"I do not believe I have a brain.
Do you refer to the tall figure robed in black?"

"Indeed? Perhaps my companions are less defective and more brave in their ebullience? Or perhaps our somewhat disjointed appearance is a feint designed to put the foul and evil off-guard?"

"I do not believe I have a brain.
Do you refer to the tall figure robed in black?"

"Marked for death?" the pixie chimes in, "how would we know either way? I did not hear the conversation between the knight and constables, but they did seem to disagree about something - I assumed they were discussing the missing children."

Zissaren listens to the conversation for a few seconds and then interupts.
"Could ssomeboy tell me who thesse knightss are? I saw a man in black watching us from a doorway, but he vanisshed before my eyess and then the halfling dissapeared too."

"Marked for death?" the pixie chimes in, "how would we know either way? I did not hear the conversation between the knight and constables, but they did seem to disagree about something - I assumed they were discussing the missing children."

Zissaren listens to the conversation for a few seconds and then interupts.
"Could ssomeboy tell me who thesse knightss are? I saw a man in black watching us from a doorway, but he vanisshed before my eyess and then the halfling dissapeared too."

Arathalia simply listens, a soft glow radiating from her in the dim corner. She chuckles at Leaf's comment.

A tired man walks to your table. He is not very tall for a human, but with broad back and huge muscles under the fat. Bald head shines under the dim light of torches and his bushy beard is more gray than black. He looks sad and tired. "So, you are the strangers that tried to help my Martha. I thank you. You meant well. You can't help, but you meant well - even if one of you is halfling."

A tired man walks to your table. He is not very tall for a human, but with broad back and huge muscles under the fat. Bald head shines under the dim light of torches and his bushy beard is more gray than black. He looks sad and tired. "So, you are the strangers that tried to help my Martha. I thank you. You meant well. You can't help, but you meant well - even if one of you is halfling."

"There are no halfling nobility, little one", innkeeper tiredly responds. "And if you pretend that you are, you will soon entertain some Maroshi. I see that you are not from around here." For an instance he hangs his head. "And I would be grateful if I could find a priest brave enough to perform a service..."

After listening to the innkeepers words, Luff furrows his brow in confusion.

"Just why are people so reluctant to help find your daughter's child?" he asks bluntly, "I was under the impression that you humans where very protective of your young."

"Why do people keep assuming I am a halfling?!?"

After listening to the innkeepers words, Luff furrows his brow in confusion.

"Just why are people so reluctant to help find your daughter's child?" he asks bluntly, "I was under the impression that you humans where very protective of your young."

"Why do people keep assuming I am a halfling?!?"

Jack Ketch wrote:

"Why do people keep assuming I am a halfling?!?"

"You're not?"

nightflier wrote:

Jack Ketch wrote:

"Why do people keep assuming I am a halfling?!?"

"You're not?"

Jack assumes a haughty pose, much like Napoleon: "I am a man of many talents, beholden to no single descriptor. And I can find your child, no matter the risk or enemy."

"Hmmm. I too wish to be of assistance. If you wish it, I could recite the ten-thousand names of worship or the seven-hundred and seventy-seven virtues of bahomet.
However, my experiences over the last several days suggest to me this course of action would not be fruitful in the sense you are expecting.
If we could put aside our feelings on the meaninglessness of actions in this realm..." Leaf pauses expectantly, it appears this point is meaningful, but likely only to him.
"...and embrace the concept of action as virtue,..."
Leaf's final sentence fades away into a silent, internal conversation as he floats toward the ceiling.

"What he said may not have made much sense but he is right. I will help you as well."

Yanko looks at you all. "You are serious... I can't believe it... Well, I suppose there's nothing to loose. Iliyana is apple of Martha's eye, and Martha is light of my life..." He chokes back tears. "She's missing since noon today. Martha found her shirt smeared with spun sugar. She is seventh child that disappeared, and spun sugar was found at each site. Tell me, what can I do to help you find my granddaughter?"

Suddenly, Yanko snaps his head up. "There's this constable, he's sargeant, goes by the name of Severian. He knows something, I'm sure. If you could find him... He has a room at the Golden Pig. I don't know what to do anymore."

"Do you still have the shirt covered in spun sugar? I have a ... hound that might be able to track such things by scent.."

As Leaf floats near the ceiling, he examines Yanko and what Yanko is saying, trying to unravel Yanko's position on this situation. sense motive 1d20+10=17
Floating back down to just above Yanko's head Leaf asks:
"Why you? Your motivation for this action is no greater than the attendants of the other spaw... children who have disappeared. We are told there is great danger in confronting this issuse. I feel the power behind this is an open secret. You must share your knowledge and your suspicions with us. diplomacy 1d20+10=19

"Do you still have the shirt covered in spun sugar? I have a ... hound that might be able to track such things by scent.."

As Leaf floats near the ceiling, he examines Yanko and what Yanko is saying, trying to unravel Yanko's position on this situation. sense motive 1d20+10=17
Floating back down to just above Yanko's head Leaf asks:
"Why you? Your motivation for this action is no greater than the attendants of the other spaw... children who have disappeared. We are told there is great danger in confronting this issuse. I feel the power behind this is an open secret. You must share your knowledge and your suspicions with us. diplomacy 1d20+10=19

"I'm going to get that shirt... You all can sleep and eat in my inn for free tonight."

After Yanko walks off, Leaf hums softly for a moment and recites:

These, in the day when heaven was falling,
The hour when Kaledun's foundations fled,
Followed their mercenary calling
And took their wages and are dead.

Their shoulders held the sky suspended:
They stood, and Kaledun's foundations stay:
What Gods abandoned, these defended.
And saved the sum of things for pay.

"I fear the price of his trust will be too high, but I do not begrudge him this."

A.E. Housman's "Epitaph on an Army of Mercenaries", with 'earth' and 'Kaledun' exchanged twice and 'Gods' for 'God'.

After Yanko walks off, Leaf hums softly for a moment and recites:

These, in the day when heaven was falling,
The hour when Kaledun's foundations fled,
Followed their mercenary calling
And took their wages and are dead.

Their shoulders held the sky suspended:
They stood, and Kaledun's foundations stay:
What Gods abandoned, these defended.
And saved the sum of things for pay.

"I fear the price of his trust will be too high, but I do not begrudge him this."

A.E. Housman's "Epitaph on an Army of Mercenaries", with 'earth' and 'Kaledun' exchanged twice and 'Gods' for 'God'.

Sorry for not replying for a few days, I was away from computers.

Zissaren grunted in appreciation of the archon's words

"You have a way with wordss sstrange ball of light"

He sat up slightly from where he had slouched during the conversation and cleared his throat.

"Thiss ssituation would not have occured in my old village. A childss life iss ssacred, and if a child iss kidnapped the whole village would turn out to ssearch for them. Here nobody liftss a finger, consstabless actively deter the ssearch and only a group of sstrangerss are willing to help. What turns a city againsst itss inhabitantss sso? Maybe Yanko will explain if we gain hiss trusst."

“Quite,” Luff says to Zissaren, “it is most strange how the value these humans place on their young is so much in contrast with those humans I have encountered in the past… perhaps the large concentration of their population is having some impact.”

The pixie quickly glances out of the window before addressing the group, “I will be unable to spend the night here with you, as I have other commitments. I will meet you here in the morning however and we can solve this mystery.”

Innkeeper returns with the shirt, and gives it to Jack. "If you find my granddaughter... Well, my gratitude means something in this city."

"I am sure her life would mean more. The time for talk is over."

You go to your rooms, to await another morning. Your first day in this city has been hectic and in general not what you expected. Tomorrow you will try to find a missing girl. You lie in your beds, awake... And you slowly realize that there's no place like this city.

Okay. I will assume that you'll be in your rooms until morning. We'll continue when at least three of you post.

Jack passes the night in peaceful slumber...

DM:

thanks for the kind words re:poetry
Arathalia willing, Leaf spends the night floating in [or outside] her room. He passes the time trying to find ways to use his cantrips to glue things to the ceiling. Perhaps if he glues them first and then mage hands them to the ceiling? He fiddles about as best he can, and tries to create at least one stalagtite reaching from floor to ceiling by morning. At some point he does what he must to recover his arcane and eldritch powers.

Zissaren eats a hearty meal and then spends the rest of his evening cleaning, oiling and maintaining his belongings. He passes the rest of the night in comfortable sleep, not used to the reasonably soft bed.
He awakes an hour before sunrise and leaves the inn to have an early morning swim. He returns just as the sun rises, going back to his room and dressing ready for the day to come.

As he mentioned, Luff has other things that he must do tonight and leaves before sunset...

Come morning, Jack will come downstairs immaculately dressed and ready for the morning.

"Greetings, compatriots! My network of informants has been hard at work overnight and has informed me that there is a lingering scent of sugar in the sewers. I think it is high time we took this investigation underground!"

Leaf hovers enthusiastically.

The morning finds the pixie flitting energetically from side to side in the taproom, waiting for the others to assemble.

"Network of informants?" the pixie asks Jack, "would they happen to know anything about the Cocquatrice Knights?"

** spoiler omitted **

The morning finds the pixie flitting energetically from side to side in the taproom, waiting for the others to assemble.

"Network of informants?" the pixie asks Jack, "would they happen to know anything about the Cocquatrice Knights?"

One of the barmaids approaches your table bearing a stack of bowls and a kettle of cabbage stew, with lots of mutton in it. "Compliments of the house", she says.

Arathalia looks at Leaf, amused by his antics during the night.

"You may be the most interesting creature I have ever met"

Arathalia looks at Leaf, amused by his antics during the night.

"You may be the most interesting creature I have ever met"

Leaf spends some time bathing in the steam coming off of his stew.
"I remember the taste of cabbage. Braised cabbage. Spun sugar I do not remember. While I initially thought it was a substance excreted by anxious creatures, I now understand it is a form of food favoured by the young.
Currently we believe spun sugar is bait used by something from the sewers to capture children? If the sewers are well locked, do any of you have the skill to determine if one has been opened recently?"

"Can I get you anything else?", asks the barmaid.

As the barmaid lays the food down, a rare smile appears on Luff's lips and he settles down on a bench to begin the meal. "This is enough for me," he says to the barmaid, his black eyes showing an unusual warmth as he looks towards her.

"Maybe you can also ask your informants what interest the vampires have in the disappearances." he speaks, turning to address the 'noble halfling'.

Perception check by all players, please.

Perception check by all players, please.