Session 8 Report

General Summary

In the morning the party packs up with the children and push their horses hard to make their way along the road to Steepguard. On the journey back Ava teaches the children to use grass as whistles. They reach Steepguard as evening sets in. The children are able to guide them back to the orphanage. Ava and Zita ask the kids for more information to help identify the children they are looking for. The children give them directions to the market, asking around they are directed to the Shiny Hammer. The party splits up and asks around the market to gather some information.   Ava and Huugar start chatting with some miners in town, who are mining for iron ore. Huugar offers advice to the miners. They learn that most of the ore gets sold to House Rael, and to the capital. The miners don't know about a Lady Quinlin Umber, but they have heard that something big is happening with family Rael, and there is a big to-do about it. Pressing the miners a bit, Huugar learns a bit more about the location of the mine, and the fact that the raw material is often dropped outside the mine where it is stored.   Zita was looking for travlers and pedlers. She approached some a half-elf who was selling plants off the back of a wagon. They were asking about Lady Quinlin Umber, or if they have seen groups traveling with small children. They mention that they have seen families, and suggest some small carnivorus plants which seem to entertain children. They haven't heard of a Quinlin Umber, but they do know of a town named "umber" along the border with Lemor. She speaks with another human pedler, and a dwarven pedler. The human didn't know anything. The dwarf did know of a group they saw on the road with children heading to the North-East whom they passed a few days prior who stood out to them.   Yemtoc explores the less savory parts of town. No one seems to recognize the name Tenboros. Lady Quinlin however does raise some eyebrows. He learns that Quinlin Umber was in charge of a town along the border with Lemor. His informant told him his brother described her as "a weird one" who kept strange company, and often went out to caverns. He described her as tall, gaunt, pale skined. He suggested that Yemtoc see if she or her family was in town for the funeral of Rilsa Rael. No one in the town was quite sure what was going on, though the informant knows that the body was brought into the town a day or two prior. She left to find any orphans to bring under the care of the Rael Orphanage, and never came back.   Yemtoc seeks out rumors about the Rael family. Asking around, he gets strong-armed out of several establishments for speaking ill of the Rael family, especially right now at the loss of Lord Rael's daughter.   The party reconvenes in the Shiny Hammer and exchanges information while they eat. Huugar suggest sending information back to Ajax Praghood using the shipping routes. The group finished their dinner, and head to bed.   The next day, Yemtoc takes Zita off to find a tailor. Huugar heads off to the mine. Nedda and Ava headed back to the orphanage.   Yemtoc and Zita located a tailor who began showing them the items on the rack. Yemtoc was looking for something 'unusual but beautiful', riding outfit, but has a satin black shirt and small top of the hair hat. They find one that is a bit too large, getting it tailored and fresh flowers added to the hat they could get it returned that afternoon. Leaving the tailor they start heading to the House of Rael.   Huugar is heading to the mines with a letter that Ava wrote for him in his pocket. Approaching the mine he gets directions to the Foreman's office. He explains he was sent by Ajax Praghod. It should ship out in another tenday with the next shipment. Huugar proceeds to watch the people, and senses that a lot of the local people are down in the dumps right now. He learns that Rilsa Rael was killed, and that everyone is hurting. He suggested he will go check on the kids at the orphanage who were particularly close to her.   Ava and Needa head to the Rael orphanage. Approaching the front door, they are greeted by one of the children they brought back. Nedda and Ava ask them if they can speak with whoever is in charge of watching them. They are introduced to Maresol "Mother Mary" Pilar, who they ask about the lost kids. The last she had heard was the town guard had been sent out to find the kids. She is really worried. They give her their reassurances that they will do the best they can to bring the children back. Ava and Nedda hear from Mother Mary that following her mother's passing, Rilsa Rael took it upon herself to scour the peninsula in search of children in need of help, and bring them to the Rael Orphanage. She was like a big sister to all the children who came up through the Rael Orphanage, Mother Mary included. Rilsa is described as 'so kind, warm'. She reveals when they brought Rilsa's body back to town rumors started to fly that something had gone wrong when Rilsa went out on her latest journey to find displaced children. Mother Mary didn't know she was going out on a trip however. Going out was something Rilsa did once or twice a year looking for children. Rilsa felt it was the responsability of the nobility to look out for the people. Rilsa was very detail oriented, she did everything in her power to ensure that the children were safe and comfortable during their travel. When pressed about Rilsa, Mother Mary explained that 'everyone loved her' and that she would go out of her way to help the hurt and sick in town. She couldn't think of anyone who would benefit from Rilsa passing away. Ava and Nedda also asked about Lord Rael, who was described as a good man who stood behind his late wife when she started the orphanage, and that he actually came up with the idea of establishing the Rael Tradehouse as a way to provide a path forward and livelyhood for the children of the orphanage as they grew. He hired in artisans from the surrounding town, even reaching out to Bante to help the children. Ava and Nedda go around shopping for some general supplies.   Yemtoc and Zita head to the Rael Manor. Finding the doors locked they return to the Tailor. Yemi begins looking at vests while Zita gets dressed in the back. He selects one that has dark blue vest pannels and a rough interior lining. He asks her to look into a vest that might hold more than it appears to, he says he will be back the next evening. They leave the tailor and after asking around about the funeral are able to locate the church where Rilsa has been laid in state. Arriving in the church, they find a priestess at the front of the altar, and several men sitting in the room. They find Lord Rael and his butler and appraoch. Yemtoc introduces himself as someone looking for the children who were taken. Lord Rael was confused, because he thought Rilsa was going around on one of her usual trips around the peninsula to find orphaned children. They learn that only a select few caravans usually help her with the trip, because there is not much profit in it. They ask about Lady Umber. He reveals that their two houses often participated in trade, during the war House Umber was often on the front lines of the fights, and relied on materials from Steepguard. House Umber is located along the border with Lemor. Their shippment requests have decreased in recent years. During Rilsa's travels he expects that she may have stopped in at House Umber in Umberhold as a place to stay. Lord Rael's butler - Gabriel - offers to arrange a meeting with Quinlin Umber later in the evening. Yemtoc introduces himself as Sir Antwon DeCoush, and Zita as Lady Z. They excuse themselves and move to the back of the church and make their way out and back to the Shiny Hammer. Yemtoc informed the group of what they learned at the church. Preparing to go to the funeral as a group, Ava helps to make wrist corsages of black roses to wear to the funeral. Huugar suggests he wait outside during the funeral to keep an eye on things. That evening, they group heads to the church for the funeral. As they approach, it is a crowded press of people. Huugar stands watch outside, while the rest of the group settles into the back of the church. They listen to a sermon in rememberence of Rilsa. As the nobels approach the casket, lying flowers on Rilsa's casket the party watches for a woman who appears to match the description of Lady Quinlin Umber. Yemtoc and Zita try to slip a corsage into Quinlin's clothes, stealthily following her out of the church. The rest of the group follows them out, looking for Huugar and following at a distance.   During the ceremony, Huugar notices distinct clusters of guards from the different houses. As the nobels start to exit at the end of the ceremony the gurards start escorting their Lords out.