A Child Missing From Lathander Farms

A wail can be heard one early morning, it's sorrowful echo resounds through the area and seems to hang in the atmosphere. It is an awful powerful discord, yet not of any supernatural source. This was the despair of a mother who has lost her child.

Timothy had stayed out late the evening before, and an 8 year old should be able to come home exactly when he wants to right? The Farms seemed safe enough and he was surrounded by his brothers, sisters and playmates. They had all laughed and made pretend to Be great heroes like Ardylan and Elijah, or slaying wicked villains like Elric. They were in the prime of their youth, protected by the grace of Lathander and innocence of childhood. Weren't they?

But Timothy had made a grave error and fell behind the rest, and as the evening lamps were dimmed, All things young and oblivious were utterly snatched from him that night. So there would be one less child playing the yard following morning. . .

On the ground, away from direct notice, a darkened area of dirt held wet and semi traceable markings, as if someone wrote something in lamp oil on the hard top.

[b]

The Abbot Elijah is roused from his morning meditations by the quickened footsteps of an acolyte bearing ill tidings. Sensing this is no child prank, the monk springs to his feet and makes haste toward the orphanage, the news of missing Timothy heavy upon his thoughts.

On his way to the orphanage, Elijah asks a patrolling Lathander Knight for Ardylan only to find out from the knight who heard from another guard that Ardylan is wounded and recuperating at the Oak. The monk heaves a big sigh, furrows his brow and runs his palm over his shaven pate. We need you now, Ardy.

At the orphanage, he joins Kirala in her investigations. Later on, a hin by the name of Wakefield arrives. Hearing that he is an investigator of no small repute in the dales, the Abbot introduces himself and welcomes any help the hin brings.

The area is unusually quiet for this time of year, working celebration of the snowfall coming to a close has ceased, and the blue collar families’ mule about their chores with grim expressions upon their faces. The loss of an adult, whether it be to accident, illness or age is a common and mostly accepted thing. But a child is altogether different.

Timothy the Timid (his former alias) never spoke a word up until his 7th winter, then as the spring erupted and the harvest came to bear, so did his colorful personality. Once an awkward child, Timmy had always avoided direct conflict or social interaction with his peers. It was no less than 4 days removed from the official start of spring, when he just began talking. And he was a smooth one!


The children of the orphanage and the local farmhouses sought Timothy out when possible and though his reputation as an epic prankster preceded him. There was nary a dinner table that refused his grinning presence. He was not the eldest of the group of children that played so close to the church of Lathander, but he was definitely the leader. At first his peers just thought him as a “slowpoke” for lagging behind the group as they made their ways home. But it soon became apparent to the older children and parents, that he was making sure everyone made it home safe. Timothy was always last to get home and in bed.


At first his mother didn’t worry, because he usually showed up a bit later than the rest, escorting the tired and hungry playmates to their very doors. But when the night pressed on and the moon dared to apex the star littered sky, a mother’s concern grew to worry. When the first light of the sun hit the horizon, that worry had become outright panic.


Joressa (Tim’s mother) and her oldest son Nellum had receive a peculiar package just after Wakefield had arrived in town. One evening as the fireplace blazed under a boiling pot of Red-Mash, the small farmhouse they lived within became choked with back drafting smoke. Fearing that a fire had been set to the house, the family evacuated only to notice something blocking the mouth of the exterior extension to the fireplace.



It looks like a potato box, nailed together, plank wood and blackened from the bottom . Timothy’s family has congregated on the front lawn coughing a wheezing. The eldest brother went from sibling to sibling providing support. Joressa however was more concerned about the house and . . . Jenni.



“By the Lord! Where’s Jenni!?” She moved about frantically as glass could be heard breaking inside the home, which was now puking out black smoke from the front door (there were no windows).

When he learns of this elric orders all dawnknights to aid in the search and inquires about the child himself to the current investigator wakefield.

*Finally up and able to walk around in his armor again without too much pain, though still muttering about "those damned Zhents", Ardylan made his way to the Lathander farms to pay a visit and see how things were going with the search for the missing child.

Nearing the farms, Ardylan saw a large black plume of smoke rising high into the sky, illuminated by the moonlight into a light-grey cloud in the night sky. He sprinted the rest of the way, looking for the source of the smoke.

Skidding to a stop at Timothy's home, he sees the smoke billowing out the front door, then looks up to the source of the smoke. He spotted something square and boxy, lodged in the chimney.*

"Eh? Blocked chimney... sure way to start a fire, if its not already burning inside right now."

*As the woman nearby screamed about some girl named Jenni, Ardylan ran to the orphanage. Many days ago he had been up on the building's roof patching it, and he was hoping at least one of his ladders was still laying around.

Finding two of his ladders tucked away behind the building, Ardylan dragged one over to Timothy's family's house, moving as fast as he could while carrying such a heavy and long burden. He props the ladder up against a sturdy side of the house, next to the chimney. Thankfully he grabbed the taller of the two ladders - with the combined ladder's length, his unusually-tall-for-an-elf height, and his long reach, Ardylan hoped he'd be able to grab the box that was stuffed into the chimney's opening...*

Elric organizes a few of the knights to bring water buckets and as they came near the house. he climbed up on the ladder left by ardylan to see what was blocking the chimney...

Looking over the scene after his initial arrival, Wakefield locates the markings on the ground. Dabbing a gloved finger in the substance, he wafts it in the air to catch its scent. Oil of some sort, and made to last on the ground far longer than normal. From his low vantage point, he scans the area for an source of the oil, instead finding flint and tinderbox resting on a beam of the windmill nearby.

Examining the items, he finds them to be used recently and protected from weather. Collecting the items in a bag, he continues his walk around the area, eventually locating an old torch in some weeds, easily missed by a casual eye. Adding it to his bag of fire-starting material, he frowns as he passes the oil stains. No signs of burning just yet; was the kidnapping meant to have a fire to distract onlookers? Was the goal, instead, an arson, interrupted by the child?

He hops over another bit of oil, pausing as he lands. With a quick glance back to the series of faint stains, and idea forms in his mind. Climbing up a bit on the windmill's rungs, he peers down at the oil stains, attempting to get a look at the entire series of unlit oil holistically.


Returning to his rented room in the refugee camp later, Wakefield takes his time carefully studying his findings and beginning a letter to the Abbot- at least until the shouts of panic start up outside. Rushing off after the sounds, he arrives a bit too late to really help the situation. As the chaos continues, he walks behind the gathered crowds, attempting to catch sight of anything useful. If this was a distraction, he didn't want to fall for it.

The knights, upon arrival get to work busily removing the laundry from a nearby clothesline and wrapping a Dawn-knight in sheets and clothing from head to toe. Then a few buckets of water we hastily poured onto the wrapped up knight soaking him down enough to defend against possible flames. He immediately and bravely darted into the mouth of the home and disappeared instantly through the smoke. The remaining knights tossed in a few buckets of water behind him to clear the only entrance and exit available.

The way they performed in this situation was nearly flawless as they has trained for such things repeatedly. When the last of the water was run out (The rest tossed onto the thatched roof of the home) four knight ran off to gather more, while the remaining three offered comfort and support to Timothy's family and neighbors.

A short while later the drenched knight emerged with Jenni, who was grinning from ear to ear, despite the long streak of soot stained tears she had shed. Cunning was with the six year old sister of Timothy and she fled to the cellar of the home and remained there. The knight had little difficulty finding her.

After the Potato box was removed from the chimney and the water pale Dawn Knights doused the hearth, the black smoke sputtered into a grayish haze, then finally, only the smell remained. The house was saved, although extensive smoke damage had been done to the living area.

Sammich, the family pet had perished from smoke inhalation and the girls of the home were particularly devastated by the loss of their dog. But Timothy's absence was still overwhelming to them.

So Ardylan has successfully removed the box, which sat sturdy in his hands, well made and 40cmx40cm, perfectly symmetrical on all sides and nailed tightly with Silver Wood nails.


************************************************************************

Wakefield in the meantime would notice atop the Windmill the shape of the Oil drawing in the hard top. a similarity that could not be denied from that vantage point. It was the oblong and distinct symbol of a "W". The same symbol that represented his agency. . .

DM_MindFlayer wrote:

So Ardylan has successfully removed the box, which sat sturdy in his hands, well made and 40cmx40cm, perfectly symmetrical on all sides and nailed tightly with Silver Wood nails.

*Pulling the box out of the chimney's mouth and safely climbing back down to the ground, Ardylan carried the box away from the fray a few feet. Setting it down in the snow, blackened side down, he dug his hammer out of his bag. After looking the box over briefly, he began the task of trying to pry the nails out of the wood in order to open up the box.*

"Anyone with a torch? I need some light over here!"

*He called out over his shoulder as he worked on the box, not paying much attention to the antics of the hinvestigator or the family, now that everyone was safe.*

*Elric casts light on ardylan*

As the light spell bursts into creation, Wakefield walks over to see what's drawing the focus. Hands in his coat pockets as usual, the Hin tilts his head, squinting through the magical radiance to look over the box.

As Ardylan fiddles with the nails, Wakefield mutters quietly, "Careful of any traps inside there. And, if this is what I think it is, we may not like what we find. Figure whoever put that crate in place knew it'd be removed quick enough."

The chattering in the area has died down as order and calmness are restored. There is a remarkable crowd now gathered in the front lawn of Timothy's house, some are just curious onlookers, others genuinely are concerned neighbors. The box does not open easily, and after a few minutes of work the lip gently gives way and reveals the contents to Ardylan, Wakefield and whomever may be looking over their shoulders.

There is a letter, well preserved and written in a formal manner, well spaced and neatly inscribed upon the expensive looking parchment. It is clean and neat as are the other content in the box, which appears to wrapped inside a heavy red silk cloth, adorned with a birthday bow. It is small an compact, about hand sized to a human and free of any smoke damage despite a bit of heat getting to it.

*Heeding Wakefield's warning about traps, Ardylan leans away as the lid of the crate finally pops off. After a few moments of nothing exploding in his face (for once), Ardylan peeks into the crate.

Ardylan decides to look at the letter first, leaving the wrapped package untouched for now. Picking it up carefully and unfolding it (if necessary), he holds it up to the light to read it.*

"I'm hoping this isn't going to be what I think it is..."

*As the magical light provided by Elric illuminates the page, Ardylan reads it out-loud for anyone gathered to hear.*

Quote :

Services for Timothy Smither, Human , age 8 will be held on this 23rd Day of Ches, 1377 DR

Timothy was a bright and energetic boy, who had overcome his chronic shyness and introversion to becoming one of the local favorites. As a youth it was assumed he was a mute, but soon it became apparent that he simply did not possess the courgage to speak his mind. Having struggled mightily against doubt and self esteem, he finally overcame such after hearing about the exploits of his heroes, Ardylan, Elric, Elijah and Kirala. Just like his heroes, he valiantly slew the title of mute and turned into a well known and beloved voice in the area. A popular child amongst the children of the orphanage, there was never a lack of time for him to be seen playing "Knight and Dragons" with them. Timothy also enjoyed a hard days work mending fences and distributing food stuffs the the needier families in the vicinity. But it was his words of encouragement and mischevious wit that really stood out, never was he without a response that elicited chuckles or laughter. We shall miss him as he parts from this world and into the next, killed in some of the most horrible ways imaginable (Much to the delight of his killer). He is survived by his mother Joressa and his six siblings. . .for now.


I felt it extremely rude and selfish to take Timmy away and not at least share a part of him. To show you that I have all consideration at heart, I'll go as far as to return the very best thing about him!

Condolences.

`The Goodman

*Ardylan pauses once he finishes reading the letter out-loud, slowly lowering the paper to his lap.*

"The Goodman?"

*He looks down into the crate, at the fist-sized wrapped bundle, tied with a bow.*

"I'm not touching that."

With a heavy sigh at "The Goodman" signature being read, Wakefield looks to the others gathered.

"This is what I was afraid of," he replies with a grim expression, kneeling down to untie the ribbon. As the bow slips open, he comments up to assembled guards, "Might be a good idea to have the family protected until this is settled. Especially on the twenty-third."

Elric nods "Set a 24 hour watch around his house myself and elijah will join the rotation as well" he says to the dawnknights.

He then looks to wakefield awaiting to see if truely this vile "goodman" has left a piece of the child.. maybe then a slim hope...

Joressa (Timothy's mother), despite having a complete look of exhaustion and brow crinkled worry manages to notice the happenings surrounding the Box. During the organizing of the mob she manages to slip past some onlookers and knights to approach Ardylan, Wakefield and the rest. Just in time to see the wrappings fall loose from its contents.



At first it seemed an odd thing, shaped like a "D" and textured like smooth soap. As for the color, one could only define it as white and waxy, with the blunted end slightly pink along its very edge.


When turned over however, it became obvious to the nature of this object.



Twelve well cared for teeth gleamed momentarily in the light conjured, sitting atop a rather well kept and intact mandible. The flesh, gums, muscle and even dermis remained on this portion of Timothy's anatomy, perfectly preserved and apparently surgically removed.



Even the tongue remained.



Joressa screamed.

Kirala frowns and grips the hilt of her sword hard, even though there's nothing around to be fought, "..Damn th' feckin' bastard. Damn 'im ter th' 'ells. Wha' sort o' man could...?" She just trails off there and shakes her head, "..Un'rstood, ser." She says to Elric after his order to set up a watch, "Th' bastard 's likely ter make 'is appearance on th' twenty-third. Am gettin' th' feelin' tha' 'e's too... Egotistical ter do otherwise." She says to no one in particular before looking to Joressa, "I.. Miss.. Th' only consolation I got 's tha' 'e's wi' wha'ever god 'e kept, be 't Lathander 'r some other. Nay more o'... Wha'ever 'e went through, 'orrible 's it were. We'll get th' killer, I swear tha' much."

Elijah quickly moves next to Jeressa gently placing his arm to her back, steadying the hysterically sobbing woman.

He looks at the grisly remains intensely as though picturing in his mind's eye the inhumane procedures that have resulted in it.

Pulling his gaze away, the monk notices the oblong oil-painted "W" sign* and ponders for a moment. His piercing stare soon shifts to the gathered crowd, scrutinizing each one in turn. On the newly arrived hin detective, the Abbot's gaze lingers for the longest time.


//* Elijah has pretty high Spot and Listen as well.

Wakefield looks over the contents of the box for a time, turning the mandible 'present' over to check it for added details or signs of a fake. The sight of it doesn't seem to bother the detective, considering his line of work. When he's settled the examination, he looks up to the others, noting Elijah's fixed stare.

In reply, he simply taps the "W" emblem on his coat's breast, nodding.

"I'm aware of it, yeah. Saw it earlier and was planning to send you a letter about the issue. The stain's oil and treated to last a lot longer than normal. I also found some tools to light a fire scattered around here, so I imagine it wasn't meant to be subtle. Not sure if this 'Goodman' was intending to light it himself or wanted someone else to have a go of it."

Standing up, he brushes off his coat and tilts his head towards Kirala.

"Spoke to her for a bit as well. She told me some of the folks here reported seeing a suspicious Halfling in the area around the time the boy went missing. Not a far stretch to imagine I'm supposed to be framed in all this," he remarks, voice even and unemotional.

He walks around the box, keeping his eyes on it as if there could be more to find, continuing his speech, "Enough folks can place me back in Shadowdale during the disappearance, though, and it's a few days travel even the fastest route. Best we dispel any notion of distrust and focus on 'The Goodman' instead. Any chance we can round up the folks who saw this Hin, maybe get a description?"

Pocketing his hands again, he takes a relaxed but straight stance, waiting for a response.

she was preparing a ritual to her goddess and was a bit away of the scene in the woods, maybe a bit more. She had undone her armor and most of her clothes, made a campfire, and prepared to dance around as she heard the scream of Joressa. She instantly looked up, as this scream had set her teeth on edge. She had heard such screams often enough to know about their meaning: someone is in danger of life.
Oh maiden, someone needs help, please protect them and give me the power to reach tem as fast as possible she prayed and tried to slip into her clothes and green breastplate again as quick as she could.

Then she threw snow onto the small fire to extinct it, put on her backpack, including her bow, sword and shield and started to run like hell directly towards the scene. The eyes of the somewhat special "wood"elf were used to see in absolute darkness since her birth, she was easily able to dodge roots and trees.

When she became aware of the light ahead, she stopped some seconds, readied her shield and sword (to one and a half hand), and continued her rush.


She arrived wheezing at the scene, when all the others stood around the small box starring onto the mandible, her heavy shield risen, her sword ready to hit, she broke out of the nearest brush, open visible to everyone

For Eilistraee's sake...? takes a heavy breath watches the attendants Who screamed? another deep breath What happend? Who needs help? it's obvious, that's not easy for her to keep her shield up after this run



((I hope noone mind if I join))