Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cerebral Paladin" data-source="post: 1814721" data-attributes="member: 3448">Session 15 (cont'd):5/27The next day passes uneventfully.  The group continues to attend to the transition back into the life of the city, taking care of various routine tasks that did not merit dealing with as soon as they returned.  In addition, they train rigorously, to try to master some of the skills that they developed on the trip to the North.  They arrange to meet in the afternoon of the following day to look into having Lhovrik's instructor in wizardry, Master Verifax, identify the magic that they gained on the trip to the North.5/28Early in the morning, a message reaches Aurora at the temple and Dove at her barracks, asking each of them to come to their parents' house as soon as they can.  They both hurry home and find their parents waiting for them, worrying."Do you know where Desi is?"Aurora startles in response to the unexpected question.  "No... what do you mean?"Her father responds more calmly but with an undertone of concern, "Desi wasn't in her room this morning.  We fear that she didn't come home last night, and we don't know where she is."Dove asks, "What about Marna, her new halfling maid?  Does she know anything?"Their mother sighs.  "Marna isn't here either.  She occasionally spends the night with her family, but usually is here."Gerrod Skyrnath continues, almost as if thinking aloud, "We didn't even notice that she didn't come in last night, just that she wasn't here in the morning.  It's probably nothing... she probably just spent the night with Vannser.  They haven't before, but of course we don't disapprove of a night with a young man, especially when that young man is her fiancé.  But it would be terribly . . . awkward if we inquired after her with Vannser and she hadn't been with him."Aurora and Dove quickly determine that the last time anyone definitely saw Desi was in the late afternoon the day before, when she went on some errands with Marna in preparation for the wedding.  Master Skyrnath knows that she visited his shop to consult with one of the senior employees on the tablecloths for the reception.Aurora's suspicion quickly turns to Marna, the new servant.  She asks the butler for his opinion of Marna."Marna is a good enough servant, although she hasn't yet learned a proper sense of decorum.  I've had to chide her a few times about being too obtrusive in her efforts.  Still, she keeps Mistress Desithia's room well and is competent in her duties.""How long has she been here?""Some few weeks.  When we needed a new servant, your mother asked around among her friends, Mistress Daimonia.  One of them had briefly employed Marna, the daughter of their long-time servant, to help with entertaining some guests who were visiting for a few weeks.  They no longer needed her services, but recommended her well, so your mother hired her on to assist Mistress Desithia." The butler quickly gives Aurora Marna's mother's address and the name of the family that recommended her.Dove, meanwhile, searches Desi's room.  The bed is made, and the room appears to be in order.  A small amount of jewelry is missing, including one of Desi's favorite necklaces, but their mother thinks that Desi was wearing that necklace the previous day.  There are no signs of a break-in or struggle.  Aurora takes one of Desi's scarves, in case they need to scry on her.Dove and Aurora head to their father's shop, because that's the last place they know Desi went.  Merrik, one of their father's most senior tailors, greets them warmly as they come in.  "Mistress Daimonia, Mistress Dovkania, so good to see you.  Are you here about the wedding preparations?  I hadn't planned on fitting you today.""Good day, Merrik," Sister Aurora responds.  "You know that I prefer to be called Sister Aurora."He smiles.  "I do know that, Mistress Daimonia, and someday I'm sure that I shall call you that, but as long as your father calls you 'Dai,' it behooves me to call you 'Mistress Daimonia.'""Soon, I'll have to ask people to call me Mother Aurora.""Indeed?  Congratulations on your impending ordination." Merrik begins looking through some ornate fabrics.  "We shall have to prepare formal vestments for you.  No daughter of the Skyrnaths will be ordained in common robes bought from a rack..."Dove interrupts.  "I'm sure that Aurora will be happy to come back to get her robes ready.  But we have more important things to worry about right now.  Did you see Desi yesterday?""Indeed I did.  Mistress Desithia came by with her halfling maidservant to work on picking out the fabrics to be used for the tablecloths and placesettings.""Do you remember when that was?""Midafternoon, I should think.  Why do you ask?""Desi didn't come home last night, and we're worried about her.  This shop is the last place we know she went.""Oh, my.  I do hope she's alright.  Perhaps she went to visit with her young lord?""Perhaps.  But we'd like to figure out where she went.""I'm afraid I don't know where she went when she left here.  I think she may have headed towards the Docks, but as you know, there are any number of different stores between here and the end of the Merchants Quarter."Dove and Aurora thank Merrik for his assistance and head out.  They ask a few of the street vendors whether they remember seeing Desi, but their father's shop is on a busy road, and a well-dressed young woman with a halfling servant is simply not remarkable enough to be remembered.The sisters travel to Marna's family's flat in the halfling quarter and speak briefly with Marna's younger brother, but he is unable to tell them anything useful.  They do convince him to give them a piece of Marna's clothing, again for scrying purposes.  By this point, they are very late to meet their friends to discuss the magic they got in the North.At Dro Sanek, Ensign Vannser cath Elbesar works on some of the routine paperwork that junior officers on the commander's staff frequently need to deal with.  Late in the morning, a messenger delivers a short message from Vannser's father, requesting that he come home during lunch.  After finishing up the morning's work, Vannser heads to his father's townhouse in one of the nice areas of the Castle District that is filled with successful officers' homes."Ah!  I'm glad you got my message.  A letter was delivered for you this morning.  I thought you should see it as soon as possible."Vannser follows his father's gesture and sees a plain, sealed letter waiting for him.  The letter has a plain, unornamented wax seal that gives no indication of who sent it and also has the words "Urgent" and "Private" written on the outside, in addition to Vannser's name.Vannser breaks the seal and quickly scans the message within:    We have your fiancee, as you can see from the scrap enclosed.  If you wish to see     her again, come alone to the Imperial Arms and bring one of the Commander's     Seals at noon tomorrow.Included within the letter is a small scrap cut from a dress.  Vannser tries to remember whether he has seen Desithia wearing a dress made of that material, but is sure that the message is real.He immediately shows the letter to his father.  "What do you think I should do?"His father sighs.  "You can't do what they ask.  Giving them one of the Commander's Seals would be treason.  The proper thing to do would be to go to the Inquisitors.  But if you do that, your fiancee will almost surely die.  You probably can handle it yourself.  If you can rescue her and deal with the threat quickly, people will overlook the irregularities.""Do you think the Inquisitors would care about this kidnapping?""Because the kidnappers asked for the Commander's Seal...  The Inquisitors investigate a lot of ordinary crimes, but they exist to handle threats to the Empire.  Preventing one of the Commander's Seals from falling into the wrong hands would be their top priority.  Worrying about Desithia's safety would not be nearly as important to them."Vannser quickly sends a message to Dove at her company, asking her to meet him that evening, as soon as he finishes his duties for the day.  He then returns to finish his tasks for the day.</blockquote>

Verification