Balgron holds the front door of the orphanage open as all enter. He takes a head count one by one. "Twenty-one, twenty-two," Balgron then points to himself, "Twenty-three." He steps back out into the street and looks both ways, seeing if there are any stragglers. Seeing none he reenters the orphanage. Starting to worry, he approaches Mevitari, "I only counted 23 upon returning, we're missing someone ... Jolin, has anyone seen Jolin?" Balgron's voice raises and becomes gruff with the final question.
Cogmin grabs Balgron by the shoulder - "You can't find Jolin? Tell, Mevitari! We must go back!"
"I, I, I, my mind was elsewhere, I think I saw her talking to someone, I thought it was another child at the time. It was a halfling, a gnome, or some small humanoid but with blue skin" Balgron wracks his mind to remember the details. "They were wearing a bright red cloak and a griffon mask. The kidnapper must have convinced her to wander off, she would never do that on her own."
There were several different kinds of griffon riders; you're not aware of any specifics on any given rider nor do you remember any blue-skinned riders. The costume may or may not mean anything special, as it's tradition during the races for people to wear costumes of griffons, hippogriffs, manticores, even harpies and other flying creatures.
Wait!! What?? Jolin is missing. Small blue skinned...
Mevitari's eyes widen when he hears of the problem. He seems to snap out of whatever daze he may have been in. Then he says, "Cogmin, Balgron, we must return to Upper Dura at once."
Suddenly, Mevitari appears dizzy. Blood begins rushing out of his nose. He collapses. Children begin screaming and everyone is frightened.
You hear the commotion downstairs.
Cogmin runs to find Mevitari - when he finds him:
"Jolin is missing. I'm going to take some of the older children with me to look for him."
Cogmin waits for a response and listens intently - afterwards he makes sure to grab his axe and longbow from the storage room where he stays.
"Kyleria, Balgron, tell Krovok to watch the children, keep them away from this..."
Cogmin leans down next to Mevitari and makes a Heal check to see whats wrong:
Tulgeikh heads downstairs, "What the hell is all the noise?"
Tulgeikh; one of the children, Jolin I believe, is missing and Mevitari just collapsed! Someone get the kids inside and get some water!!
"C'mon, everyone!" Kyleria says. "Mevitari's just playing a joke, he wants to see if he can scare you. Show him you're not scared and head to your rooms."
"Everyone into bed NOW!!" "Don't make me start smacking heads." Tulgeikh yells out and prods the nearist kid into action.
Intimadate =
"Ostran, I can't tell what's wrong with him. Have you ever seen Mevitari do this before?"
As Cogmin and Ostran examine Mevitari, Tulgeikh and Kyleria attempt to get the children to go upstairs. Some of the kids listen to Kyleria and tepidly make their way up the stairs. Suddenly, Tulgeikh yells out and all the children quickly run upstairs.
Cogmin and Ostran find it difficult to determine what is wrong with Mevitari. He's alive, but unconscious. He is even slightly convulsing, as if suffering from a nightmare.
All the children have gone upstairs. Only the six of you remain. You can hear Krovok still cooking in the kitchen, crashing pots and pans, seemingly oblivious to what is going on in the foyer.
Balgron rushes into the kitchen, "Krovok, somethings wrong with Mevitari, he's collapsed, come quickly!"
Once the kids are off, Kyleria's own mask of lack of concern falls. "I'll be right back!" she calls out, and she runs up the stairs to her own room, digging through her stuff.
Krovok enters the foyer. "What happened here?" he exclaims.
Mevitari just collapsed and is now bleeding out of his nose. I don't know what is wrong with him but maybe the monks at the temple we were at can help. What do you think Krovok?
"That may be a good plan." He walks slowly up to Mevitari and examines him.
"Hmmm...I don't know what's wrong with him. Perhaps the monks or House Jorasco can help. Can someone carry him?"
Balgron, would you pick Meviatri up so we can bring him to the monks?
We need a few people to look for Jolin also so who evers not hauling the old man to healers needs to get out and start looking.
"Tulgeikh, Kyleria, come with me, we're going to look for Jolin. Ostran, Balgron, take Mevitari to the monks. We'll meet back here in three hours, no matter what."
Let's go then.
Kyleria returns from her room holding a ceramic vial in time to hear orders being tossed out by everyone. Ignoring them all, the girl walks to Mevitari and kneels down next to him. She uncaps the vial and carefully pours it down his throat.
"What a simple yet elegant solutiion, Kyleria."
Stares down at Mevitari to see if there is any change in his condition.
Lamander finally snaps out of his shock from seeing Mevitari fall. "I'll help you bring him to the temple. Cogmin, we'll try to meet up with you later."
After receiving the potion, Mevitari's nose stops bleeding. He seems to settle into an agitated sleep, but whatever hemorrhaging he may have been suffering stops.
Krovok says, "I will stay here and watch over the children. Did I hear right that Jolin is missing? Be sure to alert the authorities if you can't find him. And please, be safe."
Alright, let's split up into a couple of groups. Kyleria (being that she is a psion, she may understand more if it is a mental effliction) and I will go to the temple to find out what happened to Mevitari. Balgron, Lam, Cogmim, and Tul; go find Jolin! Meet back in 3 hours.
Heading out to look for Jolin.
Balgron, your help would be appreciated but you should do what you feel is best.
"As much as I want to see Mevtari through to the temple, I feel my keen eye would be better used scouring the streets for poor Jolin."
With some effort, Ostran the halfling and Lamander the cleric manage to pick up Mevitari. Balgron, realizing that both groups are headed the same direction at least some of the ways, decides to help . Krovok says, "I wish you all the best of luck. I'd go to but my bum knee and someone has to look after the kids. If I don't see you in three hours, I'll notify the authorities that something not right is going on." The party moves out.
Getting on the lift, a guard watches you suspiciously, but doesn't say anything. Back up in Clifftop, the party rages on, with costumed folk and other wild persons yelling and dancing and drinking. Someone notices the group and the unconscious kalashtar and yells, "Someone partied a little too heartily!"
It is here where the search for Jolin should begin as Balgron vaguely remembers Jolin talking to the small blue creature on this street. Balgron, Kyleria, Cogmin, and Tulgeikh proceed the search. Ostran and Lamander move on to the shrine across a bridge in Hope's Peak.
At the Shrine of the Enlightened One, a monk stands outside the entrance. He raises an eyebrow. "And what is this?" the monk says politely, with a hint of irony.
"Mevitari got dizzy, collapsed, and started bleeding from his nose upon returning to the orphanage. No one there can figure out what is wrong with him.Can you help him?"
Perception =
Starts asking around if anyone has seen a small blue creature or painted halfling. Streetwise =
As well as looking around for Jolin, Kyleria hits up any of her own contacts in the area.
"Mevitari got dizzy, collapsed, and started bleeding from his nose upon returning to the orphanage. No one there can figure out what is wrong with him.Can you help him?"
The monk hesitates, looking over the collapsed body. "Wait here," he says. He goes inside and eventually two other monks return with him.
The older one, an aloof kalashtar, bends over the body and studies it. "He appears to be asleep. The most we can do is pray over him and hope that the Light makes his dreams peaceful and transcendent. Is this what you would like? All we ask is a small donation to the shrine."
As well as looking around for Jolin, Kyleria hits up any of her own contacts in the area.
Sure enough, Berka is here on this day. You ask her about small blue individuals.
"Perhaps they're xivorts," she says. "Ugly, twisted, nightmarish gnomes. They helped us recently with a score. They have a hideout in Lower Dura. Ask around there using your contacts and you should be able to find them."
After thanking Berka, Kyleria finds the rest of her companions. "We're looking for xivorts. They're blue gnomes, sort of, and they may be in Lower Dura. We need to go there, and I can talk to some people and try to learn more."
Balgron hoists himself up by standing on a cart in the street to get a better vantage point. He still sees nothing of the small blue humanoid. After getting more info from Kyleria, Balgron ponders where in Lower Dura a child could be held without any notice.