Heroica RPG - Quest #118: The Tale of the Stolen Spirits

[Sandy]

Ellaria shook her head in disbelief. She had taken upon herself to watch after their guide, yet on the very first threshold she had lost sight of her. Picking up her crossbow, Ellaria checked if the rest of her wares were in place as well.

She then took out the Magic Compass and tried to scry for Miss Persephone's current location. After that she gave a look at the shredded map.

"No worries, Master Docken. Together with Thormanil's little dragon, we will find Miss Persephone again in no time."

[JimBee]

Hybros tries to pull the SOAH from the tree and return it to its sheath. He looks to the half-giant. He had hardly said a word so far, but like another hero in the Hall, this one also had a dragon accompanying him. It was bigger than a hatchling. Hybros watched it soar into the air with apprehension. "Ehehm... perhaps you could ask that dragon if he saw who the culprits were..."

Hybros also checks his belongings.

[Brickdoctor]

"Well, it appears that I've got everything, even if it's all annoyingly jumbled together."

I pick up the map.

[Flipz]

"Well, it appears that I've got everything, even if it's all annoyingly jumbled together."

I pick up the map.

QM Note:

Oh, right, I nabbed that sword last quest, didn't I? I'm not out of the loop at all, clearly.

While Thormanil checks his own belongings, Arx darts into the sky to see if he can't determine a recently traveled path.

Ellaria shook her head in disbelief. She had taken upon herself to watch after their guide, yet on the very first threshold she had lost sight of her. Picking up her crossbow, Ellaria checked if the rest of her wares were in place as well.

She then took out the Magic Compass and tried to scry for Miss Persephone's current location. After that she gave a look at the shredded map.

"No worries, Master Docken. Together with Thormanil's little dragon, we will find Miss Persephone again in no time."

Hybros tries to pull the SOAH from the tree and return it to its sheath. He looks to the half-giant. He had hardly said a word so far, but like another hero in the Hall, this one also had a dragon accompanying him. It was bigger than a hatchling. Hybros watched it soar into the air with apprehension. "Ehehm... perhaps you could ask that dragon if he saw who the culprits were..."

Hybros also checks his belongings.

As the remaining three gathered and checked their belongings, they found that only the monk's and the druid's had been substantially disturbed, the bottles of their Grand Tonics bearing telltale scratches of an aborted attempt at opening them. To the group's general surprise, the druid's Magic Compass was the only true casualty among the party, its magical energy completely drained by an unknown source. A simple repair for a trained mage--but where would they find one in this place, so far from civilization?

Meanwhile, the flying Dragon and those reading the map soon came to the same conclusion: the town of Towr was merely a few hours' journey away, along a fairly clear path, with the path back obscured by torn edges and twisted forest. It seemed the sole path was forward, unto the breach.

[JimBee]

Hybros looked over Docken's arm at the map. "It seems to me the path is clear. Though why we needed that girl when we have this map is unknown to me..." He held up a damaged tonic bottle. Luckily, the contents were still safe inside. "It also appears that perhaps we are dealing with folk trained in the magic arts. Why else would they want these tonics? Or perhaps the competitors that Ashley spoke of. Alchemists have a use for these substances, yes?"

"Ehehm, well, should we keep moving? I see no other option at this point, eheh..."

[Sandy]

"Isn't this just great?" Ellaria muttered. "The only thing I have that's usually been of any use is now broken. Well, we should just follow the map, then."

As Thormanil's dragon returned to him, Ellaria smiled at the little winged beast. "What a cutie you have there, Mr Nihai! Did you say his name is Arx?"

[swils]

"Yup! He's quite a little scrapper."

Having gotten a little too large to perch on Thormanil's shoulder, Arx lands and nuzzles up against the Druid.

<"Cutie? Well, I'll take it. Nice to meet you, I'm Arx.">

[Sandy]

Having gotten a little too large to perch on Thormanil's shoulder, Arx lands and nuzzles up against the Druid.

<"Cutie? Well, I'll take it. Nice to meet you, I'm Arx.">

"Oh, you're a friendly fellow, too! Glad to have you along for the ride," Ellaria answers in the tongue of dragons.

[Flipz]

QM Note: Apologies for the delay! I'm feeling a little under the weather today and haven't been able to word this update quite the way I'd like to. I'll try to get it out later tonight.

Edited November 6, 2014 by Flipz

[Flipz]

"And so, knowing little of why or by whom they were attacked, the bewildered party ventured onwards into further unknown. The morning sun accompanied them on their journey, and it was midday when they finally reached the village of Towr."

"Towr was, by all accounts, a very small town. A quiet place, the sort of village where everyone knows everyone and secrets are merely predecessor to rumor. The skyline, if one could call it that, was dominated by the towering spire of the Alchemists' Tower, a monolithic structure surely compensating for its architect's shortcomings, and a single glance down the lone road leading to it showed everything of importance the place had to offer: from the blacksmith to the butcher's shop to the bakery, from the General Store to the Town Hall to the Inn, all was as would be found in any small village, save for one important thing."

"The Heroes, when they first undertook their journey, had of course considered what might await them in this beleaguered village. Even now, this crew contemplated what might lie in store for them, what might be worth an attempt on their lives. None of them were prepared for what awaited them in the town of Towr...

"...absolutely nothing."

"Standing alone in the center of an empty, utterly desolate village, some variant of the same thought surely passed through all their minds:"

What would they do now?

Act I: The Empty Village

[JimBee]

"Hm... a village with no villagers... eheh. This would not be the first time..." Hybros kicked some dirt around and looked at the town. "We should check inside one of the buildings, yes? Starting with that tower..."

[Sandy]

"Hmm, for a secluded village that doesn't mingle with outsiders much, this one has a pretty impressive infrastructure, I should say... In comparison to Tumpkin, the little countryside village I grew up in, this constitutes for an actual city", Ellaria mused as she walked further into the village with the others.

"I agree with Hybros; we should start by inspecting the tower first. Although, as these things usually go, it is probably locked and we need to find the key to it somewhere else before we can enter..."

[Flipz]

Deciding first to visit the central feature of the town, the party soon found that the Druid was correct, the great tower's door marked by a keyhole and a stone plaque.

Herein,

May those supporting my lineage

Find refuge behind my name.

Edited November 7, 2014 by Flipz

[JimBee]

"Hm... well then, should we go to the Town Hall?"

[Sandy]

"Told you so", Ellaria retorted. "Hmm, it would've been helpful that whoever put up this plaque would've signed it. I'm guessing it was Miss Persephone's father, though."

"Yes, Hybros. Let us head to the Town Hall next." Ellaria then paused and nudged Hybros. "No endlessly deep caverns so far. I'm enjoying this quest."

[JimBee]

"Told you so", Ellaria retorted. "Hmm, it would've been helpful that whoever put up this plaque would've signed it. I'm guessing it was Miss Persephone's father, though."

"Yes, Hybros. Let us head to the Town Hall next." Ellaria then paused and nudged Hybros. "No endlessly deep caverns so far. I'm enjoying this quest."

"Or perhaps someone much older."

Hybros gave half of a grin back. "Heh, it was not so bad. We have no more idea what we are looking for here than we did then."

[Brickdoctor]

"Hm... well then, should we go to the Town Hall?"

"No objections from me."

[Flipz]

QM Note: Apologies, everyone; Brickshelf is misbehaving, and the Town Hall interior is one of the sets still under construction, so unfortunately today's update will have to wait a day or two.

[Flipz]

QM Note: I'm terribly sorry, but the Town Hall interior set is still not complete. I'll let you know when the location is available. Again, my sincere apologies.

The foursome strolled next door to the Town Hall, but upon opening the door but a crack they found the door jammed, its hinges dented and twisted as if by great impact. Though within their power to circumvent, something within them told them it might be a better idea to search elsewhere and come back later.

[JimBee]

"Hm, perhaps the smith, then?"

[Sandy]

OoC: Can you give us a list of places that are actually available, then?

Ellaria sighs. "Figures... Let us try the blacksmith's, then."

[JimBee]

Hybros twiddled his thumbs. Both of his male companions had a blank expression on their faces.

OOC: Hello? Anyone there? It would be nice if swils and Doc had some input, even if just to fill the interim while we wait to keep moving along with this quest.

[Flipz]

OoC: Can you give us a list of places that are actually available, then?

QM Note: Everywhere in town other than the Town Hall should be accessible by sometime tomorrow afternoon.

The group shuffled in silence to the Blacksmith's, a silvered sign swinging softly in the breeze, "Smith & Brown". The fire in the forge had long since died, but curiously there was no indication that its owners had done the same, though a curious pile of dust lay next to the anvil. As before, nary a hint of life hung 'round the place, a cold contrast to what had once surely been a warm, welcoming place of business.

[Brickdoctor]

I push open the door.

[Sandy]

Ellaria investigates the weapons and shield, and if they are useful, she picks them up.

"Ashes... Sounds an awful lot like a dragon has visited this town. [No offense, Arx.]"