Freedom in Shadows – Adventurers Search for a Missing Girl: Part 1
A bard’s tale of a search turns into a complicated matter
A humble request from a humble town, a concerned father worries about his missing daughter. Even with the aid of the locals, he ends up sending a courier to seek aid from adventurers. Will Kibbolt and his team be able to find her and bring her home safely?
Hello loyal readers! Thank you again for tuning in. I got for you today a new short series. This one I aim to make last much longer than the trilogies I’ve posted.
In truth, this story here comes from an idea of a D&D campaign I’ve had in mind for a while, one which I’d love to DM for one day.
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Freedom in Shadows – Adventurers Search for a Missing Girl: Part 1
A little girl went missing the other day.
The town of Mornhaul was shocked at the revelation – a humble farming village close east of the capital. It was known to be a town of parents and elders, as teens and young adults tend to venture to the city for opportunity, and eventually retire back to Mornhaul.
In spite the best efforts of its citizenry, even with the aid of keen beastmen, they were unable to find the girl after a few days. This was all outlined in the job listing pinned on the bulletin board at the Artemis Guild Hall which caught the bard’s eyes. The halfling’s career in the adventuring life was relatively young. While the reward was as humble as Mornhaul itself, Kibbolt had to take every opportunity to rise up in the ranks – to be trusted with more dangerous, more rewarding quests that will bring even greater fame and glory. Of course, it is a noble feat to rescue a lost girl and return her home.
A party was formed with other uprising adventurers with relative ease. Manning and Logan were human brothers, both born and raised within the walls of Eskanore. Manning was softly quiet, and had the kindness of a saint – fitting for his role as a cleric who trained at the Church of Light. Logan was harshly quiet, and his heavily armored presence was a scary sight, heavily armed in the art of the mighty zweihander. Both of them had great potential in the Artemis Guild Hall.
To their surprise, a familiar elven woman decided to join as well. Aris was formerly acquainted with the brothers. The huntswoman, with her wolf-hound, worked with them to capture alive a dangerous predator: a carnivorous species of bulls called a cullhorn.
Even if it were just Aris, Kibbolt was confident in their ability to find this missing child. Her assets were a wonderful fit for the task, thanks to the power of her wolf-hound’s nose with their combined tracking prowess…among her other assets. She was a feat of beauty in the halfling’s eyes, with her fair skin and golden locks, and not even her womanly body could be hidden away by her leathers. Yet, Kibbolt was conflicted, unsure whether to be jealous or thankful her sights were not set for him, but seemingly for the armored soldier instead. She teased Logan relentlessly when he almost slain it during their encounter, perhaps to the point of flirtation – not that Logan was the type to notice.
The team was set and ready to venture to the town of Mournhaul. They gathered at the stables on the eastern wall, strapping their horses before they were interrupted by a gruff voice, “Excuse me.” He appeared like an imposing shadow thanks to the rising sun right behind him. All that was easily distinguishable was his robing.
But to the elf’s wolf-hound, he sensed something else, gnarling and approaching the stranger with a ferocious bark. “Kyber, kneel!” Aris ordered her companion, her imposing authority over the mutt ended his fit. As the man approached, he lowered his hood. It was no wonder Kyber acted out – it was a tiger beastman who triggered his instincts. “I’m so sorry,” Aris added, “he’s usually well behaved.”
The beastman raised a hand in silent acceptance of her apology. “I assume you’re all stopping at Mornhaul on your travels, right?”
“Actually, we got a quest in Mornhaul to help find a missing girl,” Kibbolt admitted.
“I see. It seems our interests may align then. Let me join you in helping find this lost child.”
“We appreciate it,” Kibbolt huffed as he swung his tiny halfling body up onto the horse. “What is it that you’re going to Mornhaul for exactly?”
“I’m investigating a group of bandits allegedly out that way. I pray to Vulkan she wasn’t kidnapped.”
“That’s awful!” Manning interjected as he mounted his steed, “let’s not waste any more time then!”
With Quin joining, the five took the road towards the town, a mere twenty-mile trek filled with grassland and a few farmhouses. Typically, the stretch between the capital and Mornhaul is safe, as it should be the closer you are to the king’s throne. However, with the news of bandits as Quin described, they were all mentally prepared. With the beastman, and the ranger’s full-blooded beast, there was zero chance for any ambushes, allowing them to rest easy and enjoy the wide view. With clear skies, they soon could see the town from atop a hill. It had a tall windmill with several dozen houses and buildings segmented by a wide river, fit to home several thousand residents – a fraction of Eskanore.
They arrived before high noon, and the air was already starting to grow uncomfortable with the rising heat. After parking their steeds at the stable, the party spoke with the father who submitted the quest through a courier. They gathered the details of the girl they’re looking for, as well as where she was last seen. Aris brilliantly asked for a sample of her clothing, allowing her companion to learn her scent. Kyber memorialized every secret particle from the girl’s dress – he even knew how happy she felt wearing it for the first time.
After they restocked on water canteens, the seasoned hound led the group with his powerful nose. At first, he led them on a zig-zag throughout the streets, passing by cafés, bars, and farmers stalls. They crossed the bridge of the river, passing by a watermill into the second half of the town. It was much cooler thanks to the presence of trees. The buildings expressed rich history in this section, some aged with vines growing on the sides.
Kyber’s nostrils eventually lead them through the tree line into the shaded woods. A strenuous uphill climb was followed by a perilous path across a rickety bridge. They walked for hours through these woods as the girl’s scent brought them through an opening with abrupt hills and crevices. The sun beat down on them, now thankful for their preparedness with water. After some time, Kyber paused as he had his nose locked to the ground. Everyone waited in anticipation of his next move. Without warning, he attacked the ground with his paws, kicking up dirt with rapid vigor. “Oh? Looks like he found something!” Kibbolt grinned.
“She wouldn’t be… right?” Manning questioned with grave concern.
Aris investigated briefly the ground Kyber was digging up. “I don’t think so. Doesn’t look like the dirt was disturbed enough for a burial.”
“How long has she been missing?” Quin added.
“Maybe a week? Not long enough for the ground to be weathered enough.”
“A mage could cover it up while making it appear natural,” he continued. If a mage were involved in the girl’s disappearance, it could potentially make this matter much more complicated, they feared.
The group anxiously waited as Kyber continued his excavation. After some time, he paused, pulled himself out of the dirt hole. He second guessed himself and sniffed around the area. His nose was not deceived though. She was under there, or something of hers was. He barked at the hole, telling his companions to dig.
“The animals might be right,” Kibbolt joked, “guess we need to grab a shovel.” They were not looking forward to the labor in this humid climate.
Two shovels bit down on the dirt patch. Taking turns working their muscles and sweating their hearts out, they widened and deepened the hole. Time slowed, and the labor almost felt like the entire length of their voyage to Mornhaul. Sadly, after six feet, their strenuous efforts rendered nothing of value.
“Great work, mutt,” Logan chided in sarcasm. Somehow, despite his heavy armor, and with his helm on the entire time, he was the only one remaining standing among the group.
“Hey now, don’t you blame Kyber!” Aris scolded, “His nose was the same one that found that cullhorn – the one you nearly killed by the way!”
“Here we go again…” Logan rolled his eyes.
Aris ranted once again, this time with Quin as a new ear. She slandered how he nearly choked the cullhorn to death, with a strange emphasis on his bulky, strong arms. Quin didn’t hear any of it as he gazed over the horizon of the cliff face. Something occupied his mind, something that wasn’t right.
An idea sparked in his head, “Manning, is it?”
“Yes?” The priest answered.
“Do you know a spell that can detect life?”
“Yeah I do! How’d you know? I thought you were a Volkan follower.”
“Cast it, and search through the ground,” he dismissed the question.
After a brief ritual of handwaving, Manning’s eyes glowed a golden hue. Through this spectral sight, what he witnessed shook him: a number of distant glowing specs of light. “Ah...! You were right! There are people under the ground. A lot of people.” Everyone turned at this spoken revelation, both filled of curiosity and concern.
“How many?”
“Twelve… no eighteen. Most of them are grouped together, not moving.”
Kibbolt stood and dusted off his shirt before retrieving his discarded leather jacket. “Uh… so what does this mean?” Something within him knew the answer, but craved for a sensation of doubt.
Quin leered his sharp tiger eyes at the disgusting truth he dreaded uncovering.
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