pawnstorm | event ♚ january

Entry tags:

!job,
!story

event ♚ january

WELCOME? TO MENCHIK

Alumina Antimoine, daughter of the mayor of Menchik, is missing.

Upon her sister Gretchen’s urging, the mayor has rented a conference room at the Gearson Hotel as a venue for all Heroes to share information regarding the recent disappearances, including their daughter.

According to various reports, Alumina ran off yesterday nght and hasn’t been seen since. She was quick to rush from her home despite her timid nature, claiming she had something important to do. Her parents are beginning to grow worried. Hannes and Gretchen have done their best to look for her, but so far their efforts have been fruitless.

	Gretchen Sorry to interrupt your investigation, but I’ve enough reason to believe Alumina’s disappearance is linked to this. She’s the most invested in the missing people’s case more than anyone else, so I...
	Hannes Ooh, macarons!
	Gretchen Hannes. [ loads gun ]
	Hannes [ pops a macaron in her mouth ] Relax! There are security automatons all over the city, so I’m sure we’ll find her in no time. Maybe she’s hitting it off with one right now. I mean, they’re pretty hot.
	Gretchen [ munches on it ] Buttercream… [ gasp, how embarrassing ] A-anyway! If you’re more useful than my brother, by all means, help us!
	Lisbrand Gretchen.
	Gretchen F-Fleur! You’re back!
	Lisbrand My task force and Lisbrand Technologies will take it from here. Our company’s automatons are equipped with cameras. If we can get into the system, we can locate Ledo and Alumina quickly.
	Hannes See, I knew there was more to Fleur than her huge knockers!
	Lisbrand Hannes. [ loads gun ]

ONE ♟ ALL-NIGHTER

Long tables and uncomfortable chairs await you in the conference room. Coffee, tea and some small snacks have been prepared for the Heroes as well as pen and paper to take notes with. This is where Heroes can share information and pool knowledge. Maybe something will add up if you all work together!

Each table has copies of the missing people reports and some might recognize the faces staring up at them from the pages as corpses found near the lake. Newspapers have been neatly stacked on a table in the corner, with many articles noting increased avian activity near the lake and within the city. Certainly odd at this time of the year. Other articles include statements from Menchikans where they found severed fingers or toes that turned into black feathers shortly after.

Hannes and Gretchen also haven’t been idle and have interviewed police officers and Commander Lisbrand’s scouts, who reported encounters with misshapen monsters with beaks. The number of casualties and injured are high. It appears that the monster is too strong for ordinary humans to deal with.

TWO ♟ Never tell me the odds

The door slams open and a messenger from Lisbrand Technologies runs into the room, breathless from his travels. He claims that Alumina has been found near Lebedche Lake!

	Gretchen That’s great! But…
	Lisbrand Yeah, I don’t like the sound of that lake.
	Hannes Oof, hold on. Everyone, take these. [ gives everyone a satchel of magical bread crumbs ] Use these so the others can find you.
	Gretchen Yeah, alright. Let’s leave glowing bird feed on the ground. That’s a great idea.
	Lisbrand No, he has a point. This time around, the birds are out to eat us. Heroes, move!

While searching the lake and the surrounding area, Heroes may find one of the following:

Tattered pieces of Alumina’s hair ribbon rest on a dead branch of an otherwise healthy tree. When you pick the pieces up, you’re hit by a sudden chill and your vision grows dark. Something bitter seems to coat your tongue for an instant, and you immediately feel exhausted. Look at your hands and you will find that the ribbon is no longer in your possession.

As you climb one of the large rocks near the shore, something light brushes against your head—a soft, black feather. Another falls, and another... until you are pelted by the ton.

Empty bullet shells can be found in the pebble stones by the shore. If brought back to Gretchen, she will worriedly comment that the shells match the gun she gave Alumina for self-defense a while back. Does that mean that someone tried to hurt her?

An envelope addressed to Alumina. It’s contents are empty and nothing seems to be out of the ordinary until you hold it up against a source of light, revealing an emblem.

Pages of a letter are scattered across the lake’s surface. Retrieve them and the ink will suddenly begin to spill from the pages and drip down your arms, burning your skin. No spell or ointment will cure it until an hour has passed. What is left behind on the pages, however, are broken sentences: “...can’t be... “ “Promise to…” “...happier with me.”

Find other Heroes to put the pieces together. There will be only one conclusion: Alumina has been kidnapped. Considering the recent events, this is very bad news indeed. And not some they will take lying down, Lisbrand promises. She won’t rest until she knows more and Heroes are welcome to join her.

THREE ♟ Cave Story

It’s evening by the time Lisbrand’s team discovers where Alumina is being kept. The Heroes and Lisbrand will be led to a cave near the lake. Reports say that the strange noises from further in often ward intruders away…

Inside, Heroes will find angry, screeching bats. Lisbrand is all too used to shooting them due to Verdoni’s antics, but they’re not vampiric by any means. Be mindful of the ground as well—the lake floods the cave once in a while, leaving stones slippery and covered in algae. Steady footing will come in handy when vicious rock monsters come charging towards you. Madness fills their eyes as if they have been tampered with by dark magic... There’s no other choice but to put them out of their misery.

A foul smell fills the air as you venture deeper into the cave. You soon find its source: severed body parts left to rot litter the cavern floor. The various parts have been sorted into morbidly neat piles: hands to hands and feet to feet. This isn’t the work of a mere beast. This was planned by someone meticulous.

Someone human.

Gretchen gags at the sight and Hannes exchanges a nod with Lisbrand before leading his sister back to the cavern entrance. The siblings won’t be tagging along for what’s to come. You keep moving. Water drops from the ceiling, your footsteps echo down the grimy walls. The shadows cast by your torches seem to come alive, reaching out and clawing at everything they can reach. Finally, moonlight filters in through a hole in the ceiling and in the center of it lies—

Alumina.

No calling will wake her. Approach her and heavy fog will begin to filter in the room. Lisbrand snaps, “Don’t breathe!” The fog is poison! They need to get out of here! She snatches Alumina with a grunt and escapes with the Heroes. They will be hounded by by a flock of black swans who will try to cut the Heroes off with their dark magic spells. Once out of the cave…

	Gretchen Alumina!
	Hannes What happened to her!?
	Lisbrand Get back, the cave isn’t safe! [ turns to the Heroes ] I’ll bring her to the hospital. You’re all dismissed. We’ll talk about this when I get back, but I have a feeling it doesn’t end here.

They leave with Alumina, rushing with fear and panic towards the hospital. As Commander Lisbrand says, it doesn’t end here. The investigation continues.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Please direct all OOC questions about this event log here.

1
[This had turned out bigger than William thought it would, but he's invested now. It's hard not to be when an headless body fell right in front of you. So he's going around, sharing what information he can. He's always thought that if, heaven forbid, he didn't manage to get into politics, he'd get into law. And horrible as this business is, it's a chance to sharpen his investigative skills.

It's not just the body that concerns him, but what he's heard of the young man's change in engagement plans. It's too suspicious to have nothing to do with this.

He's also taking advantage of the free coffee, because there is no way William can do this without caffeine.]

I suppose we have had it too easy for a while though...

[The last month or so had been rather quiet, so it made sense that they now found themselves within this storm.]

III
[The only thing more tiring than this cave are the rock monsters that keep coming. William's wind and fire spells are doing some damage, but it's taking time and his ring, while made to smash stone, takes too much mana for him to just throw punches here and there, so he's getting tired. He needs mana badly. He also needs, you, yes you to help him out here.]

Come on, if we work together, we can take this one down!

[Wildcard]
[Want to do something with prompt c? Or deal with the afterwards? Or modify any of the other prompts? Throw it at me! I welcome all things!]

[When Vietnam last encountered William during a time of battle, it was after the war, and he was exhausted. Admittedly, she was too, but as someone who was so accustomed, it didn't quite show.

But even as long as she's been here, no one is ever prepared to fight a monster they've never seen before.]

Alright!

[But they still must, and so she runs over to join the fray. Thankfully, William, a Rook is here!]

I will protect you, tell me what you would like me to do!

OOC INTRO QUESTIONS

William Twining | Open

iii!!

I

i

vietnam | ota!

a

a

III

A

iii

II

III

I

Kaede | OTA

ii

Kojirou | OTA

1. Oh Ko...you and those birds...

1 Hello birbman here is a Bird Man

3b

I, why is it always birds with you

Robin Hood | Open

i