Catch & Release - Part 0: Master Roderic's Office

[Veradux]

Title

Only a few minutes after finishing your interview, you're called immediately back to Master Roderic's office, joined by two other people. Inside are two elves, both far along in their years, standing behind Master Roderic's desk. Master Roderic himself seems a bit annoyed, his little spectacles in hand.

"Good, you're here. You three-"

The elven man interjects in a badgering but kindly voice, "See! I knew you had more than some lone simpleton to hire. I half-think you didn't even choose that last one."

"Indeed, ma'am, I didn't. That's an important facet of th-"

"It is important! That's why I brought it up! You three young'uns look ready for a hunt, unlike the boy that chased after our gold more than our lovely little Larly."

There's clearly some odd energy in the office as the man is pushing for a follow-up to what sounds like a freelancer who took the money and ran, so to speak. Thankfully, it seems that the wife would provide a somewhat calmer approach.

"Oh, quit pestering the man like he's me two hundred years ago. We haven't even introduced ourselves to these three. Here," the man holds out both his hands with a slight bow in greeting, "my name is Jvorak Dannag. And this is my wife, Sanisk Dannag. Our granddaughter, Larly Dannag, is missing. And you're going to find her."

With a browbeaten sigh, Master Roderick nods and invites everyone to take a seat where they may - though there were only two chairs and a small sofa aside from his own chair. Naturally, the couple take the chairs next to one another.

"Yes. It is as Mister Dannag summarized. One miss Larly Dannag has not responded to letters in three weeks and we have confirmed that the second most recent letter was delivered. The most recent was sent alongside the freelancer - one Richard Burbage - who took the job the instant the Dannags put it up on the board.

While we cannot rule out that he pocketed the advance pay and ran, we further cannot rule out that there were unexpected circumstances. After all, the village itself is about a day away from here by boat and four times that by land at best. They could very well turn up any moment.
...it's why you're not being paid in advance this time...
The village in question is marked only by smaller regional maps of the northern coast by landmark. Larger maps simply don't have the granularity for the tiny islet that they use for fishing. Nevertheless, that's where the three of you are heading second. You'll be taking a skiff to the town of Outsmuth, as they actually have a pier to tie off on. It's also where we sent Mister Burbage. If you can find out if he even made it there and where he went afterward, send a report back if he went anywhere but the little village.

I'll write a quick profile for you of him while the Dannags tell you of their granddaughter."

Master Roderick pulls out a quill and begins doing so as Jvorak produces a flask from his robes and takes a swig. Sanisk begins speaking as he does so.

"We've helped raised Larly on our own since she was barely able to walk..." an odd melancholy look overtakes both her and her husband, the latter stopping himself from re-corking the flask and instead taking another draw.
"Our son was a good man, but was too eager to 'help' art and music. Philanthropy is good, but he would hurt himself to pay for some traveling musician's flute repairs or the like. Turned out some woman repaired his flute in return..."

A small sputter from Jvorak and noticeable pause in scribbling from Roderick mark a small silence, but she continues unabated.

"He worked too much as a result. Always doing his best to make ends meet. A child was hard on him, but he managed for years like that. Larly was even eager to help with deliveries."

Jvorak pats her on the shoulder to signal him taking over.

"Don't hurt us with too much storytelling. All they need to know is that our girl is not entirely mobile on her own. Knee-down on the left, ankle-down on the right. It's why we worry. After her father passed she fell into finding her mother while learning instruments of her own. Took years before we could let her actually travel on her own, but that's why we're here now. Yes, she has forearms that would put everyone in this room to shame and I think she had figured out the real power behind her violin, but she was alone. Any parent would be worried.

Ah, and it's probably important to actually know what she looks like. She's otherwise rather wiry like us, blonde unlike any of us, brown-eyed like her father, and last we knew half her wardrobe was green. She mentioned that she might have found a lead on her mother, though she was terse with us about her and we never met the woman. Obviously human, probably blonde. Probably a musician herself."

Satisfied, they go quiet for a moment. before Master Roderick folds the paper he was writing in half.

"Good. With that and this paper, you should have a reasonable amount of information to go on. If you have any questions or need to make requisitions, please do so before heading to the docks. You'll be able to charter one of the guild skiffs at any time, though I recommend heading out as soon as you're able.

I look forward to hearing from you."

With a bit of dramatism, he stamps the paper with a guild logo of passage.

[EDTA]

 

Statblock Charlie M CG Human (orc) Gun Chemist Alchemist, Level 2, Init 3, HP 19/19, Speed 30ft AC 18, Touch 13, Flat-footed 15, CMD 14, Fort 5, Ref 6, Will 0, CMB +1, Base Attack Bonus 1    Dragon Pistol +5 vs touch (1d6, x4, 15 feet) Dragon Pistol Cone +3 vs touch (1d6, x4 15 foot cone) Ordinance N/A (1d6+4) Dagger +4 (1d4, 19-20/x2) MST Chain Shirt (+4 Armor) Abilities Str 11, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 8 Conditions Ordinance 6/6

The posting didn't sound like much when Charlie first saw it. Potentially interesting considering the unknowns, but she mostly mentioned it off-handedly because it seemed like a perfect opportunity to show what she could do. A quick job to show she was more reliable than some of those other Abettors they had running around. The actual case though? Honestly it just sounded like the missing person wanted some time alone to her.

 

Meeting the grandparents didn't really change Charlie's opinion. Of course now Charlie wouldn't blame the girl if it turned out she ran away. 'Running' might be a bad word to pick though. "Um, if it isn't indelicate to ask, if Larly isn't the most mobile how exactly does she get around? We talking prosthetics or some other device? Just saying, sometimes people remember that sort of stuff better if you just ask about it directly rather than poke around the issue."

Edited September 5, 2023 by EDTA (see edit history)

[Landid]

  

Statblock Jord'Dyn Gammel M LG Dwarven Kineticist, Level 2, Init 5, HP 21/21, Speed 30ft AC 17, Touch 13, Flat-footed 14, CMD 14, Fort 6, Ref 6, Will 2, CMB +1, Base Attack Bonus 1    Dagger +4 (1d4, 19-20x2) Heavy Crossbow +4 (1d10, 19-20x2) Earthen Blast +4 (1d6+4, 20x2) MST Chain Shirt (+4 Armor) Abilities Str 11, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 8 Condition Flesh of Stone: DR 2/Adamantine, +3 CL when Suppressed Non-Lethal Damage 2 Burn ⚫ ⚪ ⚪ ⚪ ⚪ ⚪ ⭕

 

Jord'Dyn listened to the three people and nodded as they offered more information. Perhaps it was a little foolish to offer the advance on finding the granddaughter, however when worry strikes people start to act oddly. He had seen greed overtake many of his kin, the stone they were made of was porous at best. As the grandparents began to talk about their granddaughters search for her mother, he realized they never mentioned her name. Once they were finished talking and awaiting questions Jord'Dyn speaks up, "You wouldn't happen to have the name of the mother as well? Seems like your granddaughter is on a search of her own and being able to follow in her tracks may be useful." Ideally she was roughly where she last wrote from but the world never seemed to conform to ideals.

[Veradux]

Roderick's Office - Meeting the Parents

The father seems to still be the one with a level head.

"Unfortunately, she never mentioned her mother's name in her letters. Only that she had a lead in the last one we received. As for her mobility, she's always hate prosthetics. Though we never quite had the funds for those nice padded steel spring ones from Silvercast...

She has a chair with wheels. We carved it outself, so I assure you it's... probably broken in a dozen places from her taking it off the nice smooth roads of home."

Thigns seem to have taken a turn for the calm, thankfully. The couple seems glad to be actually meeting the people they're expected to rely on instead of someone running off alone.

"To be fair, she hated the chair, as well. I think she simply loathed the whole... situation. She was quite angry after her father passed, but never let it out. You're probably more right than we know, calling it her 'search'."

[eriktd]

Safiyrra

[floatleft][img]https://mwbaldrcdkstack-ipbuploads6f377ba5-6asvxg6ywium.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/monthly_2023_08/Safiyrra.jpg.f10d3c3b4ed2274d4db0079607343f0e.jpg[/img][/floatleft]

Safiyrra nods as she takes in everything the elves are saying. She seems reluctant to speak, content with allowing Charlie and Jord'Dyn to ask the questions, though her brow furrows a little as she listens to the answers. This job might be more than I bargained for, she thinks. Convincing a person who wants to be left alone to make contact with her parents, especially when she has something to prove, would be difficult in any circumstances. Let us hope she is not in any danger, though that may strain fate. She gives her companions a questioning look, to see if they have anything else they want to say. She stands a little straighter to indicate that she is ready to depart if they do not.

OOC

Statblock

[URL=/sheets/?id=2827569][B][SIZE=+1]Saffiyra[/SIZE][/B][/URL] F N Orc Investigator (Cryptid Scholar), [B]Level[/B] 2, [B]Init[/B] 1, [B]HP[/B] 17/17, [B]Speed[/B] 30 [B]AC[/B] 15, [B]Touch[/B] 11, [B]Flat-footed[/B] 14, [B]CMD[/b] 12, [B]Fort[/B] 3, [B]Ref[/B] 4, [B]Will[/B] 5, [B]CMB[/B] +2, [B]Base Attack Bonus[/B] +1 [B] masterwork longspear [/B] +3 (1d8+1, 20/x3) [B] masterwork lamellar (leather)[/B] (+4 Armor, +1 Dex) [B]Abilities[/B] Str 13, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 9 [B]Condition[/B] None extracts 1st x2 (shield 1/1, empty 1/1); inspiration 4/4

Saffiyra
F N Orc Investigator (Cryptid Scholar), Level 2, Init 1, HP 17/17, Speed 30
AC 15, Touch 11, Flat-footed 14, CMD 12, Fort 3, Ref 4, Will 5, CMB +2, Base Attack Bonus +1
masterwork longspear +3 (1d8+1, 20/x3)
masterwork lamellar (leather) (+4 Armor, +1 Dex)
Abilities Str 13, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 9
Condition None
extracts 1st x2 (shield 1/1, empty 1/1); inspiration 4/4

Edited November 8, 2023 by eriktd (see edit history)

[EDTA]

 

Statblock Charlie M CG Human (orc) Gun Chemist Alchemist, Level 2, Init 3, HP 19/19, Speed 30ft AC 18, Touch 13, Flat-footed 15, CMD 14, Fort 5, Ref 6, Will 0, CMB +1, Base Attack Bonus 1    Dragon Pistol +5 vs touch (1d6, x4, 15 feet) Dragon Pistol Cone +3 vs touch (1d6, x4 15 foot cone) Ordinance N/A (1d6+4) Dagger +4 (1d4, 19-20/x2) MST Chain Shirt (+4 Armor) Abilities Str 11, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 8 Conditions Ordinance 6/6

It sounded like Charlie had all she needed from the grandparents to go off. Elf girl in a wheelchair would probably stick out and not be too hard to track down. Still there was probably one nagging issue that had to be talked about. Sounded like she was just busy doing something more important to her than anything else. At least that's the way it sounded to Charlie. What kind of hypocrite would she be trying to drag someone away from just living their life how they wanted? "So just find her right? Not anything else? You got any more messages you want to pass on to her while we're at it?"

[Landid]

  

Statblock Jord'Dyn Gammel M LG Dwarven Kineticist, Level 2, Init 5, HP 21/21, Speed 30ft AC 17, Touch 13, Flat-footed 14, CMD 14, Fort 6, Ref 6, Will 2, CMB +1, Base Attack Bonus 1    Dagger +4 (1d4, 19-20x2) Heavy Crossbow +4 (1d10, 19-20x2) Earthen Blast +4 (1d6+4, 20x2) MST Chain Shirt (+4 Armor) Abilities Str 11, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 8 Condition Flesh of Stone: DR 2/Adamantine, +3 CL when Suppressed Non-Lethal Damage 2 Burn ⚫ ⚪ ⚪ ⚪ ⚪ ⚪ ⭕

 

Jord'Dyn nods as Charlie asks their question, "Aye, it seems like everyone goes through a phase where they need to find, prove or create something, even if they tend to get in over their heads. Who knows, maybe we will end up helping her in this journey of hers." He looks over to his two companions and notices Safiyrra's stance and gaze. "If there are no more questions it would probably be best we start out on our journey." Standing up he offers his hand to the elven couple. A simple gesture, but one of goodwill. Ideally they would be back with good news swiftly

[Veradux]

Roderick's Office - Meeting the Parents

Jvorak gives a thoughtful nod at Jord'Dyn's comment, rubbing a scar on his forearm. It's likely he had such a journey himself, though how it effects his opinion here is hard to say specifically. Sanisk seems less impressed, though.

"I can't even remember when I was last that willful. But, go on then. Stay safe enough to find her and then keep her safe until she writes us back!"

Master Roderick gives a brief harrumph as he hands over a pair of letters. One is clearly a signed and posted letter of passage at the port and the other is a brief profile of Richard Burbage.

"Again, I hope to hear from you all soon. Ideally with a safe daughter from one and an explanation from the other. Passage is booked to leave this evening at the latest, so you've a few hours if you need to outfit yourself or the like. Spend some time in Outsmuth asking about Mister Burbage. He's bound to have done something there, even if in a rush. There's a cart trail leading through the hills to the west of Outsmuth. It's only about a dozen miles from there to the village outskirts, but calling it a trail is a bit generous. If you get off track, follow the coast west until you reach people. There's little out there beyond shallow limestone caves, but that just makes it hard to get lost.
Good luck, and I hope you don't need it."

[Landid]

Statblock Jord'Dyn Gammel M LG Dwarven Kineticist, Level 2, Init 5, HP 21/21, Speed 30ft AC 17, Touch 13, Flat-footed 14, CMD 14, Fort 6, Ref 6, Will 2, CMB +1, Base Attack Bonus 1    Dagger +4 (1d4, 19-20x2) Heavy Crossbow +4 (1d10, 19-20x2) Earthen Blast +4 (1d6+4, 20x2) MST Chain Shirt (+4 Armor) Abilities Str 11, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 8 Condition Flesh of Stone: DR 2/Adamantine, +3 CL when Suppressed Non-Lethal Damage 2 Burn ⚫ ⚪ ⚪ ⚪ ⚪ ⚪ ⭕

 

Nodding in affirmation to the man, he gets up from his seat he turns to walk out the door. Once they were outside he asks his companions, "Anything you can think we need? Probably some travel supplies and ration if we don't have them already. Otherwise we should head out pretty swiftly." Stopping in his tracks he looks to his companions to confirm what course of action they will be taking.

 

[EDTA]

 

Statblock Charlie M CG Human (orc) Gun Chemist Alchemist, Level 2, Init 3, HP 19/19, Speed 30ft AC 18, Touch 13, Flat-footed 15, CMD 14, Fort 5, Ref 6, Will 0, CMB +1, Base Attack Bonus 1    Dragon Pistol +5 vs touch (1d6, x4, 15 feet) Dragon Pistol Cone +3 vs touch (1d6, x4 15 foot cone) Ordinance N/A (1d6+4) Dagger +4 (1d4, 19-20/x2) MST Chain Shirt (+4 Armor) Abilities Str 11, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 8 Conditions Ordinance 6/6

"I keep the essentials with me all the time anyway. So long as we don't need to camp out for a week I'm good to go." Of course just what constituted an 'essential' to Charlie was another matter altogether. She was pretty sure she could make do if she had to go a few days away from town. Charlie wasn't that far gone from the farm she couldn't.

[Veradux]

To the Docks, and the "Captain"

Content with handing off the description, Master Roderic shuffles the group out of his office with little ceremony left. Back in the guild hall, the old couple shuffle quickly away to the cafeteria, leaving you three to your own devices. With a letter of passage, it's quick and easy to flag down a small cart to rush you to the docks. Little blocks the way and this side of the city is often calm.

A sunny morning greets everyone as the smell of the sea-sized lake grows stronger. Skiffs and fishing boats make up the largest chunk of the watercraft in this center of the city, but it's not long before you find the green Guild flag at a small boathouse, the transport house you've been assigned to. A young man, sandy-blonde and probably at least a little elven, greets you with an overly enthusiastic smile.

"Ah! Three people, equipped and ready? Must be for me! Name's Capitan Jan and the boat is the Breeze. Where ya headin', any questions on it, and how fast am I allowed to get you there?

Been sailin' the coast for a year and I've seen most of the little towns on the north and east sides and I'm glad to help."

Looking over, you do see a small sailing vessel - too small to hold much more than five people with no more than a day trip's cargo - in the boathouse. Painted jarringly green and with only a single pair of oars, you do wonder just how fast it can move.

 

[EDTA]

 

Statblock Charlie F CG Human (orc) Gun Chemist Alchemist, Level 2, Init 3, HP 19/19, Speed 30ft AC 18, Touch 13, Flat-footed 15, CMD 14, Fort 5, Ref 6, Will 0, CMB +1, Base Attack Bonus 1    Dragon Pistol +5 vs touch (1d6, x4, 15 feet) Dragon Pistol Cone +3 vs touch (1d6, x4 15 foot cone) Ordinance N/A (1d6+4) Dagger +4 (1d4, 19-20/x2) MST Chain Shirt (+4 Armor) Abilities Str 11, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 8 Conditions Ordinance 6/6

Charlie was pretty sure she had all the details right, at least as she understood them. No sense wasting time recounting the points if she didn't need to. Not that that'd make a great impression on her new employer anyway. How'd it look if she had to ask a bunch of redundant questions before setting out? Probably not great. Besides this was all Guild stuff. Guild set up the mission, guild arranged the transport, guild had the missing member. They'd take care of everything on that end.

 

At least that was the thought before she saw said transport the Guild arranged. It would probably get them there faster than walking. Probably. If the vessel was about as fast as it looked that'd work out for Charlie anyway since moisture wasn't the best for most of her gear. Oh well, standing around wouldn't get this started any faster. "Outsmuth. You the normal transport out those parts? We need to find another guild member, among other things. You take him too? Burbage was his name, right?" she asks, conferring with her new companions even though she remembered that detail on her own.

Edited November 8, 2023 by EDTA (see edit history)

[eriktd]

Safiyrra

[floatleft][img]https://mwbaldrcdkstack-ipbuploads6f377ba5-6asvxg6ywium.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/monthly_2023_08/Safiyrra.jpg.f10d3c3b4ed2274d4db0079607343f0e.jpg[/img][/floatleft]

Safiyrra nods to Charlie, silently supporting her questions with a confident look to the captain. Not a very subtle sailing vessel, she thinks. But it should get us there and back, right? She looks over what she can see of the little boat, to decide how seaworthy it might be. Profession Sailor

OOC

Statblock

[URL=/sheets/?id=2827569][B][SIZE=+1]Saffiyra[/SIZE][/B][/URL] F N Orc Investigator (Cryptid Scholar), [B]Level[/B] 2, [B]Init[/B] 1, [B]HP[/B] 17/17, [B]Speed[/B] 30 [B]AC[/B] 15, [B]Touch[/B] 11, [B]Flat-footed[/B] 14, [B]CMD[/b] 12, [B]Fort[/B] 3, [B]Ref[/B] 4, [B]Will[/B] 5, [B]CMB[/B] +2, [B]Base Attack Bonus[/B] +1 [B] masterwork longspear [/B] +3 (1d8+1, 20/x3) [B] masterwork lamellar (leather)[/B] (+4 Armor, +1 Dex) [B]Abilities[/B] Str 13, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 9 [B]Condition[/B] None extracts 1st x2 (shield 1/1, empty 1/1); inspiration 4/4

Saffiyra
F N Orc Investigator (Cryptid Scholar), Level 2, Init 1, HP 17/17, Speed 30
AC 15, Touch 11, Flat-footed 14, CMD 12, Fort 3, Ref 4, Will 5, CMB +2, Base Attack Bonus +1
masterwork longspear +3 (1d8+1, 20/x3)
masterwork lamellar (leather) (+4 Armor, +1 Dex)
Abilities Str 13, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 9
Condition None
extracts 1st x2 (shield 1/1, empty 1/1); inspiration 4/4

Edited November 8, 2023 by eriktd (see edit history)

[Veradux]

To the Docks, and the "Captain"

Safiyrra's once-over of the little boat makes her question it more. It's seaworthy - if one considers Navel Lake's calm waters a sea - and would be fine even on the warmer coasts out west, but with only a single pair of oars she wonders about its speed.

"Burbage? Like the merchant family? No logs of any fancy folk, but I only do expedited runs. Either your 'among other things' is carrin' a lotta weight or this guy is real bad news." Jan rummages among a side table and pulls out a small book and stamp. He takes your letter, stamps it, and shoves it among the journal's pages before flipping back to other, similar letters stored within. "Last trip I took out there was two weeks ago. Element-blight boar hunter. So your Burbage either took land or a different boat. His loss. I'm faster!"

With a jovial whistle, he shoves the journal and stamp back into their little box, and kips up onto the boat as he starts untying it from the dock.

"Ex-pe-di-ted. No normal routes. Hop on, row us out, and I'll get us there in... about three hours. Maybe faster if someone stays on the oars! Destination questions can come while we travel."

The timetable confuses Safiyrra even more. There's either incoming magical assistance or someone's arms were about to get the workout of the year. Possibly both.

[EDTA]

 

Statblock Charlie F CG Human (orc) Gun Chemist Alchemist, Level 2, Init 3, HP 19/19, Speed 30ft AC 18, Touch 13, Flat-footed 15, CMD 14, Fort 5, Ref 6, Will 0, CMB +1, Base Attack Bonus 1    Dragon Pistol +5 vs touch (1d6, x4, 15 feet) Dragon Pistol Cone +3 vs touch (1d6, x4 15 foot cone) Ordinance N/A (1d6+4) Dagger +4 (1d4, 19-20/x2) MST Chain Shirt (+4 Armor) Abilities Str 11, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 8 Conditions Ordinance 6/6

The insinuation that the Burbage situation was anything more than a guy being paid up front and blowing off the assignment felt it needed some pushback. It wouldn't do to badmouth the guild and their vetting process on the first assignment after all. "No, nothing like that. We have business in Outsmuth that Burbage was supposed to deal with himself. His whereabouts are just another issue we need to resolve. Now we know he didn't use your services. So we just need to row us out? I suppose I could if nobody else is going to."