Durnik and Jexen find the locks and the doors to be undamaged. It's as if the kids left the tower without needing to break through anything.
There's no evidence of forced entry here.
Jexen asks his question out loud.
"Why would they voluntarily leave? Perhaps they wished to spare their father seeing them perish. Or they thought they could find a cure themselves. Perhaps someone like the Bonesmith has lured them away. Regardless, we must search elsewhere."
Jexen will look outside the door for tracks.
The staff follow you everywhere you go, ready to answer any questions or assist in some manner. However, they do not follow you outside the castle walls, if you venture that far.
Crashing Waves speaking with the staff, "The lord mentioned his wife's family worship of the old gods. Do any of them live locally or have access to the grounds?"
"Perhaps we ought to examine the cave that was mentioned before."
Oh, yes, sir. They all live locally and are allowed free access of the castle to visit family. The Lord is very generous with his wife's family, especially considering their station. Most of them no longer practice the Old Faith, as they've converted on account of respect for the Lord. But the children's Uncle Padraig is quite vocal about keeping true to traditions.
After listening to everyone's questions and helping to search the children's room, Sköllji asks a staff member, "I've two questions. Where's the mother, an who would take over were the youngins te not return, Gods forfend."
"Those two questions were in my mind as well, Sköllji," Brinda says. "While he doesn't seem to have an interest in why the children may have been taken, the reasons behind their disappearance is likely to help us find them." She waits to hear what the staff member has to say in response to her dwarf companion.
Why, Master Dwarf, they're teenagers, the servant exclaims. How much taking care of do you suppose has to happen? They have their lessons. Food is prepared for the family - less so as a whole now that the children are sick. Their mother is rightfully concerned, but for the most part the staff take care of them and they take care of themselves. Except recently, of course.
They do get regular visitors, as their mothers family often come. Why, Padraig was here just the other day.
"That's twice now that questions regarding succession have been ignored. Will you please answer the question?" Brinda says as calmly as she can to the servant. "Who becomes the heir if the lord's children don't return?"
The servant looks at you blankly, eyes blinking in confusion. Is that what he was asking? I'm sorry, but it's hard to understand with the accent and all. She looks at Brinda and says, Surely you can empathize.
There are no other heirs. The Lord married a commoner, so none of her family have the right to the throne. And the Lord has no other heirs on his side. It would probably fall to one of the Barons. Usually the Emporer would dictate it, but with the fall of the Alabaster Throne to the Orcs, there isn't anyone to say. It's a right problem, it is.
Durnik starts to mumble something about self governance, but then catches himself and stops.
Brinda sighs and shakes her head. "I'm sorry," she says to the servant. "I don't react well when... children are in danger. Please forgive me. What's your name?" she asks the servant.
Oh. It's ok. Working for nobles you develop a tough skin. My name is Anna. So what have you found out so far? What are you going to do next?
"Seems te me, this is a case o' 'family knows best'. I'd bet dear ol' Uncle Padraig thought it best te whisk away his nieces and nephew te perform some ancient ritual. I'll head out, but I understand if anyone wants te stay in case my hunch is wrong."
"Could be, Sköllji. Where do you want to go exactly?"
Sköllji, perhaps we could finish investigating here first and then all head to the lake together, no point in making that trip and eating up all that time if there is evidence that we should be looking elsewhere.
Sköllji scratches his freshly shaved head. "Ye've the right of it. I need directions te the lake, anyroad."
Sköllji turns to address the attendant. "'Scuse me ma'am, I wish te speak te the children's mother. She use te worship the old gods, ye say? I'd like te know what a ritual such as this might entail."
"Crashing Waves has the right of it. Let us finish here before venturing out."
The Lady Garnach is summoned and she appears. She is perhaps in her mid 30s and has aged very well, her beauty still striking.
Upon asking her of the Old Faith, she says, It has been a long time since I've talked of the Old Ways. It was something my family did when I was a child, before I married Lord Garnach and converted to the New God. It was mostly my parents and their siblings who followed the faith. Why? What does this have to do with my children?
"Lady Garnach, do you recall any rituals that might purport to cure illness? Such as the Shuddering Pox."
It was such a long time ago, no I do not. The pox hasn't even come about since before I was born. My parents and grandparents would knot better. But pretty much everyone has converted to the new god as a favor to Lord Garnach. Only my Uncle Padraig refused.
"Where is Pádraig? We should speak with him."
I haven't seen him in a few days. But he lives in town with Aunt Hettal.
"And what does Aunt Hettal think about his beliefs?"
Well, you know wives. We tolerate our husbands excentricities, while guiding them to a path of salvation. Men need such guidance or they'd be led astray.
"I shall take your word for it, Lady Garnach. Thank you for your aid."
He turns to the others.
"I believe that we should pay Padraig and Hettala visit."
You leave the castle and head into town to visit Padraig and Hattie.
Hattie's answers your knock and says to your inquiries, I haven't seen Padraig in a couple of days. It's unusual for him to he gone this long, and I've been worried sick. He kept rambling about how everyone has forgotten the old ways before he left.
"I am sorry to hear that. Do you have any idea where he might have gone? And do you mind if we search his spaces for clues to his whereabouts?"
Searching the house, you find it fairly tidy. There's no evidence of foul play anywhere. However, you do find evidence that they own a mule and a small cart, both of which are not here.
"Ma'am, did Pádraig take the mule and cart with him?"
Sköllji bows courteously to the woman as his companions search the room for clues. "Thank ye, ma'am. Ye wouldn't 'appen te know what the Old Faith's answer te the Shudderin' Pox would be, would ye? Some kinda ritual, perhaps?"
He usually takes the cart when he has to buy things he can't carry, which is a lot less than it used to be. He didn't say he was going to be gone more than a day.
Theres a story of an ancient cave near the Mirror Lake which could cure the Shuddering Pox if you stayed in it a few days. Oh my! Do you think that's where he's gone? Did he take the kids?
"We suspect he may 'ave, aye. Let's 'ope sittin' in a cave is all that the cure requires, and that nothin' nasty 'as made the cave it's 'ome... How might we get te the cave, ma'am?"
Head East until you come to the train tracks. Then either follow them north to the river and go downstream until you reach the waterfall, or keep going east to the cliff's edge and follow it north to the waterfall. There are two waterfalls - there is a path down the cliff side near the smaller one, before you get to the main part of the river.
The cave is down by the shore. You'll know which one, because you can see the underside bridge from it.
Can't be more specific than that. I ain't been down there since I was a child.
"Thank ye, ma'am. I believe we've got all we needed. Anyone need te prepare afore we 'ead out?"
"Thank you again for your assistance, ma'am. I believe that is all we need before we leave. Unless there are spare horses nearby."
I.. I don't have any. All we have is the mule. But you can probably buy some in the market?
Well onward to the cave, hopefully the trip bares fruit.
Jexen begins walking, his eyes open for opportunities.
As the party travels, Brinda speaks to Sköllji, though all can hear. "If indeed this Padraig has taken the children to the cave in the hopes of curing them, it will be a more pleasant resolution than we might have expected. Who knows, perhaps this cave does hold some mystical healing powers." Brinda's tone is not as hopeful as her words, however.
"We must find them regardless. If we can find those mushrooms on the way, so much the better."
"Agreed," Brinda nods, smiling at the clockwork warrior.
The party heads off into the grasslands, in search of the missing children. The walk is slow, particularly with Jexen and Sköllji lagging behind the quicker Brinda and Durnik. Crashing Waves can practically run circles around them.
A few hours out, the winds pick up, bringing an unseasonabe cold front. Those who can feel, feel the cold. The long grass Waves back and forth, creating the illusion of waves as the wind brushes over the fields.
By mid day, a faint buzzing can be heard. It's quaint at first, but gets louder then fainter then louder then fainter. The in and out of the volume seem random and haphazard. Eventually, the source of th sound is revealed: a giant of a creature shaped like a dragonfly, nearly 3 meters long with three sets of wings that move so fast you can barely even see them. It hovers a dozen feet or so above the ground as it zigzags this way and that looking for prey.
A Squeeze!!! can be heard as it finds a large piglet, grasping the little things in its front mandibles as it zooms away.
Sköllji's brow furrows in response Brinda's comment, but before he can make his sour comment about the evils of magic and the dangers of old rituals, he stops himself. "Aye... That would be a pleasant turn of events fer once."
Upon sighting the dragonfly creature, Sköllji draws his axe. "Wut inna blue blazes is that abomination!? Ugh, it's so ugly!"