Rumors of stolen Children and a Drow Arch Mage

A rumor starts to spread around near by farm lands that a Drow has taken up residence somewhere within the surrounding lands. Some folk have even heard rumors of him kidnaping children of all races, live stock and some rumors even say that he is behind the sudden heat waves, one last thing the druids and rangers might find odd, any attempts to ask the creatures of the wilds by use of magic for information on this rumored Archmage are unable to answer, any scraying attempts or contact plan spells also fail, this includes the missing children, all of which are rumored to be around the age range of five to nine, all of them from poor or unhappy homes.

An old human wanders around the dale, taking notes of the various children missing and which conditions they vanished under. He seems to take thorough notes on each case - location, time of day, age, company last seen in.

He discovers the same patern as those that disappeared around the lands of Myth Drannor.

Norlamin makes his way to Shadowdale after hearing of similar occurrences there as in the Cormanthor.

He again puts his tracking skills to use, much like in the Cormanthor.

Nor locates a begger woman who would be found in town offer a bag of platitum coins to anyone that could get her Annie back, upon being asked where she disappeared the Begger says that she and her Annie where outside Shadowdale to the east of town. Scouting the area confirms this as he finds her tracks around some berry bushes, they just suddenly end, to signs of struggle or anything, its as if Annie just dip appeared into thin air.

Korithian moves among the people of the Dales looking for farmers and townsfolk that have had their children taken. Assuring them that everything will be done to get their children back he asks if they saw anything before the abduction, if the children spoke of seeing anything during the night or had made any new friends of late.

He then examines the areas where the children went misisng for any signs of arcane use and how they might have been taken without anyone having seen. Once finished with the farmers Korithian seeks out the patrolling swordhands and sky mages asking if they have seen anything more out of the normal than usual. If a slight figure has been seen carrying children, likely wrapped in heavy cloaks unusal for the warm weather.

Finished with Shadowdale he catches the first of the Carvans up to Freehaven to check for talk of anyone purchasing or selling young slaves. Trying to find any of the drow that have been known to frequent the place know anything of an Arch Mage coming to the surface looking to break the fragile truce that currently holds.

@ Korithian

whats your spellcraft?

((32 base and 34 under normal travel conditions ))

After discovering the animals could be of no use to help him, Aerys would search around the houses where the children and livestock had gone missing in Shadowdale. He would search for tracks an anything that may provide insight on what was happening.

@Kaj

You find the tracks of the child that disapeared, they seem to give the impression the child was playing a game, perhaps hind and seek, the tracks lead to a hiding place before they end suddenly, as if the child had vanished into thin air.

@Korithian

the residue magic is very very faint, but you discover that where the child disapeared is lingering extra plannar magics, perhaps from a plane shift spell.

Having finished an examination of where the children went missing Korithian heads quickly to the Barracks finding a report of a man questioned by Swordhand Krogan.

He compares a testimony of a plane touched claiming to have had a feeling of similar magics at the time of the old skull explosion. Finished compairing the two accounts he sends for the parents of a missing child. He requests they walk him through the last time they remember seeing their child. Ignoring the blubbering he trys to put together a patern of where the children have been seen last and where they have been abducted.

Making a note on a crudely drawn map of the dales, Korithian then sends for hunters and trackers within the Zhentarim to find what tracks and information can be found. Focusing on one question, how were the kids lured away from everyone else so they could be abduducted with no one seeing a thing. He suspected the magic employed was powerful but even it would leave the magi vissable for a split second has he grabbed the child. But some how they had been lured out of sight of parents and friends and guards. Had they gone willingly and if so had the Arch Mage spoken with these children prior to taking them?

Looking round he set off into the town looking for an Orc mercenary he had need of their nose in a house of one of the missing children. If a drow had befriended them in the night to lure them away they might be able to smell it sickly scent in the hovel these people called a home.

Skumfang - having lost some of his respect of Korithian with how the Forest Giant incident was handled - reluctantly helps him, snarling about higher pay. If no mention of payment or reward is hinted at, he quickly loses interest and goes to hunt in the forest in a mood.

If promised reward, he follows Korithian and uses his sense of smell where directed (Grey Orc Scent racial ability) in order to attempt to discern the Drow's smell, and perhaps where it would lead to.

Having found Xagu Zau Kamab in what could only be described as one of her better moods smeering blood from a fallen victim over her body in some primative triabalistic ritural she had grudgingly agreed to check a house of one of the missing children with him. Mostly she had complained, spoke of her God and complained but was of a far more agreeable nature than normal, perhaps her recent kills had cooled her blood?

Looking around the farmers house after they had fled, when Xagu had almost knocked the door off the hindges, was piss poor workmanship after all. Korithian guessed maybe her blood had not cooled, the place looked like a hoard of orcs had just raided the place not just the one. Someone else may have cared that these people had lost a child and now their house was turned over by an orc. But Korithian could feel nothing for them, he simply had nothing in comon with them their lives and deaths would have passed without him giving them a second thought. But they were now part of something else, something greater than themselves, the search for justice and a symbol that those that attacked the people of the Dales would be punished. Once the person responsible for the crime had been caught....

Finding Scumfang, looking as angry as he had when the Forest Giant had man handled him Korithain proposed a business deal. Fang may have held an unrealistic expectation of the law and killing forest giant child and perhaps even what he hoped would happen. But he was pragmatic enough to see an option for coin for very little work and no more dangerous than walking around the Dales.

With Scumfangs assistance the two travelled mostly in silence as Korithian took the Orc to where the children had been last sceen and then followed the path of their last known movements to see if any scent of the abductor could be identified. The Dales were so well travelled these days it seemed unlikely a specific scent could be identified, though Drow, Vampires and magi powerful enough to take others with them into other planes with them were hopefully sufficiently rare that the Orc maybe able to pick up the scent and give him a clue who they would be dealing with.

Watching Scumfang work, Korithian consider it was pragmatisim that would find the person responsible for taking the children and maybe the attack on the farm. The ends justifed the means and he would happily put up with angry Orc companions if it lead him to the truth. With enough gold and time maybe the company would start to see things his way.

The distraught parents would wail as their house was torn apart, the husband shouting curses. "FIRST YOU NEARLY BEGGER US, THEN OUR DAUGHTER IS TAKEN AND NOW YOU DESTROY OUR HOME!? A CURSE UPON YOU AND YOUR ENTIRE BLIGHTED BLACK NETWORK!" In any case you find nothing that gives you any clues, upon asking others that knew the missing children they dont give any helpful useful information. Although new reports of all the begges children banding togeather and leaving Shadowdale comein, as well as a few farmers abandoning thier farms and leaving the land.

As for the scents. The Faint smell of a Drow, chalk and damp moss and a flowery scent can be smelled in the house.

As begger children and families leave Shadowdale they come accross dwarves and Cormyrian soildiers still watching the roads from the northern farms. They offer to take them to the Lathander farms, or if they are/have children to the Hall to be protected from the dead magic area.

Having heard of children disappearing Karovir especially watches the children on his daily patrols and also tells them they should not run around alone without an adult.

Hearing of beggars and farmers seeking to leave the protection of the Dales he arranges for a unit of troopers and a sky mage to accompany him. Undercover of stealth and invisibility he follows the farmers and has anyone that takes too much of an interest in them or offers the farmers a place of 'safety' arrested and returned to shadowdale prison where they will be questioned as to their links with drow and the child abduction.

*a robed and masked form watches from a distance as they make their way through that part of the wilderness, curious to why such a large amount of traffic has suddenly sprung up in these parts*

With a reborn hatred for the Zhents Xagu wanders the Trade city and Drow Refugee camp trying to find the Drow who matches the Scent. However with a cruel heart she isn't looking for Childern to save, Rather to skin and devour.

In the afternoon outside the house of plenty under the watchful eyes of their Matron and most likely all the Guards in the area, a bunch of kids played as young girl know to some sat on the grass outside the temple/ orphanage. In her lap was a package her was opening, after opening it she would squeal in delight before hugging a dolly. As she then picked up and started to read the letter her face would drop, tears starting to flow down her cheeks before she ran back inside the Orphanage with her dolly and letter. An hour later the Matron's Assistant would run into the Zhent office. "LILLYS GONE! She tied the bed sheets togeather and climbed out the window! Please you have to help of find her, she can not be too far away, please help before she disappears to!"

Xagu (pm sent)

Determined not to be anywhere near Xagu and not keen on the Underdark, Skumfang instead sniffs around Freehaven and the outer borders of the Cormanthor for traces of the scent.

@scum
(how are you gathering information?)

roll me a diplomacy or intimidatio roll please.

((he's just going by smell at the moment. I don't have access to the game from where I am, so I don't know his intimidate roll. You could post what he'd find by scent and then Skumfang can try to knock some heads together with intimidate later tonight?))