Setting Up Shop
For the past 6 months the
Almas Detective Society has been hard at work investing in their group's and the city's future. They planned out a nice home to build and operate not one but two small buisnesses out of. Complete with an Alchemy Lab, Greenhouse, Storefront, Offices, and an Infirmary (in case things went bad). They made a name for themselves as both reliable alchemists and detectives.
Valkyriy started the detective agency off small to spread the word. She completed jobs for everyone on a pro-bono case until the offices were built. After that she with the help of the rest of the group completed more cases for a decent price all while improving her detective skills.
Rib-bon visited her friend
Jick and got him a part-time job at the agency. She continued her training with her mother learning to make potions and improving her healing skills.
Adrian hit the ground running at his new position as a representative at
The People's Council. He introduced a new law to provide tax incentives for employers of Goblin citizens. He worked with the
Almas University to build trade schools for the poor and ex-convicts which helped them find jobs or obtain a discounted/scholarship enrollment to the University itself. He also made damn sure the council did not alter the deal with the doppelgangers.
Other than that Adrian spent his free time training his new guards in his command.
- Craig - Tower Shield Specialist
- Ju-Ju - Fire Mage
- Tinney - Archer
- Buckley - Two-Handed Weapons
Fletch recruited two goblins from a nearby tribe then spent months training them in the basics of alchemy, the common language, and social practices. He then operated his alchemist shop specializing in custom orders and poisons making it a successful business in no time. During this time he started research on a new infliction sleep poison completing it about half way.
Fletch spent any other free time he had teaching Cheesers (his pet rat) various tricks.
26 Neth, 4709
Catching up
The group after not seeing each other for a few days are now at their new home meeting for lunch. They catch up on what each of them have been up to. They discuss the fact that
Rib-bon has yet to talk to her mom about her age or throwing away alchemical waste products through a magic hole. The idea is even floated around that she could be a lich for all they knew.
That's when the group hears a knock on the door.
Missing Pet
Valkyriy answers the door to a nervous looking half-orc man. He wears well-made but not expensive looking clothing and a blue cloak. He asks if this is the
Almas Detective Society.
Valkyriy confirms this is the place and invites him in to meet the rest of the group. After some introductions from the party, the man introduces himself as
Bosek Thurmil. He looks distraught as he tells them his family's dog is missing and needs help finding her.
The last place he saw her was by the farm taking drink from a small stream. He went to pile some hay for the horses and turned around to see she was gone. Assumed nothing of it at first since she wanders on her won around the farm a majority of the time.
Dinner came along, he; his daughter Suzy, and his wife Bella called for Zela but she didn't come which she never misses dinner time. They spent the next day searching for her with no luck. After three days of being missing, he finally decided to seek help as his daughter Suzy was devastated. She loved Zela more than any of them, they practically grew up together.
They ask what kind of dog the family has and he tells them it was red haired long back. They then inquire if he knows if it was a rare breed or if he has any enemies but he knows of neither.
The party quietly analyzes his words and decides he isn't playing any tricks or lying so agree to help him with this. They follow
Bosek to his farm outside the northern gate.
Searching
The Thurmil farm appears to be large, well maintained, and thriving. Multiple workers are present taking care of the crops and livestock. When arriving to the farm, Bosek calls out for his wife and daughter. The wife,
Bella Thurmil, comes out to greet the party. She has long dark brown wavy hair, brown eyes, overalls and appears to have been hard at work. The daughter does not come out to meet the group.
Bosek asks Bella where she is and she mentions she's probably off looking for Zela again. After brief introductions to the party,
Fletch asks if the family has a blanket or collar that belonged to Zela.
Bosek runs inside to fetch a blanket that Zela slept on.
Valkyriy meanwhile questions the last known location of the dog again and is pointed towards the stables in the distance by the river.
When
Bosek comes back out with the blanket and hands it off to
Fletch. Who then tells his pet Cheesers to pick up the scent of the dog. Once done the group all heads over to the last known location of Zela.
There they search and find no signs of struggle. They see lots of foot traffic here and can even pick out the tracks for the dog leading north. Cheesers with the scent trail also confirms Zela left in that direction. The group also manages to see the recent trails of the Thurmil family in a search pattern heading in the same direction.
After traveling for a few miles they see the tracks of
Bella and
Bosek both veer off to loop around the farm searching. The more recent tracks of a younger woman who they assume is the daughter keep heading north.
After a little longer following the trail they see the two sets of tracks go in different directions. The older tracks of Zela head down to another river bank while the daughter's tracks lead into the woods. The group decides to follow Zela's tracks down to the river. Where they just stop in the sand. Taking a closer look seems to reveal that the dog was lifted off the ground here without a struggle. That's when
Valkyriy spots some boot tracks. She takes some measurements for later before the group follows this new trail.
The boot print trail leads them to another farm on the outskirts of the city's land. This farm appears to be the opposite of the Thurmils'. The buildings are run-down, windows boarded up, patchy fields with mostly dried up crops. Very little livestock are present. On the porch is a family with a red haired dog.
Negotiations
On the portch are a family of four all wearing poor, worn, holey clothing except for the daughter. The mother and father appear to be drinking from jugs. The party quickly sizes up this family (including their boot sizes) but are unable to tell for certain if they are definitely the culprits or if their boots match the trail.
They approach to inquire about the dog. As they do so
Rib-bon calls out Zela's name causing her to perk up and look at the party.
The group then asks about the dog. The family insists that the dog is theirs and that the father,
Glim Mazog, had adopted it from a merchant just the other day. He went out drinking at the Swan's Den (named after the swans on the nearby river). On his way home he encountered an attractive lady who asked if he wanted to adopt a dog. At first he said no he didn't want to take care of no dog. But then the lady touched him and he felt the liquor kick in. She mentioned how grateful his family would be and he gave in.
He describes the lady as having long red hair, a silky red dress, and gestured she was large in the chest region.
The group tries convincing the family to give up the dog as it wasn't theirs but at the word of the daughter
Riro, the father and mother insists on keeping Zela. Thats when the group just offers to buy the dog with enough silver to buy two more dogs. The daughter asks for three instead and the group agrees giving them a gold piece in exchange.
Adrian asks for the man's boots who agrees at three times the cost again.
Adrian hands the boots to
Valkyriy to compare against the trail. They determine they match and again accuse the man of dognapping pointing out the trail from the river. He refuses saying that the lady had him walk to the river bank and to his surprise a dog came after waiting there for it.
This is when
Fletch decides to ask how much for the farm. The man in his drunken stupor asks for 10 gp. This causes arguements and a scuffle to break out among the party as they try to convince
Fletch not to take advantage of the man. Eventually
Fletch agrees to pay 500 gp for the run down farm.
The group then asks for him to show them where he met the lady as an add in for the deal. He agrees but needs a safe place for his new found wealth so briefly enters the house. Upon return he has multiple pairs of socks tied about him with the coins inside.
Rib-bon decides to split from the group to return the dog to it's family while the rest of the group continues to investigate.
More Investigations
Valkyriy,
Adrian, and
Fletch follow
Glim Mazog up the road about 30ish minutes before coming across a spot he was sure was where he met the lady. Here
Valkyriy convinces him that she is going to detect magic in this spot and manages to include him as a target without his knowledge. She makes out that some enchantment magic has been cast on him but what kind is unknown to her. They continue looking around the area and only manage to get some fishermen who say they saw a fish dodge their hooks by walking on water.
Rib-bon in Trouble
On her way back to the Thurmil Farm, Zela bolts away from
Rib-bon towards some woods.
Rib-bon makes an attempt to stop her but fails to completely do so. Heading into the woods to follow the dog she starts to hear singing. Ignoring this she continues after the dog. A light is up ahead getting brighter as she follows the dog towards it. Thats when she comes out to a clearing alongside the river. A magic circle with energy swirling around and into a young woman suspended 5 feet off the ground is at the center. A red being that appears half humanoid and half dolphin with long red hair appears to be swiming circles in the water while singing.
Rib-bon, not knowing what this ritual does decides to intervene. She spends time attacking the creature to no avail until finally landing a hit about 15 minutes later. The creature stops, the ritual stops. The creature glares at
Rib-bon and screeches!
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