Rodger stands stock still, surveying his surroundings and trying to piece the situation together. Years in the military has allowed him to assess the battlefield in a single moment and find what needs to be found. Rodger looks for any tracks to be followed.
He then draws his great sword. "Can you guys detect any magic in the area that seems unusual?"
Cast detect magic
"Hmm..." Rodger thoughtfully assesses the shop and turns to face the group. "Be careful, the one who did this may still be here. Look at this trail here that leads to the back room. Don't do anything rash while I scout the exterior of the building. " Rodger shoots a look that could silence a banshee at Narciso as he finishes this last sentence.
Rodger wants to look for any exits from this shop first, some back entrances out onto the alleyway perhaps? and then for a good place where he can take a wizz. Its been so long since he was able to go to the little boys' room.
Kiernan nods and walks up close to the building, staying close to the wall.
...and stumbles on the cobblestone. :p
A bump on the front door notes that it is unlocked and if you push on it you notice that there was no forced entry.
Kiernan is ready to daze anything that comes through with feathers...
Okay, Rodger is going to go back to the party and tell them what he found .
"I think we should split the party, three go in through the front and three through the back. How about Kiernan with me and Narciso, Natalie, and Cassius go through the front. We need to find out what happened here."
OK.
Kiernan glances back and forth nervously, but steps up.
Nods
Narciso adopts a fencing stance, swishing his blade through the air with a few practice swings. "Righty-o then, lads and lady. Shall we? You want us to go now, or wait for some signal?" Seeing that the other two aren't the bruiser type, he'll step up to take the lead.
"When we are ready I'll blow a whistle: two short bursts is the signal. Then head in and be ready for anything. Alright Kiernan, let's go. "
Rodger heads around back and draws his greatsword, cautiously eyeing the backdoor as he does so. I hope we aren't too late, we need to figure this out as soon as possible before anyone else gets hurt. He then pulls out his signal whistle and brings it up to his lips, blowing two staccato notes and looking to Kiernan. "I hope you can sneak, Kitsune, the less fighting we do, the better,"
Avoiding the broken glass all around him, Rodger quietly enters the shop and beckons Kiernan to come too.
As each team steps through the doors you notice how messy the place actually is. It may be a shop that lacks order in general, but you can clearly see the place has been ransacked. There is a metal box on the ground behind the counter with coins scattered around it. Claw lay in the box and on the counter around it.
As was noticed from outside there is a line of blood and feathers that leads from the counter area to the rear door where a pile of broken glass lays inside the shop floor.
In the back of the shop is a storage room filled with trinkets and all manner of magical gear. There are broken items all over the floor, shattered vases, claw marks on the shelves and smashed furniture.
Kiernan stays behind Roger (and by the way, is in human form, and has never told anyone he's anything else...)
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Cassius tuts in disappointment and dismay at the scene that greets them when he steps inside.
"Oh, how dreadful..."
He does search around the room, casting Detect Magic and hunting around for any clues as to their contact's fate... or anything that really shouldn't just be left here, abandoned, but would be much better off with someone responsible. Like, say, him.
My, what an awful sight. I hope nobody was hurt here.
Narciso follows the blood trail carefully, keeping an eye out for any extra clues. When he gets to the back room he begins glancing around the shelves, picking through them to try to find anything noteworthy or valuable.
"Bit of a mess in here, huh?" he mutters to the others.
Entering the building wasnt nearly as hard as he thought, and Rodger almost smiles as he looks around the shop. Over the racket the others are making he can hear a noise coming from the closet.
"Guys, over here! Come check this out."
Rodger tiptoes towards the closet door and cautiously opens it, hoping its not a trap.
...still quiet and staying close...trying not to worry.
Rodger draws your attention to the closet off to the side. As the door swings outward you hear a sharp intake of breath and more whimpering. Inside curled up on the floor is a boy, no more than 10 years old. His brown hair hangs over his face and is clearly mussed. His clothes and face are dirty but appear to be nice despite the grime. The floor of the closet is littered with broken glass jars and you notice there are cuts on his bare feet. He looks up at you and you see streaks where tears cut through the dirt on his face. He lets out another whimper and then sobs.
I IMMEDIATELY go to him and lift him out of the sharp shards...hugging him closely...(I really hope he isn't real heavy!) and speaking very calmly to him....It's OK...we'll get the bad guys...
Kiernan suddenly seems a lot more focussed.
Narciso scoops up a small chalkboard from a shelf. "Looks like there's some sort of message here--written in blood! The most important kind of message! But it's a bit smudged..."
He trails off as Rodger and Kiernan discover the crying boy, and goes to stand in the doorway. The chalkboard hangs at his side, and he takes in the sight with a frown and a sad shake of his head.
Oh little one, how tragic this is. That a one so young had to witness such a catastrophe. Is there anything we can do for you? Anything at all?
Seeing the two companions taking care of the boy, Rodger turns to Narciso.
"A message? Where? What does it say?
Narciso blinks, and turns to Rodger, handing him the slate. "I can make out 'Di,' the letter K, and 'ayl.' Maybe you can figure something more out..."
The boy tenses as Kiernan lifts him up off the ground. However as Natalie's magic works its way into his body you see the cuts on his feet seem to shorten and lessen in severity. He sighs audibly and looks to the witch. "Daddy...they took my daddy." His eyes shine as though he is about to cry again but he sniffles and holds it in. His eyes glance around at the strange group, and looks up into Kiernan's eyes. "Please find my daddy. Please..." He lays his head against the mans chest and resumes a soft sobbing.
"A name maybe?" Rodger pulls out a journal and a pen, scribbling the letters onto a page. "Certainly a clue..."
We will. I'm Kiernan. This is Natalie...and she knows magic. We'll find your daddy. Kurt Oleon... that's your daddy? We were sent here to talk to him...by a grand wizard...
Kiernan speaks softly, in a soothing voice.
The boy nods to Kiernan at Kurt's name, then his lip begins to quiver and he looks as if he'll cry again.
"The longer we wait, the further away Kurt becomes. Can the boy give us any idea where he might have gone?"
A look of strong compassion fills Natalie's eyes.
Don't worry little one, we'll find your father no matter what. I promise.
Seeing the boy about to cry Natalie whispers to Ricky who responds with a agitated chatter.
In a hushed tone
Ricky You owe me, so do this
Ricky sighs in defeat then walks to the boy and snuggles with him, glaring at Natalie.
Kiernan looks rather amused, in spite of one heck of a strange day.
I think it's all connected... he wrote something that would be a clue, if we knew what it said...and I think...when we find him...they'll be there...
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"Unfortunate lad!" Cassius tsks, though he's just as glad someone else is taking point on the 'comforting of small, traumatized children'. Not his strong suit. He edges closer to the writing, and nods approvingly at Rodger's copying down the message. He takes out his spellbook to do the same.
He studies the message intently, but alas, he is untrained in other languages.
"Boy, did your father write this? Can you tell us what you saw?"
The boy looks up at the half orc, and looks concerned. His head tilts down to the raccoon nudging at him and he wipes the tear stains from his face. A small smile replaces the fear and then begins to speak, slowly at first but growing confident with each word."Birdies! Big scary birdies. They came for daddy. He told me to hide." He looks about to cry again but bites his lip and tries to give what you assume is a brave face. "I heard him yell and hit them. My daddy wouldn't give up, he fights hard." A proud glow touches his features thinking about his father, his voice quavers as he continues, " Daddy knows lots of magic, he can beat anything. He's strong."
I just got into town...
Narciso smiles at the kid. "He knows a lot of magic, huh? Well I'm sure he's fine then, and we could use his help ourselves..." he trails off absent-mindedly as he looks back to the slate.
"K....ayl," Narciso murmurs, looking over the slate. "Perhaps...Kel Hayl? I've never been myself, I have no idea what it might have to do with anything...and I'm not sure what this first part means. Anyone know anything about that city?"
"Aha! Kel Hayl, the city on the lake, that could be what the message is! Perhaps Kurt Oleon went there..."
Rodgers voice trails off as he sorts through his thoughts.
"If anyone is going to know what's over there, its going to be our employer Alfonso. We should question him and find out as much as we can about that city and go from there. What do you guys think? We could probably find a mapmaker or someone else who knows about this city, but it might take longer."
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Cassius didn't put the pieces together on his own, but when the others bring it up, he nods sagely as if to say oh, yes, of course.
At Rodger's words, he taps his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps we might split up to accomplish both things? One or two go to Alfonso to apprise him of the situation, and place this poor lad in his care; the others enquire as to maps or resources detailing our path... supplies as needed. Then meet up, ready to travel...?"
Yes! That sounds like a good plan...Cassius...
Kiernan nods sagely again...a sign to those more astute that he really hasn't even considered the possibilities himself.
Almost as the words leave your mouth, you hear a knock on the door and a broad-shouldered man steps into the shop. He is well armored and clearly bears the insignia of the king's guard. He glances around the room and notices the boy, then yells behind him, "He's here, Devin is alright!" You hear the sound of shuffling feet from behind and a woman bursts past the guard and into the room. She is wearing a pale blue dress that is stained with blood and dirt. Her dark hair is pulled back into a bun on the back of her head, and you can see a wand on a belt at her waist. "DEVIN!" She shouts and darts forward toward the boy. He jumps away from you and rushes to meet her as well. "MAMA!" He hugs her tightly and she kisses his cheeks. Tears stream down her face and she clutches at her son. "I was so worried about you, are you alright."Her words come out in a rush as she looks him over.
Then as if realizing you are in the room for the first time, she looks up at your group. "Who are you? Did you hurt my son? Where's KURT!?" She takes in the mess around the room and then frantically looking for something.
Ah...no ma'am...we were sent here to speak to Mr Oleon... and found stuff...like this...
Kiernan looks quite distraught.
Rodger takes a step back, eyeing the wand at the panicked woman's waist.
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Cassius steps forward, empty hands raised placatingly.
"Madam, I appreciate your concern, but your son is unharmed, and my colleague here speaks the truth. My name is Cassius Thwaite, and we are here on orders of Alfonso, His Majesty's Wizard. We sought insight from Master Oleon, but found this tragic scene instead. We heard the lad crying inside a closet, where he had taken shelter. May I assist you in whatever you are seeking?"