3.2 Chasing Kelsey

The Frostyear Guardians, Book I:

The Heroes of Adrest

9 Ches, 1491

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Continued from 3.1 Return to Ardrest 

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3.2 Chasing Kelsey
RINI: "I take it were going to investigate then..." Rini walks of in the direct of the Kelsey house
RANDAL: Randal stands to follow, almost missing the door of the tavern in his less than sober state. Then, veering left and right, stumbles after the party.
It takes you all several minutes to locate the proper house in the growing darkness. Like many other buildings in Ardrest it is made of half older ruins and half newer construction. This particular building looks less maintained that it's immediate neighbors. You cannot detect any light from within.
KENRIS: (detached) "I know a child is in danger Rini, but how can we help with such little information. And who has to gain from imprisoning childeren?"
RINI: "Well I hope we can get more information here and hope that the children are imprisoned and not something worse..."
SALEEK: "**saleek whispers to the party** Someone knock, I'll plant myself in the air and lay cover if you need it."
RANDAL: Randal nods, then waits for Saleek to get off the ground before rapping a clenched fist repeatedly on the door for a few seconds.
Your fist impacts solidly on the wooden door. The door swings slightly inward with a squeal of the hinges but otherwise there is no response.
SALEEK: Saleek lands, and motions for rini. (suspicious) "I don't want us going in there blind, you think you can send your familiar in there to scope the place out?"
RINI: Rini nods in agreement and *snap* Aspen pops onto his gloved hand. "Alright. Tap me on my shoulder if you need me to come back. I will not be able to hear or see you." Rini's eyes turn completely white as he shifts his vision into his familiar's. The owl takes off through the door and lands just inside to look around.
SALEEK: Saleek notches an arrow and takes a protective stance around rini.
KENRIS: "I raise my hammer for a strike as soon as anything hostile rushes towards me." "OK guys ill take point just give me some support."
RANDAL: Randal stands with Kenris near the front, sword drawn, but hangs to the side of the passage to give Saleek a clear shot.
Rini's owl flies into the room and makes a quick circle. It is a small peasant home, about 20 feet to a side. With two small rooms and a main living area. The. Building appears unoccupied. The rooms are devided with well worn curtains not solid doors.
RINI: Rini's owl will hop towards one of the small rooms and peer in through the curtains.
The larger of the rooms appears to be a bedroom. Clothing, bottles, amd various objects are scattered about haphazardly. The smaller room was probably a closet once, there is a small cot in a corner. This room is a complete mess. There is no movement in any of the 3 rooms, but the fading light does make the small building dim light conditions. You'd need a more in depth investigation to tell more.
RINI: "Hmm...no one seems to be home. No immediate threats, but it appears that there could have been a struggle." Rini snaps his owl back into the familiar's pocket dimension. Then he casts dancing lights by pulling out a glowworm from his components pouch, smashes it in his fist and produces 4 glowing orbs, which he sends into each corner of the main living area. "Shall we?"
SALEEK: "Saleek sheathes the arrow and draws his shortsword." "Yeah..." He takes a step inside, and immediately begins looking around, for anything he can use to track his latest prey.
With the house's main room well lit, you can see it is a fairly standard peasant home, the main room serves as kitchen, dining, and sitting room. There is a table, and several chairs placed about the room. Anyone searching can give me an investigation check.

INVESTIGATION
Rini rolls for investigation [[1d20+Investigation (Int)]] = 1+6 = 7
Saleek rolls for investigation [[1d20+Investigation (Int)]] = 16+3 = 19
Randal rolls for investigation [[1d20+Investigation (Int)]] = 3+0 = 3

Rini in your life as a researcher, you haven't really had much experience in how normal people live and you find yourself to generally absorbed in the squalor and disorganization to notice much of particular interest in this room.
RINI: "I never understand how people live like this..." Rini starts straightening this up. Tucking chairs under the table, standing fallen candlesticks…
In the process of doing so you would begin to notice that much of the trash is made up of empty bottles and discarded clothing. You get the feeling the mess in this room is more general squalor than the result of violence.
RANDAL: (pensive) “Perchance this place was abandoned. If th’ owners took their valuables, they may have deserted it.”
RINI: "That's assuming they had any to begin with..." Rini says in disgust has he uses Mage Hand to lift some soiled clothing off the ground

Randal there are a few shelves, drawers, and so on. A footlocker is visible in the larger of the two rooms. And there might be supplies in the smaller one. You can give me an investigation roll.
Given Saleek's skill with hunting humanoid creatures, he is able to examine the small house quickly. Based on what you can find the place was inhabited by 2 people, one male and one female. You sense the the main room and the larger bedroom have been unused for about a week, and the smaller one about have that.
While searching the small room you do find a loose floorboard under the cot. Between the three of you, its fairly easy to put together that the larger of the two rooms are used, when they were used, by the male of the household, and the smaller one used by Letitia Kelsey, you can assume.
In the small room you do find a crumpled piece of paper in a corner. It reads: "Letitia, I cannot stand it any longer. Meet me by the old oak tree by the Underbarrel Brewery. I will make an honest woman of you." The note is unsigned.

YOUNG LAD: As you are all busily searching the small house there is a sudden noise behind you. There in the doorway to the house stands a young human man. He pauses and takes a deep breath. "Noble gentlemen and ladies, may I present yo you his greatness, Sir LuFramas the ummm... Great." The boy bows slightly and gestures with his hand to a tall dwarven man rapidly approaching you all.
LUFRAMAS: Aye ye see here Ladies and ladys, In comes a humble lookin Tall dwarf carrying himself in Some Shinny Armor of CHainmail, his knightly background is sure to turn heads at the brothels, hes a mountain dwarf looking stronger than a mountain weilding a double bladed schmitiar in his large hands, he walks like a common man but has a look in his eye the claims a crown of his own, hes also pretty handsome ;) Also ye see a glowly glow radiating off of his Dwarf Bod

DM WHISPER TO SALEEK: Under the loose floorboard in the small room you found: a small silk purse with 5 gold coins, a small bottle of perfume, and a wooden mask. All were carefully hidden away. SALEEK WHISPERS TO DM: Saleek carefully inspects the mask DM WHISPER TO SALEEK: It is a roughly circular piece of wood, with a calm humanoid face on one side and a leather strap on The other . The wood is smooth. There are eye and mouth holes cut into it. SALEEK WHISPER TO DM: Saleek pockets the treasure.
SALEEK: Saleek, hunched over and investigating a corner of the house turns around as the dwarf enters, brandishing his shortsword and pointing them at the dwarf, he looks around to his teammates. (annoyed) "Who the hell are you..."
LUFRAMAS: "I?"
SALEEK: Saleek points both swords at the dwarf.
LUFRAMAS: "I am LuFramas The Great I was sent to help you investigate the missing person, I am close friends with Ansil"
SALEEK: (annoyed) "We've had a long day, who are you, and what are you doing here...I won't ask again...."
LUFRAMAS: "umm. I am here to assist, can you not hear me?"
SALEEK: (apologetic) "Oh..." (apologetic) "I apologize...you can never be too careful."
LUFRAMAS: "Yes, i understand we both do come from different parts of the realm afterall"
SALEEK: Saleek sheathes *one* sword and walks over, hand outstretched.
LUFRAMAS: My 3 servants back away from the sword coming toward them I outstretch my hand
SALEEK: (apologetic) "I am saleek, I'm sorry about pointing swords at you...any friend of ansil is a friend of mine."
LUFRAMAS: "the names Luframas" "I am glad we do not have to swing those swords at each other you look quite vicious using two"
SALEEK: "Well, Luframas, we have a lead on this case, will you join us in pursuing it?."
LUFRAMAS: "That is why im here afterall" replies with a chuckle
SALEEK: "Saleek reaches behind him and pulls out a scroll." "I would suggest we begin our search here..."
RANDAL: (amused) *Randal looks over the note* “Does Letitia have any regulars that we know of?”
LUFRAMAS: "Luframas walks over seeing the note and reads it over his shoulder" LuFramas rolls [[1d20]] = 15 intelligence check.
That will do. With your experience with nobility, LuFramas, you can tell this note was written so as to appear from a noble person, but the quality of the paper, penmanship, and spelling are far below noble standards. Whoever sent it was most likely not who they appear to be. You can also guess from way the letter was crumpled and tossed away it was not well recieved.
Randal rolls [[1d20]] = 11
LUFRAMAS: "Hmm, it seems like this is a poorly forged letter" "Do you see the horrible penmanship and spelling, someone was trying to pretend to be a noble, even the paper is of cheap quality" Starts pointing out the obvious faults
SALEEK: "You've got a better eye, than I do..." (worried) "Rini, maybe your familiar and I will fly out double time, while you guys hoof it. Well report back anything we see and we'll decide how we go from there..."
RINI: "Sorry... Distracted by all this clutter. I see we have a new acquaintance...hmm...not as round as most dwarves I've seen..." "What's this note about?"
LUFRAMAS: "Looks like it's about an affair or just two people who couldnt wait til marriage"
SALEEK: "yeah, but somewhere along the line, a kid got involved..."
LUFRAMAS: "Ah... this seems like a mess and a half to unfold" "Where to next?"
SALEEK: saleek steps outside, and stretches his wings. he kneels down, and begins looking for any signs left behind, something for him to follow.
You're in a fairly well traveled part of the town, but make a survival check to track Letitia.
Saleek rolls [[1d20+Survival (Wis)]] = 14+4 = 18
There are dozens of tracks around the small home, but you're able to pick out those that are the smaller boots of a woman, they are about 2 days old and head eastward out of town. The Underbarrel farm is in that direction you recall.
SALEEK: Saleek follows the trail on foot a few steps before beating his wings, becoming airborne. "***saleek points Eastward and addresses the group***


Walk in this direction, I'll fly, rini send your familiar with me, I'll make sure we stay in range, so we can communicate. I'll scope the place out from up top. And with that, he takes to the skies.
Flying, at dusk, with a old trail it is extremely hard to follow, but you do eventually catch sight of a large oak tree alone on a hill in the rough direction of the Underbarrel farm. You would guess this is what was referred to in the note.

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Continued in 3.3 The Underbarrel Farm 

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