May 05, 2007

Hook

Adventurers wanted to rescue dangerous youths. Please speak with Krona at The Random Encounter at 6:00 pm.

Plot Synopsis

Adventurers meet Krona, grandmother to twin troublemakers Focia and Nadia. She is a strong, sturdy woman appearing to be in her mid-fifties, and would like the adventurers to find her granddaughters (and their half-brother, Marten), so that she can raise them properly. She tells them that her granddaughters have strange abilities (likely due to their father, a wicked man by the name of Valkyr) and were being held in protective blue-storage on a water mage's island until they recently were found to no longer be there. Information has led Krona to a city (Athyrea) where one of the girls was recently spotted. Since the city is heavily guarded by its recent conquerors, it is likely that the children are still there. She tells them that one of the girls has hair that shifts to her mood, and that they both must feed on lifeforce every once in a while, but are vegetarians. Maybe this info will be helpful in tracking them down. The adventurers are warned that there may be others looking for the children as well, due to their strange abilities.

The adventurers get into the city after a 3 day boat trip, and after being inspected by port inspectors. Krona sits in Dena's portal bag, waiting for word of her granddaughters. While Olen and Nefta each spend time investigating the Spectral Unicorn, a bar filled with overly masculine soldiers, the others find the Who Cares? Inn and Bar near the docks. At the Who Cares?, Howard learns more about the city (the occupying soldiers, where the poor quarter is, and about some of the cheaper dives where he can get a room). This leads the party to CHEEP ROOMS, an establishment near the gates of the city, just south of the poor quarter. While Howard and Shogn set themselves up in the room that has a lock at this place, Olen purchases the services of the wife of CHEEP ROOMS, and takes her back to the Who Cares? Inn for a cheap psychology session. Nefta and Rin also return to the Who Cares? for the night, as the establishment is slightly more savory then the ones their companions ended up at.

Meanwhile, Dena plays the blind woman in the poor quarter at night, leading first to being escorted to her "home" by some kind soldiers, and then (after she gives them the slip) getting accosted by some severely overmatched muggers. Dena kills one and captures the other, bringing him back to CHEEP ROOMS where they enter Dena's portal bag to question the thug. The thug, seeming dazed after being left in the bag with Krona, has no real info about the missing children, but does know of some local orphanages. Resolving to investigate those in the morning, the party rests.

In the morning, several party members begin by looking for breakfast. During this, they discover that many merchant stalls are open in the area around the CHEEP ROOMS, just outside of the poor quarter. One of these stalls has a large number of chickens. Olen and Shogn purchase some chicken (raw and tastily cooked, respectively), and Shogn learns that the price of chicken has gone up a lot. Apparently the vendor's chickens just keep disappearing. Struck upon by a plan, Shogn gets hired by the vendor to catch the chicken-thief, and Howard and Olen join him.

Considering the "chicken-thief" escapade to be a waste of time, Dena, Rin, and Nefta proceed to check out some orphanages. They first try the one nearest to the poor quarter, which is run by a kindly old lady and has several former priests of Isis working with about 30 children, ages 4-10. Nefta talks with one boy about the right age and height to be Marten, but he plays the "Why?" game and answers nothing.

Back at the chicken-vendor, Shogn notices that the shadows at the back of the stall begin getting darker. Watching carefully, he sees a hand move out of the shadows, grab a chicken, and disappear again. He charges the shadow, deftfully avoiding dozens of impeding chickens and a very startled vendor, and tackles the shadow, hitting someone, but not grabbing. Howard and Olen join in, grabbing at the shadow and catching a teenage girl. Shogn is suddenly caught in black tendrils, and the girl escapes, only to be re-grabbed by Olen, breaking her leg. After a few rounds of the party trying to talk to her as she concentrates, she turns into a raven and begins to fly off. Shogn manages to catch the raven using minor telekinesis, and after a little more fighting, the girl is stuffed into Howard's portal bag. By this time, soldiers are arriving, and Howard and Olen dash off, leaving Shogn, still stuck in dark tentacles, and the chicken vendor, to be taken into custody.

At the orphanage, Dena mentions the name of Marten to see if she can get a reaction, and does from one girl, who mentions a man down by the docks that daddy ran off with. Seeing this as a possible lead, they leave and head towards the docks. They notice some commotion up the street by the and spot Howard, who says he is still looking around, so Nefta goes to the chicken vendor in time to spot Shogn getting taken away, and Dena and Rin proceed to the Spectral Unicorn. There they meet "Marten", a beefy man in his 20s, obviously not the kid they were looking for. Dena and Rin then begin making a loop around the rest of the orphanages in town, looking for the children.

Shogn is taken into custody and spends several hours waiting to be processed and questioned. He is finally released mid-afternoon, where he finds Nefta waiting for him. He tells Nefta that he thinks Howard and Olen have caught one of the girls. Realizing that she had seen Howard *after* this would have taken place, Nefta begins looking for Dena. Shogn heads back to the inn in case they show up there.

Howard, now looking completely different, has at this point made his way down to the docks, looking for a boat out of the city. He finds one, but is told by the cefo that the locals are very thorough in their investigations of anyone leaving the city. After some discussion with Olen in his bag (who is watching over the captured girl), he hatches a plan to have the boat to meet him outside of the line of ships guarding the port.

Not finding anything at the other orphanages, Dena and Rin go back to the "wander around the poor quarter until someone mugs the poor blind lady" plan. Eventually, two men do attempt to mug them, and they are quickly subdued and stuffed inside Dena's bag. Upon entering the bag, Rin finds Krona having already gathered information from the two, strangely pale, thugs, and tells Rin that one of the thugs had seen a girl with color-shifting hair near some ruined houses on the far side of the poor quarter in the last few days. Rin and Dena set out for the area.

Nefta went to the last orphanage on the list to find that Dena and Rin had already been there. Not sure where to go, she heads back to the first orphanage and catches a glimpse of something down the alley to the side. She doesn't find anything out of the ordinary upon further study, but suspects something and spends time trying to get a response from someone there. She gives up and then goes to the orphanage and asks to talk to one of the children there. The headmistress remembers Nefta from earlier, but is confused about the child in question. Much prompting can not get the headmistress to recall the specific child, and Nefta gets frustrated and begins trying to coerce the headmistress into letting her in for other reasons. Eventually Nefta stops, and heads off in the direction where she thought she caught a glimpse before.

Dena and Rin arrive at the ruined houses, and discover in one a girl matching Nadia's description, attempting to keep a young boy (looking like the one Nefta questioned at the orphanage) quiet. Though startled, the girl listens to what Dena has to say, whispers something to boy (Dena hears this to be 'check if he's telling the truth'), and agrees to enter Dena's bag (where the kids are wrapped up in a hug by granny Krona).

Howard, looking non-Howardly, has at this point weighted himself down and hooked up a breathing apparatus using his portal bag. He begins walking out of the city on the bottom of the ocean. Twenty minutes into his escape, a rapidly swimming man speeds towards him. A brief battle ensues, with Howard surrendering. The man takes him outside of the blockade lines, where they meet with the ship Howard hired. The man calls himself Stephen, a water mage, and says he saw Howard and his accomplice capture the girl. Stephen and Howard negotiate for the girl then, with Stephen getting the girl, and Howard getting 3500 silver and being allowed to live. Stephen takes the girl and leaves the boat.

Dena and Rin now meet up with Nefta, who tells them that Howard has the other girl and didn't tell them. Once it becomes clear that Howard has taken the girl himself, they teleport the group back to the portal that goes to the Portal Farm and set up an ambush for Howard. Not looking like himself, and with the portal being fairly frequently used, Howard passes through without any problems after a few days of travel.

Krona is disappointed that one of the girls is still missing, but relieved that two of the children are in her care now. The party is paid a partial payment (750/1000 silver) and leave once it is clear that they aren't going to be able to get Howard and Olen.

The adventurers are rewarded with 2500 exp, plus individual bonuses.

Noteworthy Postgame Events