In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 244):

The Chief Clerk squeezes his lips together until they turn white.

"No... and it's no use asking the Master of Coin where he last saw them.  He's... focused on his work."

From the man's stance and tone, he is clearly uncomfortable.

In reply to GM (msg # 245):

Damn...

Titus relaxes his stance and smiles disarmingly.

How do you like working for him?  Is he good to you?

He probes to see if he can get him talking about himself or his work, whichever puts him at ease.  Basic stuff what does he do for the master, is he good to him, how long has he been working there etc...
This message was last edited by the player at 13:21, Thu 25 Jan 2018.

In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 246):

"Preoccupied or not, the man only goes to so many places every day," Brennan muses. "Surely some effort was made to retrieve any lost badges before going through the trouble and expense of procuring a new one?"

In reply to Brennan Otthild (msg # 247):

The Chief Clerk assures you he likes his job and that the Master does indeed treat him fairly, generously even.

He seems rather confused by this line of questioning, but positively bristles at Brennan's.

"Certainly," he replies curtly.  "But following a man around looking for dropped possessions is no way to treat a Master of DuckTown."

"How far does he roam? Most of his work seemed to be in that office.  If that's where his focus is it strikes me as there'd be less following and more looking under papers to be done," Ciryl observes at the clerk's objections.

In reply to Ciryl Fontaine (msg # 249):

He frowns.

"If you happen across any missing property, I'm certain you will be amply rewarded, but don't presume I cannot do my job."

In reply to Ciryl Fontaine (msg # 249):

So lets say that someone with bad intentions were to get ahold of a badge.  What could they do with it?  Especially on the outskirts of town?

In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 251):

The Chief Clerk's frown does not fade.

"If someone WERE to find a badge, it would certainly be more use in the outskirts.  People there know the badge but might not know who's supposed to be wearing it."

In reply to GM (msg # 252):

I see...

Titus loses himself in thought.

/ooc I'm done with the clerk.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:24, Thu 25 Jan 2018.

In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 253):

"I presume nothing," Brennan says, not backing away from the man in the slightest. "I did find such a badge -- in the outskirts, no less -- and turned it in to the Master of Arms. There was no reward for this, and many questions raised."

"I'm certain the badges would fetch a fine price to those who know how to make use of them, either within the town or in the outskirts. I find the apathetic attitude concerning them of a clearly organized person such as yourself to be quite alarming."

He narrows his eyes.

"I've taken this matter up with the Governor, who was concerned enough about recent events that he asked me to look into it further."

His eyes flick over to Pika for a moment, making the point.

"Now then. You can relax a bit. This isn't about whether or not you can do your job. Nobody's trying to replace you or get anyone in trouble. But the missing badges are a serious problem. They are being used to enable cult activity in conjunction with the kidnappings. And with the murders."

Brennan gauges the man's reaction to his last word carefully.

In reply to Brennan Otthild (msg # 254):

Brennan's tone snaps Titus out of his revery and he studies the man's face intently

In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 255):

The man's eyes go wide.

"Murder?  But... I swear I have no idea what happened to... or when... all's I did was get replacements, that's all.  The Governor hisself would vouch for me!  I never even BEEN to those crapsack huts!"

In reply to GM (msg # 256):

Brennan nods quietly.

"Ok. Thank you for your help."

OOC: Ready to see whoever holds the mold or, if we've done that already and I've forgotten, the Smithy.

In reply to Brennan Otthild (msg # 257):

You find the smith working in one of the forges in town.  There are a few, mostly clustered to one side of DuckTown near the glassworks, tanner, and other stinky businesses.

Pika directs you to the right one, and it does indeed look to be the nicest establishment.  Where most of the smiths are working on blades, horseshoes, and tools, this one looks to focus on more intricate items such as joints and smaller tools.

The smith is a filthy but pleasant enough man who shakes your hand firmly, leaving a layer of black on your hand that refuses to wash off.

He says that he has the honor of working with the Guildmistress' Inspector to pound the badges of office, and also with the Master of Coin to pound tokens of Tax when needed (these are similar to money but used to show that you have provided DuckTown with the sufficient amount of goods for the year to account for their share).

He notes that he doesn't keep track of exactly how many of each he makes, but he does agree that a good number have been asked of him this year.

In reply to GM (msg # 258):

Brennan thanks the smithy for his help and, after waiting for others to share any questions they  might have, leads the group back to someplace quieter where they can talk.

"So. The Master of Coin's habit of misplacing badges is the obvious clue here. His assistants are the most likely culprits. Pika, what do you know about them? How long have they held their positions, what's your opinion of them, do they have families or a history of causing trouble or having shady tendencies?"

In reply to Brennan Otthild (msg # 259):

"Oh, well..." Pika looks ruffled.  "I dunna have theer records with me, but I could confirm back at the Govornor's office, or with the Master of Coin's records.  As fer personally, I don't ken them well, though I work with the Chief Clerk often enough."

If you wish, you can have Pika go off and find specific records of salary/hire dates etc.

You will learn that all of the clerks have worked for the Master of Coin at least a couple years.  Pika is not aware of anything "shady" about any of them.

In reply to GM (msg # 260):

Brennan graciously accepts Pika's request to pull additional records, and inquires about the Master of Coin as well (how long has he lived here, what was his last job, what's the term of his current job, friends, family, etc.)

OOC: Beyond this, I'm stumped fellas. Any other ideas?

In reply to Brennan Otthild (msg # 261):

The Master of Coin has lived in DuckTown his entire life, or at least most of it.  He was born in DuckTown, went to an Academy in NorthReach, then returned.

He serves at the pleasure of the Governor, and has done so for nearly twenty years.

In reply to GM (msg # 262):

"Thank you for all your help, Pika," Brennan says. "Do you think it would be possible to speak with the families whose children were taken?"

He frowns thoughtfully.

Maybe one or more aren't actually missing, but are members of a family involved in this meant to draw suspicion away from them...
This message was last edited by the player at 15:22, Mon 05 Feb 2018.

When Pika mentions going back to the Governor's office Ciryl perks up, "Oh that reminds me, could you give this to the Governor?" he offers her a small bottle he'd been carrying since his rendezvous with the rest of the group, "And when his cough returns tell him i'd be happy to sell him more, but a proper cure will need these," at which he offers her a piece of paper with a list written on it.

"Do you really think bothering the families will earn us anything other than some distraught wailing of mournful parents?" he asks Brennan, "I'm curious, you've been about town more than myself this morning when you met the various masters, you've noticed the carved gourds about town right?" he gestures to the nearest one at the front door of a building, "Did you see anywhere without?"

In reply to Ciryl Fontaine (msg # 264):

"I think the families might have stories of what their children were doing or where they were when they vanished that might lead us somewhere, yes. Or possibly there are commonalities among the families -- perhaps they worked for the same person, or frequented the same places, or lived near each other."

Brennan sighs.

"These kidnappings are very unlikely to be totally random. The cult would either be sending a message to specific people to ensure compliance for future task assignments or perhaps punish them for resisting. And of course if they care about the purity of their targets they'd want to be sure of that, too. Though I can't imagine that would be much of an issue for the younger ones."

When Cyril mentions the decorations, he perks up.

"Now that you mention it, I haven't noticed something like that. What would you believe that to signify?"

"Well they're an old tradition, a superstition of sorts.  They're supposed to scare off evil spirits.  The sort like Springheel Jack, I'd think.  If your cult is dealing in dark spirits they may not want to chase them off."

In reply to Ciryl Fontaine (msg # 266):

Brennan nods.

"Good point. Let's keep our eyes out for anyplace missing the gourds, too, then."

In reply to Brennan Otthild (msg # 267):

Titus bangs his head against the door.

I'm such an idiot, I can believe I missed the gourds entirely...Let's go see the families.  I doubt it will help but...

In reply to Titus Blackwell (msg # 268):

Pika remains at attention.

"Records kan help find all the faamilies but... I don't ken it will do more'n make some parents very unhappy."