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"Some bread would be... nice." Kasvot looks a bit bemused at the offer, but accepts a roll or muffin to be gracious. "We are actually here for another purpose. We're to understand that your apprentice..." he consults the list to confirm the name, "Noemi, has gone missing. The mayor has asked us to investigate. What can you tell us about her; is it 'her'?"
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Happy to gnaw on chunk of the baked bread far too large for her mouth, Dimple adds, "Oh, right. Yeah <<chew chew>> we are looking for her <<chew chew>> and a bunch of other missing <<chew chew>> kids. <<chew chew>> Do you have any butter... or honey? I would love to <<chew chew>> dip this in <<chew chew>> honey!"
The big man replies, 'name's Gunty and yeah, here's some honey for it." He pulls out a jar from under the counter and drizzles some honey onto her bread.
"So ya lookin' for my apprentice and... there are more missing? I figured she just ran off fer a few days after I got angry at her fer burnin' a whole pan of bread. I figured she was planning something stupid with her no good friends to get back at me, I even looked into where they usually hang out in the orchard, but could only find a bunch of trampled fruit."
He thinks for a second, "now that I say it out loud, there are some odd things going on at night in the orchard. I swear I heard buzzing and saw lights flying around out there last night, just figured I had too much spiced rum though... but if more than just one kid is missing I need to tell the whole town!!!"
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Kasvot looks a bit alarmed at this last point. "Let's not be hasty here! The mayor is aware, and you and the other journeymen apprenticing these young ones. Telling the whole town could incite an unnecessary panic." Kasvot sweeps his arm to indicate all of the Pathfinders assembled in the bread shop. "The mayor has entrusted us with this investigation; we are all confirmed members of the Pathfinder Society. Let us do our work. If we fail, there will be plenty of time for panic and alarm then."
Gunty considers your argument and then nods, ”true I guess, I’ll leave it up to you all for now. Check in with me daily though so if you all disappear I’ll know we have a major problem.”
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"Yes we will check the orchard and make sure that your suspicions are not clouded by spiced rum." He smiles at Gunty and heads out
Once outside and well clear of the shop he consults the list again. "Next stop Pricknettles Potions to see where young Gellion Vazarro has got to." His briefly halts with a sag of the shoulders. "I have a sudden premonition we may be talking to a gnome soon" He then sets off again towards the poultice and potions shop
Arriving at Pricknetel's Potions, you are happy to see it takes after Gunty's Hearty Breads more than the 'hat' store in cleanliness. The shop appears well organized and stocked with alchemical goods and magical potions, a staple of a good alchemist. A female gnome eyes you as you come in and gives a small smile, "welcome to Pricknettle's, have a look around and don't hesitate to ask about any of the merchandise. Thanks!"
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Kasvot begins perusing the shelves, taking not of what potions are available from here.
After getting a sense for the shop, he returns to the investigation. "We are actually here for another purpose, not to shop. We understand that your apprentice, Gellion, has gone missing. We don't think there's any reason for alarm, but the mayor has asked us to look into this, and we're wondering if you know anything about Gellion; has he been involved in anything strange lately? Any places he frequents, or people he spends time with?"
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Having someone gotten lost on the way to the bread shop, Liet-Gar runs into the group just outside 'Pricknetel's Potions'.
"Ah, good. I found you." he mumbles under his breath as they enter the shop. Eyeing the merchandise with intrigue, he considers snagging something...but the shop keeps watchful eye keeps his impulses in check.
As Kasvot begins questioning the owner, he stands behind the half-orc. "Yes, we are here to help...as ordered. We hope to locate them before they do anything stupid."
Majara Pricknettle quickly replies to Kasvot, ignoring his question, "now over here we have an excellent supply of perfumes and colognes, just a spritz and you'll smell quite wonderful. Great for entertaining that special someone in your life. 20% off today!"
When the pathfinders continue to plead for assistance she goes to the door and flips the sign over to show closed for lunch and turns to the group.
"Alright okay, I'm a bit worried about Gellion. That dang Nolaria Wintren probably talked him into sticking his nose into business somewhere that he can't handle. I haven't seen him in a couple days, which is quite unusual. He enjoys his craft quite a bit, always experimenting with things like a good alchemist should. Sometimes though, he just doesn't have the sense he needs to be careful."
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"Thank you for your time." Kasvot confers with his compatriots, referring to the list. "Well, just a couple of places left; shall we head to the cobbler's first, then finish up at the tavern? We've got a couple of leads already--the orchard and the graveyard, I'm thinking--and hopefully we'll have more after those two. Depending on the time, we can decide where to go from there over a drink and some grub."
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As the team walks away, the gnome wonders aloud, "I'll admit, this is my first investigation. Should we be asking where these kids come from or something? Besides 'missing', do they have anything in common, like hair color or eyes or anything like that? All we have been hearing is that they are pretty good kids for the most part and not coming to work is out of character. I don't know, it just feels like we are missing something, ya know?"
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"Pretty good kids" scoffs Liet-Gar. "If that were the case, would the society be sending us to be truant officers? Is it really that difficult to show up to work when you're supposed to?"
Shaking his head slowly, he softens "Though, to be fair...there's a reason I signed up for this type of work and I'm not a shopkeep. Must get pretty boring doing the same thing day in and day out... Perhaps they should consider other employment."
"Let's quickly interroga...see what the cobbler's got to tell us. Perhaps the little one is right...maybe there is something else tieing them together too."
You enter another busy yet nice store with a sign out front, Dependable Drummady's. Inside is a well appointed shoe store with a couple customers. If you ask around for the owner, they point you towards a female human who is moving quickly around the shop. She seems to be avoiding any customer contact though, as she mutters under her breath and keeps everything organized. Anyone purchasing something or asking a question gets quick curt answers and assistance, no frills.
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Approaching the human, Liet-Gar stands by patiently. Upon watching her give their short companion the brush off, he sighs heavily.
"Miss...Miss...HEY! Your kid is why we're here. We've got a couple of thoughts and are looking into his absence, but we could use some information."
Grabbing Dimple's arm, he pulls her infront of him. "Have you met this young lady?"
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" Hey, I was looking at the...Oh, hi...yes. You are the shoe lady. Love your shop. I have to say, you have very nice buckles on your boots. I'd say buckles are under-rated, but for me, they make the boot. See, look at this one on my left boot. It's my favorite." Seeing the others react to her tangent, she gets herself back on track. "Nevermind, not important at the moment. As Latgar... Lietigan?... Lietandletleit... Oh Pish! " with an aside to Liet-Gar,"Your name's a real mouthful, you know that?" She continues on without missing a beat, or taking a breath, "As my elven friend was saying, we have been commissioned to find the missing apprentes-ites(?) Anyhoo, we're here to help. I don't suppose your son liked to hang around with any of the other apprent-izens? Anything you can tell us will be a big help."
Being dragged into a conversation, the lady seems initially pissed until the randomly chattery gnome just manages to win her over. She snorts a chuckle, "oh my, you must have been to the sugar shop young miss. I'm sorry, I've just had so much on my mind and the shop needs to keep going or I'll lose all I've worked so hard to get."
She adjusts a pair of boots that had been put back on the shelf at an odd angle and takes a deep breath, "so I guess I'm not the only one worried about my son, you said you've been commissioned to investigate? Well, that's good and official, though I'm not quite sure quite how I can help. All I know is my boy has been missing for a couple days. I suspect, though can't prove anything, that it's gotta be something Gellion roped him into. My boy is so nice, he even made Gellion a pair of bright yellow boots for his last birthday. But mark my words, Gellion is the one in charge so if anything happened, it's on him."
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"Yellow boots!?" Fromagalli's mind is unsure whether his next question should be how or why but decides he doesn't want to get drawn into a long discussion with the shopkeep. "Does Pavlovus also wear yellow boots or does he go for something exotic like say red?" He catches himself raising his arm and starts coughing to stop himself touching his hair
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"I would think yellow would draw too much attentio....Yeah. That's uh...thanks for the information. I'm sure it will help us expedite our search." replies Liet-Gar, looking sideways at the gnome. "We'll discuss that later I suppose. Just do the best you can for now..."
Stepping outside, he looks around at the others. "So, tavern now?"
Without waiting for a reply, he begins to walk away from the shop.
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Over her shoulder on the way out to catch up with the others, "Wait, you can make boots in different colors? I am so so coming back here!" As the door closes, she shows no sign of letting her excitement fade. "Can you imagine yellow boots? It would be like wearing sunshine! An blue for puddles! Do you think if you mix them you could make a rainbow? I am so asking for rainbow boots!"
"HELLO? Didn't you hear? Colored. Boots. That is like the most fun ever. Why are you guys walking so fast? It's hard to catch up with you!"
More for herself than her peers, "I bet I'd have no problem keeping up with my happy rainbow boots. You'll see."
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Entering the familiar to three of you Witch's End Tavern, you see a much busier bar than earlier as dinner time approaches. The one employee bustling around from earlier is still here and still appears to be in a foul mood, not willing to chat it up with anyone. The mountain of a woman seems especially mistrusting of outsiders, which might have been why you never even got a chance to chat with her earlier. Now though, is your chance to impress her... or get kicked out. She does say one thing when you enter, "oh great, the idiot outsiders brought more of them back. That's what I get for having good food." The locals have a chuckle at this jab.
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Niza, not interested in chatting with the tavern employees, hangs out near the door with Albis on her shoulder. She scans the establishment with a keen eye and sighs audibly. Great... more chatting. I'm ready to go somewhere and bash someone. She rolls her eyes and strokes Albis, more to comfort herself than him. She glances at Dimple. I don't know what anyone would do with rainbow boots, either. Seriously...
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Dimple awkwardly climbs a stool and then stands on the bar near the tender. She makes herself loud enough to be heard. "It's funny you refer to the 'outsiders' as idiots when just about every business around here needs any kind of money to keep the town alive. So maybe it's not the 'idiot outsiders' maybe its the 'Outsiders', idiot. Unless anyone 'round here is so well off that they don't need to work anymore? Oh c'mon! No one? You mean to say that times are hard and anyone's coin is worth spending? And, by the by, we're actually here to find your missing friends and family. So, instead of poking fun at the recent arrivals, how about just thanking us for trying to help out and keeping your snarky snipes to yourself, please and thank you."
She sits down on the stool, blushing slightly. Her tone is softer and her voice quieter as she addresses the proprietor directly. "I am sorry to have to use such course language, but I was taught to stand up to bullies. No offense. I'm sure you mean well and are just trying to comfort your customers. But, that kind of talk makes what we are trying to do that much harder. A bunch of kids need to be found. The longer it takes, the greater the danger to them." The bard holds out her hand, "So, what do you say, truce?"
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Kasvot follows up on Dimple's tirade by addressing the room. "And why don't you lot just settle down, and try to help this poor woman out? It's clear that her stress is related to you, not us." His hand sweeps the room over this phrase. "Give her a moment to breathe and everybody's ales will be filled in time. She's obviously here alone; stop hassling her for every little thing!"
Annoyed by the brash gnome, the bartender let's her say her piece and at the end, when it looks almost like she is going to just kick you straight out, the mountain of a lady begins guffawing with laughter. "HAHAHAH! LOOK AT THE STONES ON THIS ONE!!! I like her, here have a drink on the house."
She nods towards Kasvot as he brashly pushes the crowd back a bit and motions him and Dimple over for a drink, "listen, I can't really let my reputation take a hit, but it seems like you all at least have the right interests at hand, even if no one's gonna trust ya. I know a couple things that might help ya. My apprentice Morvinarr was pretty much the muscle in the group that ran together. I say that in a nice way tho, he mainly saw himself as their protector, keeping that idjit priest apprentice from getting inta too much trouble. But lately, he's been a bit odd, missing work, avoiding me. I think they are up to something taboo, probably arcane ritual crap that they shoulda nevah messed with. Anyway, I found this note in his room when he missed work without a reason."
The unsigned note reads, "Morvinarr, I know you’re worried, but please keep this matter between us for now. Meet me at the usual place at midnight and I’ll take you to the others."
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The evening sun is low in the sky when you arrive at the "Gallow's Graveyard" as it is called locally. Hundreds of small grave markers stand between a few large mausoleums in this graveyard. Crows leer from the gravestones, scattering when other creatures draw near, only to resettle some distance away.
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Tugging a nasty looking hooked blade from his back, Liet-Gar uses the eight-foot-long weapon to poke at the dirt ahead of him. "Look here. Someone walked two by two through here. I've heard these places can be a bit troublesome so best prepare yourselves."
Slowly walking forward, keeping his eyes down, he pauses. "Seems they turned down the aisle here. Any chance they're just here to mourn a loved one? At least one things for certain...they aren't sand people."
"SHOW YOURSELF!" he cries out suddenly. "COME OUT AND FACE ME LIKE A MAN! Or...or I'll apologize for troubling you as you visit your dead..."
As the group moves up with their half-elf pole-arm wielding challenge maker, movement is seen from behind the gravestones to the east. Emerging into sight are two grotesquely large insect like creatures chittering in response to the challenge, mandibles dripping with saliva they move towards LGZ.
Buffs: Inspire Courage +1
Dimple
Fromagalli
Liet-Gar
Enemy Blue
Niza & Albis
Kasvot
Enemy Red
Bold may act!
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Thrusting his weapon into the air, he cries out "HAVE AT THEE!" and darts forward. As his legs pound furiously against the dirt, he calls back, "BIG BUGS! I DON'T LIKE BUGS!"
Skidding to a stop, the half-elf takes a moment to catch his breath. "Phew...this armor is heavy!"
for x3 crit
for x3 crit
for x3 crit
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As they walk among the tombstones, "Maybe its best not to taunt anything? It's called eternal rest afterall. I mean, talk about a chatterbox who doesn't know when to stay quiet. Hey look, this lady's name was Imma Fall! Wouldn't be ironic if she tripped or something?"
"GAH! BytheStarswhatarethosethings? Ewewewgrossgrossgross!" Dimple points to the monsters as she looks to the rest of the team, "WHAT DO WE DO???
"BUGS!! You mean those things are filled with goo? Oh, I might lose my bread and honey!"