August 21, 2004

Hook

The Sanctuary wants to find missing pesons...

Plot Synopsis

Recently, the postings for missing persons have been increasing around the isle of Lojem, particularly in Rougtero & at the Portal Farm.

In response, the Sanctuary has sponsored a support group to help the families and friends of those missing to deal with the grief of their loss as well as collecting information about the missing in an effort to locate them and return them to their loved ones. Meetings with this group will meet at the Stopover Inn on the 16th of each month. Those wishing to participate are welcome to arrive any time throughout the day, and leave when they feel comfortable. The support group will be there from mid-morning until mid-evening. Those willing to assist in seeking out the lost are also welcome.

The characters arrive at various times, and are greeted by a Konsileir seated at a table outside the meeting room. All are welcomed, asked about information regarding their lost loved one, and told that refreshments are within. The focus of the group is explained, and small comforts are given. Those that volunteer to help as Seekers are given to meet Jorah, the leader of the next search party. Jorah takes names and other brief info, then tells the individuals that a meeting to discuss the search will be held after the dinner hour in the same meeting room.

The characters show up for the meeting. Jorah explains that he has a new lead to follow in the effort to relate the disappearances. Recently there were six people who disappeared from the same farming village within the same week, less than a month ago. Of the list of missing persons, this small cluster of people shows a large number of consistent characteristics compared to the rest of the list, so he intends to lead a small group to that area and investigate further. He plans to leave for that village on the morning of the 17th. The characters are the only people to attend the meeting, and they all agree to go.

They travel to Gendle along the road, then strike north to reach the village. They visit the households of each missing person and collect facts regarding the circumstances of the disappearance. In each case, there were some consistent events: 1)Each person left in the evening or night hours, 2)Each took at least some personal belongings with them, and 3) each had some dealing or other with a traveling pot-mender who had been in the area at that time.

The group also found two items which intrigued them. In two of the households, there were found silver necklaces which, when gazed upon with either Witchsmeller or Detect Divinity, had a dark radiance about them. One bore a small silver pendant depicting a thorny rose. The party proceeded east to track the pot-mender, with due caution.

They found evidence in at least two more villages that linked the pot-mender with additional disappearances, and they caught up to him in Province Landing. They found a stable owner who had purchased the horses and the wheelhouse that the pot-mender had used to traverse the island, and were told that the pot-mender had decided to change vocations and start over in another city. They went to the docks with haste.

Those that couldn't fly had acquired the services of an attack skiff from the Dock master's 'cousin', a member of the Fortelli family. With that, they intercepted the passenger vessel upon which the pot-mender had booked passage. They confronted him in his cabin, and combat ensued. During the combat, the party had determined that their suspicions that the pot-mender had some affiliation with dark arts may be true, and had named him a demon. After a few seconds, the pot-mender took a shadowy form and made ready to depart. Before he could leave, though, he was caught in a Halt-Time, along with Dom Faran who had him grappled. While the spell remained in effect, plans were made.

When the spell was ready to expire, the party was prepared. The ship had been brought around, and rowboats lowered to rescue other passengers caught in the spell effect, while the party made ready to target the pot-mender. The Halt Time expired, and passengers fell into the water. Val had him targeted with a massive number of deferred spells, and the damage inflicted appeared to vaporize the shadowy figure. He left no clues to the whereabouts of the missing, but all concerned are certain that he shall trouble no more innocent families.

Noteworthy Postgame Events