Hysteresis Loops: The Gion Cover Up (Inactive)

Game Master Terquem

Mog, of course, dutifully follows behind Gruul.

Gruul and Moq follow Captain Hermione Kellorian to her office, a small room on the second floor of this watch tower.

She reaches the door to her office, opens it, and waits for the two of you to go in, and then she slams the door behind her as she storms past you and moves to stand behind a large red desk. The room is bare except for the desk and a single heavy wooden chair behind it. She kicks the chair behind her, pushing it back and then slams her fist down on her desk.

”There’s nothing I hate more than people putting their noses where they don’t belong,” She shouts, ”unless it’s one of my people’s noses and I’m telling them where to put it. Do you understand me? Good! Now listen up. If you haven’t written a report on what you’ve been doing today, DON’T! Keep it to yourself, better still forget about it. That cathedral is off limits from this point on until I get some answers. And the answers I want won’t come from any greycloaks like the two of you snooping around that place anymore. I’ve had more strangers visiting me today then I’ve had in the last six months and it started with a batch of Clerics from that Cathedral.”

She raises her hands off of the desk and rubs her temples.

”Now,” she goes on more calmly, “here is what I want you boys to do, and I mean quick like bunnies. According to this dwarven woman, Kudzu you met a few other explorers in a chamber off of one of the main passages in the catacombs. First, go see this Kudzu and make sure she is safe. Then I want you to track down these other people you encountered and bring them directly to me, here. Now, get out of my face before I decide that there are better people I’ll let ruin my day and send you two to frog town on a rail.”

Gruul relaxes slightly as realizes that Hermione is more upset at the work they'd caused her, than at their actions themselves.

"Yes, Captain Kellorian, right away." he replies. "I'm sure we can find them within a few days, if not sooner."

As usual, her bark was worse than her bite. No reason to anger her further though...

"Yes, sir!" says Mog. He follows Gruul on his way out the door.

"So! Back to the cathedral then, mate? Find the chuffin' dwarf?"

During their time in the cabin, Surana attempts to identify the wand, as well as read through the spellbook she picked up.

"Sounds good, let's find the lady." He replies to Mog as they make their exit.

Gruul & Moq

It is late Sunday afternoon, and you go back to the Cathedral looking for Kudzu. When you arrive, a Woman at the cathedral informs you that Kudzu was sent to a garden behind the cathedral with three other young clerics to do daily chores.

You thank this woman and circle around the large building toward the garden in a plot of ground behind it. When you get there you find three clerics, two humans and one Halfling (all female) unconscious on the ground in various places among the rows of growing vegetables, and no sign of Kudzu.

You can make Skill checks (or take any other actions you think are necessary) immediately upon discovering the unconscious clerics.

While Surana is engaged in her studies, Krevek will see about sparring with Ryko to pass the time. He will also prepare meals, assuming the location has supplies. Nothing fancy, just basic food and drinks.

Before daring to approach the Clerics, Mog looks around first to see if there's anything dangerous.

"Me gun is loaded, Gruul. I'll keep an eye out, yer go see if they're alive."

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

Gruul keeps an eye out as he approaches the nearest cleric. He kneels and attempts to determine what has happened.

heal check?: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2

Gonna assume I can't tell much from that roll... in interests of speed

Gruul is confused and moves on to the next closest figure on the ground. Again, he kneels and leans in to check for vital signs.

Heal check: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (1) - 1 = 0

Wow, them dice.

Gruul immediately notices a large feathered dart protruding from the arm of the first cleric, and similar darts, in the neck, and then the leg, of the other two clerics. He feels for a pulse, on the third cleric, a young human female, but cannot be sure he can feel one. However, her flesh is still warm and pliable, dry and otherwise feels normal.

Moq spots what appear to be three, small, blue, metallic cylinders on the ground near a low stone wall at the north end of this small garden. The cylinders are about the same size as one of his “cartridges” and about three inches long. The cylinders are on the ground at a break in the garden wall that leads to a paved path that leaves the Cathedral grounds.

This garden is about forty feet wide, north to south, and about one hundred feet wide, east to west. The south side of the garden is open to the grassy grounds of the Cathedral proper, and the west, east and north sides are bounded by a low (three feet tall) stone wall. The east and west walls are continuous and unbroken, but the north wall is broken by three openings, spaced equally along its length, that are five feet wide and each have paved paths leading away from the Cathedral into a section of the city that is dominated by row houses that are closely placed and are a mixture of single and two storey structures.

When Gruul stands he can see on the ground at the western most opening in the north wall, that some of the stones from the wall have been knocked off of the wall, and the dirt of the garden there shows signs of a struggle taking place recently.

Mog abandons his 'post' to investigate the empty cartridges. Pulling out the strange pistol from earlier, he tries to see if this is the kind of ammo it uses.

"Could those have been used to fire the darts stuck in those folks?" Gruul asks, seeing Mog inspecting the 'cartridges'.

"I can't be sure if they are alive or not, it might be a good idea to get some medical help." he says as he walks to the North wall.

"Looks like there was a struggle here, and by the garden..."

Gruul searches the grounds in this area for any tracks or signs as to where the perpetrators might have gone.

Survival, track: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

Moq can easily tell that these cartridges are too large to have been fired from a gun similar to the one he found below the Cathedral, but they have the same “feel” as the metal that the small hand gun is made from.

Gruul looks closely at the paved stone path leading away from the garden into a part of the city that is densely placed houses and cannot see any tracks to follow.

"Well, should we quickly go tell the miss in the Cathedral before searching for Kudzu? These folks might need medical attention." Gruul suggests to Mog.

Mog stares off into space, thinking to himself. After a short while he answers. "Aye. And take the halflin' wiv yer, it'll be quicker that way. I'll stay 'ere."

Gruul nods, and moves to the halfling. He scoops her up gently in his arms and hurries as quick as he can while being careful not to jostle her. He returns he way they came around the building and enters the cathedral, looking the woman they spoke to or anyone else they can find. When he finds someone, he explains quickly what they found, leaves the halfling girl, and then rushes to rejoin Mog.

Three clerics of the Cathedral follow quickly on Gruul's heels. They go straight to the fallen clerics on the ground, and begin examining them, making them comfortable, and generally getting ready to move them into the cathedral as soon as someone arrives with stretchers.

It is late in the afternoon, and the sun is getting low in the western sky, casting long shadows across the city. At this point you have almost no clues. How do you want to begin to looking for Kudzu?

"Wotcher ffink, Gruul?" Asks Mog, walking over to the half-orc as the clerics rush past him. "Absalom is a big place, we can't just go askin' if anyone 'as seen a she-dwarf."

Gruul scratches his head for a moment before replying. "Well, we can search from here, whoever assaulted this group may have taken Kudzu down one of these paths... maybe the one with the bricks knocked from the wall. Other than that, I'm not sure I have any good ideas..."

Mog motions for Gruul to lead the way.

"Well let's try this path then." Gruul suggests, motioning to the path next to the dislodged bricks. He walks towards the path, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.

Grull and Moq, late Sunday

You hurry down the narrow cobblestone path, it turns around the corner of a small cottage, and then again it turns around another, but when you round the second building you run into something that might be a clue.

Three men are standing in the street. They are all old, human men. It looks as if two of the men are just finishing helping the third get to his feet. There is a small two wheeled cart in the path and it is overturned. Scattered across the path are cantaloupes and honeydew melons.

Gruul runs up to the men and makes sure the third man has regained his footing. "What's happened here? Are you hurt?" he asks, with a look of corcern.

Mog follows behind Gruul, allowing him to do all the talking.

Sunday, early evening

One of the men addresses Gruul

”Yes, yes, we’re fine here. Thank you. Stupid people running through the streets knocked over Claudio’s cart and nearly trampled him,” one of the men says. ”Here now just a moment, are you fellows part of the hired city watch around here? Are you Laurel Lamps or maybe you’re with the Fiftyman Brigade or the Rouge Guardsmen, well if you are I want to make a report. Six men just ran past here carrying a suspicious looking bundle, and by suspicious I mean they was carrying a dwarven woman who either had too much to drink or something worse. They ran down there.”

He points just down the street to a side alley on the right.

"Thank you citizen. We are Greycloaks.. please if we don't come back this way, make an official report of this incident. You may have witnessed a kidnapping, and we must pursue them immediately." Gruul says in a hurry and gives a nod towards Mog beside him to say let's go.

With that, the ranger runs towards the alley in pursuit.

As Gruul rounds the corner ahead of him with Moq following close behind, his heart sinks.

The alleyway is empty. There are no telltale signs, no dropped clues, and no swinging doors, just an empty alley for a hundred yards with openings to the left and right every so often. Far down the way, the alley empties onto a wide street of the city and Gruul can see people pass by going in each direction.

The shadows of the late afternoon are growing. It will be night soon.
At this point it doesn’t seem like there is any hope of finding Kudzu

Dejected, Gruul turns to Mog, "They could have gone down any of these alleys, or to the street beyond. I think we'd better see if those men can tell us anything further."

Gruul jogs back the way they came, hoping to find the men still in the street.

Assuming they are still there, still straghtening themselves and the cart...

Gruul approaches the men and helps them in their efforts to collect the items scattered from the cart. "Seems like they've vanished. Please, can you tell us anything further about these six men? What did they look like? Anything unusual at all? Even if it seems insignificant, anything might help..."

In the back of his mind, Mog thinks, Hey, what if the guys with the cart were the original kidnappers?

The men are picking up the melons that were not ruined in the fall when Gruul return to them

"They were all humans,not very tall, or big fellas, and they were wearing dark brown clothes, kind of plain shirts and pants. There wasn't anything special about them," one of the old men says.

"Except maybe their hair, Martin," one of the others says.

[b]"Yeah, Martin what about their hair, and their faces. They all had the same face, if you ask me they could have all been brothers. Long fat faces, with small eyes, thin lips and long straight noses. They all looked alike." the last of the three men says.

Mog turns to Gruul after the men are done speaking. "Well, Gruul. Wiv a description like that, we might be able ter nab some sort of scryer 'oo could find them for us. It could be expensive fough."

At this moment, you are convinced it would take days, even weeks, to chase the leads and visit all the places where informants hide out, to even begin to have a chance of finding Kudzu.

The sun is setting on Sunday. Was there something else you were supposed to do?

"I doubt the captain will want to spring for that... and I certainly can't afford it." Gruul says to Mog after they thank the men and take their leave.

"So, if we can't go any further with this, maybe we should try to find the blue lady and the others. I'm not sure how we might find them earlier than the planned meeting, except old-fashioned street work. We could cavass this area, asking about them and about Kudzu too. You got any better ideas?"

If you are willing to risk making the Captain very agree, I know I don't mind, do you want to lay low until Wealday morning and meet with Surana at the Cathedral and tell her then what you have learned?

Actually, says Mog, digging into his bandolier and pulling out a small gemstone. "I've got a bit of work ter do on me own, right? I'm gonna go ter pawrn it off somewhere, I'll tell yer 'ow much I get." The Goblin smiles, quickly returning the gem to its place.

"Heh. Maybe if we cop enough, right, we could afford a scryer, or at the least, I could cook up sumfink special. Yer know, should them free turn out ter be, how yer say, untrustworffy." He laughs, grinning from ear to ear, before moseying his way down the street, waving goodbye to the Half-Orc.

"God be wiv yer, Gruul!"

"Catch up with you later, friend." he says as Mog walks away.

Gruul takes a moment to consider his next move. I guess it's down to some street work to locate those folks..."

Weilday, morning (day 4 of the adventure)

It is Weilday morning. The sun has only just risen over the roofs of the buildings on the east end of the city.

Surana, Krevek, and Ryko arrive at the Cathedral before Gruul and Moq.
Already the streets are busy with merchants pushing wagons this way and that, callingout their wares, selling milk, eggs, breads, flowers, and small trinkets. Another woman pushes a cart hanging with knives, and she calls out, ”The sharper blade, the sharper blade, quick work, only a crown for a keen edge.”

When you are ready, please make a Perception Check

Krevek takes note of the vendors and the growing crowd.

Perception:

1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

Surana glides through the marketplace, keeping her hands in her robe and watching her surroundings distractedly.

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
Oh, that's sad...

Weilday, morning, at the Cathedral

While Krevek is checking out the surroundings, keeping an eye out for the Half-orc and goblin, Surana, notices a group of children running down the street. They are all dressed in similar looking clothing, and she realizes that these children are going off to school, and then it bothers her that something so normal and obvious held her attention for so long.

Gruul and Moq should be approaching the Cathedral about now.