12. To the Rightful Owner
After Andraste’s resurrection, the party continued their search for Henry’s family. By investigating the insignia at the College of the Marble Bishop the following day, they successfully identified it as belonging to House MacTaine. The group then continued to ask around, now armed with a name, and eventually discerned that the woman may be living near a bookstore called the Secret Corner. The store’s owner revealed that he had employed Andrea at the shop, though she had been absent for a few days, before providing directions to her home. However, the search had taxed through their day, and realizing the threat of the night from their previous encounter, the party sought to return to the Brooding Goose, though on the way, they intervened on behalf of a gentleman being accosted by two thugs in an alley.
The next morning, the party, excluding Andraste, returned to the Southern District to at last deliver the sword to Jacqueline. Despite the less than enthused landlady, they arrived at the apartment and were greeted by an older woman. Solemn and respectful, Jester and Varris relayed the news. Jacqueline’s grief was apparent, though not debilitating, and the older woman thanked them for delivering word to her and returning the sword. Then, she mustered a request for the party: to locate her missing daughter, Andrea. With the party’s acceptance, Jacqueline bequeathed the family sword to Jester as a form of advanced payment, and thanks, before they began their new search.
Most of the party set off to investigate what threads were left of Andrea’s disappearance. They analyzed her journal for clues as well as visited the Cafe au Lieb where they learned more about the mysterious man that she had developed an infatuation for. Meanwhile, Kent sought the scrying services of the College, in the process effectively trying to exploit a senior divination student named Mae. However, his flirtations did not directly accomplish his intended goal, as much as the woman’s interest in him deepened. The meeting did compel the whole party to search the streets in the night, as they considered a connection between the vampires and her disappearance. The night did not take long to reward their outing with the scene of a group of vampire spawn attempting to abduct a lone man. The party engaged them in combat, driving one to flee, while striking down the others and saving the civilian. Again, they reported the occurrence to the Order of Avalon who rewarded them with a bounty for proof of them slaying vampires. Moreover, the man they rescued happened to be the owner of the Cafe au Lieb and, overhearing them discussing Andrea, provided their next clue to her location: the noble estates on the outskirts of Vesium proper.
"If they were there for my Henry, then I know I can trust them."—Jacqueline
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
