City of Broken Dreams: Life's Bazaar

[Dhavaer]

Lady Ydresse follows Rilian to the children's room, watching over his shoulder as he examines the lock. She focuses on the metal, then washes her gaze over the room.

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Use Arcane Attunement to cast detect magic

[Rei_Jin]

The Lady looks over the room, and whilst she doesn't see any persistant magical auras, she does notice magical residue, afterimages of where magic was once used.

The reflection seems to be coming from the curtains on the far wall, where the windows to the outside are.

[Dhavaer]

Her Ladyship briefly examines the curtains, then goes to find Kate. "It would seem that you may be right about the curtain in the riddle. Someone has used magic on the one in the childrens' room."

[Toxic Avenger]

"Oh, let's go see..." Katherine heads toward the room in question. "Magic on the curtain? Were you able to tell what type of magic it was, Ydresse?"

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Upon arrival, Kate's eyes sweep the room. "I don't suppose there would be a cauldron in the room as well? That would be too easy, unless..." She stops herself mid-sentence, because finishing it with '...unless the riddle actually meant a chamberpot.' would not be in good taste...

She shakes her head, disgusted by the fact that she even thought it... {OOC: Curse you, lack of sleep! *shakes fist*}

[Dhavaer]

"Dual-schooled; conjuration and transmutation. Some manner of teleportation, I imagine. My guess is there's some gnome skulking about with a magic trinket, though I've little basis for the speculation."

[Rei_Jin]

Gretchen wanders into the room, having heard the conversation on her way up the stairs.

Magic huh? Well, that would explain how they got in I guess, but why did they take two boys and two girls? And why not take Andro, if what he says happened really did happen and he saw them in the act?

[Taren]

Rilian sighed. Ydresse seemed quite capable...the sort of person he wanted to become. She had found the solution to the entrance so quickly when he hadn't had a clue.

But the woman had a good point. "M-maybe... maybe t-the gnome wouldn't take him b-because he saw." He shrugged. It made about as much sense as anything else.

[Baerdog7]

Angelo Rinaldi

Angelo strokes his chin in contemplation, turning toward Gretchen.

We have reason to believe that the abducted children have been taken to a slave market which may or may not be located in the cave systems underneath the city. It's possible that the kidnappers were simple seeking to fulfill a quota, not snatch and grab as many kids as possible. If this is the case, it could explain why they simply incapacitated Andro instead of taking him as well.

He shrugs and looks at the others.

Of course, there's also the possibility that this entire theory is bunk.

[Rei_Jin]

Gretchen looks at him in horror

Slavers? HERE? Are you certain? This may not be the last attempt to take our children then! The only blessing is that if they were taken by slavers, then they're most likely still alive.

Please, you MUST find them quickly. Terrem was a sickly boy, he needs his medicine regularly or he will become quite ill. They didn't take it with them, it's been nearly two days since he was taken. The herbalist told me that he has to have it at least every 5 days or he may not survive. I didn't want to say anything because I thought the children either dead or long gone from the city, but if there's a chance that they're still here...

[Toxic Avenger]

Katherine examines the curtains. "Hmm... Ydresse, I know just barely enough about magic to be dangerous, and not in a good way...but the presence of transmutation tells me that there's more than just teleportation at work...or am I wrong...?"

[Baerdog7]

Angelo Rinaldi

Angelo nods at Grechen.

Yes, if they were taken by slavers then they are most likely still alive. I suppose that is the silver lining to this whole thing. The key is finding them before they get sold off. What kind of medicine does Terrem need? I think you should give me some to give to him once we find them.

[Rei_Jin]

Gretchen hands him a bottle. It's made of glass and is sealed with a cork. When he opens it, it smells of bitter herbs and honey.

It's the only thing that seems to help him. When he goes a few days without it, he gets weaker and weaker until he can't stand up. The herbalist won't tell me what's in it, but as long as it helps him, then it can't be all bad.

Please, go see Keygan. He might know something that can help, and at least if nothing else you can rule out that option. Other than that, if you want to get into the mines below the city you'll need to find one of the old entrances. He's old enough that he might remember one of them, his parents lived there before the Vanishing took them.

[Toxic Avenger]

After looking out the window, Katherine says to no one in particular, "This may not be the curtain we're looking for after all..."

Heading back to the rest of the group, Kate adds, "I agree, Gretchen...it's probably time to see Keygan. I think that anything else we find here will just lead us in circles until we've ruled out the locks for sure."

[Amotis]

Sodi watches the others move about the room, taking their turns at conversation and investigation. He stands off to the side, thumbing his pack's straps, almost impatient.

"Won't tell? That's..."

Pause.

"Another day's work. It seems strange to leave Andro, however. Even if we were to consider slavers...well that still doesn't make sense. Why would anyone leave evidence? Well, if you wanted to prove something...but that's pointless. Cauldron is well aware of it's problem right now."

Pause.

"Maybe that's the point. Heh, maybe they're like us. Trying to bring good. Bring the city to it's knees. Show everyone what lies under the carpet, no? The laws everyone turns away from or chalks up to life. They're doing something alright...but I guess that's not the point."

Looking around for a second, Sodi nods like he understands something.

"Keygen? That's fine. Let's hurry."

[Rei_Jin]

Gretchen nods, and shows the hunters out gratefully, giving them directions to Ghelves Locks. The trip over there takes about 25 minutes by foot. The day is moving rapidly, with the sun quickly reaching its Zenith. People scurry about their business, glad for the activity to distract them from their problems.

As the hunters approach the end of their journey, they spy the building they're looking for. A small turret dominates the facade of this two story black stone building. Iron bars are embedded in thick window frames. Beyond the turrets groundfloor windows sits a lovely display of locks, from small to large, complex to simple. To the left of the turret, above a heavy oak door, swings a simple sign that reads in common "GHELVES LOCKS", as well as some complex looking runes underneath them. Some of the group remember seeing the runes on several other stores, unsure what they might mean.

The door itself is solid oak with a glass panel. The sign on the other side of it read "OPEN FOR BUSINESS"

[Toxic Avenger]

While on the way to see Keygan, Kate walks next to Rilian for a while as she asks him a question. "Rilian, now I don't know anything about locks except that I put the key in and turn it, but I've always thought that you had to have the key in order to make a copy. Can a locksmith really make a copy without it?"

[Taren]

Rilian jerked upward as Kate asked her question. He turned his head up and looked at her. "I-it wouldn't be easy at all, b-but..." he rubbed his chin. "If s-someone built the lock, maybe." He straightened up. Talking about this sort of thing was one of the few things he really felt confident about. "For some locks. M-most non-magical locks are like i-incomplete things, you know? T-they w-won't do a-anything until you put a key in. Then they become whole a-an' they work, and you c-can open what they hold." He smiled, just slightly. This was familiar territory. He knew about locks. "If someone made a l-lock, t-they'd know how all the parts fit to-together. From that, you'd k-know how to make a key for i-it. T-to complete it." he shrugged. "Y-you make the lock f-first, and then you make k-keys to fit in it, you k-know? A'course..." He turned away "T-they'd have to be lots better with locks than m-me. And you'd have to k-know a lot m-more than me too. 'n have an excellent m-memory. You'd h-hafta remember where all t-the parts were, and the s-spacing, and the shapes of the t-tumblers, 'n everything else. 'd be easier with the shape of the key, like from a mold. B-but it might b-be possible." After a moment's silence, he added something. "P-probably f-faster just t-to make a skeleton key... if it's the r-right type of lock."

As the group of hunters approached Ghelve's Locks, Rilian stopped and frowned. "U-um... good luck in there..." Ghelve had been one of the masters who had turned him away after his dad had died. He doubted that the man would remember him kindly, and his presence might make Ghelve less than cooperative for everyone else. "I... I t-think I'll wait out here while you t-talk to him, ok?"

[Toxic Avenger]

Katherine listens intently while Rilian talks about locks. With a nod and a smile, she says, "So it is possible, then. I would have never thought..." Her smile turns to a grin. "...but I don't mind being proven wrong, certainly not if I get to learn something new out of the deal. Thanks, Rilian."

Upon arrival at Ghelve's Locks, Kate puts a hand on Rilian's shoulder after he asks to remain outside. She smiles reassuringly and says, "That's all right, Rilian. I imagine this won't take long." He was quite nervous about going in - that much was obvious - but she wasn't about to ask him why, certainly not now...

Kate opens the door and walks on in. "Good Morning!...or is it Good Afternoon already?"

[Rei_Jin]

As Kate walks in and utters a greeting, she hears a ring sound from a bell attached to the door. The shop itself is neat, almost fastidiously so. There is a large wooden counter to the left, and a curtain blocking the way to the back of the store. From beyond the curtain, a voice calls out.

Yes, yes, good afternoon almost it is, but good morning for the moment!

A freakishly tall gnome walks through the curtain, with legs longer than even a normal human would have.

Yes, yes, it is good to meet you. I am Keygan Ghelve, owner and sole proprieter of Ghelves Locks, we've been in Cauldron for 3 generations now and over 100 years! Best, and only locksmith in town approved for business by the Lord Mayor, and proud of our heritage!

Now, I assume you're here on a matter of security? I have a wonderful range of locks, and if you're after something special I can make it on commission, or order it from Sasserine. Or do you need help fixing a broken lock perhaps, or maybe even some security work, to make your home or business safer and harder for those pesky thieves to enter, hhmm?

[PhoeKun]

Outside, Erica looks at Rilian with concern. He's clearly nervous, and much more so than usual. It seems like it would be a bad idea to leave him alone, but would it be even worse if it looked like she was coddling him?

"Are you sure? Well... please come in after us if something happens, all right?" She scratches her head, blushing a little. "Um... dunno what would happen, but just in case, you know?"

She offers a smile and heads inside in time to hear Keygan try his sales pitch.

"Well... actually, we'd like to talk to you about your locks at the Orphanage. Did you hear about the kids who got taken from there the other night? Well... it's weird. Your locks weren't damaged or anything, but they obviously didn't keep the kidnappers out, and the key there was accounted for. Was there another key or something? Or a way they could be, like... tricked open? Please, anything you can tell us will be a big help - we have to find those kids..."

It wasn't like Erica to press the issue like this, but since hearing about Terrem's illness, worry has been eating at her. She couldn't help but feel there was precious little time for her usual behavior.

[Toxic Avenger]

Katherine turns to whomever is next to her and quietly says, "Hmm...another curtain."

Looking back to the freakishly tall gnome, Kate smiles as she replies. "Pleased to meet you, Keygan; my name's Katherine, and yes, I guess you could say that we're here on a matter of security. These odd disappearances that have been happening lately have kept us all on the edge. You've heard about them, I'm sure..."

EDIT: {OOC: Blarg. I should have checked before posting. No time to fix it now...}

[Rei_Jin]

Keygan nods at their words, and motions with his eyes to the curtains, speaking as if nothing was wrong whilst trying to furiously get their attention that something very obviously IS wrong.

Yes, yes, I did hear of those poor missing children. Such a shame that those poor dears could disappear like that, without notice. I do hope you find the perpetrators soon! And yes, I did make the locks for the orphanage, but that was a very long time ago. I never made a duplicate key for the locks, it simply was never required. I daresay that someone with enough skill could open the locks with the right tools, or perhaps with magic, but otherwise they were built to be impregnable!

He then moves away from the curtain with a pleading look in his eye.

I'm certain there's nothing for you here, but if you're after a fine lock, then please look around. Oh, and be careful, some of them have sharp moving parts.

[PhoeKun]

"Um... well... sure. I guess it won't hurt to look, or something."

Erica shoots the super-tall gnome a confused look, and starts to drift towards the curtain, looking at locks along the way. Eventually, she gets to the curtain, and peaks curiously (and at least a little warily) behind it.

[Rei_Jin]

Erica looks through the curtain to see what appears to be a working space, with some personal touches. There's a workbench with various locks on it in different states of completion, a cup with steam rising out of it, a set of stairs leading up and down, which seems odd as this house is at street level, and a few pictures on the wall.

No sign of any intruders.

[Toxic Avenger]

Kate's eyes open wide in recognition of Keygan's message. She immediately liberates her longspear from its peacebond and nods to Mr. Ghelve as she replies, "Sure, we'd love to have a look around."

[PhoeKun]

Erica blinks confusedly, and steps through the curtain completely. Her voice calls back out.

"Hey, where do these stairs go? This where you keep your back stock?"

[Rei_Jin]

Keygan nods, as if in appreciation.

Well then, I might have something you're interested in, it's a device I picked up in Sasserine to deal with those nasty thieves. They like to Skulk around, y'see, and they can be oh so hard to spot. Well, I went and had a word with one of the mages there, and he made me this wonderful pair of glasses. Helps you see things clearer. Here, you should try them out!

He hands Kate a pair of large glasses, rimmed in rubber and designed to slip over the wearers head.

Oh, and those stairs? The ones up go to my sleeping quarters, the ones down go into the old ruins. Why?

[PhoeKun]

"The ruins? Why do you have your business built over something like that?"

Erica takes a look around, but finds herself afraid to touch what are obviously personal belongings. Curious about the mention of ruins, she heads down the stairs for a closer look. If she was right, this might be a way below to look for the children!

[Rei_Jin]

Keygan calls back to her

As I said, this business has been run by my family for more than a hundred years. When the ruins were actually running, they were known as J'zadirune, the mining town. We had a shopfront below as well as above.

Now that it's ruins now though, the stairs are still there simply as a legacy of days gone by. I never saw a reason to remove them as the storage comes in handy.

As Erica is looking around near the stairs, she feels a slight breeze on her back, and turns around to see a tall, thin, purple coloured humanoid, naked except for a cloak, lunging clumsily at her with a rapier.

[PhoeKun]

"What the!?"

Erica instinctively draws her shield and longsword as the purple... thing... lunges at her. On the stairs, it's hard to get a good stance going, but that doesn't stop her from taking a counter-swing at it, anyway.

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Initiative - (1d20)[4]

Attack - (1d20+5)[19]

Damage - (1d8+3)[7]

AC - 17 (15 if flatfooted)
HP - 55/55