06.08, aetherday: The DeVillet infant was abducted
13.08, aetherday: The DeLaFonte infant was abducted.
16.08, airday: The Boucher infant was abducted.
22.08, godsday
Dorian and Jean-Gerard depart from Eloreville. Slept at the Scented Wreath Tavern.
23.08, airday
Arrived at Usure in the evening. Jean-Gerard gambled and flirted a bit, Dorian got into a fight, and beat his opponent badly.
24.08, earthday
Headed north, slept at the Cardinal Tavern. Jean-Gerard briefly evaluated the merchants travelling with the entourage, Naly, Antoine (merchants dealing in metal goods), Hermion & Jules (merchants selling silk & cotton), Victor (a merchant selling jewellery) and Leonard L’Aromateur (who sells pomanders, perfumes and incenses).
25.08, fireday
Arrived in Naras in the early evening. Got quarters at the Chateau Naras. Jean-Gerard and the other notables of the entourage dined with the Count of Naras.
26.08, waterday
The "Potato" incident. Jean-Gerard went looking for Leonard L`Aromateur at the Unicorn Tavern. As the tavern keeper refused to let him in, and also did not say what room Leonard stayed in, although he did disclose the fact that the man in question was asleep. Jean-Gerard then came up with a cunning plan. He would sneak into the tavern using the kitchen entrance. Upon entering he was faced by two women, and only managed to utter one word before hurriedly disappearing. That word was: "Potato" This was of course brilliant, as no one would ever believe the story if the women were to speak of their experience.
After speaking to the Claude, the secretary of the Mining Supervisor, whom Jean-Gerard remembers from his days as a student in Courite (but whom seems to have repressed the memory of Jean-Gerard), Jean-Gerard and Dorian go to see Thomlin Noir, a miners’ foreman recommended by Claude. Thomlin tells them of strange accidents and disappearances; cave-ins which left no bodies to be recovered, sinking morale among the miners, and strong suspicion and distrust towards dwarven miners.
27.08, aetherday
They went to La Tonne Grosse, where Jean-Gerard spoke to some mercenary captains (Rob McDenneky, Don Sancho de Piazzo, and some third person who did not give his name) but they were interrupted as a commotion arose outside, and Dorian and Jean-Gerard went to investigate. Outside were two dwarves, being harassed by a human mob. Jean-Gerard and Dorian stepped between the dwarves and the mob. François arrived and dispersed the mob through natural charisma and oratory abilities (and a bloody big horse and a suit of armour, and a sharp sword, coming to think of it). Jean-Gerard was threatened by an ugly mercenary called Pierre. Jean-Gerard engaged François in conversation. The three accompanied the two dwarves (Andvare and Altjov Dvalinson) to the Volcano, where they talked a bit, and, among other things, got an estimate of the size of various armed forces in Naras.
They briefly visit The Clarion Lain, where they hear rumours of child kidnappings, which they for the time being completely ignore.
In the evening, Dorian went to the Fox and the Rooster, where he proceeded to engage a Senine swordsman in combat for money, and was laid low by a sword-thrust to the face.
28.08, moonday
François excersises with sword and armour, and is generally mocked by the young nobles watching him (Jean-Gerard also launches some well-crafted barbs). Recalling the child kidnappings, François and Jean-Gerard return to The Clarion Lain, where they are told that there have been a number of firstborn sons kidnapped lately, all from well-to-do families: DuBarry (26.08), Boucher (16.08), De La Fonte (13.08) and DeVillet (06.08). They ask a waterbearer for directions to the DuBarry household. Arriving there, they are quickly let in and once inside, they speak to the Madame DuBarry, her daughter Helena DuBarry (who pays particular attention to Jean-Gerard) and to the missing child’s wetnurse. The nurse tells of how she came into the room and saw a cloaked dwarf bending over the cradle. Turning towards her, the dwarf punched her in the face, knocking her unconscious. They also examine the nursery, and note an indentation in the windowsill. They are also shown a small, squarish nail and a black feather, which were found in the nursery after the kidnapping.
They examine a walkway between the DuBarry domicile, and the DuBarry grain and ale storehouse right across the street. Jean-Gerard finds that the lock on the door from the walkway to the storehouse has recently been picked. They look around the storehouse, speak to the bookkeeper of the storehouse (Mr. Puglas) and resolve to speak to the night-watchman (Timothy) as soon as possible.
The two gentlemen then go to speak to the other families, and learn that the DeVillet son was stolen from a courtyard, where his nurse was found with a smashed-in skull, and the earth imprinted with the tracks of dwarven boots. The kidnapping must have happened within a couple of minutes, and dwarves were seen running in the area. The De La Fontes live in a nobleman’s tower, and the child was stolen away at night, from the third floor, a "dwarf" was seen leaving through the window.
Suddenly recalling an important event, François and Jean-Gerard run off to purchase expensive presents at the last minute, for the celebration of the 16th birthday of Baronetta Eugenia de Naras. Dorian, who is left confounded but with newfound health, dines, departs and meets Gvarv, a dwarven blacksmith. After deterring another group of dwarf-harassers (men with death-wishes?) they go to Gvarv’s bedsit for a couple of drinks, and sit there talking, until Gvarv’s landlord knocks at the door, and tells them that there are some men here, looking for Gvarv. Gvarv goes out to meet them, and they accuse him of kidnapping the son of Maurice the Hatter about 45 minutes earlier. Gvarv denies this. Dorian steps out of the room to see what is going on, and as the dwarf, Maurice, and his following of concerned citizens; he steps back into the room. He notices that the beer mugs, which were formerly on top of the dwarf’s coffer, are now on the floor. Dorian sits down on the chest. Maurice and another man steps into the room, look around and notice blood seeping from the chest. Dorian steps aside, and Maurice opens the chest, wherein he finds his infant son, his throat cut. Maurice snaps and starts running towards Gvarv, screaming and brandishing a felt knife. Dorian kicks out the feet under him. As the other man in the room assaults Dorian with a hatchet, Dorian grapples with him and gives him a headbutt that breaks his nose and knocks him out cold.
Meanwhile, at the Chateau de Naras, Jean-Gerard and François were taking part in the festivities. François mainly talked to the staid old men, while Jean-Gerard proceeded to get sodding drunk, but still able to flirt and flatter competently.
01.09, godsday
Jean-Gerard and François spoke to Dorian de Terminus, a leader of the Pyrophlatics, and well-known hunter of Hadesians and witches, who tells them the score, and then goes on to speak to Dorian and Gvarv. The two gentlemen investigators go to Gvarv’s tenement, where they are told that a Lieutenant Ariste of the Count’s City Watch came to the tenement and "found" Hadesian writings, black candles and so forth in Gvarv’s chest. Outside Gvarv’s window, they find a groove indicating that a knife was stuck into the wall about at chest height. They also find tracks of fine-quality boots in the alley below the window. Questioning members of the posse which came to Gvarv’s tenement, the gentlemen learn that the "dwarf-sighter" was a well-dressed young man with a big nose and large, brown eyes, with about the same build as Jean-Gerard, and dressed in black and dark red clothing, with vines embroidered on his shirt.
For some reason, the two abandon this possible trail, decide to go and fuck with (not literally, thankfully) the suspected Hadesian butcher, LeBoucher. They search the abattoir and the house, while LeBoucher sits, firmly planted behind his writing desk and looks somewhat upset, threatening to bring down the Butchers’ guild on them. While they find heaps of valuable junk, they do not find stuff implying anything infernal, and leave, naught accomplished. Of course, this took some time, and as they come to another bright idea, to go and interview Maurice and his posse, they meet them coming into the city in the Count’s carriage, and have little choice
The trial of Gvarv and Dorian: Despite Jean-Gerard’s excellent defence speech, which has sadly little evidence to bolster it, the two suspected child-murderers are convicted. Jean-Gerard and François watch the initial torture, before being summoned by Protector Dorian de Terminus, who informs them that Warden Mandare and Warden Urban de Terminus (née de Morgallu) will be assisting them from now on.
They proceed to the Clarion Lain to inform one another and have lunch. Here they socialize with numerous nobles.
The four go to the Witch Tower to talk to the lieutenant Ariste, and are told there that he is at the Clarion Lain drinking with the Montcuivre brothers. Stumped in their intention, they rove aimlessly, discussing, until about 6th Strike, when they go to DuBarrie to ask seigneur Hermion some questions. Discovering (to Urban’s delight) that the DuBarrie’s are dining, the four are invited by Hermion to take part in the viands, which they do. The soldiers are fed with the servants. Urban borrows the feather and the boot nail found in the nursery. The four interrogate Timothy, a tough but dumb guard who seems unable to tell why he opened the door to give some person directions to the Clarion Lain at the night of the DuBarrie firstborn son’s disappearance.
Urban and Mandare go back to the main Temple. Jean-Gerard and François go to le Maison de Courgin to switch escort, and then to the Chateau de Naras to freshen up a bit. Then the two knights go to the Clarion Lain, arriving there at about a quarter to 8th Strike. They send their escort away, telling them to return at 9th Strike. Jean-Gerard gambles a bit (and manages to break even) and Jean-Gerard bumps into Robin, who seems to be the man who saw the dwarf running towards Gvarv’s tenement. They do not speak to him, but speak to the Montcuivre brothers, whom were dining with the man, and are told that he is a courier, and that he has left in female company to go to some place called the Dovecote in the Courneille area.
François and Jean-Gerard leave the Clarion Lain at about a quarter past 8th Strike, before their escort has returned, and go riding a bit in the pleasantly cool night air. At about quarter to 9th Strike, they are ambushed in a quiet side street; First they are shot with crossbow bolts (François is unscathed but Jean-Gerard is hit in a lung) and this is followed by an assault by spearmen from the side allies. Jean-Gerard is thrown by his horse, while François manages to break through ahead, only to be hit by a leaping dwarf from the rooftops, who clings onto him, and despite François best efforts is able to put a knife to François’s jugular vein and force him to return to the ambush site, where Jean-Gerard has in the meantime been subdued by the spear-wielders, who have struck him unconscious with their spear shafts. Another dwarf has appeared, and the two divest François of his breastplate and keeps him under rigid control. He, the dwarves and two spear-wielders carrying the limp Jean-Gerard get onto a horsecart, which rolls away into the night.
François is taken into the house of Quillin LeBoucher and down a hidden trapdoor in Quillin’s office, and Jean-Gerard is brought down with him. They are taken through earthen tunnels and into a room equipped for slaughtering and holding much human meat. Here, where they are deprived of armour and remaining weapons by the dwarves, tied on hand and foot, lashed to the walls and left to await their fate.
However, Jean-Gerard has daggers hidden in unlikely places, some of which missed the blue-skinned dwarves' attention. By some spirited contortions and cunning cooperation, the two manage to cut themselves loose and arm themselves with these daggers. They wait.
The doors are opened, and nearly blinded by the feeble torchlight, the two nevertheless manage to surprise and attack their wardens, who expected to find them hogtied. Jean-Gerard throws daggers while François rushes out with a dagger in either hand. Some of their captors are armed with fuxinae, other bear torches, and one last begins fell incantations of magic. All in all they are seven in number. But with deft maneuvering, the two manage to turn their opponents' long-shafted armaments and numerical superiority against them, weaving in and out with powerful strikes. Jean-Gerard hits the hell-mage with a dagger, and the wicked one is burned by his own magic as he loses control of his fire-spell. François calles upon Terminus for aid against the corrupted ones, and lo! Their enemies fall like grass under a scythe. Though the two are both injured, neither receive any life-threatening wounds, by the grace of the Four-Eyed God. But they are still outnumbered, and all seems to darken as François is impaled and put out of the fight. However, the Pyrophlatics arrive in the nick of time. Their spies saw the ambush, and alerted them. They have found and stormed the slaughterhouse and whelmed the Hadesians therein. The forces of Reigining Order are victorious!