“Normally, I’d exchange more pleasantries with my guests, but I fear there is no time,” she says. “The business that brought you here is quite urgent—it may actually be a matter of life and death.
“Let me explain. You may have heard that several young apprentices from various establishments in Saringallow have disappeared in the last couple of weeks. Every one of them has failed to show up to work, and nobody seems to know where they’ve gone.
“That’s not all. Rumors are spreading about sightings of enormous insects roaming about town. So far, the townspeople have chalked up such rumors to overactive imaginations, but I fear they might be real, and that they might have something to do with the missing apprentices. I have no proof that the situations are connected, but if folks get that notion into their heads, things are bound to spiral out of control.”
She shifts nervously, as if avoiding an uncomfortable implication, before continuing.
“Please, I implore you to look into this matter quietly and thoroughly—find out where our apprentices have gone and discover the cause of our vermin problem. Don’t jump to conclusions until you have investigated every possible angle; we need to be absolutely sure that we know who or what is responsible before we take any necessary law-enforcement actions.
“I suggest you start by interviewing the masters of every missing apprentice on this list I’ve compiled. I suspect that, collectively, they might shed some light on the youngsters’ whereabouts. That could in turn illuminate our vermin problem, but until we have more information, I caution you against suggesting to anyone that the two situations are connected. Beyond that, though, you have my full cooperation in this matter. If anyone gives you guff about your line of questioning, show them this letter.”
The mayor pushes a scrap of paper with several names scribbled on it across her desk, as well as a rolled-up, ribbon-bound letter written on thick parchment.
“As far as an incentive,” the mayor says, “I’ve pooled together 50 gold pieces as a reward for each apprentice you manage to find and rescue, as well as an additional 100 gold pieces if you can determine the cause of our vermin problem—and eliminate it. Do we have a deal?”
Assuming that the party agrees to work for the Mayor, please post any questions that you have for Mayor Sandra Trinelli. Answers will be provided in the Turn Results post. Knowledge: Local and Knowledge: History checks may also be appropriate and could help fill in some details if you do not ask specific questions.
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17 Knowledge Local
ReplyDelete"What sort of insects (Ants? Roaches? Flies)? Did the vicious vermin appear shortly after the first youngster went missing? Why do you think the events are related?"
"Have there been other notable events in the past two weeks? Say, a festival? Religious ceremony? Wandering priest taking up residence? Government official visiting? Any madmen recently removed from town?"
"I dont suppose we could get an advance on payment? It looks like we'll need some anti-vermin gear..."
22 Diplomacy
Do we have a map of the town? We have six missing apprentices. Where did they disappear from on the map?
ReplyDeleteA link to the town map is under the PBB References section to the right.
DeleteThe locations where the apprentices work are:
5. Pricknettle’s Potions and Poultices - Apothecary shop of Majara Pricknettle.
6. Temple of Erastil - The head priest is Ildris Ruvarra.
7. Gunty’s Hearty Breads - Bakery of Gunty Keronna.
8. Dependable Drummady’s - Cobbler shop of Drummady Laterna.
9. Petrello’s Haberdashery - The hat shop owned by Petrello Pindlion.
10. Witch’s End Tavern - Alcie Kruptin is the proprietor.
Of course we have a deal.
ReplyDeleteWho has seen these bugs?
exactly (small, medium, large)how big are they?
Where were they seen?
and when were they seen?
is the missing haberdasher apprentice the son/daughter of the master?
random d2o rolls: 18, 14, 17, 2, 5
"I'm in!" And agree with 'Evil Monkey' on the advance on payment ;).
ReplyDelete"Giant bugs with a selective taste for young apprentices -- I 'spoze that does seem far-fetched. Still, the ones who are left might want to take some care."
"I take it the apprentices' families don't know where they are either; that they haven't shown up at home?"
*scratches head* "What is haber-dasher? Some kind of warrior school?"
ReplyDelete"Lets visit tavern, have a beer, ask questions. Maybe baker too. I love bread. Should we split up to cover more ground?"
Cando is also very interested to hear more about "insects" ...
Well it looks like four of our friends (Apprentices) are missing form the South East corner of town. I suggest we head that way to see if we can find any trace of them. I say we go that way and check for any of "Natures Creatures" along the way.
ReplyDeleteWe should have a look around the park(?...#14). It looks like the apprentice disappearances ring around it. And what better place to look for Nature's Creatures than a park?
DeleteDo you have any other questions (perhaps about the town history, why she wants the investigation to be discrete or why the Mayor is hiring outsiders rather than looki into it herself?
ReplyDeleteI figured she wants to set us up to be the fall guys.
DeleteSorry can you tell us about town history? What was here before we built this city (Rock in Roll Maybe / Or the Jefferson Starship song comes to mind, lol)
DeleteWe were all under the assumption we didn't want to ask a bunch of questions because we didn't want people to get fear and move out of the city causing panic. Do you not have the skills to investigate this matter yourself or are you too busy?