Door to Nowhere

[Kwargrow]

Taylar agrees with Astarte. "While in Outpost we can try and learn any information about this group and what is around these communities. This situation could be as simple as wanting to weaken the local villages by taking the young."
Before departing he will gather supplies and speak with his allies to make sure they know where he is going, but not why.

Spoiler: Rolls

74

 

[MacConnell]

Astarte says...

Taylar agrees... will gather...

Having come looking for assistance, Plumeir was to gain the aid of two of the former Outliers. Hopefully it would be enough. No further discussion of speculation was going to merit greater knowledge. The only thing left to do was to return to the scene of the crime. It was a day’s walk from Refuge to Outpost and then, maybe, half of a morning’s walk to the mining operation. Following the established road left little to no chance for hostile encounters, though animals were still more prevalent than people. No one in Outpost had any information other than what Plumeir had already been able to provide them.

Arriving at the mines shortly before midday, the daily activity was well underway, as it should have been, though the unit of Kingdom Soldiers, assigned to the mines, was still diligently searching the area for any signs of the missing children or who had taken them. Public confidence was low that those barely competent sword carriers would discover anything. Plumeir had volunteered, though his mission to enlist greater help was sanctioned by Ferguine, the Mining Commissioner.

Local housing, like that of most communities in the region, was composed of actual lumber, due to the more advanced technology of making tools. All of these structures were situated along the river, west of the roadway, while the actual mining endeavors dotted the large mound of rock that jutted above the trees, east of the road. The mines were spread around the giant cairn and at various elevations, and the forge for smelting the ore butted against the western face of the rise. Young children, able to run and play, were generally kept together, during the day, under the supervision of several women. These had not been touched. Older children, not really of an age or developmental status to labor, were generally free to move about as they pleased, just like others of the same age group in other communities. They divided themselves into units of friends or identifiable factions. One of these groups had been captured, northward, along the river in between the mines and the small Centrin village that still existed, where the Outliers had prevented the total destruction of a previous one, over ten Cycles back.

OOC: Each character receives 5 DP. Provide a random roll.

 

[Kwargrow]

Taylar says, "We should check the area of the last attack."

Spoiler: Rolls

55

 

[Eric Zephlaer]

Plumeir looks at Taylar and responds. "I will take you to the suspected site. I can even take you along the path that I have already searched."

OOC: 64

 

[MacConnell]

Instead of only being Plumeir, the Investigators now included two more members. Hopefully the additional sets of eyes, ears, and thoughts would lead to some positive results. As the three walked through the mining community, northward, to find the place where the adolescents had been taken, Plumeir conveyed that this had happened in about the same season, last Cycle. With it raining nearly everyday during the Drenching Season, any hope of tracking anything was negligible. Everything about the situation spoke of planning and skill. Had indigenous cannibals been the culprits, they would likely have taken smaller children, not adolescents. It was a sickening thought. One event was a random occurrence, but twice suggested the establishment of a pattern, a followed plan. Only the parents of those gone missing last Cycle would truly remember that incident. Such is the nature of people.

Plumeir conveyed that two boys and two girls had been taken, this time, from the site where the party stood. The Kingdom soldiers were currently poking around that area, more likely to impede any competent search than find evidence. They were dismissed to return to their normal duties, of which they had more competence. It was explained that nothing was discovered at the site, making Plumeir suspect that the kidnappers had immediately crossed the river. Having crossed, himself, boot prints had been discovered in the soft mud next to the river. Rudimentary clans were not known to wear anything on their feet. Boots left little to no impression outside of soft earth, making tracking impractical under the best of conditions, which meant that the Investigators would need to speculate on a direction the enemy might have traveled and hope to find evidence of a camp or anything other than mere prints.

As those in Outpost had been questioned and provided that nothing of the sort had ever occurred, there, the only other, known, people who may have something to offer would be those in the Centrin village about half of a day’s walk north of the mines. No one had ever explored very far west of the river, where the kidnapers had exited. A faint drizzle caused a mist to rise over the river, obscuring the other bank.

Spoiler: Character Data

Taylar: full wellness
Astarte: full wellness
Plumeir: full wellness

OOC: Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and provide a random roll.

 

[astarte]

"Let't talk with the parents, neighbors and friends of these kids. They still may remember something useful"

While talking with them, Astarte will enhance senses to recognize the emotions of the people, especially if some of them lie or hide something or has some not good tendencies. She'll ask them not only about their last moments before their disappearance, but also about their personalities and if they noticed anything suspicious or weird before time or after.

 

[Kwargrow]

Taylar slowly walks around the abduction site, studying the area. He's not looking for clues from the time it happened, he already concluded that no useful evidence would be left. Instead he uses his experience and skills to put himself in the mindset of the abductors, and manipulates waylines to increase his perceptions. He looks around for the best way to approach quietly, and the quickest, safest way to escape with living cargo. He considers the motive behind these abductions, and then attempts to deduce how he would commit the same crime.
Taylar will share his findings with the other Investigators.

Spoiler: Rolls

97(+01)=98

 

[Eric Zephlaer]

Recognizing at least the semblance of what Taylar is trying to do, Plumeir will walk back to the housing with Astarte to speak with the parents of the missing children. Though he would have already done this, the gap in time and assistance of another person may grant more information than the first visit.

OOC: 88

 

[MacConnell]

... Astarte will...

Taylar slowly...

... Plumeir will...

Spoiler: Enhancement

Taylar: 37(hearing)
Astarte: 32(tuning)
Plumeir: 51(smell)

Spoiler: Investigate

Taylar: 45(observe) + 37(hearing) + 98(d100) = 180
Astarte: 45(observe) + 32(tuning) + 50(d100) = 127
Plumeir: 61(observe) + 51(smell) + 88(d100) = 200

Taylar sucked in a slow breath, absorbing the essence of his immediate environment. With his hearing mystically enhanced, he stood in the center of the small clearing, slowly turning in a circle, analyzing all the sounds. He then opened his eyes and continued to turn, assessing what he could see. With the small clearing obscured from direct view of anyone approaching from the mines, Taylar quickly concluded that this was a spot that adolescents would come to when they wanted to avoid adult interference. It made perfect sense.

He heard the singing of birds and the movement of rodents. He heard the sounds of the river and wind, swaying the tops of the trees. He could hear the mist, as the tiny droplets burst when contacting a surface. It would take some skill, but the abductors could have successfully come from upstream or from the east. Looking north then east then west, he arrived at the same conclusion Plumeir had offered. Though it would not have been a good approach, the best means of escape would have been to cross the river.

Of the four sets of parents, three tended to speak excessively. It was indicative of nervousness and extroversion. The last set of parents were quieter, more pragmatic. They provided sufficient answers to queries but Astarte and Plumeir both realized that all were withholding information. It was not from any perceived sense of malevolence, it was typical self-delusion and omission coming from the relationship of parent to child. A child could have been the worst person ever to breathe; but once missing, a parent can only see him or her as a great loss. These parents were not going to be of much help because they lacked the wherewithal to be helpful, but Astarte and Plumeir deduced that the four children taken were a bit elitist and likely shunned or disabused other children. This fact would cause them to be more often separated from the collective. Ironically, it had put them at risk.

Spoiler: Character Data

Taylar: full wellness
Astarte: full wellness
Plumeir: full wellness

OOC: Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and provide a random roll.

 

[Kwargrow]

In Maldrog, Taylar says to Astarte, "I have inspected the abduction site and confirmed what Plumeir told us. I think we can trust him."
In Markidian, Taylar says to Plumeir, "You have told us the truth so I will go with you further. I think we will find the missing by finding those that took them. As soon as we are done in Outpost, we should cross the river and look for the path they took."

Spoiler: Rolls

73