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

[stonebird]

Careful! (Sansa does her utmost to catch little Ao, cradling her between her hands.) Are you alright?

(Such a small creature could come to great harm from a fall!)

Is she ill?

[twosidedsword]

[She jumps up and reaches her paws towards her face.]

...She's...okay.

[He moves over and pats her head which causes the squirrel to make a noise again before jumping up to land on his head. Ta-da!]

[stonebird]

(A look of relief follows and Sansa gently touches one of those small paws.)

Perhaps, then, she was testing me.

(Her eyes are warm with amusement. Animals are remarkable in her experience and she likes being around clever ones.)

[twosidedsword]

[It's then Ao starts miming to her what happened.

Pats Shin-Ah's head then covers face. (He was embarrassed! Oh no!)

She waves a paw at Sansa then bounces. (So I jumped to you!)

She waves both paws and dances. (It worked to distract you!)

She pats Shin-Ah again. (He's good now.)

Seriously if she doesn't understand the squirrel it's okay.]

[stonebird]

(Squirrel pantomime is...new to her! But she can't help staring and trying to understand. Slowly, a smile curls her lips and her cheeks pink. So Shin-Ah had been embarrassed.)

Forgive me, Shin-Ah.

[twosidedsword]

...I'm okay.

[He looks a little confused. Possibly because he didn't see the pantomime show. But he does try to look up a little. Not that it does much good given where she is on his head of course.]

[stonebird]

I am glad to hear so! (She suppresses a small sigh.) There is not much kindness in the world from which I hail. I have learned to doubt the intentions of others, but if Lady Ao is so determined to see to your comfort, I do not take that lightly. Animals do not lie like people.

[twosidedsword]

I like animals...for that.

[That they don't lie. That they aren't cruel. That they just feel things without condition. Reaching up, he pets the little squirrel then pets the little Bimpuff and then the wolf so they won't feel left out. He's not trying to prove he's a good person. He just is.]

[stonebird]

They are themselves without masks; without lies and cruel ambition. (She kneels down and wraps her arms around Lyanna.) I will not lose her. She is part of the reason I am learning to fight.

[twosidedsword]

[He looks over at her, watches her as she speaks. Learning to fight in order to protect others. Seeing that animals are honest about people. The red hair.

She...reminds him of Yona.]

You are strong.

[stonebird]

(No matter how she tells herself that she is strong; that she need not rely on anyone, hearing it from another's lips - honestly - is touching. Her cheeks burn and Lyanna's tail wags.)

We all must be.

[twosidedsword]

[He reaches out to pat her shoulder then goes to gather up the bags they've created of feathers. They're not heavy so he doesn't mind carrying them. But...]

...where do we go?

[stonebird]

(She is surprised into a small laugh. It feels good and some of the tension she always carries diminishes slightly.)

Let us return them to the Gearson Hotel. That is where the other feathers are being kept.

[twosidedsword]

Which is... [He flusters a little. He hasn't learned to read the word Gearson yet.]

...is that one?

[stonebird]

I know the way, fear not. (She lays a hand on his shoulder this time, taking the lead and calling for Lyanna to follow. The wolf hurries to keep up, peeking back at Shin-Ah. Come on!)

[twosidedsword]

[He nods and immediately follows her like an obedient puppy, his pet and carrier along for the ride on his shoulder and head. He catches up to walk beside her soon enough, looking around as they go so he can memorize the way. And learn what word is Gearson.]

[stonebird]

(She follows the path back and lays a hand on Lyanna's head to keep her docile around the people they might encounter. Once they are before the hotel, she nods at it.)

That is the Gearson Hotel. Other Heroes are working in the conference room on the disappearances.

(Though she fears they are less disappearances and more murders.)

[twosidedsword]

[He hesitates for just a moment before pointing to the sign.]

That says Gearson?

[stonebird]

Can you not - ? (Her voice is soft - not accusatory. She feels bad for him that he cannot read the signs. That must be confusing.) It does. Would you like me to tell you of each building?

[twosidedsword]

...I'm...learning. [He's getting an understanding but sometimes things like names still throw him off. At her offer though, he perks up then gives a nod. If she wouldn't mind helping him to read some of the signs then he'll be so happy!]

[stonebird]

Literacy is not common in Westeros, either. I was blessed to be trained as a noble and thus it was part of my studies. (She is happy to share her lessons with someone who reminds her of family. Her brothers would like Shin-Ah - particularly Robb and Jon.) Let us leave the feathers inside and then I will show you the signs.

[twosidedsword]

[He nods and goes inside so he can drop off the feathers, making sure to free their clothes of them before handing hers back. He puts his own back on then is immediately at her side. He's ready to learn! Teach him the ways!]

[stonebird]

(She shakes out her cloak and fastens it around her shoulders again with a small smile of gratitude. Then she walks to the nearest sign and building, giving him a visual representation of the name. That will surely make it easier to recall.)

I wish I could teach you to read properly. Would you be interested?

(Reading is something she enjoys. There are wonderful books in this world too.)

[twosidedsword]

[Shin-Ah nods very enthusiastically. He's been learning but sometimes people are too busy to teach him things. To have a teacher would...

He runs off suddenly and is gone a moment. When he comes back it's with a small baked good in his hands. He offers the sweet to her right away.]

...thank you.

[stonebird]

(A long forgotten warmth fills her chest at his enthusiasm. He is someone special; someone untouched by the cruel world - or maybe simply unchanged by it. He might be exceptionally resilient. Either way, Sansa does not want to leave him to fend for himself. If he wants to read, he will. Teaching will be a wonderful distraction from battle!

After her moment of pleased shock, Sansa breaks the sweet in half and offers it to him.)

I should be thanking you. Meeting you and teaching you will be a refreshing change for me.