BOARDMASTER (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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pawnstorm2017-01-10 09:59 am
boardmaster) wrote in pawnstorm2017-01-10 09:59 am
event ♚ january
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.
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! |
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Gretchen Hannes. [ loads gun ] |
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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. |
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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. |
|
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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. |
|
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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.
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!
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Gretchen That’s great! But… |
| Lisbrand Yeah, I don’t like the sound of that lake. |
|
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Hannes Oof, hold on. Everyone, take these. [ gives everyone a satchel of magical bread crumbs ] Use these so the others can find you. |
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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! |
- 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.”
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…
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…
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Gretchen Alumina! |
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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. |
no subject
[Said bluntly and with an irritated huddle of Kaede's shoulders. She usually quite liked animals!
When they weren't actively trying to bite off her fingers and break her bones for apparently no reason.]
At this time of year?
[She didn't...know what a swan nest looked like, or where they'd even start building them, but she also wasn't exactly paying much attention. Most of Kaede's unfortunate swan incident was spent scowling at Alumina.]
no subject
Yes I know, not very likely, but nothing that has been going on is natural lately.
[But to turn this around...]
I think the key point is that something strange is going on that might be affecting their behavior. So if we are to assume that this has something to do with everything else, then we have to assume there is a reason for it.
no subject
[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.]
no subject
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?
no subject
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.]
no subject
And now he remembered that Gilbert had actually told him the same thing.]
That's the dragon the phoenix mentioned, isn't it?
[That was a bit curious.]
It does sound a little similar. Even if it's not connected, the same principal might be at work here.
sorry for the delay!
[What, no, she's not disappointed about that, what made you think that.]
What do you think is doing this, then?
[Kaede's looking at him with at least a small amount of interest. She was paying attention before, but allowed a little more to show through. She was communicating! She made an effort! A little one, but still.]
no subject
A curse perhaps, or something like that. Or some other similar force. It would explain why everything is so agitated right now.
[It's hard to explain right now, when one considers all the different factors involved. One doesn't know what is or isn't useless. But even the useless leads have a bit of value.]