TSC Rumors

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...from The Investigation

Rumors from Wesley

• In general, life in Cauldron is good. The town guard deals with the local troublemakers but leaves the bigger problems (like marauding monsters) to the lord mayor or one of the many churches in town. Both the lord mayor and the churches hire local adventurers to deal with such problems immediately.

• Townsfolk are generally pleased with the lord mayor, although a recent string of disappearances and robberies worries them. People have been taken from their homes during the night, and the town guard has been unable to identify the culprits or locate the vanished citizens. Moreover, the victim's homes were stripped of portable valuables. It seems that no place is secure.

• The recent disappearance of four children from the Lantern Street Orphanage has outraged many locals and prompted a distraught cleric of St. Cuthbert to use a holy relic in her church to cast a divination spell. The spell has revealed several important clues, which the cleric has been unable to piece together.

• Cauldron's not the first city to be built on this site. Adventurers tell stories of a ruined city in the caverns below, a city built by a strange race of monsters.

• A friend saw a mysterious woman down by the lakeshore a few days ago. She had fiery red hair and wore some sort of bulky armor under a black tabard. She was talking to some shady-looking individuals and handing them some money and weapons.

• A magical disease is causing people in the city to vanish. The same thing nearly wiped out the gnomes of Jzadirune 75 years ago!

• The Stormblades (A local adventuring group: they help out the city and seem to receive a lot of praise for their service. Probably more praise than would be expected for the work they do.) will be named "Champions of the Cauldron" because they recently completed a dangerous mission in the tunnels below town.

• Gryffon Malek (age 33) and Krylscar Endercott (age 24) know each other. They would meet each other after hours at the Tipped Tankard and drink until the wee hours of the morning. Now they're both gone!

• People have been kidnapped from every district in the town. The crimes are not particularly localized.

• Most of the victims are low to middle class citizens, but otherwise nothing seems to connect them.

• All of the recent kidnappings have occurred at night. The kidnappers prefer to strike on overcast nights or when the moon is new.

• The town guard has been watching suspected members of the Last Laugh or the Alleybashers, but their vigilance has not yet paid off.

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Rumors from Rufus

• They seem to be taken at night from their own homes. People of all ages and from all parts of town. Once they are taken, they are never heard from again.
• I did hear a rumon that Coryston Pike feared for her life days before she vanished.
• I have also heard that the perpetrators pick the locks of the victims' dwellings.

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Rumors from the City Clerks

• The clerk watches you to make sure you do not try to steal the documents. He is interrupted once by a human female messenger who relates a concern about conterfeit coins. The clerk nods and makes a note in a book. Forin is quick to catch the note. It reads: there has been an increase in the number of "jester coins" collected in taxes.

• The current list of kidnap victims can be found here:

http://theonlysheet.com/community/download/file.php?id=5832 http://theonlysheet.com/community/download/file.php?id=5831 http://theonlysheet.com/community/download/file.php?id=5830

• In response to Sable asking about the parents of Terrem Kharatys: “Sorry Miss, I'd like to help we have few records for the Kharatys parents. They were born here, worked as adventurers, and died mysteriously a few years ago.” Surprised at the promptness of his response, Sable follows with “Aye, but how did you know? You didn't even look.” “I get very few visitors down here, Miss. I remember than an inquiry was made about a month ago concerning the boy and his ancestory.” “Do you remember who made that inquiry?” Sable asks, trying to get a lead out of the clerk. THINKING: Is there a connection between his disapearance and this genealogical inquiry?

The clerk shakes his head, “Sorry, Miss. Privilaged information, that. Wish I could help. I directed the other person to the Cusp of Sunrise. It has an extensive library. But only nobles are allowed in there, which is what I told the other person last month, if you get my drift. Anything else for you?” Seeing Sable's confused look at the mention of the term Cusp of Sunrise, the man offers “The Cusp is an elite hang-out for Cauldron's rich and famous.

• the Jzadirune is a gnomish enclave located below Cauldron. It has been abandoned for about 75 years. There are no known tunnels to the Jzadirune. As I recall, the gnomes who lived there made powerful magical items but some disease made them literally vanish. Believing the disease was indigenous to the tunnels, the inhabitants fled, never to return. That bedtime story is sometimes told to children to keep them from wandering into the lava tubes. I seriously doubt the Vanishing is what is causing the kidnappings in Cauldron. How does one explain the stolen items from the homes? No something else is happening.

• As far as the female you describe. A few years ago, there was a strong red-headed woman who worked in the town guard. Oh she had some fancy tatoos. Triel Eldurast was her name. She was disgraced for some reason and fled.

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Rumors from Keygen

• The rat familiar is located in a dark place withinone mile, and through the empathic link, he can sense both hunger and fear.
• The kidnappers include two types of creatures: "tall ones" and "short ones." The "tall ones" resemble naked, hairless, genderless humans with blue pupilless eyes and grey skin that changes color, allowing them to blend perfectly with the surroundings. They are usually encounted in pairs or threes and often leave the shop wearing cloaks. The "short ones" are sinister gnomelike creatures with pallid skin, large noses, and soft black hooves for feet. They wear black cloaks and cowls that help them hide in shadows.
• the kidnappers share a common language that Keygan doesn't recognize.
• If the kidnappers have a leader, Keygan hasn't seen it. The "tall ones" and "short ones" seem to get along fine without one.
• Keygan gave the kidnappers three different-sized dkeleton keys tht can open most of the town's locks. One of the 'tall ones' carries the keys on a silver ring.
• The 'tall ones' wield rapiers and light crossbows. The 'short ones' wield sharp daggers. They live in the ruins of the Jzadirune.
• Jzadirune was a small enclave inhabited by gnome spellcasters. It was abandoned 75 years ago when a mysterious disease known as the Vanishing caused several of the gnomes to slowly fade away.
• Jzadirune's doors are gear-shaped and designed to roll to one side or the other. Many of them bore traps that only the gnomes could safely bypass.
• There is at least one 'tall one' guard in the shop. He keeps an eye on Keygen to make sure he is compliant with their demands.
• His front door is locked but the Alarm spell is not on. He hands you a key to the front door. The same key Forin tried to palm earlier.
• The perpetrators pick the locks of the victims' dwellings.

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Rumor from Jenya and Gretchen

• Jenya gave us a riddle/prophecy: "Yes, I used the Star of Justice to cast the spell. The high priest is allowed to use it once per week. In his absence, I felt justified in using it. We can only ask it one question. The question asked was "Where are the children who were abducted from the Lanter Street Orphanage?" "

THE LOCKS ARE KEY TO FINDING THEM. LOOK BEYOND THE CURTAIN, BELOW THE CAULDRON. BEWARE THE DOORS WITH TEETH. DESCEND INTO THE MALACHITE 'HOLD, WHERE PRECIOUS LIFE IS BOUGHT WITH GOLD. HALF A DWARF BINDS THEM, BUT NOT FOR LONG.

• Best known locksmith in town is Keygen Ghelve.

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Rumors from Patch

• • A low ranking Last Laugh guildmember named Revus Twindaggers contacted Patch last year and offered him 50gp to keep his eye on Terrem Kharatys. • Patch was allowed to join the Last Laugh and has been honing his skills as a rogue. • He does not know why the Last Laugh is interested in Terrem. But one time, over drinks, Revus let slip that it had something to do with Terrem's dead parents. • He does not know where Revus lives, and he has not seen Revus in over a month. • He did not know that if Last Laugh was planning to abduct the kids.

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Rumors from the mimic

• The skulks raid the surface for slaves and hand them of to some hobgoblins, who then take the slaves to a place called the Malachite Fortress.
• The skulks work with a gang of "dark ones" led by a dark stalker named Yuathyb. They all work for an underdark slaver named Kazmojen. Kazmojen pays them a share of the proceeds from his sales, and the skulks and dark ones keep whatever they pilfer from the city above.
• Another mimic used to lair here as well, but a pair of hobgoblins working for Kazmojen "offered it a job" guarding treasure in Kazmojen's stronghold. The hobgoblins showed up several weeks ago and haven't returned since. The other mimic is a particularly mean and greeedy thug, and this mimic wasn't sad to see him go.
• It is unaware of other dungeon inhabitants other than the dark ones and skulks. It is confined to this room.
• It is a magical creature and this is it's shape. It is able to slightly modify it's basic shape but cannot assume other configurations.
• Access to the Malachite Fortress is through the door in the NE.

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Deductive Rumors/help from apwhite

• You both are right. There is something odd there. Jenya did say that the Town Guard investigated and concluded their investigation. I am pretty sure that Skellerang delivered a report as well. And that was two days ago (two days after the abduction). Horatio and the crew must have been in CSI mode to conclude it that quickly. On the other hand, Gretchyn did say she was questioned by two half-elves this morning and that there were from the Lord Mayor's Office. She even took down their names (which she gave you) She also gave you a clue that they were not very careful in their examination. They did not interview the staff, only her, in fact.

• So the question I would ask is 'why are two seperate investigations being made?' Seems the town guard and the office of the Lord Mayor would be on the same team, one being an extension of the other. Also, why reopen the investigation? I'd ask around at the Lord Mayors office about it and even ask to talk with the two who visited Gretchyn earlier that day.

• Remember those other rumors. This story arc is a big one. Things are related. Don't worry. The investigation ends real soon and the hack and slash starts. .. But don't lose track of the story. There is still an evil plot afoot and it is up to you to uncover it.

• Keygen is a Gnome--as are the first two missing people on the list. He could very well be part of the "lost" secret society of Gnomes that disappeared--or at the least know more about them. We should try to see what his opinions are regarding the "virus" and whether the current situation is similar or just made to look similar.

• There is a noble son on the list of missing persons--whose family could be an "in" to the Library/Cusp of Sunrise

• The kidnapping list is comprised mostly of humans with a few halflings, gnomes and dwarves tossed in. Only two of the victims had any elf blood at all and one was a girlfriend....might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time.....It might not mean anything but it caught my eye....

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