AvB - Partners Against Crime

[planswalker]

zmasterofjersey, TooManySecrets, or dm only. All others will be sent to the needle mines and forced labor.

well, congratulations you two, y'all managed to get a teamup thread before a private thread. When y'all go your separate ways, I'll create a private thread for each of you.

The gray stone tower that is the guardhouse in Old Town looks like it once may have been the keep of a castle. If so, the rest of the building has long since been torn down and re-appropriated. A pair of city watchmen stand guard outside.

[TooManySecrets]

"-and so I say to him 'That's not a sword, this is a sword.'" Jason laughs politely at his own joke. He seems like a nice enough fellow, but rather talkative (though luckily enough not overbearingly so). During the trip to Old Town, he relates how he first came to the city a few years ago and how he has been working as a private investigator during that time. He appears to be rather knowledgeable.

Jason calls out to the guards at a fair distance, being careful not to make any aggressive-seeming moves. "Ahoy there. My name is Jason and this fair lady is Bianca. We have come to offer our services - at a fair price - to Sergent Schlock, concerning his missing person case."

[zmasterofjersey]

Finally reaching the colossal guard tower, Bianca begins to speak hoping that Jason doesn't mind being outspoken. "Hi, we are here to talk to Sergent Schlock to help out with the disappearances that have been going on in Old Town. We were told by the guards in the plaza that this was where we could find him and maybe assist in the investigation." She then takes a small sidestep so they could see both her and Jason clearly.

Ugh...

Edit:
Jeez I get ninjaed in IC threads too...

After being introduced, Bianca politely nods after Jason finishes speaking. She is even a little amused by his mocking of the soldier's swords and smiles a tiny bit and giggles silently to herself.

[planswalker]

the guard's eyes narrow at you. "We don't need mercenaries."

[TooManySecrets]

Jason laughs. "Ha! Mercenaries! I believe you misunderstand us, my good fellow. Mercenaries are hired to kill and maim for cold profit - we're merely offering our investigative skills in helping your sergeant find some missing citizens."

Jason puts on a dramatically concerned look. "I mean, you are aware of the missing people in this district, aren't you? Why, the rumors are just flying all over the city! Evil cults snatching people in the middle of the night! If something isn't done soon, there shall be riots in the streets mark my words. You know your sergeant better than I - perhaps he will appreciate you turning away help even as the citizens of the district disappear one by one."

Tell me if I need to roll anything.

[zmasterofjersey]

Bianca got a little offended by the comment and shot a glare at the guard for the comment, but her momentary lapse of her composure is resolved as Jason once again insults the guard. She then chooses to stay quiet as it seems the situation is under control, and doesn't want to make things worse.

[planswalker]

"I am not sure what rumors you have been hearing, but if you do not desist in laying unfounded rumors at this door, I will have to ask you to leave. I assure you, people are not just getting kidnapped off the streets while we do nothing. The city watch investigates every disappearance with due diligence. I do not appreciate your superior and insulting tone."

walking up the city watch and telling them that you're there to sell your services to them because they're incompetent and letting people get kidnapped is not the way to win friends.

you've managed to almost rp yourself into a corner. You're now going to have to either threaten the guard and roll an intimidate check, pass a bluff check of some sort that will convince him to let you in, overcome his unfriendliness with a diplomacy check, or similar social skill attempt.

[TooManySecrets]

"Listen," Jason says, taking a more conciliatory tone, "we're here to help. If Sergeant Schlock doesn't want our help, we'll go away. Just please let us make the offer to him first."

Eh, I'm not really all that concerned. Worst case scenario, we have to do an independent investigation, we solve it that way, and then we get this guard reprimanded when Sergeant Schlock finds out later that the wunderkind investigators got turned away.

Why, yes, the thought that Jason might not be able to solve the mystery which has plagued the city guard would never occur to him.

Oh, and takin' a 10 on Diplomacy so ... 21.

[zmasterofjersey]

Seeing that being quiet didn't help out one bit and actually made things worse, Bianca decides to speak up if the guard maintains his stubbornness.

Ninjaed again I had a full post written then he beats me to the punch one again in the first day.

[TooManySecrets]

HAHA! I am a ninja!

[planswalker]

well, since you can't take 10 on diplomacy, I'll need you to roll. Also, zmaster, adding your own touch to things (and another roll to help with success) would be appreciated.

[zmasterofjersey]

Bianca decides to put her own spin on trying to fix the current situation."We got off on the wrong foot, sometimes my friend here is a little overzealous. We know you are trying your best, but we did come here to help. You said it just now that you investigate every disappearance, if they kept happening you might have missed something. We might be able to do things that you cannot since we are not official guards and therefore, we aren't immediately recognizable. All we want is to ask the Sergeant if he wants any help and if he says yes to assist him." She tries to say this as polite and sincere as possible to try to not tick the guard off anymore.

I swear if it happens again...Diplomacy [roll0]

[planswalker]

"Okay, fine, whatever. Go on inside and talk with him if you want. It's not like I can actually prevent you from entering this public building unless you disturb the peace or in another way break the law."

[TooManySecrets]

Jason tips his hat - "Much obliged." - and then enters the building.

[zmasterofjersey]

Bianca says thank you to the guard and once she was out of his sight, she rolled her eyes in disgust and kept moving toward the building. She then thinks to herself before they reach the door. I hope the Sergeant isn't such a hardass as the guard outfront, or we will be falling into an even worse situation. "I think you should do most of the talking in there. The Sergeant will be able to relate to you alot better than to me and would be more cooperative. Just try not to irritate him. He can and probably will throw us the hell out unlike the guard back there."

In case you didn't know, but the italics are the thoughts and aren't spoken. I once got the party into trouble because the dm thought I was saying those out loud and I don't want a repeat event.

[TooManySecrets]

I will endeavor to not read your thoughts.

[planswalker]

Inside is a sparsely furnished receiving room. A man behind a desk in one corner looks up at your approach and says, "Hello, citizens. What can the watch in Old Town do for you?"

[TooManySecrets]

"Hello. My name is Jason. Me and my associate are looking for Sergeant Schlock. Can you direct us to him?"

[planswalker]

"You're speaking to him."

[TooManySecrets]

"Then allow me to begin again." Jason bows and takes off his hat. "My name is Jason McClintock and this is Bianca Lily." He readjusts his hat. "We are here to offer our services in helping you bring to justice the scoundrels and ne'er-do-wells who have been involved with the missing person case that you have been leading."

[planswalker]

"And which missing person would this happen to be?"

[zmasterofjersey]

Wanting to get a word in to make herself more in touch with the conversation."Weren't there more than one missing person? I know they are just rumors, but more people usually mean its the truth unless its a giant conspiracy." Bianca tilts her head as she asks the question to further convey her confusion.

[TooManySecrets]

Teehee. I was going to let you go first anyways.

[planswalker]

"Ah, which rumors would that be exactly? The one that the king's abducting people, the city watch, that the kobolds are barbecuing them, or that the skulks are ritually sacrificing them to bring a dark god bodily to this world?"

[TooManySecrets]

Jason smiles and laughs. "Oh, all of the above surely. Though I think you've missed the one where the people were being taken by sewer-dwelling ooze creatures."

His tone grows serious. "Sergeant, I consider myself something of an investigator. If people are going missing, it would be remiss of myself not to offer my services. Bianca feels the same way."

[planswalker]

"Tell you what, I'm not about to start handing out gold to every person off the streets who promises to chase down a rumor, but if you do find out anything that can help lead us to an arrest or simply stop the crimes, I'll compensate you for your troubles."

[zmasterofjersey]

Bianca looks around the room without removing the Sergeant from the edges of her peripheral vision and then asks."Do you have anything you can tell us that may help us out with the search?

[planswalker]

"Only that a week before each new moon, someone goes missing off the streets around sunset. The abductors leave no trace that they were there and every tracking spell has failed."

[TooManySecrets]

"What about the people who were taken? Can we have a list of their names?"

[planswalker]

"That is classified information that I'm not about to just hand out to everyone off the street. The families deserve privacy. However, ask around. The last abduction was last week. I'm sure it won't be hard to figure out who was taken.

Unless of course you're not very good at ferreting out information, wherein this whole thing is probably a waste of your time."

[TooManySecrets]

"Well ... okay. I am sure that we will meet again, sergeant." Jason holds out his hand for a shake and then is on his way.

What a dic​k.

I am, of course, referring to my own character with 1920s slang. He is a great private investigator.
After leaving the outpost, Jason waits for Bianca. When out of earshot of the guards, he talks to her. "Well, that was moderately unhelpful. If you want to leave now, I wouldn't blame you. Going after an unknown enemy who is smart enough not to leave any clues for the local constabulary probably isn't the safest thing to do."

[zmasterofjersey]

"I agree that he wasn't that helpful, but at least we know that someone gets abducted about once every new moon. As for leaving, I would like to rub it in their faces for telling us not to try. We also don't really have to do anything dangerous, we can just find out more things and tell Schlock what we found. Or we can do the work ourselves. I may not look like it, but I can handle myself in a dangerous situation. Then again, if you want to split I'm okay with that." Bianca then glances up at the sky to find out about what time of day it is.

About what time of day is it now, and is there anyway we can know when the next new moon will be?

[TooManySecrets]

"As you wish. I'm stayin as well." Jason looks around. "We'll need to get a good handle on the situation. I suggest we split up and meet later today over at the Slaughtered Lamb here in Old Town at nightfall. Our focus should be in finding out who is missing, when they disappeared, and where they could have been when they were taken. I don't think that we should talk with any of the families of the missing right away - I have a feeling Sergeant Friendly might use it as an excuse to throw his authority around."

[planswalker]

since the abductions happen one week before the new moon, and the last one was one week ago, it will be approximately three weeks before the next abduction.

also, coincidentally, the next new moon is scheduled for tomorrow night.

It's about 3pm today.

[zmasterofjersey]

Tell me if this is post is too forward, trying to work what you said into character.
Bianca nods and responds to Jason's plan. "Sounds like we have it covered, but the moon goes through its cycle once every 28 days, so the most recent abduction could have been any time. For all we know, it could have happened last night and we would have to wait a month to catch the kidnappers in the act. Then again that isn't a bad thing, we would have plenty of time to collect information." Bianca then thinks to herself before speaking again."I guess we can find all that out when we go asking around."

Note to self, do not post without reviewing things. Willl make me seem less stupid.

[planswalker]

um, you know exactly when the last kidnapping was. Six days ago. that means you have 22 days to figure this out before the next kidnapping.

[zmasterofjersey]

Again I am so stupid:smallannoyed::smallannoyed:.
Bianca nods then replies to Jason. "Sounds like we have it covered. The moon goes through its cycle once every 28 days, and seeing how the last one was 6 days ago, we have quite a while before they kidnap someone else. One thing I want to ask you though is, what exactly should we be asking people. Surely if someone knew something and their relative got abducted, they would go tell the Sergeant in there."

I probably should triple re-read my posts from now on..:smallannoyed:

[TooManySecrets]

"Yes, well, even if they had I don't think that the sergeant would have told us. There's too many unknowns, so we should focus on the basic stuff first."

[zmasterofjersey]

"Ok then, I guess I'll meet you at the Slaughtered Lamb later on then."

[planswalker]

a reminder: in AVB, you must actually do something in order for a dm to respond. The pace and flow of the game depends entirely on you.

[TooManySecrets]

Well, we were having a conversation...

Anyways, it's 3pm, which gives about 3 hours before nightfall. I'll be rollin' Gather Information. Jason is looking for (a) who was taken, (b) when they were taken, (c) where they lived, and (d) where they could have been taken, in that order.

Check: [roll0] Time: [roll1] (50 minutes)
Check: [roll2] Time: [roll3] (40 minutes)
Check: [roll4] Time: [roll5] (40 minutes)

Have about 50 minutes left - next post.

[TooManySecrets]

More rolls...

Check: [roll0] Time: [roll1] (30 minutes)
Check: [roll2] Time: [roll3] (20 minutes)
Check: [roll4] Time: [roll5] (20 minutes)

[planswalker]

that's completely cool. I was just saying something because it looked like both of y'all had ended the conversation and were expecting the dm to say something.

The person abducted is the grandmother of an old family that used to be wealthy. The family name is Streich. The elderly woman taken was called Feirst. It turns out that she went missing between her home and her youngest son's house two blocks down the road about an hour after midnight. No one seems to have a clue who did it, why, or where she could have been taken. Some even suggest that she just wandered off from senility. If that were the case, you suspect that she would have been found within a day.

[zmasterofjersey]

Hope Secrets doesn't mind me stealing his layout.Bianca then goes her own way and makes a mental note to start heading to the Lamb after sunset. She walks around old town asking questions trying to avoid anyone who may be crying, or asking about their missing relatives. Bianca asks about who was taken first, anybody who might be doing the abducting, a possible hideout that the abductees may be taken to, and any info they may find useful to someone trying to locate the missing people.
As I said, I'm going to be stealing his format.

Check[roll0] [roll1]
Check[roll2] [roll3]
Check[roll4] [roll5]
Check[roll6] [roll7]

EDIT:Today I'm going to a 4th of July picnic, so I wont be posting today after 12:00 Est, which is in 2 and a half hours from this edit.Thought you might want the heads up.

[planswalker]

She learns that the abduction was over ten years ago, but the four hours it takes means she's an hour late meeting up. No one's sure exactly when the first one was, but you do know it was in the spring ten years ago.

those d4+1 rolls are hours unless you've got some special ability as well that shortens them.

[zmasterofjersey]

Sorry for minor posting yesterday, was at a party and kinda collapsed once I got home.
Bianca, realizing that she was late, ran as fast as she could to the Slaughtered Lamb, only to stop outside the door to catch her breath. She then walks in normally like nothing happened and looks for Jason.

[TooManySecrets]

Eh, that's fine. You don't have to apologize to me for having a life outside this forum.

Jason is sitting in a corner booth, his back to the wall and watching the door. When he sees Bianca he waves her down. "So, what did you learn?"

[Insert sharing of information here.]

"We know who the most recent abductee is and we have a good inkling to when this all began." Jason leans back and lets out his breath. "By blood, ten years is a long time. If a person was abducted every full moon that is around 120 people. This wasn't done by a gang or anything like that. Most of them don't last that long and any gang who has killed that many people would be legendary. Ten years is a long time for a cult as well. The type of people who worship demons and dark gods don't tend to be the most stable sort and I shudder to think what sort of evil thing takes over a hundred blood sacrifices and is still not satisfied."

"This seems more to be the work of a particularly obsessive lone madman or perhaps a dedicated predator."

Jason pauses as a waitress comes by. He orders water and some food, waits for Bianca to order and the waitress to leaves, and then continues. "My father always said that to understand, you must know where it all started. Our focus should be in finding out as much as we can about the very first abduction."

[zmasterofjersey]

After taking a drink from the food she ordered, she continues the conversation. "Again, I am sorry I was late. And as for searching for the start of the abductions, we don't know anything about that except spring of 10 years ago. We don't even have a name, but maybe the Sergeant would know that. Then again, going to him to ask without any new info, could end up blowing up in our faces. So what do you think we should do." Bianca then takes a bite out of her meal awaiting his response.

[TooManySecrets]

"I agree that we shouldn't go back to Sergeant Friendly. If we come to him with evidence that the guard has been lax for ten years, I think he's the type who would accept nothing less than absolute proof in triplicate, if only to preserve his job." Jason sips at his water thoughtfully. "And that's without getting paranoid and assuming that somebody within the guard is helping our culprit. Incompetency or conspiracy, I don't know which scares me more. Either way, the good sergeant should remain in the dark for now."

"We focus on what happened ten years ago. We spend a few days on that. Our most recent abductee is either dead or safe until the next abduction. Either way, we can afford a few days of digging into the past."

zmaster: You can retry Gather Information checks, so we can just keep going away at it.

planswalker: Are their any libraries that would have information about things that happened 10 years ago? I don't presume that my character knows a specific one; just asking whether such a thing exists or not.

[planswalker]

the existence or absence of such a place can be revealed with a knowledge (local) check.

[TooManySecrets]

Knowledge (Local):[roll0]

[planswalker]

You can recall three such places. There is a royal hall of records in the palace, which will require not only access to the noble's quarter, but it will also necessitate a petition to the chief scribe.

For those without the political clout, two other possibilities exist. In the Fortress located between the city gate and the Docks, they keep extensive records of all reported criminal activity. The other option is the mage's university, which keeps a large library with records of local news.

[TooManySecrets]

"Ten years is a long time. Maybe somebody remembers seeing something, maybe they don't. There's a few places I know of which keep relevant records. - [Insert sharing of information] - I don't fancy trying to get into the records at the royal palace. That leaves the Fortress and the University's library. We'll probably want to go to both eventually. Once we get a name, we might also want to ask around the district. How do you want to attack this? Metaphorically, of course."

[zmasterofjersey]

"Although the royal one would probably yield the most information, your probably right. I say lets check the University's Library first because the guard haven't gotten far and their records might be the same, but the University maybe could have had more since they had more magical opportunities."

After stating her opinion, she asks a question on a different topic. "I know this is off topic, but I have a few questions about the city itself. Is there anything important I should know about laws or certain places and such? I ask because I sort of know you better than anyone in the city even though we just met today."

[TooManySecrets]

Given that I'm not rushed or threatened, I take 10 on Knowledge (Local) for any unusual laws or traditions.

Result: 19

[planswalker]

this is a houserule, I know, but knowledge is something you either know or you don't. I don't allow taking 10 on knowledge checks as such is counter intuitive.

[TooManySecrets]

I hope this isn't embarrassing.

Knowledge (Local): [roll0]

EDIT: That's pretty embarrassing.

[planswalker]

One little oddity is that the local law enforcement uses a privately owned enterprise, the local needle mine, as part of their penal code.

[TooManySecrets]

I don't know what a "needle mine" is. ... Do they mine needles?

[planswalker]

The local needle mine is literally a big hole in the ground where they dig up needle ore and ship it off to be refined and processed into needles.

As in, the city is mining needles.

[TooManySecrets]

"Yeah. Don't get arrested. Unless you like mining raw iron ore. Other than that, it's pretty much the usual."

"Anyways, I agree that the university should be our first choice. We'll want to go to the Fortress, though, since there's a chance that the guards haven't connected the dots between the most recent abduction and the one ten years ago."

If you're done, zmaster, I think we can go NEXT DAY and make our way to the University.

EDIT: Oh, and I don't think I properly expressed my emotion that your character knows nobody else in the city. So here http://sae.tweek.us/static/images/emoticons/emot-smith.gif

[zmasterofjersey]

Realizing that its been a longer day then she's used to, Bianca yawns and then turns to Jason."I am really tired, we can start on all this tomorrow. Where do you want to meet so we can go to the University tomorrow?"

[TooManySecrets]

"In front of the University itself, I'd say. I'll be waiting in front of the gates in the morning."

And then we do that thing I said, I guess.

[planswalker]

The gates of the Royal University of Scientific Esoterica stand before you open. Several buildings lay beyond. No one seems to be guarding the gated entrance, trusting that anyone wishing to cause trouble would think better than to attack the greatest concentration of young mages in the city. A stream of people are coming and going from the gate.

[zmasterofjersey]

"Lets get to it then shall we? We should look for someone who looks like a teacher and ask where the Library is. I hope they don't have a rule about access to specific records." Bianca then briskly walks through the gates motioning Jason to follow her. She looks around trying to take in the majesty of the University trying to see everything around her.

Spot check to see the details of the University. [roll0] Also does the University have a "must be a magic user" to enter rule that is relatively known about?

[planswalker]

One has to have magical talent to enroll or they're wasting money, but they don't mind taking someone's money even if they don't.

There is no such requirement to entering the campus.

They notice a man with some odd plantlike growths coming out of his body walking casually to a building. By the way he carries himself and the book he holds, he would seem to be a teacher.

[TooManySecrets]

Jason goes up to one of the students who seems least in a hurry. "Excuse me, but I'm a bit lost. Would you mind pointing out where the library is?"

[planswalker]

He points off towards a square brick building.

[TooManySecrets]

"Come on, Bianca! Evil doesn't tarry and neither will we."

Hope the kid isn't trying to punk me.

[zmasterofjersey]

"Okay, but don't run, you will smash into someone" Bianca then follows Jason at a brisk walking pace toward the library. On the trip she tries to piece together her thoughts and thinking of how the library might look.

[planswalker]

inside the square brick building is a rather large structure, significantly larger than it has a right to be on the outside. A librarian is sitting behind a desk shortly after the entrance, and beyond the desk is several doors labeled to indicate which section of the numbering system the library uses is contained in each place. at the far end of the receiving room is a staircase indicating that more volumes can be found on the second and third stories of the building that had appeared to be only 1 story on the outside.

She spots the two of you and says, "Hello! Can I help you find something?"

[zmasterofjersey]

After leaving then reentering the room a few times to see what the heck was going on Bianca answers," I really like the use space in the library, but onto serious matters, yes, we are looking for the news records from around spring of 10 years ago." Bianca then quickly scans the librarian to find our more of what she looks like.

[planswalker]

"Local history is on the second floor. The last three digits of the numbering system in the local history section is the year and month. Should you have difficulties understanding it, seek out the librarian on that floor. He'll be more than happy to assist you."

[TooManySecrets]

"Thank your for your help."

We do that thing.

[planswalker]

what thing exactly is that?

go to the second floor?

go straight to the librarian there?

try to find the information you're looking for on your own?

[TooManySecrets]

Go to the second floor, go to the local history section, and then look for it ourselves.

I'll be more explicit next time.

[planswalker]

thanks. One of the cardinal rules in AVB is the PC's drive the action, NOT the DM's.

You find that the second floor of the library is a maze of bookshelves densely packed together. The two of you manage to find a section entailing the year in question, but it appears to be a list of almanacs detailing the weather patters of the local countryside.

perhaps knowledge (local) or search checks could help you pinpoint what you're looking for.

[zmasterofjersey]

Really can't think of any IC things to say here. Know. Local[roll0] Yuck..

[planswalker]

This numbering system definitely has a pattern to it, but you just can't seem to figure out how it relates to the city's history.

[TooManySecrets]

Ha! I can beat that!

Knowledge (Local): [roll0]

21! Har har, har-dee har har. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63i0ncXiaXE&t=3m38s)

[planswalker]

You figure out that the local history section is first divided by topic, then chronologically. They seem to have divided up the topics into about two dozen specific topics.

pick the specific topic you wish to search for.

[TooManySecrets]

What are the specific topics?

[zmasterofjersey]

I have a question real quick. I am not supposed to respond IC b/c I failed my Knowledge check right? I think thats the case but I'm not entirely sure.

[planswalker]

the specific topics are numerous enough that you'll be able to find at worst a close approximate to whatever topic you choose to look for.

and zmaster can as well if you two share information with each other.

[TooManySecrets]

"Bianca, the records are divided by topic then chronology. Which makes it a bit of a pain for us, but you have to take what is given to you." Jason shows how it works. "We've got a lot of books to read, but we've got a lot of time as well. So, I suggest we just choose a record from the appropriate time and start reading."

So, yeah, I'm just suggesting that we check for anything unusual a few days before and after each full moon 10 years ago.

[zmasterofjersey]

After hearing how the system works, Bianca quickly looks for abduction under topic, and the year 1342 under the chronological tab.

Do we need a roll (probably search) to find specific topics?

[planswalker]

not once you understand the system

You find the book you're looking for under the "Criminal Journals" section. In it, there are tomes arranged by year, with each year containing the following: A Book that lists every reported crime in that year, one that lists all high crimes in detail, one that reports the names of everyone convicted, and one that gives all public details concerning any unsolved cases from the previous year, including the details of any that have been solved.

[zmasterofjersey]

Bianca takes the book that listed all the crimes in detail and begins looking for spring time crimes looking for the words kidnap and full moon specifically.

[planswalker]

The book that lists all crimes gives only a brief summary of each one.
The one that lists them in detail only lists those crimes considered high crimes against the state (felonies in modern language... but only the ones that are actually serious).

[zmasterofjersey]

Seeing this book having nothing of what she was looking for, Bianca then turns to the book concerning unsolved cases and looking for any crimes with keywords spring,full moon, and abduction as before.

[TooManySecrets]

Jason will take the book that lists all the crimes, and find all missing persons cases that happen on the full moon, and write down the name of the person and the date it occurred.

I don't intend you to make up every person. It's fine saying "You now know they're names". I'm basically trying to get a list of every missing person and confirmation that this started 10 years ago. So, for instance, if the missing persons don't start, say, in the middle of the year, I'll probably be going back even further.

[planswalker]

Seeing this book having nothing of what she was looking for, Bianca then turns to the book concerning unsolved cases and looking for any crimes with keywords spring,full moon, and abduction as before.
In fact, there are twelve such cases of abductions on or near the week before the full moon for that year, starting on April of that year. Since missing persons are not always reported immediately, you suspect 3 or 4 of those names might be false positives unrelated to your query.

Jason will take the book that lists all the crimes, and find all missing persons cases that happen on the full moon, and write down the name of the person and the date it occurred.

I don't intend you to make up every person. It's fine saying "You now know they're names". I'm basically trying to get a list of every missing person and confirmation that this started 10 years ago. So, for instance, if the missing persons don't start, say, in the middle of the year, I'll probably be going back even further.

You know the names. Same issue with the timing on this one as well.

[zmasterofjersey]

Bianca intensely studies the 12 cases looking to see if any thing in particular sticks out from the rest. She then goes over to Jason to see what book he is reading into to see if the stories match up.

[planswalker]

7 were female, 5 male. Two of them were twins, taken 4 months apart. Four were very old, two were very young. Four were from the same family. All of them were human, and none were particularly wealthy or poor.

[zmasterofjersey]

My subscription to the thread didn't update. When I hit user cp it doesn't say any new threads, then I hit view all threads and it says the last post is mine that I made at 10:48. Is it a bug or something?

Correction: Before I posted this, the above is what happened, now it says this is the last post, so I assume it is back to normal?

Anyway back to the story.
Bianca is curious about 4 of the victims being from the same family, she reads into the files of each of the four to get most of the details she can.

[planswalker]

The father was a professional athlete, sponsored by the crown. Mother was raised on a farm. Twin daughters were seven when they were taken. An examination of the father's competitors revealed nothing, and no close friends of the family were ever accused.

if there was some other specific details you were looking for, tell me what they were and I'll tell you whether or not it's included.

[zmasterofjersey]

Approximately how far apart were each of the family members taken, starting from the first taken to the last taken?

[planswalker]

twin 1 was the first one taken, mother was third, twin 2 the fourth, and father was the ninth.

[zmasterofjersey]

Bianca doesn't find anything else interesting about the twelve victims except that all that were taken were human, but that might be a coincidence. She then turns to Jason, " I can't find anything that might help us at all here, the only thing I have left that gets my interest is that each of the people kidnapped were human. Do you have any ideas?"

Does Aldhaven have a race that is the majority of the population?

[planswalker]

Humans make up 60% of the population. Dwarves, halflings, and gnomes are the next runners up.

[TooManySecrets]

"They were probably all wearing clothes when they were abducted as well. I don't think we should be on the lookout for a pants bandit, though. Being an investigator is not just about seeing what is there, but realizing whether it's relevant or not."

Jason places the book he was reading down, being careful to keep his place without cracking the book's spine. "We can discard any report that comes in the week before the week before the new moon. Likewise, we can discard any that come a week after the new moon - if nobody noticed they were missing after a week, we've got other problems. We do this for every month going forwards from April 10 years ago. Make a note of who was taken, when, and best guess of where they were taken and where they lived."

Jason looks at Bianca, with a bit of a smile. "Welcome to the glamorous world of private investigation, kid."

[zmasterofjersey]

Bianca returns the smile in kind,"Glamorous is kind of a stretch, don't ya think? Anyway, people probably aren't reported missing on the same day, otherwise there would be thousands of cases of when kids stayed out without permission. Do you have any way to fix that in our search? Also, do we have a farmer's almanac or something that can tell us when the new moon was 10 years ago? It would help us out alot"

Sorry for no posts yesterday, was out job hunting all day. Also, I am asking what I did IC, any books that can tell us the lunar cycle from a decade ago?

[planswalker]

hello? Are y'all waiting on me? I don't see where y'all did anything I need to respond to. Best I can tell, the two of you are having a conversation and haven't actually done anything that needs dm resolution.

[zmasterofjersey]

I was sort of asking both of you if there was a farmer's almanac that we either had at our disposal, or knew about somewhere. It was so we could find out when the new moons were which would help in the search.

I also am awaiting a response from Secrets for the first half of my quotes.

My apologies I see now I could have worded that alot better.

[planswalker]

There is not a farmer's almanac as such in this section, but it is not difficult for you to locate ones that cover the span of history you care about. They are in a different section of this floor.

[zmasterofjersey]

"Ill go find an almanac or something so we can find out when the new moons were exactly." Bianca then goes back to the first section they went to that had all the almanacs and such and looks for any books that might contain information about the moon during spring.

Not sure if its viable but search [roll0]

[planswalker]

You find such information in a series of almanacs whose volumes include the exact day of each new moon for their year.

[zmasterofjersey]

Bianca then pulls out the book with the year 1342, and before going back to Jason, she glances around to see if anyone is in the library besides Jason and herself.

[planswalker]

In fact, there are four humans, a halfling, and a gnoll in this section of the library.

[zmasterofjersey]

A gnoll being the obvious strangest one of the 6 people, she just continues to Jason and the books they had gathered. She then opens the newest book and looks for any and all new moons during spring, and then cross references it with the list of the 12 abductees to find which one is the closest to being found missing after a new moon.

[planswalker]

tired.. brain fuzzing out on me. I'll answer you in the morning.

[planswalker]

There were four new moons in the spring of that year, and two old males, the mother from the family, and one of the twins were taken in the specified time.

[zmasterofjersey]

Which one was the first one taken that specifies the correct timeframe?

[planswalker]

One of the two old males was the first.

[zmasterofjersey]

Finding out that one of the two old males were first, she looks into him specifically to once again see any extraordinary details that make him stand out from the others.

Also, is there a name, or would we have to look for that separately?

[planswalker]

You have the names, I'm just not good at keeping up with names and only create one if I absolutely have to.

The old man was called Tarn Vedra. He was a mountain man earlier in life who retired in the city due to being the great uncle of a minor baron. He lived a quiet life and made no known enemies. None that the watch found to report on, anyways.

[Monodominant]

As you are sitting there looking through material on the case you see a man of average height with well-groomed short, dark brown hair and piercing green eyes and fair skin.

He seems to be looking for something or someone and as your eyes meet accross the rooms it seems as if he has found what he is looking for.



Another PC investigating the cult activity has found his way to the library looking for the two of you.

Shall I bring him over to your thread for a further teamup?

[planswalker]

In addition, what can only be described as a walking tree is cimbing up the stairs from the third floor. It stops and scans the second floor, its eyes pausing on the two of you. He then continues on his way.

[Psilulz]

"Are you two the adventurers that came by the guardhouse earlier? The ones looking into the disappearances?" The man asks, raising a curious and expectant eyebrow.

[TooManySecrets]

Sorry about the delay. Been a busy week. Reading what I've missed and will be posting in-character soon.

"I consider myself more of a private investigator than an adventurer." Jason holds out his hand, ready to give a firm handshake. "My name is Jason and this is Bianca. Who might you be, sir?"

[Psilulz]

"The name's Keith." He shakes Jason's hand. "I too am an investigator of sorts. I've simply come to offer my assistance, if you wish for it."

[zmasterofjersey]

"More help couldn't hurt, how did ya find us though? We probably didn't stick out like a sore thumb in the university."Bianca says while eying the stranger, but also looking to see the "tree" before it completely goes out of sight.

Welcome Psilulz and Mondominant, although as a Dm hes probably been in the thread before.

[Psilulz]

"The Sergeant said you might be here. So, I simply followed his advice and here I am." Keith sees Bianca looking past him. "Something interesting is behind me, isn't there?"

((What do Jason and Bianca look like?))

Ty. Nice to be here :smallwink:

[zmasterofjersey]

"Not really, I was just looking at someone who paused to look at us then continued going up the stairs. The Sergeant seemed like an ass, was he the same to you?""

She wears a brown robe that mostly covers her body complete with a hood that even lets her hair go down behind the back of the cloak and not get tangled as most long hair does.From the front if the cloak isn't clasped shut, you can see her purple scarf tied neatly around her neck with the leftover draping lazily over her upper torso. Underneath the scarf are the dark blue shirt and the pants to match, both conform to her body but aren't skin tight.

As of right now, the hood is down so you can see her head and the robe isn't clasped shut.

[planswalker]

psilulz was originally monodominant's pc, and he was helping transition him here. Now that you are, I'll be taking over, at least for now. This has a non-zero chance of interacting with his pc, and he can't dm himself.

[Psilulz]

"No, he was actually quite nice to me. He even employed me in the guard. Did you guys do something to upset him?"

[zmasterofjersey]

"Not that I remember, we said we wanted to help with the disappearances, and he kinda barked back at us. Anyway, we decided to start by finding out who the first person taken was to see if the person abducted had anything significant that might help us. We found that the first person taken the week before a new moon during spring of 1342 which was when the abductions started was named Tarn Vedra. He was a mountain man who retired in the city due to being the great uncle of a minor baron. He lived a quiet life and made no known enemies. None that the watch found to report on, anyways. Does the name mean anything to either of you?"Bianca looked at both Keith and Jason as she finished.

[Psilulz]

"Never heard of him. Were there any mysterious or odd circumstances report around any of the disappearances? Or did they simply just vanish?"

[TooManySecrets]

Jason is wearing well-made professional clothes, the kind that might be worn by a well-to-do artisan or minor nobleman. Black pants, black jacket, and a white cravat. The most striking thing is Jason's greatsword, held on his back in a leather scabbard.

"We don't know. At least, not in detail. The University's records - " Jason vaguely waves his hand to the shelves of books
"- are wide but shallow. Except for city-wide criminal activities, they don't go into much detail, especially a crime, which to the authorities, must look no more unusual than any others. Our plan is to get as much information as we can from here before gong to the Fortress. If we have names and times for the crimes, I'm sure they'll be far more welcoming of our presence than if we wanted to paw through their records."

[planswalker]

nudge?....

[Psilulz]

"A shame... So you two are heading off to the Fortress? I don't think I'll be able to head off there with you... I have business that needs to be taken care of. I cannot afford to be late. If you find anything of interest, require my services, or would simply enjoy the presence, please, do not hesitate to contact me." Keith will provide them with his address. "Were there any other cases you were investigating or just the missing persons?"

[zmasterofjersey]

"No, we were just looking into the disappearances, and if we need you, we will contact you." Bianca takes the address and makes a copy for Jason for him and puts hers in her pocket.

Sorry about the haphazard posting. It will be better now since I'm back from vacation which I realize I didn't tell you guys. So, sorry again.

[Psilulz]

"Well it was nice meeting you two. Be careful. Be safe. And good luck in your search." And at that, Keith leaves.

Heading back to the guardhouse if he doesn't have much time to walk around. Otherwise, Keith will walk around the city, pretty much sight seeing and familiarizing himself with Aldhaven, until he would have to go back to the guardhouse.

[planswalker]

does this mean you're leaving back to your private thread?

[Psilulz]

Yes. I was only really planning on introducing myself. If they had more to go on I would help them. I think they'll dig something up at the Fortress, but that may take a while.

[planswalker]

then back off to monodominant and your private thread with you! ;)

[zmasterofjersey]

After Keith leaves, Bianca turns, "Something bothered me about what you said. Even though we have a highly probable first abductee, why would the Seargent suddenly be more compliant with us?"

[Monodominant]

Just dropping in to say and that I will be your DM from now on as we had to do some switching to accomodate new players and also how we handle particular plot lines based on our player load ;)

I am essentially waiting for your actions as player to player interaction needs no additional info for me at this point.

[Monodominant]

3-day bump.

Guys any activity here? Are you still in or...?

[zmasterofjersey]

I am here, I'm waiting for Secrets' response.

[planswalker]

secrets has been sans computer since 7/21. no posts anywhere since then.

[Monodominant]

Its up to you but if you want we can say its night after all this research, the library closes and the two of you part...

You get your own private thread (which is the norm anyway) and we play there until he is back... cause otherwise I fear you may have to wait for a looong time...

Up to you though...

[Monodominant]

As another PC of mine started investigating this I wanted to come back once more and check if you guys were at all still around and care to continue.

If not thats fine with me I can put your PCs under "vanished/dropped" but I wanted to give it one last try.