3 Eleint 2993
Axle, Fenpenny Copperleaf, Tippletoe Tarkelby, Vincent, and Černoboš Vosk head out early in the morning to investigate the disappearance of several children from the Little Acorns Orphanage. When they arrive, they find a dilapidated building with paint coming off and an ominous alley across the way.
Knocking on the door, the group are greeted by nine-year-old Duven, orphaned when a pack of wolves killed his parents. From Duven the group learns the following things:
In addition to Headmaster Garrin Ashcopse there are two other adults, Nurse Sally Sparrow and Chef Angelo Boyardee.It was two or three days after each child went missing that somebody actually noticed.Toys and play are not part of day-to-day life at the orphanage.
Vincent fashions a simple doll out of sticks for the child, and Axle manufactures a tin drinking bird. Both please Duven, but only to the extent that they will provide useful raw materials.
Next the group speaks with Ashcopse, a gray, middle-aged man. He admits to not immediately noticing when the children disappeared, and has little useful firsthand knowledge. He does tell the group, though, the following details about the missing children:
Phethelbert (14) was maybe last seen taking an interest in a red cardinalWillim (10) was last seen chasing a red ball into the alley across the way, but nobody knows who saw thatAnnie (6)Oakley (2) had a red blanket
All of them, save for Oakley, were on door duty when they disappeared, and always on an Eighthday.
The group heads across the way to McBeal Alley. Mr. Beaks flies overhead doing recon, and the party moves to investigate the figure sitting in the alley staring blankly at a wall. Just then, a flying humanoid figure appears, muttering something about interference with an investigation and Queen Titania. A badge identifies the figure as Sheriff of the Spring Court 52. The figure uses mass suggestion to convince most of the party to leave, sleep an hour, and forget any of this happened (but is frustrated at having to cast it twice), and when Černoboš proves less suggestible he takes a projectile of some sort to the leg.
Axle, Fenpenny Copperleaf, Tippletoe Tarkelby, Vincent, and Černoboš Vosk head out rather late in the morning to investigate the disappearance of several children from the Little Acorns Orphanage. When they arrive, they find a dilapidated building with paint coming off and an ominous alley across the way.
Knocking on the door, the group are greeted by nine-year-old Duven, orphaned when a pack of wolves killed his parents. Duven appears surprised the see the group, inquiring why they are “back”, despite this being the group’s first visit to the orphanage and first encounter with Duven. From Duven the group learns the following things:
- In addition to Headmaster Garrin Ashcopse there are two other adults, Nurse Sally Sparrow and Chef Angelo Boyardee.
- It was two or three days after each child went missing that somebody actually noticed.
- Toys and play are not part of day-to-day life at the orphanage.
Vincent fashions a simple doll out of sticks for the child, and Axle manufactures a tin drinking bird. Both please Duven, but only to the extent that they will provide useful raw materials. He seems especially pleased to now have “two” of each.
Next the group speaks with Ashcopse, a gray, middle-aged man. Like Duven, he insists he has already spoken to the group earlier in the morning. He admits to not immediately noticing when the children disappeared, and has little useful firsthand knowledge. He does tell the group, though, the following details about the missing children:
- Phethelbert (14) was maybe last seen taking an interest in a red cardinal
- Willim (10) was last seen chasing a red ball into the alley across the way, but nobody knows who saw that
- Annie (6)
- Oakley (2) had a red blanket
All of them, save for Oakley, were on door duty when they disappeared, and always on an Eighthday.
After this conversation, the group takes stock. Černoboš admits to having a minor injury to his leg, but Axle is unable to make much of it.
The group heads across the way to McBeal Alley, but turn up little of use. Turning next to the neighbors, the group asks around about witnessing any disappearances, but to no avail. The neighbors also have no recollection of having met the party members previously. However, upon circling back to the inn, the staff describes how the party had set out once before earlier that morning, only to return in a daze carrying Černoboš.
Now convinced that there was missing time to account for, the group seeks out Azân the Wanderer at the market to ask about a magical means of restoring memories. He tells the party about Modify Memory, but does not know of any magic user in Gosterwick powerful enough to cast it. Fenpenny thinks about the members of The Arcane Practitioners’ Club he has seen, but is also unable to come up with any candidates.
Turning their attention back to the disappearances around Gosterwick, the group decides to head to the House of the Thesmothete to inquire about any pattern of missing orphans in the past. The functionary there doesn’t know anything about any past disappearances (and precious little about the current disappearances) but when Axle mentions the human sacrifices of the previous year, the group learns that a number of children (one unborn) had been sacrificed: a teen daughter, a 12-year-old boy, an 8-year-old, a four-year-old, and the unborn child.
Fenpenny suggests aloud what others were already thinking: the four children missing from the orphanage match this pattern – could the missing Canon be pregnant and carrying the potential fifth victim? The group rush towards the House of the Gods to investigate, but on their way a group of bandits attempt to mug them. Acting quickly, Fenpenny sets several of them aglow while the rest of the party gets to work, making quick work of them, with Tippletoe finishing off the last of them.