The day after the group had aided the wizard Custos in finding his pipe, the Dwarven brothers, Harkin and Hjolmir Stoneshield, Gallow and Sir Mintra, decided to shop in the Grand Market. Peach stayed behind in her room, needing time to compose her new song.They returned to the Luna and Hope Inn a few hours later and had lunch. While enjoying their meal, they examined the poster of the missing boy more closely. Eventually, they decided to seek the Blue Thread, a twenty-minute walk from the Inn. They arrived in a well-off neighborhood with a few cafes and restaurants. Eventually, they reached the Blue Thread, a pretty two-story building painted white with blue windowsills and two well-tailored dresses displayed in the windows. They entered, and an elder half-elf greeted them. When they told him why they were there, his friendly demeanor vanished, replaced by sorrow. He asked them where they had gotten the poster. When they told him, he explained that he thought they had all been removed. He continued to explain what had happened five years ago while serving them tea.
Mr. Yarrow explained that his son had vanished, as had other kids in God's End. During the investigation, a man turned himself in at the Verdun central building in Gods End. He confessed that he had kidnapped the kids and sold them to slavers. But his consciousness had gotten the better of him. Mr. Yarrow said his wife did not believe the man and that his story did not match up with how the kids had vanished; she would say it did not add up. Initially, he believed her, but the Inspector of the Investigation discovered evidence to back up the man's story: a bunch of papers from the slavers and a large sum of money. His wife refused this fact, even after two out of a group of four mercenaries they had hired to find their kids returned. They had fought the slavers and learned that the kids had been sent to Xarth. However, his wife refused to believe this and became increasingly obsessed with the lead investigator. In the end, she and some old army friends ended up kidnapping the investigator, and people were killed during the kidnapping. The Verdun eventually found out where she had taken the man and stopped her from killing him after she had tortured him. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He told the group that even after she had been imprisoned, she obsessed over it, that he had to choose between his wife and their daughter. Ultimately, he left her a year ago and hasn't seen her since. He knows that his daughter started visiting her a few months ago; she is 17 now, and he hopes she can reconnect with her mother. He, however, has put the horrible incident behind him, trying to live with the loss of his son. He tells them there is no reward and for them not to bother him anymore about his dead son. They respect this and move on. They agreed that the next best thing to do was to visit the mother and ask her some questions.
Iron Fort Prison: Sir Mintra, Gallow, Harkin, and Hjolmir Stoneshield left the Blue Thread for the Iron prison on the other side of Harlow, a trip that would take many hours of walking. Mintra suggested they take one of the strange iron box-like, horseless Gnomish carriages; the others agreed out of curiosity, and to their surprise, the price was extremely cheap thanks to Sir Mintra's apparent station among the Gnomish people. Within the hour, the strange humming carriage arrived at the bridge that led to the small island that housed the Iron Fort prison. The massive square gray stone structure loomed over them as they crossed the bridge. With a quick word to the guards, they were allowed entrance to the prison. As they entered the thick, iron-bound wooden doors and walked through the small stone maze, they arrived at the prison's main entrance. What greeted them was a large stone hallway with a vaulted ceiling and a large L-shaped wooden desk; behind it sat a white Dragonborn; he looked up at them just as they entered, and at the same time, another voice shouted to the White Dragonborn, he turned his head towards the sound and from a side corridor a blue dragonborn came walking briskly towards him. He was complaining about a fire that damaged the community crystal device. The white dragon-born said he would have to request the Artificer guild to have someone come and look at it. Gallow pointed at Sir Mintra and told them that he was one. After some back and forth, Mintra and Hjolmir Stoneshield decided to look at the device, while Gallow and Harkin went to talk to the missing boy's mother.
The Mother: The mother initially greeted them with skepticism, but after a few words from Harkin and Gallow, she invited them into her cell for tea. She told them what had happened and how she had put that behind her for her daughter's sake. She grasped Gallow's hand, looked at her in the eyes, and, in a stern tone, said she was done with it. Gallow noticed that the mother had given her something. When they left the cell, Gallow looked at the note; on it was a name, Cloud Astario, and a street address. Armed with this knowledge, they ascended the stairs into a new mystery.
The Communication Crystal: Sir Mintra wrinkled his nose at the device, an inferior goblin invention. However, unlike most of his kin, Sir Mintra saw the value in learning from all the other races, even if they were short-lived. Within a few minutes, the device was fixed, but Mintra noticed something off with the crystal; with his and Hjolmir's knowledge, they discovered that the crystal was not what they would typically use, but one key to another and cleverly hidden with magic. They also figured out that the crystal must have been changed during the attempted prison breakout, which, of course, had been a cover for someone to infiltrate the prison. This, along with the fact that Harkin had discovered the remaining parts of a timed incendiary device. They told the white Dragonborn that they needed to speak with the Commander. The white dragonborn sent his colleague to talk with the Commander. Ten minutes later, his second arrived, and he listened to what they had to say. With each word spoken, his frown deepened. He thanked them for their insight and help and told them he would have to take this up with the High Jarl and that someone would most likely contact them. The group left the Fort with a name, address, and a new mystery.
Cloud Astario resided in the well-developed middle-class Dun'Zun district of Lordath. The Dun'zun neighborhoods boasted cleanliness and orderliness, with cobbled streets and small parks. The homes were immaculately maintained, adorned with fresh paint, and many featured small, well-kept gardens. Wide and well-lit alleyways meandered through the district, adorned with quaint cafes and restaurants generously dispersed around the area.
Cloud Astario's home stood as a charming two-story white wooden building graced with a small porch where two rocking chairs faced the street. One of the chairs held a stitched doll. The entrance boasted a large brass knocker, and as the group approached, they could hear children's laughter from within. A tall, athletic woman with pale blue skin, white hair, and blue eyes answered the door. An unseen wind seemed to tousle her hair as she greeted them.
Identifying themselves, they inquired if Cloud lived there, to which she confirmed and inquired about their purpose. Upon learning of their intent to aid in the old missing case, Cloud stepped out and closed the door behind her, leading them to the basement of her house. The space resembled a cozy living room with a small fireplace, devoid of any signs of children. Noticing three closed doors, the group was invited to sit around a large, dark brown round table, and Cloud offered them all something to drink.
Accepting the offer, they shared their intentions with her. Cloud expressed skepticism but disclosed her involvement in quietly investigating the case since her forced retirement, driven by her wife's expectancy. She admitted to not fully trusting them and tasked them with investigating an angle of the case involving two mercenaries from Sigil, believing them to be lying. While they pursued the truth, she pledged to verify their identities. Before parting ways, she provided them with an antidote for a poison she had put in the drinks that would weaken them if they had attempted to attack her, cautioning them about the need for caution.
Understanding her concerns, the group bid her farewell and departed.
As the day progressed into the early afternoon, the group remained focused on the missing boy's case. Leaving Cloud to continue her investigation. Their stomachs protested the lack of food, and as they passed a grill stand with a wooden board carved in draconic "Krills Grill," their interest was piqued. Behind the stand stood a 9-foot tall minotaur serving large squared meat sticks made of boar.
He introduced himself as Krill, the friendly minotaur, and invited the group to dine at his establishments across Harlow, including the more significant Krills Fabulous Grill House in Lordath. After indulging in the mouth-watering grill sticks, they resolved to visit Krills Fabulous Grill House if the rest of their experience proved as delightful. With satisfied appetites, they proceeded to Blade Park in God's End.
Blade Park:
After their meal, the group traveled to Blade Park via High Town and, for the first time, laid eyes upon the massive sword thrust deep into the earth; the weapon rose an impressive ten meters above the ground. A wooden structure and wall had been built around it, with a circular platform around the sword's hilt. To enter, they needed to pay an entry fee. The group did and walked up the spiral stairs to get a closer look at the sword. They realized that it had a slight magical resonance and looked like the actual sword was covered by some shell made of something that felt like stone. They also noticed strange glyphs on the sword that they did not recognize. An individual that they spoke to told them that everyone called this the Titan's sword and that it had been here before Harlow was ever built. It was one of the most popular attractions in Harlow, and many scholars had studied it but never learned the source or nature of the strange artifact. Having learned what they could about the Titan's sword, they decided to go and talk to one of the mercenaries that had been hired to find the sold children, a man by the name of Rorak who owned a small quaint Tea shop called the Blissful House of Tea. It was located at the park's border and had a friendly atmosphere. Outside, half a dozen round white tables were enclosed by a white picketed fence. Inside, the Tea shop could comfortably hold twenty people. The room had a pleasant smell, a mixture of sweetness and spices. Behind the counter was the half-orc Rorak. He greeted them with a friendly smile and asked them how he could help. They ordered some tea, some peach pie, and a carrot cake. The group waited till the sun had set and everyone had left, then one of them went and locked the door. Roark looked worriedly at them and told them they could take whatever he had and that he wanted no trouble. They said they were not going to hurt him but had some questions. Reluctantly, he sat down and told them what had happened in Cypher, the Imperial capital, and how the leader of the Mercenaries, Elgath, had poisoned the tea. He hated the taste of Elgath tea, so while the others drank it, he made his own. When Elagth and a group of hard-looking men came to kill them, Rorak was the only one not affected by the poison. He will never understand why Elgath's let him live. He gave him a choice: die now or take the money and tell a lie to the people who had hired home. Rorak said he was so afraid of dying that he just wanted to live, so he agreed. The group asked for some details about this other group. He told them that the one that stuck out the most was a fellow with tattoos on his face and talking with a raspy whisper of a voice; something cruel and empty in the man's eyes sent a shiver down Rorak's spine. The group decided to let the man go on with his life and told him he should spend the money he had to help those who were less fortunate. As it had gotten late, they decided to return to the inn, then continue the investigation the next day.
The Scream: On their way home, Gallow heard a muffled scream. She told the others, and they saw a group of men trying to kidnap a young woman. The group intervened, and a fight broke out. Both Sir Mintra and Harkin were almost killed in the battle. The fight that had started well quickly turned against them until a sizeable red Dragonborn wearing a yellow cloak smashed through a door and sent the thugs running for their lives. The woman they had saved introduced herself as Hilda Shing Lakana, and the Dragonborn was her bodyguard, Asgir. She thanked them and asked them where they were staying. They told her, and she said she would ensure they were probably awarded for their actions that day. Bidding them farewell, she left with her bodyguard. The group, tired and sore from the fight, returned to the Luna and Hope to rest for the night, ready to face whatever the next day brought.
Names of Importance: Hilda Shing Lakana, Asgir her bodyguard
Elgath, the Goliath
Cloud Astario retired Inspector
Krill minotaur chef