[IC] 01 - Kleine / Search for the missing children

[rremedio]

It's the second moon of the spring in Thunder Rift. At the beginning of the evening you arrive at the small village of Kleine, at the shores of Ostrel Lake, after the rumors of an unlikely amount of opportunities for adventurers caused mainly by the growing populations of humanoids, once again infesting the northern lands.

Despite the cold drizzle, the village seems to be a pleasant place. The houses are scattered around the main road and the lake can be seen for mostly every place.

This peaceful and quiet settlement goes through strange times. The inhabitants are used the constant treat of humanoid raids, but the creatures never come so close to the village, rather attacking merchants and travelers on the road, or adventurers in the wild. But recent attacks from the Farolas Orcs and the two missing children, believed to have been taken by goblins from the Burning Hills, ringed the bells and left the people frightened.

Shortly after you arrive at the village, your armors and weapons draw a lot of attention from the citizens, like the other adventurers who are coming attracted by the news.

In the Melodious Harpy, the famous and only local inn, you hear several interesting reports of rewards, hidden treasures and danger.

Lawean, the man in the bar, talks about two missing children reports in town. The son of one of the priestess assistant and the daughter of a fisherman. The boy was taken by goblins in front of his father but nothing seems to be known about the missing girl. The subject is being taken care by the clergy who is trying to gather brave men to find the missing children. Interested adventurers should look for Marcy Breeze, the priestess who runs the local chapel.

A young man introduces himself as Noalis, Zanzer Tem assistant. Zanzer Tem is a famous magician and owner of a few mining operations. He is hiring adventurers to clear a humanoid lair near his mines. He is one of the richest men in the Rift and great reward is promised: 500gp.

An elder called Baul, who is a member of the village council, tells you the history of the Red Hand goblins. This tribe is famous for its unusual longevity under the rule of the same king. They have been raiding merchant caravans for decades but lately things have gone worst. Baul doesn't want to give you further details right now, but he offers himself to take you to the Mayor who will talk more about the Red Hand Tribe and offer you reward for a mission. Apparently there's some secret the won't tell you in a public place. Even if he's talking this out loud and you notice people commenting every time they pass by Baul's table.

More than once you hear about Minlas, the village elder who is known as an great retired adventurer who seems to be more than happy in spreading terrifying histories about ancient ruins where young adventurers might find great fortune. Those who hunt Minlas histories usually won't return, but some times a skilled party was able to survive and find the glory promised by the old man.

There are also reports of walking dead around the cemetery since one of the tombs was violated. Rumors tell of a haunted crypt in the cemetery area while some others bash the rumors as history for fools. There are neither reported victims nor accounts of combats between inhabitants and the undead.

The keep known as Raven's Ruin, in the Burning Hills, was once home to the famous thief Raven who have been missing for a few years. It is believed that Raven is dead and his keep has been occupied by humanoids, but his large treasure remains unspoiled inside one of the many secret rooms of the keep.

[Griffith]

Heff, the Halfling, is only 3 feet tall. He has curly brown hair and prominent, well-groomed, mutton chops. He wears well-to-do garb and a fine cloak over his chain armor. A short sword is scabbarded at his side and a short bow with quiver are at his back. His large, well-worn, Halfling feet are bare.
Heff puffs his pipe and ponders the many options. Finally, to his comrades, he says, "Before we do anything else, I think we should find the missing children."

[GoblinTown]

Balam, the barrel-chested dwarf, stands a hair over 4 feet tall, with a large mane of wild, but not unkempt, red hair.

He thinks for a moment, shifts in his heavy armor and says, "Well, there seems to be no shortage of jobs for us here. I agree with Heff, while the coin and beasties are tempting, I think they will wait for now. The wee ones, may not and I think the sooner we get on their trail, the better."

Resting his hands on the handle of his battleaxe, he waits for opinions from the rest of the company.

[zebediah]

Beato nods in agreement Well said my friends, saving the innocent is the noblest and more urgent task at hand. Let us go and meet the priestess if you are all ready to leave.

[rremedio]

Interested in the rumors about the missing children, the companions leave the Melodious Harpy heading to talk to the priestess.

The chapel stands at the village entering. It is small and simple, but it's easy to notice that it has a different build from everything else in the village. In fact, Balam can tell without any difficulty that this chapel was built by dwarves. And the sun and the hammer painted at the outside walls indicate the cult of Athis, the God of Creation.

Inside, the party finds a woman, appearing to be on her fifties, taking the last cares before closing the temple. She is Marcy, the priestess and looks relieved by the interest of the adventurers in helping on the children search. There is also Jioniran, a young apprentice, who leaves soon after the companions arrive.

"I'm glad to meet you, young masters. Our peaceful village goes through harsh times and I can't remember when the aid of the brave was so precious to us as it is now. The men of the guard left some days ago to the Farolas Hills and we do not have many fighting men living here.

As you are probably aware, there are two missing children. Alec Hosnit, the son of my assistant Balm, was kidnapped three days ago in front of his father by a group of lunatic goblins. And there's another missing child: Inara Greysand the daughter of Almir Greysand, the master fisherman. We don't know anything about Inara's vanishing, but I have some reasons to believe that it is correlated to Alec's kidnapping.

Balm and Alec left this chapel three nights ago and went to their home like they do in most days. The two were attacked and easily beaten by a group of six goblins. This was no regular goblin group. Their leader was a kind of goblin warlock who cast some evil spell which paralyzed my assistant and then left him blind before leaving with his son. Balm is not sure, but he believes that the goblins have their faces painted in blue.

Balm usually carries some holy jewelry with him. A necklace and a bracelet which were given him by the church and both were taken from him. No other harm was done nor the little amount of money he carried was taken.

We heard about these goblins before: a tribe involved in some pagan belief, painting themselves in blue while performing nasty rituals, to say the least. But they never attacked the city before, their business was with adventurers wandering the Burning Hills and other humanoid tribes.

We have a good relationship with the nomads who wander the Burning Hills and a couple of them volunteered to help in our recent struggles. They say they know the location of the place where the blue goblins live and they accepted to guide anyone who would try to recover the children to the goblin lair. The nomads are fierce warriors, but they refuse to enter the lair.

I've sent the boy Jioniran to bring them and they will be here soon to talk with us.

While they do not arrive, is there anything you would like to ask? We do not have much funds to give you for this quest, but we can pay 50gps to each of you if you find the children, and I pray that you find them alive. The people of Kleine would be in great debt with you, as would this chapel. And I am sure that the gods would award you in the future. Would you take this urgent quest?"

Post was going longer than I'd like, so I left the nomads arrival to the next post. Meanwhile you can talk to Marcy.

Some setting info: the Burning Hill nomads are a small group of humans and elves living past the border of Gauntlin Forest. You all heard about them before. Despite that, not much is really known about them for sure and the accounts are very contradictory. But is of common belief that they are great fighters and they do not talk about their business to outsiders.

[GoblinTown]

Balam beams openly at the construction and the sun and hammer symbol. "Tis a very fine chapel you have here, Missus Marcy, very fine indeed. The work of a dwarven hammer, it brings back the finer memories of home."

He fishes into his coin pouch for 2 gold and offers it to the chapel as the patron he acknowledges, and swears to, is Athis, the Creator.

"I would like to know your reasons for thinking the two are related, if you would. Has no one spoken to her father? It is odd indeed that they left your Balm mostly unharmed and with all of his treasures, save the boy."

[rremedio]

Priestess Marcy answers to Balam while accepting his offering: "I am glad to learn that there are true believers among adventurers. May the light of Athis always guide you."

"We have never got a deep understanding about this goblin cult, but we know that there's been some months now since they started to deal with human sacrifice. And the nomads told us that they have been attacking travelers and always taking two victims to their lair. I believe that sacrifices are always done at the third moon, which leaves us with no more than four days to find them."

[Blackrazor]

Marcy smiles at the adventurers interest, she glances toward the rectory to beckon someone over.
You are not the only ones who care to help. This young lady has also offered her services. She has traveled far, please Coldmoon come foreword.

A lithe and comely elf, fair of skin, pale of hair walks from the rectory. Piercing blue eyes gaze sternly at the men, calculating their worth.

The young elf, takes a place next to the priestess and with a curt nod towards the adventurers says,I am Coldmoon of the Forest of Gauntlin. I too wish to aid in the recovery of these children, for these goblins have plagued my lands before and brought much mischief and sorrow. I have tracked them here after moons of travel. Seeing they hurt no on else, would make my kin proud ..I mean glad.

[Blackrazor]

Hope I did not overstep my bounds. You just posted before me too - blast . Maybe we can switch the order. If I did cause an issue. I will delete the post. Hopefully, all is good though.

[rremedio]

Priestess Marcy let a big smile escape with the interest of the elf: "An Elf, a Human, a Halfling and a Dwarf...remembers me of the Quatrial. May this meeting be a sign of the bless of Athis upon you and upon our beloved Kleine".

I'm making a post about this in the OOC thread, you don't need to worry at all. I was assuming that Coldmoon was along the others, just a little more quiet. But you've found a nice way to introduce her in the middle of the conversation, so let it be it.

[rremedio]

While you talk with the priestess, Jioniran returns with another person, introduced to you as Wolfsight, the Nomad, a male elf wearing a dark cloak. The priestess explains to him that you are willing to search for the children and asks him to tell you what he knows.

"We always kept an eye at the goblin tribes from the hills since from time to time they will give us trouble", the elf says, "these blue goblins wandered for a while before settling in an abandoned house built against the north mountains face. For some reason they also attracted some hobgoblins and bugbears to their cult, and even kobolds. We can only guess that inside the house there must be some connection to the underground or to the mountain caves, since the house always remains quiet and some of the humanoids spend days, or even weeks without putting their feet outside. We did not actually see they entering the house with the kidnapped children, but if you are looking for blue goblins, there you will find.

"I may guide you there tonight or tomorrow morning, but I can't be of any other help. My partner left with another group such as yours after the Red Hand lair. I must meet her tomorrow and we need to care of our own business. While I can take you there tonight if you want, I advise you to travel under daylight. Even if the old house is not far from here, there is much more dangerous activity in these lands after the night falls."

After the nomad's report, the priestess asks: "That's everything we know. Would you help us, my friends?"

[zebediah]

Beato greets the nomad and nods as he gives his advice.

After the nomad's report, the priestess asks: "That's everything we know. Would you help us, my friends?"

I will put my best efforts on this mission. Before we follow Wolfsight, however, I think it would be advisable to speak with Almir Greysand to understand the circumstances of his child's disappearance. Unless my lady has more information to share with us about that.

[rremedio]

The Priestess: "The Greysand live in a house near the lake, Joiniran can guide you there if you wish. We have talked to him before and neither him nor his wife know anything about what happen. Inara was playing outside the house, she usually returns at the early evening, but she never came back. None of her friends having seen her for a couple of hours before the evening, no person noticing anything strange on that day. It was a day before Alec's kidnapping. Inara is a good girl and never played too far or entered the lake without asking their parents, at least allowing they to learn about it later...you know how children are."

"You see...this is a small village, the children are used to play freely when they are not working, and every person looks after them. We all now each other here. It had happened before of some of them being attacked by animals, or getting lost...eight years ago two boys died in the lake and the third one escaped by luck, but it's never so hard to understand what happened like this time with Inara's vanishing."

[GoblinTown]

Balam looks Coldmoon over and nods in acceptance of the task at hand and the offer, "Aye. If we wait until morning as Wolfsight suggests, we have nothing to lose by taking a look at Graysand's and perhaps where the lass was last playing. But if not, I fear that time is not on our side and we should be off as soon as we can."

He looks to the others, agreeable to either a prepared start in the morning, or some more investigation today.

Turning to Wolfsight, he asks, "Aside from the normal beasties that look to fill their bellies after night falls, what more dangerous activities might we be running afoul of should be leave tonight?"

[rremedio]

Turning to Wolfsight, he asks, "Aside from the normal beasties that look to fill their bellies after night falls, what more dangerous activities might we be running afoul of should be leave tonight?"

"These lands are infested with tribes of goblins, kobolds and other creatures. Many of them like to hunt at night and their favorite targets are travelling parties and caravans. They also fight each other, even tribes of the same race, and ambush is their natural way do deal with enemies. Just by looking at you, Master Dwarf, I can tell that you could slain a small group of kobolds by yourself, but you don't want to be trapped by them at night. They don't have any concern about honor, and backstabbing is their art."

"Even us nomads, who have been wandering the Burning Hills for more than a hundred years now, want to avoid travelling these lands in small groups at night. Under daylight there's still danger, and the tribes know that our races will rather not be travelling by night, but their chances to succeed are much weaker and their numbers smaller. Specially the number of goblins, who feel pain when it's not dark enough."

"The goblins lair stands only around three miles from Klein and I can guide you there now if you wish, but we never know what waits for us in the path since in the last months the tribes are coming much closer to this village than they always did before."

[Blackrazor]

Coldmoon carefully weighs the words of the priestess and the nomad. Her concern for the children in the claws of the blue warlock and his pack, overshadows her caution. This is coupled with her need to rid the woods of their menace for good. Maybe then ..... she bites off the though harshly... These young innocents must not fall victim to warlock...as many others have.

We should head out presently, despite the risk. Every moment counts, these goblins are viscous beasts as you have heard. That is my counsel on the matter.

[zebediah]

Coldmoon carefully weighs the words of the priestess and the nomad. Her concern for the children in the claws of the blue warlock and his pack, overshadows her caution. This is coupled with her need to rid the woods of their menace for good. Maybe then ..... she bites off the though harshly... These young innocents must not fall victim to warlock...as many others have.

We should head out presently, despite the risk. Every moment counts, these goblins are viscous beasts as you have heard. That is my counsel on the matter.

I have the same opinion, let us move as every minute we tarry increases the risk for the missing children.

[Griffith]

Heff is sure to extinguish his pipe before entering the chapel.

Heff fiddles with the curly hairs of his mutton chops as he listens intently to the priestess and the nomads. Heff listens to his comrades and to the elf, Coldmoon, and he nods in agreement. "It seems we are all of a like mind. The Priestess said we have until the Third Moon, no more than 4 days, until the blue beasties make another sacrifice. Whether there be daylight left or no, we should leave now and be on our way to this house haunted by goblins and other things... before we are too late."

[rremedio]

Glad with your decision, Priestess Marcy thanks you sincerely while offering her blesses. She commands Joiniran and he enters a door, soon returning with two torches and a flask. "Please take these torches. We do not have many things to offer here, but it's night and not all of you can see in the dark. And here is a potion blessed by the gods. It will cure the wounds of the one who drink it. Sadly I have only one, use it wisely. May Athis bless your journey and help you bring our children back."

You leave the village through the eastern corner, soon getting past the farming area and the giant lake. It's dark but you notice the changing of terrain features as you walk. The rocky and hilly soil of the Burning Hills holds few vegetation, just casual bushes and very rare trees, and it's quite irregular. The drizzle makes it slippery, but it won't keep you from going on. Wolfsight is a very quiet person, talking only when required.

You follow the northern mountains at a small distance. Not so long after you left, Wolfsigh asks you to stop and makes a loud whistle. After a few moments, a large bird with dark plumage and white chest lands in his right arm.

"Please, meet Syrin, my beloved eagle."

It takes only a few seconds and the eagle takes off disappearing in the sky after receiving an order from the nomad: "The old house" (translated from Elvish)

"She will scout ahead for us, even if her vision at night is not the best. There is a narrow passage, usually protected by goblins, before the last section of the trail."

After two miles you begin to head north, always following the mountain line. The further you go, there is less to be seen. Despite the worries of Wolfsight, you don't notice any sign of humanoids or animals. After walking another mile, you stop at a group of rocks, very near the mountains, and the eagle comes back to her master.

"There!" - your guide points to a gap in the mountains, where two of the Rift walls collide, you can barely notice it. "That entrance forms a small cave, like a corridor, that leads to small rift, where the house is located. Syrin saw three kobolds guarding that opening from behind and there are two hobgoblins guarding the house. If the kobolds see us coming, at least one of them will run to warn the others and things will become much harder to you."

I moved things a lot, but if you want your character to have said or done something at Kleine or in the travel, just post it.

I can't find the picture of the cave entrance, but imagine two walls that fell upon each other and created a cave. The entrance is very narrow, only one person may pass at once. You stand at 100' from it and there's no sight of the kobolds.

[Griffith]

Heff must move quickly to keep up with his long-legged companions. Though they move quickly and quietly, Heff is sure to introduce himself to Coldmoon. "Hello? I don't think we've formally met." He says to the Elf, "I am Heff Lunting of the Edgewater Luntings. We are growers of fine tobacco, or pipe-weed you might call it. How do you do?"

Heff is glad to be able to catch his breath when their guide finally brings them to a halt. From their position he examines the Kobold kept crevice. To the others he whispers,"I might be able to take out one with my bow... if they were visible... Where are they?"