As the intrepid party journeys out into the mist, they are careful to keep close to one another. Ylva’s nose and Nicu’s keen eyes lead them slowly southwest toward the open town square. The trail becomes somewhat confused with the smells and tracks of so many others, but after a few moments of scenting the air, Ylva moves forward again, still southward.
The fog seems to thin slightly in the vast open air of the square, but the bright cheery colors of the paper lanterns and awnings look dim and washed out now. A dim, yellow light emits from the corner lampposts, but its anemic glow does little to increase visibility. The sickly shine makes disorienting spheres of diffused light, highlighting every tiny drop of water vapor, drawing and confusing the eye. It is a desolate place which bears little resemblance to the memory of the celebration of life and love that took place here not long ago.
As the party proceeds further south beyond the town square, Dimitrio notices that they take the same path now that he took earlier as he followed the lovely Mariposa. The small Candlemaker’s shop (#2 on the Map) is just ahead, its door locked and its windows stand dark. There is no sign of light or life from outside on the street. Giuseppe's tracks continue on south.
1)Dimitrio: no wounds
2)Artegal: 10 HP/??
3)Donovan: 12 HP/20 HP
4)Ninefingers: no wounds
5)Rannveig: no wounds
6)Ylva Perception: no wounds
7)Nicu Perception: no wounds
8)Olivia: 8 HP/10 HP
Beyond the buildings on the map, the fog seems to stretch out into a formless void. There is no light beyond any torches or lamps that the travelers themselves bear. Ylva and Nicu slow to a halt as the road ahead is uncertain as Giuseppe’s trail becomes confused for a moment. The party had not walked this way before but remember that the town was surrounded by small shrubby bushes and ground foliage. Yet here the hard packed ground just stretches on and on, unmarked and unblemished.
Olivia has stayed near Artegal, her hand on his shoulder as well as the dwarfs as if she is afraid to lose them or possibly herself in the dense mist. As the ground fails to change, she begins to shiver slightly. ”This isn’t right… there should be a slope. And the long hitching post… we should have gone right next to it!” The sound of fear rings clearly in her voice and the mist swirls before her as if disturbed by her breath. She gasps and covers her mouth again as the fog before her seems to coalesce before her into a feminine face in a likeness of Azura. Her features twist in anguish before Olivia and the fair Halfling sobs and cries out, reaching for the apparition, but it dissolves at her touch. Her eyes roll wildly as a wave of disorientation sweeps over the party, leaving them all feeling as if somehow… the ground moved.
1)Dimitrio: no wounds
2)Artegal: 10 HP/19 HP
3)Donovan: 12 HP/20 HP
4)Ninefingers: no wounds
5)Rannveig: no wounds
6)Ylva: no wounds
7)Nicu: no wounds
8)Olivia: 8 HP/10 HP
With Rannveig right behind, sharp eyes scanning the darkness, Ylva keeps her nose low to the ground on the trail of the puppet master. The landscape was indeed different, which troubled the young druid to no end, but they had prey to hunt. Worrying about the land could wait.
Looping along with Ylva, Nicu does his best to keep the trail.
The wolf and ranger track as one, with the druid shadowing every step.
But the words of Olivia break the focus, "What do you mean, 'this isn't right', are we no longer in your village? Friends, we should not be led away from the innocent unless we're certain this is the right solution to their problem. Can we trust that the capture of Giuseppe will stop the pulling the strings?"
Once the disorientation has passed, Ylva and Nicu again pick up Giuseppe's trail easily, still continuing south. But ahead loom the wooden buildings of Piazza... again. Ylva remains intent on her hunt, but Nicu realizes with a start that they are now entering the town again... from the North side.
He rubs his eyes and looks again, but they refuse to reach a different conclusion as he recognizes Jovanni's Inn. He tries to recollect if they might have gotten turned around in the fog, but he is certain they have been heading unerringly south out of town... and yet somehow ended up north of it.
But despite the strangeness of their trek, they are still on the toymaker's trail. Olivia is shaken by what she has seen. She trembles visibly and a tremor can be heard in her voice as she answers Nicu softly. "I don't know what is happening. I feel like I'm trapped inside a dream. No, no... This is surely a nightmare."
Slightly disoriented, Dimitrio shakes his head trying to wake from the nightmare. "I think we just turned around somehow. Let's try it again but Dimitrio will make a mark on every building we pass by to see if we come back again to the same place, eh?"
"Dimitrio...ya want to send Dimitrio in and git gear fer yerselves?' The smart$ss dwarf chuckles out loud to break the group's building tension. gotta like a boy who talks about himself in third person.
"Wait, this is peculiar. It is not impossible that we have shifted from where we think we should be to where we are now. This kind of magic is not unknown. We should take a moment to get our bearings, and assess our situation. Olivia, we should check on your mother, and while we are at that I want to collect my armor and other gear, this may get stranger than it already is. Dimitrio, clearly we are in the same town, as much as it would seem we should not be. Let's decide on a plan and work together to reach a common goal. Master Constine, Miss Rannveig, Master Rockborn, come together, closer, and let's talk about our options. Oliva, Miss, please, do not worry, we're doing everything we can, for your family, and for your friends."
Following Artegal's lead, Nicu quickly gathers his gear from the Inn and rejoins the group to discuss their steps forward. "I fear for this town, all my senses tell me that we departed to the south in pursuit of Giuseppe, yet we immediately arrived directly north of the town after Olivia found that landmarks were missing. There is no natural phenomenon to explain such bending of the laws of nature and it disturbs me. What other strangeness exists in this place, have any of you felt this same 'disturbance'?"
Rannveig shrugs uncomfortably, anxiously casting her gaze after Giuseppe's trail. "Something is wrong here. There was a..." she pauses, struggling for the words. "A bad thing. Watching us, from the dark."
Olivia gapes at Artegal for a moment and then slowly nods and heads off toward the Tavern door. She seems a little dazed and mumbles something again about a dream.
The dwarf stands guard outside the inn as Boote and Nico retrieve their gear. He looks at the wolf and Rannveig, "Youall 'ave the trail still?" His eyebrow lowers as his forehead scrunches, he stubby cigar disappears in his mouth as he swallows it without flinching. Instinctively, his left hand plucks another cigar from one of his many pockets.
When everyone gathers together Luc will try to channel another healing surge,
Rannveig glances at Ylva, and the she-wolf makes a quiet "whuff" noise. Rannveig, in turn, nods to Luc.
"I have my horse at the inn. I think I should probably go get him." Donovan says simply.
Gear acquired and Artegal armored, Nicu is ready to continue, whether the path be to pursue Giuseppe or find the missing folk in town.
Nicu and Artegal enter the Inn cautiously and carefully but are surprised to find the place deserted. There is no sign of Jovanni or Sonya and if there are any people behind the locked doors, they are silent. The wooden stairs creak under their boots, the sound swelling to fill the quiet. The pair is much relieved to find their rooms and equipment undisturbed and hastily gather what they need and return to the group waiting below on the streets.
Donovan goes around the back to the stables with Rannveig and Ylva keeping watch. Bellator whickers softly in greeting and paws at the ground, anxious to be out of the stalls.
Olivia is the first to return from the Tavern with lines of concern etched on her face. She now carries two leather slings, one larger than the other and a bulging leather pouch. "Gregorio and I use these to hunt rabbits... I thought... maybe they could be of use. I told the people inside about the puppets but I don't think they beleived me. I can't find any of my family though!" Artegal and Nicu return as she speaks and she looks to him hopefully but he can only shake his head sadly.
Soon the party is reunited, Donovan riding Belator and Nicu and Ylva eager to resume the chase. Ninefingers reaches out to Iomedae and his stomach again clenches in response, energy again flows through him and to his companions as positive healing energy, but it does not feel as it should. It is not the comforting presense of his loving goddess, no. This power is coming from something else, he is now sure. Something cold and dark and unyielding. He is left feeling violated by this dark power's intrusion, and tainted by it's touch.
As the party proceeds to follow Giuseppe's trail they see a figure carrying a torch come into focus as they draw closer. "Hello? Who is that?" asks a young male voice and Olivia immediately rushes forward as she recognizes the speaker. "Livi! Thank the gods, I've been looking all over! I can hardly see in all this fog. What's going on?" Olivia hugs her brother, Gregorio, around the waist and breaks into tears as she explains Azura's disappearance and Giuseppe's living puppets. He smiles at first, as if wondering if this is some elaborate prank, but as he takes in the grave expressions around him, he seems to accept the story. "I've just come past Giuseppe's shop... there was a light in the window. Maybe he is there!"
1)Dimitrio: 19 / 19 HP
2)Artegal: 16 / 19 HP
3)Donovan: 18 / 20 HP
4)Ninefingers: 20 / 20 HP
5)Rannveig: 17 / 17 HP
6)Ylva: 24 / 24 HP
7)Nicu: 15 / 15 HP
8)Olivia: 10 / 10 HP
"Do we take the trail again, or should we go to Giuseppe's shop?" Nicu looks to his companions for their opinions. "The puppet master plays a key part in this tragedy, in his shop we may find clues to what transpired here in this town before anyone can remove them, but if we abandon the trail we may not find it again."
"I, I'm not sure. I don't know what success we can hope for in tracking the man down if our best trackers, Miss Pack-Bound and Mister Constine will just be mislead again by some act of magic. No, never mind what I said. I don’t know. But, here, wait, what about this? Even if we do not find the man in the toy shop we might find something there that could help us track him down or maybe explain why we can’t track him down, and better still, we may find clues to what has happened to Olivia’s mother and the others who are missing. Maybe we might even discover how he is controlling these puppets and if we do we can stop them. I think we should examine the shop.”
"Artegal speaks true, I was mislead back there, my sense of direction obscured and confused, and I fear that misdirection could be used to lead us into trouble, or away from the town and the ability to help those that need us. Let us investigate the toymaker's shop and try to find those that are missing, then we'll pursue the puppet master. What say the rest of you?"
Nicu's concern for the trail is shown to be unwarranted as they come nearer to their goal. Giuseppe's toy shop looms out of the mist. A jaundiced light streams out through a pair of rectangular windows on either side of the door, looking much like the luminous eyes of a jack-o-lantern in the gloom. Ylva snorts and paws softly at the ground before the door and looks up to Rannveig, 'Here!' her thoughts communicate to the Wolf Shaman.
Through these windows the party sees many shelves lining the walls with a fabulous array of colorfully painted toys on display throughout the shop, many of which are dolls and puppets in a variety of styles, though none of these appear to be moving. The light is coming from a single lantern on a table that looks like Giuseppe's workbench.
"Seems like the wolf 'as dat villain's scent again and it leads to 'is shop." Luc has already found this man guilty of vile crimes. His judgmental personality dominating his current demeanor.
"Good." Donovan said grimly. "Lets get this over with."
Olivia peers through the base of the window pane, "I think I see people in there. They look like they might be tied up on the floor. See the man's boots there?" She points out the bit visible under the table to Artegal.
Oh my sisters and brothers! Nathaniel thinks to himself as Olivia points out the boots. He imagines something far worse than Olivia has suggested.
But he peers closer, and thinks he sees a twitch of a leg, and it fills him with hope
"There is no time to waste! I shout as I reach for the handle of the door throwing caution to the wind and hoping beyond hope that the door is not lock or held closed.
As Artegal springs to action, Nicu quickly turns to Olivia. "Are there any other entrances to the toyshop?"
"Before we go in, let me say a blessing that will help everyone have better attacks and helps with fear," he pauses. "I've used two of my most power spells this evening, this is my last one, but I have a few useful scrolls. My goddess has faded during these events, so I'm not sure how my healing powers will be. But I will try!
"There are back-alley doors in most all the shops, I think... but they are usually kept locked." Olivia replies to Nicu's question.
As Artegal presses the latch on the door it gives easily under his hand.
Luc manages to just get his blessing in before the halfling is beyond his reach. Again his innards clench at the chilling presence he senses as the dark power flows through him. But he is somewhat relieved when he realizes his nausea is passing.
'Amazing what you can used to when you must.' He thinks ruefully to himself... but then his brow furrows as he wonders if the thought was his own at all. It had a strangely... feminine feel to it.
Rannveig and Ylva both drop into a crouch, gliding forward to follow Artegal's bold action.
With Olivia's confirmation that a back door likely exists, Nicu sprints around to the back side of the building to confirm it's locked. Nocking an arrow during the quick run, he keeps his eyes searching for other menaces lurking about the building.
"You lead, Boote. We'll move in right behind you. Everyone try to keep close."
Luc steps up directly behind Boote, 'For justice, the taint of evil must be rooted out and purged from this town...brother, I've got your back.' the dwarf states a matter of factly as he puts a fresh cigar in his mouth and lights the tip.
The glare from the lantern hurts Artegal's eyes as he opens the door and is hit in the face with the full force of it's beam. Only small soft sounds can be heard coming from the rear of the building as Artegal comes through the door, though he cannot see what exactly is making them.
Rannveig and Ylva demur to Donovan and Luc, allowing them past then slipping in, predatory shadows following the bold warriors.
I would like to move, quickly, into the room (to D,8) and scan the room for threats, then if there are no threats, I will drop to a prone position and check on the person or persons under the table.
"There are people here! Donavan, can you check the room for any sign of an ambush? Luc, can you help me check on these people? Lady Pack-Bound, please, keep an eye on the street. Where has Nicu run off to? Olivia, come quickly."