event ♚ january

[boardmaster]

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.

Comments

[long_live_the_queen]

What would that be?

[It wasn't entirely a demand, though a number of things Kaede said tended to sound like them anyway. There was a question in there too, an abstract cluster of thoughts in her mind as Kaede turned the page. Something about local sports--not relevant. She flicked the newspaper back to the previous headline.]

When dragons attacked us last year, they didn't seem to act like themselves either.

[At least, they were nothing like Tianya. Multiheaded as he was, the dragon was far better spoken and eloquent than the flying lizards below.]

I, why is it always birds with you

[armorial]

Then this would be your expertise, Assassin.

[ You know... She still hasn't been able to catch a swallow despite training rigorously in her free time. Of course she hasn't contacted him about her progress (there is none).

Saber is organizing the reports in chronological order, then by category. As she's a king, she never needed to deal with paperwork until now. It shouldn't be too hard? The lake does get her attention, but there's no way this girl would go to some place so dangerous. Would she? Maybe if it's against her will? Is the correlation somehow tied? ]

It has been some time, but I will be relying on you once again.

[ So she's rather confident in this task!! ]

[foxhands]

[Nakigitsune keeps up his position, regardless - he hasn't been here long enough to recognize insignia like she has, and the irritated questioning isn't exactly soothing.

There's a pause as he thinks of how to answer her question, his gaze never moving away from her.]

.....I was searching.

[guerrilla]

I just found it in one area. I didn't get a chance to check it out as thoroughly as I liked, because I got mobbed by the wildlife while I was looking, so I can't say for sure whether or not there were any more spots that were contaminated.

[Based on his gut feeling, he'd guess it's just that one spot, though.]

You just need one dose to poison someone, though, so I don't know if it's really a matter of "needing enough." Just needing something once is plenty of opportunity.

[He'd know, considering he built his two-year killing career on poisoning people.]

[foxhands]

[It's an important thought...he stares down at the piles, thinking about it, but...why would they sort it all out like this?

There don't seem to be any clues on this either, just looking around.]

...Maybe...they'll tell us. [when we find them.]

III

[heiwana]

It is...inhumane to even consider it has a purpose.

[ Kousetsu is very displeased with this display of what clearly are body parts?! Vietnam what are you even doin?! ]

We must...find whoever has done this.

[icanseefor_miles]

[The laguz's feathers puffed out slightly; he was an expert, was h--

What.]

...a swallow.

[Janaff is picturing him running after something dartingly fast with a sword.

...not the absolute strangest thing he'd seen a beorc do, but fairly high up there.]

[notsolomon]

[And there is a loud crack as the joint weakens and falls apart. The monster actually freezes, obviously confused by what happened.]

Good! That's the way! Finis him quickly!

[Another good whack and the enemy should fall.]

[notsolomon]

They must have been really desperate to have dumped that much of it then.

[Granted, William had no clue how love potions were made, but surely you didn't need that much raw materials.]

I haven't heard anything yet, other than that he appears to be missing, which is very strange. HE might very well be dead or else kidnapped somewhere.

[notsolomon]

[He thinks on the question a bit.]

Perhaps it is magic? Or a curse. Something disturbing them and causing them to act unnaturally.

[He frowned for a moment.]

I wasn't around for the dragon attack. What happened there?

[long_live_the_queen]

[When she spoke, it was in short bursts of words at a time, like her thoughts were arranging themselves right at the moment.]

People had some problem explaining what happened, at first. Either the witnesses died or didn't understand. Those dragons couldn't be spoken to or reasoned with.

[Kaede's shoulders twitched, reminded of the scars on her back one of the damn things carved there.]

When they flew off, we found a way into Gisela Towers. There was a dragon in there that we could talk to. He seemed surprised that the other ones were there. Something about not intervening.

[...and then she helped kill him and cut his heart out, but details.]

[hiryugaeshi]

I doubt it. For all your skills with poisons, it's unlikely that any herbal mixture could do anything to this one. It's thick with mana.

[ Hand it to the Knight to be able to tell that much, which is why Kojirou hasn't just charged into the mist and hoped for the best. ]

It almost makes me miss a certain witch, but she was always more likely to stab me in the back than heal any of my wounds.

[ pain breaker where

On the plus side, he's still running away from the birds instead of right at them, but for the record, he's not pleased about it at all. ]

[hiryugaeshi]

You might be surprised. The sword I used to wield was of quite impressive length.

[ Actually, the Laundry Pole he has now is pretty long too! Not quite "wow this is useless as a weapon" long, but y'know. ]

But there's no way to tell unless you put your steel self before me, is there? How unfortunate.

[ Kojirou feels like he's been challenged! And he steps up! Too bad it can't be done, realistically speaking. ]

it's kojirou's fate/

[hiryugaeshi]

Indeed, though I find myself wishing it wasn't. There's little meaning in fighting an enemy you know you can beat.

[ At least Saber is more capable than Kojirou in this regard. Though she should just get some secretary to read the reports for her. That's the benefit of being a king. Agravain where. ]

But I might be able to pull out some motivation if you're behind me.

[ Truly, this is Charisma B. ]

[hiryugaeshi]

A swallow indeed. They are swift little things, faster than can be caught with an ordinary sword.

[ Kojirou nods. He finds nothing odd at all about hunting swallows.

It's clearly everyone else that's odd. ]

It took me years of training to achieve it, and to think it's been lost ever since I arrived on Enprise.

[ Alongside everyone else's magic powers. ]

[hoasen]

[GOOD POINT no one will crawl in skins here. Sort of.]

W-well, there are some robots back home, but nothing like this!

[And they were friendly? Although one could argue that this one was too friendly.

She really doesn't want to have to stop him from moving considering she has a fair idea that it consists of immobilisation...

You know what she'll give it a shot.]

A-alright, just... [She starts to creep after the bot. This isn't really going to end well.]

[hoasen]

[Hearing that yelp of pain stops her in her tracks and she switches her direction towards him]

Syrlya?! What happened! Did it hurt you?

[He did warn her to be careful, so when she reaches him, she wonders why he's wiping his hands and quickly tries to inspect the damage.]

[hoasen]

[It was a quick and seamless move indeed, one that has Vietnam nodding in approval. At least now they wouldn't be suddenly attacked in the dark, they know their enemy.]

Shadows in a cave, it does seem like the perfect place for them.

[She wonders if they can escape off the walls, or the floor, and attack them now, seeing as they have been discovered. There's nothing for them to lose anymore when it comes to ambushing them!

She takes out her blade, revving it up.]

I wonder if we can just be rid of the claws? Though I am willing to end them completely if they are easy to destroy.

[hoasen]

[He's right in that there were just no answers for them to discover, so she moves closer to him.]

We will have to find them then. Before it escalates.

[hoasen]

[She just has to inspect them! In order for justice to be achieved, she wants to know what they're up against.]

It is indeed...I am unsure how I will feel when I see them. Disgust, no doubt.

[hoasen]

[There it is! She managed to get it, just where William had invested all his efforts. With his instruction, she swings again, focusing all her gravity into turning her oar into something awfully heavy.

The momentum was going to really get that enemy falling.]

There!

[guerrilla]

[Well, that's more or less enough for Robin to make up his mind about Alumina. He generally doesn't trust people he doesn't know, but he trusts strangers with a stack of (admittedly circumstantial) evidence against them even less.

His voice drops to a whisper; he doesn't want to arouse the suspicion of anyone else who might be around.]

I think it'd be best if we operate on the assumption he's still alive. If the murder was a jilted lover avenging her relationship, I think she'd want to keep her boyfriend alive on the chance he'll come to his senses.

[Unless she swan-dove off the deep end. That's definitely still a possibility.]

...But that's assuming this is all related. I don't have anything solid, so it's all guesswork from here.

[chronosynthesis]

But was it anticipated? Or is there more reason that someone was trying to brew it for themself? How difficult are love potions?

[He taps his chin with a thoughtful down.] I could defend you, if you wish to scout the forest again.

[chronosynthesis]

It--[He holds his palm open in the light. Where the ink has been rubbed off there is a shallow burn mark on his skin.] A little bit. The ink is... corrosive?

[He looks at the piece of paper, now too smudged to be legible.] Was that poison, or a spell?

[foxhands]

[He nods, looking down at the body parts again, before deciding to make a move.]

They could be farther in.

[If they're still here at all...only one way to find out, right?]