...if attacker there was..." says Marik "I'm beginning to think the childrens followed willingly their kidnapper out of the bedroom, or weren't in the room in the first place when they disappeared".

He turns toward the priest.

"I... guess we should check with the rest of the group and go talk to the staff" he continues, slowly making his way across the room.

Then he stops, a grin forming on his face.

"Thinking of it, I might have an idea for this..."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:22, Sat 30 July 2016.

Filimena considers this for a while. "Anyone able to detect magic? That might conceivably reveal something. Otherwise, it appears we have arrived at a bit of a dead end as far as locks are concerned," she says, frowning.

OOC: Are there any curtains in this room? Filimena is still trying to understand if "beyond the curtain" only means "beyond the orphanage", or if there is some metaphorical curtain somewhere that needs to be considered.

The priest follow's after Marik without much more to say. He points to where the others are standing examining the back door and area around it.

"Seems the locks are the key is more than just a strange riddle." he mutters.

OOC: Filimena - There are utilitarian curtains on the various windows - nothing behind them save for stone walls. [Private to Filimena the Gentle: Filimena is well aware that the voices are almost always non-literal.]
This message was last edited by the player at 14:32, Mon 01 Aug 2016.

As he slowly makes his way toward the others, Marik hears Ruphus mutters something about locks and a strange riddle. He turns the head toward the priest.

"Vals'eh hakyuë nimah??...Oh...sorry that came out wrong... What was that about locks and riddles, you say...? "

The priest looks to Marik again confused, "The riddle ...

The locks are key to finding them
Look beyond the curtain, below the gate,
Beware the doors with teeth.
Descend into the malachite 'hold,
Where precious life is bought with gold.
Half a dwarf binds them, but no for long"

he says in riddle like a little song. "That riddle, it was what we were given by Saint Cuthbert after we petitioned for information on the children."

FIlimena is convinced that the poem she heard in her dream last night must mean something to this investigation, but is frustrated at so far finding nothing wrong with the locks, and not coming across any curtains. While waiting for everyone to regroup and begin speaking to the staff, she tries to recall whether there might be any famous geological landmarks that might be compared to a curtain. A waterfall, perhaps, or a valley between two large mountains. She also tries to recall what she knows about the city of Titan's Gate itself, whether there is anything famously below it, like a particularly complex sewer system, or an abandoned temple.

OOC: History checks, perhaps?

Filimena actually hear's Ruphus saying the last few lines of the poem/riddle she heard in her dream.

[Private to Filimena the Gentle: She tries to recall whether there might be any famous geological landmarks that might be compared to a curtain. A waterfall, perhaps, or a valley between two large mountains.
There is the Maw

She also tries to recall what she knows about the city of Titan's Gate itself, whether there is anything famously below it, like a particularly complex sewer system, or an abandoned temple.
Titan's Gate is a pretty metropolitan city with a sewer system but you don't know of any abandoned temples.]

Filimena's eyebrows perk up, as if a thought has occurred to her, but before she can do or say anything about it, the priest Ruphus' catches her attention, and she looks up at where the sound is coming from.

Marik look back at Ruphus, trying to make sense of what he said.

"So that is why they are inspecting the locks..." he reply. "Let's see if they have any news..."


Marik makes is way toward the group and go speak to Filimena. They are all strangers to him, including the halfling, but he feels a little more comfortable talking to her than the others.


"...So hum... any news from your side?" He says.

The young priest nods to Marik, "Yes, it seems the only obvious part of the riddle." He continues following Marik to where the others are looking at the rear doors.

"Unfortunately not," Filimena replies, "Although Raszire has suggested we might speak to the headmistress about who supplied to locks to this building. They might have a better idea about whether they have been tampered with. Otherwise, perhaps our next move should be to speak to the staff, and the boy with the nightmare."

"I spoke with the boy. Seems he's been having nightmares since coming here. It isn't uncommon, had them _{myself after....}" Ruphus's words trail off before he shakes his head then continues. "His parents were killed by Duergar while going though the Maw, which explains his bad dreams."

"I didn't speak with the staff, I assumed you all would want to do that."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:14, Tue 09 Aug 2016.

"Here's what I can assess for my part. The bedrooms and the children's beds showed no signs of forceful intrusion or struggle. No traces of the attacker either. And both the other children's and the headmistress are saying they haven't heard anything that night." He says. "So that could either indicate that the childrens followed willingly their kidnappers and weren't scared by them, or that they were not in their bedrooms at that moment despite what Jaromir told us".


He pause.

"I think I have a idea of what happened, but I need to test it... I think I heard the schoolmistress saying she was going to gather the staff and bring them here so that we can talk to them. If that's the case, they should be all here shortly." He continues "Gives me a moment, I'll be right back..." he says, while making his way past them in direction of the back door of the Orphanage.

He then stops and turns the heads toward Ruphus,

"...Thinking of something... Your poem, if it is to be trusted, made a reference to a Malachite hold and gold...Which is maybe something we could track more easily than locks and curtains. If my plan doesn't work, maybe we could try to search the marketplace or the docks, in the case the childrens are locked in a warehouse waiting to be bought by some slavers"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:45, Tue 09 Aug 2016.

Ruphus is standing near the group so Marik doesn't go anywhere. "I leave that to your group's discretion. I am here but at Marcus's request but the riddle came from Saint Cuthbert and should be trusted."

"I will take your word for it..." Reply Marik, still unsure about the prospect of following cryptic verses heard from a god. It wasn't the supernatural part that made him uneasy more so than the interpretations his followers could have of the divine words. One omission, one word replacing another, and they could end up following a whole different rabbit than the one they were seeking. He needed something more solid.



OOC: Marik makes his way to the back door and will open it if it isn't already.

"You are quite right Filimena, we should at least see what information the staff may have. Hopefully something thing they have to say may enlighten us otherwise I am not sure how to proceed."

"It looks like the staff has gathered in the dinning hall, perhaps it would be best if you each talked to one of them? Might be faster that way."

Heading inside you see the staff talking over what looks like leftover breakfast and a pot of hot tea or perhaps some chaoua.  There are the following employees waiting you -

• Jarmoir is the older dwarf you met earlier
• Neva is a middle aged human female
• Temar is a older human male looks to be a cook from his clothing
• Willow is a young half elf
• Patch is a young adult half orc with a patch over his left eye.

Before heading to the dining hall, Marik opens the back door of the Orphanage. It's still raining outside, and small streams of water now runs through the near-empty street.

Marik takes two fingers to his mouth and blows a few high-pitched notes.


OOC: Marik is calling for Rani.

The big cat comes when called. Those who've dealt with elves recognize this as a riding cat of wood elves. They're not used much any more but at one time they were widely feared.

[Private to Marik: I've got you as Rani's "player" so you can act with her/him/it as a separate character ]
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:16, Fri 12 Aug 2016.

Marik smiles and greets his longtime friend by putting his hands on her head and scratching her behind the ears. He speaks to her in Elvish.


[Private to group Elf: "Hello again, furball... Here smell this" ]says Marik as he gets out the children cloth one by one and let Rani sniff them for a few seconds.


[Private to group Elf: "We are going to get inside and meet some people" ]continues Marik. [Private to group Elf: "I will need you to tell me if one of them smells like the clothes I presented to you...They are probably going to be afraid of you, so stay calm and don't growl while you're inside, even if they somehow draw weapons. Got it?"]

The panther doesn't respond, but Marik knows she heard him and will act accordingly.

[Private to group Elf: "Alright, follow me" ]says the elf while slowly making his way toward the dining hall, followed a few steps backs by Rani.


OOC: Given the DM description of the party entering the dining hall, I'm assuming everyone is already in here when I enter followed by Rani.


[Private to DM5: Thanks!]
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:37, Fri 12 Aug 2016.

The entire group who were quietly sitting enjoying food stuffs JUMP up as Rani and Marik enter.

Raszire joins the rest of the group in the dinning hall and takes a seat near Jaromir.

Marik, who was expecting the reaction, make as if everything was normal. Feeling the tense atmosphere, he calmly lift his arms into the air, palms open toward the staff. He speak with a high, clear voice, feeling emboldened by the presence of his longtime friend.

"Moien. Calm down. Calm down everyone. You are not in danger."

He put his right hand on the panther neck.

"This is Rani, my longtime friend and companion... She is impressive, but she won't harm you in any way. She is here to help us with the investigation..."

Marik pause a few seconds, to let that sink in and scratches Rani behind the ears.

"Now, we would have some questions for all of you. But before we get to that, I would need you all to stay calm. Rani will come to see each one of you for a few seconds. Let her do and don't be scared. This will only take a minute."

Marik then does a small gesture and Rani begin to walk slowly across the room. She stops by each person in the room, Ruphus, Filimena, Razsire and Marcus included, and sniff them for a few seconds.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:42, Fri 12 Aug 2016.

The room looks fairly freaked out by this horse size cat that you've brought in...

OOC: Marik roll Persuasion w/ advantage please
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:43, Fri 12 Aug 2016.

OOC: Marik rolled 13.

The elf's words seem to calm the folks though they are obviously not exactly comfortable with the big cat.

Gretchyn speaks up,, "Who would you like to speak to? You may use my office if you wish. "

PM


[Private to DM5: Whew! Does Rani smell anything on the people present in the room?]

PM
[Private to Marik: Nothing]

PM

[Private to DM5: Alright. I will give the other the chance to do something before doing something else.]

OOC: moving us along - seems investigation is ssssllllooowwww going in a play by post.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:33, Mon 15 Aug 2016.

Rani comes back to Marik, a subtle expression on her face. After years of hunting with her, Marik know fully well what that expression means...


Hearing the order from Gretchin, Marik turns to the others.

"I...I can go with him. Filimena, maybe you could speak to Neva and the other ones in the meantime. It will go faster this way"


Marik then slowly make his way toward Grethchin office, followed at some distance by Rani. Patch is already sitted in the room from what he can see. Marik turns.

"Rani, Masuu".

Upon hearing the command, the big cat refrain from entering the office and instead lay down on the exterior wall, her paws crossed beneath her head, waiting. "Better that she wait out of view, I already scared him enough earlier." thinks Marik.


Marik enters the office and find the half-orc waiting.


"Moien, Patch...I...I imagine you don't like this any much more than me, so let's cut  to the chase." begin the elf, trying to sound as calm and as assertive as possible. "Could you tell me first what is your occupation here in the Orphanage and a account of what you remember of the events of three days ago, when the children disappeared?"


OOC: Yeah, sorry for being so slow, myself. I tried to move one a bit quicker than usual in this post assuming everyone would question a different staff member, but don't hesitate to have your character follow Marik into the office if you also wanted to interrogate Patch.

Also, is Marcus still alive? Seems a long time since we heard from him?
This message was last edited by the player at 21:31, Mon 15 Aug 2016.

OOC: He's alive.

Marik - give me a persuasion (or intimidation) check please.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:31, Mon 15 Aug 2016.

OOC: Oh dear.... Marik rolled 0 (So natural 1)


Marik listen, as his own nervousness begin to take the better of him. Instead of calm, his voice becomes shaky and he feels his legs tremble.


"So...So you were sleeping...and...huh..." begins Marik, who  suddenly has a lot of trouble trying to recall how to follow up. He's so focused on trying to regain his composure that his next sentence only form a indecipherable mumbo-jumbo of Elvish and Common.

Raszire doesn't really worry about questioning everyone individually, as he sits with the remaining individuals "Can each of you relate to me your whereabouts and what you had done the evening of the disappearances. Anything peculiar or abnormal you may have noticed."

OOC: Translation from "dwarf common" to common common ;)
"Cannot say there was anything interesting that day. It was right before the rains came in. The kids weren't too rowdy. Pretty typical day really."

Roll any rolls you'd like - Insight, Persuasion, Intimidation ... etc
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:32, Mon 15 Aug 2016.

"Come on, you faen witless eejit, get a hold of yourself!" thinks Marik for himself.

He shakes his head, take a deep breath and try to give it another go.

"Sorry. Let's start this again, Patch...You say you're a janitor. When you went to clean up the children's bedroom the morning after, what did you find? Was there more dirt or water than usual on the floor? Were there footprints? Did you picked up any trinkets or anything that seems unusual to you in a children's bedroom? Think hard, Patch. Every little detail could count to help us. "
This message was last edited by the player at 21:24, Mon 15 Aug 2016.

OOC: Marik give me a Persuasion roll - with advantage.

OOC: Marik rolled 18. The other roll was another 1 XD.

Filimena watches the others leave, then turns to the lady she assumes must be Neva.

"Thank you for speaking to us. My name is Filimena, as you might have heard already," she begins, reaching out to shake Neva's hand. "You must be upset at what has happened. Four children, apparently kidnapped in a single night. Did you know any of them personally? What do you do here, incidentally?"

OOC: Sorry for my absence! Been a crazy couple of days IRL. But I'm back now.

This message was last updated by the GM at 15:10, Wed 17 Aug 2016.

"I promise." reply Marik, intrigued. "Ms. Tashykk won't hear a word of it".

Filimena purses her lips, lowers her eyes, and nods slightly as Neva speaks. "They sound like very nice children," she replies, looking back up to face the teacher and smiling sympathetically. "Can you think of any reason at all why anyone would want to kidnap them? Was there anything about them that stood them apart from the other children especially? And I guess also, did you notice anything about them in the days before they went missing that might have indicated something was wrong? A sudden change in behaviour perhaps?"

"Allow me to stop you for a moment..." says Marik, now very interested. "What is the Last Laugh? And who is Revus?".



OOC: Nice to have you back, Filimena!
This message was last edited by the player at 17:21, Wed 17 Aug 2016.

"Below the Gate...half a dwarf...Ghelve and the locks...Could it be?"

Not normally one to put a lot of stock in stories, Marik can't help but feel a little trilling sensation in his chest. It's not something big, but it's a trail. And nothing excites a hunter more than finding fresh tracks on the ground.


"Do you remember where you last met with Revus and what you two talked about that day? Did he also talked about the other childrens?"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:34, Wed 17 Aug 2016.

In reply to DM5 (msg # 130):


11:08, Today: Raszire Toumash rolled 22 using 1d20+3.  Insight.

Miss willow how late were you up? Were you still awake when the rain started?

Marik takes a few second to think before replying

"I see...Did he ever gave you something in one of your meetings? An object, a tool to help you communicate with him or anything?"

OOC: Raszire - the group seems to be being honest with you

"Yes, I would like to see these. I'll go with you." reply Marik.


OOC: While accompanying Patch, Marik would like to ask some additional questions if possible, which I will list here for the sake of brevity.

-What does Revus looks like. Does he have any distinguishable feature?

-Where did he usually meet Revus. How did he contact him?

-Ask again what he found in the children bedroom. Did he found any trinkets, any objects that shouldn't be here.

OOC: Dearest DM! Just to check, you didn't miss Filimena's question, did you? msg #137. Haha.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:13, Fri 19 Aug 2016.

Raszire simply nods, "I don't have anything left to ask, if one of the others were to have a question I am sure they will be able to find you. I should let you get back to work. If you should remember anything you think may be of help I will be around for a awhile. Thanks for you patience and help."

Ooc: sorry I missed this

Marcus frowns at all this, "I'm going back to the church to see if they know more... this riddle isn't helping and the only lead we have is a lock that supposedly no one can pick...."

Ooc ... and exit Marcus

Raszire excuses himself from the staff and goes to find Ms. Tashykk.

"Ma'm, I am afraid that I have been unable to find much that has been of help. The craftsman who made and installed the locks for the orphanage, would it be possible to get him to take a look at the locks. I am afraid we can not tell if they have been tampered with or not."

Filimena pauses for a moment to think. "What about yourself?" She asks. "What had you been doing the evening of the disappearances. Did you notice anything unusual, with the orphanage, or with the other staff?"

[Private to Raszire Toumash: Marcus left the potion w/ you]

OOC:

quote:

Ask again what he found in the children bedroom. Did he found any trinkets, any objects that shouldn't be here.

Mostly just clothing, a few drawings, you find a couple of small mechanical creations in Deakon's footlocker
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:17, Mon 29 Aug 2016.

"Thank you" reply Marik, as he walk besides Patch. "Let's go see those lockpicks"

Filimena frowns slightly. This interview hasn't been particularly informative. Everything seems to have been in order. Then again, investigating kidnappings isn't exactly her forté. She looks up at Neva, pretending to be deep in thought about something, considering her one last time.

OOC: Filimena is in somewhat of a loss for what to do. Could I roll an insight check for her, to see whether she's noticed anything off about Neva's behaviour that might suggest she hasn't been telling the whole truth? Otherwise, she's pretty much done.

20:08, Today: Filimena the Gentle rolled 9 using 1d20+3.  Insight.

Marik opens the sack and take out one of the lockpicks, examining it under the light.


OOC: Can I make a investigation check to see if there are specific markings on the lockpicks? If yes, then I rolled 22.


A muffled sound catches Marik attention and he looks at the door, seeing Rani watching him with curiosity from the door, face half-hidden behind the wall. Marik smiles.

[Private to group Elf: "Ah, good thing you're here. Here, check this"] says Marik, making a few steps out of the room and holding the sack before the panther. [Private to group Elf: "There is the Half-Orc, but there should be someone else that touched this bag. Probably a very faint scent. Can you find it?"]


Intrigued, the big cat smells the lockpick bag, using her keen senses to try to figure out what Marik is talking about.

Rani turns her nose up at the sack and growl at it slightly. Marik gets the impression that the big cat isn't pleased with the odor of this sack.

OOC: Animal handling please

OOC: This section of investigation is difficult

OOC: Waah, Animal Handling?! O_o. Marik rolled 22. Can I insight Rani to understand what could make her growl this way?
This message was last edited by the player at 15:43, Tue 30 Aug 2016.

Marik has a feeling that Rani isn't quite sure about the order given. Then Marik notices the big kitty is looking towards Patch intently.

Marik goes back into the room and hold the sack before Patch, his eyebrows in a frown.

"Exactly where and for what did you use those lockpicks, Patch?"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:58, Tue 30 Aug 2016.

Marik turns the head to Rani.

[Private to group Elf: "What did you smell on this sack, girl?  Was it like the clothes I presented to you earlier? Remember, one growl for yes, and two short growl for no."]

He goes back to Patch, and let out a sigh.

"I mean for the last time, Patch... Where did you used them for the last time?"

Filimena smiles and shrugs. "Well!" She says to Neva. "I think that's about it, really. It doesn't seem there was anything peculiar that day that might give us some clue as to who is behind the children's disappearance. If you remember anything, you will let us know, won't you?"

---

---

This message was last edited by the GM at 15:24, Wed 31 Aug 2016.

I may know how you feel in your every growl and muscle twitching, there are still times I wish I could talk to you, furball. Like the old Or'Andel did with his Owl. thinks Marik.

[Private to group Elf: So what it is then, girl? Is there something else in this room that smells like the sack?]

OOC: I would like to Insight Patch, see if Marik feels he is hiding something. Marik rolled 8


And where was this "outside of here" you speak of? say Marik, while picking one of the locks to examine it.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:52, Wed 31 Aug 2016.

Filimena returns Neva's smile. "Perhaps."

Filimena looks around and notices Raszire and Marik have both gone. She is about to go looking for them when she suddenly pauses, turns back to look at Neva, squints, and asks, "Oh! It just occurred to me. You said Deakon loved to tinker with things. He didn't happen to have a fascination with locks, did he?"

Raszire excuses himself from the head mistress and goes to look for Filimena and Marik. Returning to the dining hall he sees that Filimena is currently still speaking with one of the workers. So he waits patiently for her to finish.

OOC: Based on my years at her side, can I understand how Rani is feeling? Does the scent makes her angry, protective or disgusted? Something else?


"Alright. Just leave the name of the inn and then I will let you return to your duties. You have been most helpful." says Marik.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:53, Thu 01 Sept 2016.

OOC: You asked "Is there something else in this room that smells like the sack" ... Rani is answering that question

---

OOC: Yeah...I got that part, and smacked myself in the head a bit for not thinking about it earlier XD. I was more wondering if I could interpret her initial reaction and first interest in Patch.


"Thank you...You can return to your duties for now. I'll come back if I have other questions."

He take a single lockpick out of the sack and lift it to the air.

"I'll keep one of those if you don't mind".

Marik leave the sack to Patch, then turns to Rani and nod the head toward the door

[Private to group Elf: "Come on, girl. We're finished here"]


And he makes his way out of the room and back to Filimena and Raszire.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:22, Thu 01 Sept 2016.

Filimena pouts slight. "Hmmm... Well, it was worth asking. Thanks again for the help!"

Filimena sees Raszire waiting for her, and walks up to join him.

The party gather's together to talk about what, if anything they've learned. All the employees leave to allow them time to talk as well to do their jobs.

OOC: PC talk time!

"I hope that your questions have come up with more success than mine. I am fairly sure the individuals I have questioned played no part in the disappearances of the children. The only thing that may be of some use is the name and location of the craftsman that made the locks on the orphanage doors."

"I have a name" says Marik in response. "Revus Twindaggers, a rogue from the Last Laugh apparently kept an eye for a long time on one of those children, Terrem and wasn't seen for a month now..." says Marik. "I have a feeling finding Revus will lead us to the childrens. Ghelve, the makers of the locks also came into discussion. I think we should go talk to him, see if he somehow shared the key or the lock mechanism with somebody."

He paused and look at Rani.

"We should probably check out the docks too. If the poem is to be believed and given the implication of the Laugh, there is a good chance the children are hidden in the city underbelly, like the sewers or the docks. I could track them."

"Looks like you guys had better luck than me," Filimena pipes in. "I didn't really manage to figure out anything. Perhaps we should see this Ghelve person? Just so we can get to bottom this whole thing with the locks. Otherwise, the other two leads also sound promising."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 08:58, Sat 03 Sept 2016.

"Yes, let's start by paying Ghelve a visit." Marik leans in closer to them and speak softly, even though he knows the staff is elsewhere.

"Whatever we do, we are sure to draw attention from the Laugh on ourselves. A crippled elf on a panther, a seven-foot Dragonborn and a halfling makes a easy trail to follow. And be they responsible or not for the kidnappings, the Laugh won't take kindly to us meddling in their affairs, as Marcus said. Do any of you had previous dealing with the Laugh or an idea of what we're going against?"

"Nay, but I only arrived in town this morning,"

"This morning?" says the elf, slightly surprised. "Have you traveled here at the request of the church?"
This message was last edited by the player at 15:26, Mon 05 Sept 2016.

"Yes, In a manner of speaking. I was instructed by St. Fenwyn to travel here to provide aid to the church of St. Cuthbert."

 A cloud passes on Marik face at the mention of a second deity now being involved in this investigation. He listen and appear pensive. Once the priest is finished, he turns to Filimena.


"And you, Filimena? Any indication of what we are going against if the Laugh is involved?"

"While it is rare for Saints for different peoples to talk, it isn't unheard of." Ruphus offers as an explanation.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 14:52, Tue 06 Sept 2016.

OOC: Filimena spent a good part of her teenage years living on the streets, so if the Last Laugh are one of the biggest thieves guilds in the Gate, I'm thinking there's a chance she may have heard something of them. Can I do a history check to see?

As usual, since I'm on the opposite side of the world from you guys, I'll roll first. Ignore it if it's not appropriate.

22:57, Today: Filimena the Gentle rolled 20 using 1d20+2.  History check on the Last Laugh.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:00, Tue 06 Sept 2016.

OOC: That's 100% okay

[Private to Filimena the Gentle: Filimena has heard of the Last Laugh they are largest of the local thieves' guilds and by far the most prominent guild. They are identified by their face paint, half of the face is painted black, and the other white. Their headquarters are unknown. It is believed they have a generous benefactor. They have been recently begun minting their own coins (known as Jester coins). While these coins have been outlawed in Cauldron, they keep cropping up.]

Filimena crosses her arms, eyebrows knit. "Well, I've never had any dealings with the Laugh myself," she says, thinking. "But I have heard tell of them... You're right. It's unlikely we're going to escape their notice, especially if they're involved in the kidnappings somehow. They have a very strong presence in this city, and some say they have friends in high places as well."

She looks questioningly at Marik and Raszire. "You do know what they look like, don't you? They tend to go around in face paint, half the face black, the other white. If we can't avoid them, we might at least try to be aware of their presence, although I reckon if they know who we are and what we're doing, they'll be a bit more discreet."

"Having just recently had the Laugh take a swing at me ... feel like I'm well acquainted with them," the young priest says quietly as his hand reaches up and touches the bruise on his face without thinking about it. "Regardless, I know where Mr Ghelve's shop is, he quoted to replace the locks of the Church not too long ago and I dealt with him on the matter."

Marik appears a bit puzzled at this new bit of information.

"This...effectively gives us a very distinctive marking of their presence. And a very flamboyant and provocative one at that... Now, I am not familiar with the methods of the Laugh, but it appears to me as a good way to attract all the attention on low-levels members while the real threat operates from the shadows." says Marik, with the tone of someone who has seen this before. "Either that, or they feel confident enough in their power to assert their dominance openly...Both of which are not very appealing prospects."

 Marik look at the street by one of the windows.

“I trained to recognize and survive many beasts and foes that lurk in the shadows. But not here…not in these streets and cramped alleys. Not in these crowded marketplace and darkened taverns where words travel faster than arrows.” He pause and turn the head back to Ruhus and Filimena. “Ruphus, Filimena, both of your voices carries a weight of experience of these environments. Any advice on how to be discreet and avoid drawing attention going forward? Laugh or not, I want to know what happened to those children, but I’d rather not have to wage a full blown war against this city underworld if we can avoid it.”
This message was last edited by the player at 19:13, Wed 07 Sept 2016.

Filimena is momentarily taken aback by Marik's question. She's never had to think of anyone but herself before. So this is what it means to be a member of a party, she finds herself thinking.

"Well, we don't know yet how exactly the Laugh are involved. It's possible -- unlikely, I grant you, but possible -- that Twindaggers' interest in the boy Terrem is entirely coincidental," she answers, trying to sound like she knows what she's talking about. "We might find out more speaking to Ghelve first, and if it turns out they are involved... Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. What do Ruphus and Raszire say?

Ruphus looks at Marik for a moment, pondering the elf's question then his gaze shifts to Filimena as the halfling speaks. "I've had little to do with the Laugh, though I've heard of them before today. The riddle we have says the locks are the key which makes me think going to see Ghelve is the next step for you."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:34, Thu 08 Sept 2016.

Marik refrain from saying something sarcastic to Ruphus about stating the obvious and instead turn his gaze toward the rest of the party. He thinks about setting off on his own before them. A single individual would attract less attention than a whole party. Besides, he doesn't know these people and nobody among them had showed so far any skills that could prove invaluable in this investigation. As a matter of fact, they would probably slow him down more than they could help him. It would be safer to go alone, like he usually do.

But something holds him. He had actually surprised himself in the last two days as being much more trustful than he is used to. Normally, he wouldn't talk to anybody, much less talk about his skills or revealing information. But there is something about these people, about this strange halfling woman and this towering dragonborn that inspire him to stay with them, maybe even to trust them. Was it the long years of solitude that made him eager for some socialization? Maybe...Maybe not. He doesn't know. But for the first time in years, he doesn't feel he needs to be overly defensive in his interactions with others. And he likes that...Yes, he would like to be part of a group.

"Let us be our on way, then. If I remember correctly, the riddle also implied these child could be sold at any moment, so time is of the essence." Marik says.

He pause and turn to make a movement toward Rani, before stopping as if he just remembered something and turn to Raszire.

"Oh, I forgot...Marielk'or" he says, in the complex and melodic tones of the Elvish language. He turns to the rest of the group."My name is Marielk'or", but you can call me "Marik" for short. It is what the humans call me by anyway." 

OOC: Just want to point out again that Marik opinions on your characters or their worth are entirely his own. But I gotta go with what he has seen so far. XD
This message was last edited by the player at 21:50, Thu 08 Sept 2016.

Raszire looks at the three, a wood elf, a halfling, a human and a dragonborn. Sounded much like the beginning of a really bad joke but hopefully the higher powers were not that easily amused.

"Very well friend Marik, but I suggest that we leave by the back door and use the streets and back alleys that are seldom used. The Laugh, if they are interested in us will expect us to follow the more direct and well used routes. In my short time here I have seen many shortcuts and side routes that would get us there much faster and with luck we can avoid the Laugh."

"That sounds like a sensible plan," Filimena opines. "Show we go then?"

Filimena feels excited in spite of herself. She's never worked with others before, and she's not entirely sure she likes it, but it's new, and it could be interesting. Also, it reminds her of when she was a child, and she and her brother Finneas used to go on little adventures together. It makes her sad to remember that she hasn't seen him in years. She doesn't even know if he's still alive. She quickly brushes the thought aside, however.

"That is a excellent suggestion. Let's go."

Marik follow the group through the back door and outside. As soon as he is out of the Orphanage, he hops effortlessly on Rani back, in a gesture practiced thousands of times.

"Ruphus, you are more familiar with these streets and the locals than any of us. While I have no doubts the shortcuts Raszire talk about exist, I think we could use some guidance on our way to Ghelve's shop on which ones to follow and which ones to avoid. Would you mind doing this for us before returning to the Church?"

OOC: Is is still raining?
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:40, Fri 09 Sept 2016.

Ruphus speaks briefly with the headmistress before heading to he back door. The young priest nods to Marik, "Of course, I can show you the way to the locksmith ... it is no trouble."

---

mood music
The rain has stopped and people are moving about as they might on any other day. Cobble stone streets glisten from the dampness left by the rain. Grey clouds block the sun and keep the port town cool. Ruphus takes the group the long way around. He heads towards the docks,  pausing at a cafe and a small church for a few minutes each before heading back into town proper.

After about an hour or so you find yourselves in a nicer district of town, with artisans shop lining the streets. A small turret dominates the facade of this two-story black stone building. Iron bars are embedded in the thick window frames. Beyond the turret's ground-floor windows you can see a lovely display of locks, from large to small, simple to complex. To the left of the turret, above a heavy oak door, swing a simple sign that reads GHELVE'S LOCKS


[Private to GM: 11:55, Today: Secret Roll: Jil rolled 25 using 1d20+9.]

OOC: As the group was making his way in the city, Marik took a minute to unwrap his bow from the cloth he use to protect it from the rain and left it to hang on Rani side by two small hooks crafted by the elf for this purpose on the saddle. It is a system Marik use when travelling to avoid putting the bow around his shoulders, but to keep it at hand should he need to draw it quickly when hunting.


Since I already acted today, I will leave the chance to the others to do something before saying anything else
This message was last edited by the player at 18:09, Fri 09 Sept 2016.

"Thank you, Ruphus." says Marik, a bit nervous, while facing the oak door. "Hum...You said you worked with Ghelve in the past...Any advice on how to proceed...What he's like when we meet him? Would it be preferable to...or maybe if you introduce us to him instead of just knocking on his door? Oh and...


OOC: I'll cut it in the sake of brevity, but Marik try somewhat awkwardly to ask Ruphus for some pointers on Ghelve's temperament and on what would be the best way in his opinion to get him to collaborate with them (and not scare him out of his mind by the vision of a dragonborn and a large panther waiting for him on his porch)

"From my dealings with Mr Ghelve, I believe him to be a  man who wishes to be respected above most anything else." Ruphus glances at the shop then back to the group, "I can make an introduce but at some point I won't be around to do so..."

OOC: Titan's Gate is a metropolitan seaport .. so having strange people/things happen.

"Yes, I get that (that Ruphus won't be around for long)... I'm not very familiar with the local culture or manners in the Common langage. Does Ghelve have a specific title he likes to be referred to? Or conversation subjects we should avoid?...I know, for one, that you humans can get very upset when we refer to your age or your very short lifespan. Are there others like this?" ask Marik.

"Mr Ghelve isn't human, rather a dwarf so talk of lifespan shouldn't bother him." Ruphus says looking slightly concerned.

"Let us go speak with him." The priest walks to the door and opens it, a bell rings with a dull clinking announcing someone entering the shop.

OOC: Moving to link to a message in this game