Graded [Norrobury Village] The Mysterious Disappearances at Norroburry Lake

[Elvario]

This RP is part of the Isekai Hell group. It will follow Victorique and her companion(s) during their investigation in the north-east of Ryke. It is focusses primarily on mystery/crime investigation aspects with some slice of life aspects sprinkled in.

During the past few months, people have started vanishing in an area around the Norroburry Lake, in the utmost north-east of the country (the greyish part around the single hill on the country map). The small village of Norroburry is now living in fear, as the lake is a vital source of water for them and can't easily be avoided. The Adventurer's Guild decide to sent in Victorique in order to investigate whether this is something supernatural or if is the work of monsters or criminals. Anyone willing to aid and/or protect her during her investigation is welcome to join, except for those with a [monster] or [criminal] title, as the Adventurer's Guild wouldn't wish to be associated with either of those. The primary objective will be reporting any findings to the local militia and to aid them in tackling this problem. If the problems are deemed to be too large-scale, they are to sent message back to the Adventurer's Guild.

Victorique Sopheana
​

Mentions: Rachael Silent Angel | Sage NeramoDJI | Erin Rubadubdub

Victorique was in a great mood. After having successfully fulfilled her previous mission, she now was a full-fledged Ryken Adventurer's Guild investigator! There was one matter she didn't like, however, which was that Rachael hadn't been accepted. Sure, the half-giant was a bit odd. Well, very odd, but she seemed useful enough. As a result, Victorique had decided to ask the bunny-girl along on her own accord, which she luckily agreed too! Having the muscle around would surely be helpful. The guild had allowed them to use a portal to reach Norroburry a lot quicker, as it'd get them to the nearest big city. However, they still had to walk through the last bit, as small place like Norroburry was too desolate to reach by portal and even carriages would have trouble crossing these bumpy roads.

Norroburry

​

As the village got in sight, Victorique couldn't help feel amazed. The lake, the mountains, the buildings tucked between them, it was truly idyllic. “That looks amazing, doesn't it?” She asked Rachael. Times like these were probably where Victorique would be the easiest to mistake for an actual child, as she wasn't containing her excitement at all. It was the opposite image from what she had whenever she was smoking like a chimney at the heart of winter.

“Oh, I forgot to tell, but the Guild said they would sent some others to back us up as well. We're supposed to meet them a bit further, at the village's entrance.” She looked ahead to spot anyone that stood out, as by now, it was clear that most people from the Adventurer's Guild were very easily recognisable by their complete and utter inability to fit in with the common-folk. Herself and the half-giant, included of course. To that extend, the pair had drawn a fair few eyes as every farmer and shepherd they'd passed couldn't help but stare, either at the odd combination of sizes or well... at some of Rachael's more revealing features.

 

[NeramoDJI]

Sage Valla
​

Near the front gate of the village, there was a large claymore stabbed into the ground, with a butterfly resting on it's hilt. At least, from a distance that's what it looked like. Upon closer inspection, atop the glistening blade was sitting a little fairy boy drinking from a tiny flask, which contained juice. He was sent here by the adventurers guild to help out a pair of ladies, and was glad to do it. He wanted to go on more adventures, and the land he found himself in was nothing if not beautiful. It was something unlike anything he had seen for a long time. Sage looked around, waiting for who he was told to help. He had gotten pictures of the people who he was supposed to help, and was waiting for them.

Sage was simply drinking his juice, until he saw the two women he was sent to help. He excitedly fluttered up, grabbing the hilt of his sword and giving it an effortless toss into the air, grabbing his scabbard from nearby and sheathing the sword by catching it in said scabbard, taking the strap that was usually meant to around the user, carrying it by the strap and flying towards the two girls. He noticed the giant bunny woman first, seeing as that was what her title ensured, flying to her first.

"Hi thewe pwetty bunny lady! I'm Sage! I'm youw help fwom the adventuwews guild!" He said, fluttering in front of her with his big ol' blue butterfly wings. He turned to the smaller girl afterwards, waving as he held his claymore. "Hi thewe miss! I'm Sage! I'm youw help fwom the adventuwews guild!" He introduced again, not being smart enough to realize she heard him the first time when he spoke to Rachael. He was still holding his sword, his wings fluttering in the gentle breeze of the village vista.

Spoiler: Claymore

 

[Rubadubdub]

Erin
Without her master, Erin no longer had a person she could leech off from. With the funds she earned from selling their wares and rights to the smithy, Erin was set for the next few weeks. However, she was well aware that these were finite and that once she used it all up, the problems would start pilling up. Not wanting to reach that point, she sought work around Ryke. Hopefully, someone of her talents would be able to find a relatively good paying job. With her ability to temporary copy the abilities of others, Erin managed to get through her days with minimal effort. It was a useful skill, but it made her day-to-day even more mundane. This gave her a longing for some excitement in her life. A second chance of living would have been put to waste if Erin simply wasted her days behind a desk or inside some kitchen. Her inquiries at the Adventurer's Guild led her to the northeastern part of the country, just outside the village of Norroburry.


Draped in a wool-lined hempen robe, Erin strolled out the village entrance to meet the others from the guild. The cool winter breeze brushed against her face, slightly blowing her hair partly to the side. Paired with the bright warmth from sunlight that peeked through the clouds, it made a refreshing start to Erin's morning. Looking around, she immediately saw a gathering of individuals just further ahead.

"'Ello and good mahrnin!" A boisterous yell came out of Erin as she raised her arm, waving it above her head. "You laht moehst be frahm de guild as well. Pleased ta meet ya all!" Seemingly unbothered by the variety in size of her present comrades, Erin continued to talk. "You can just call me Erin." Though straightforward, she tried to be as cheerful and friendly as she could.

During their exchange of greetings and introductions, Erin made use of her ability to appraise. It did seem a bit intrusive, but it was her primary method of learning about those around her. It got her this far without any repercussions.

OOC: Appraisal was used on Sage.

Spoiler: Info Gained on Sage

• Titles: Fae, Tiny, Fairy, Ryken Adventurer [???]
• Stats: Intelligence [F] and Vitality [F]
• Skills: Flight [F]

Mentions: Elvario , Silent Angel , NeramoDJI​

 

[Silent Angel]

Rachael Meredith

Rachael crossed her arms as her eyes fell upon the town. For her part, Rachael hadn't seemed to mind being rejected from the adventurer's guild, as with how she had seen those who were a part of it act, there came a point where you probably couldn't have paid her to join it. Maybe if she could find a security firm that dealt with guards, that might be interesting to join. After all, it was what she had done the last time she had been with the shorty, and it seemed like that would be just the case with her current job.

"Looks nice and rustic, but I've seen prettier." The amazon crossed her arms as she walked, her eyes searching the area, making sure nothing was sneaking up on them. "And that's nice of them, cupcake, but I don't think we'll need any more help, do you?" As she asked that, her eyes caught onto the two newcomers, chuckling at the fairy. "What are you? You're like a toy sized version of a man! Though, I guess most men are toy sized compared to me..." Her face seemed to sour slightly when she heard the other newcomer. "Technically, only these two are. Me and the guild had a... complicated relationship, so I am not a part of it."
​

Mentions: Elvario Rubadubdub NeramoDJI ​

 

[Elvario]

Victorique Sopheana
​

Mentions: Rachael Silent Angel | Sage NeramoDJI | Erin Rubadubdub

Victorique was a little bit irked when Rachael was being a spoilsport. Couldn't she just appreciate how pretty this place was? She even called her a cupcake again. “Come to think of it, you never told me why you're calling me cupcake.” She looked up at Rachael when she asked the question, only to realise Rachael had stopped walking and that her line of sight was most definitely not with Rachael's eyes at this distance. After turning her gaze and sighing, having gotten some information she wasn't necessarily waiting for, she took a few steps to the side and followed along with what Rachael was looking at. “Is... that a floating sword coming our way?”

The large claymore making its way towards them surely puzzled Victorique. She hadn't been informed that their companion would be a living weapon, if those even existed. A bit later, however, she spotted small and pretty blue butterfly wings attached to the claymore's strap. A bit after that, she spotted the owner of the wings. It perplexed her to see someone smaller than her, having almost written it off as impossible. She was more perplexed by the fact that such a tiny person could drag around such a huge sword. It's why her first words towards Sage were; “What... how?” She realised she was being rude almost immediately after, especially as the fairy introduced himself to her. “Apologies, I'm Victorique Sopheana, the guild's investigator, it's a pleasure to meet you.”

The last person to arrive almost made Victorique turn tail, as she looked (and sounded) like a bandit. Realising that might be a little judgement of her, Victorique tried her best to make sense of what the woman was saying. There was an introduction in there, that much Victorique could pick up on, so she introduced herself in turn. “I'm Victorique Sopheana, the guild's investigator. Nice to meet you.”

As they were introducing (or in Erin's case appraising) each-other, a man walked out from the village. Although he didn't exactly look like a warrior, he looked like he'd be able to put up a fight and had done so before. He headed straight towards them and soon explained why.

Irwin Stonewolf

​

Spoiler: Militia Leader

“You're here from the adventurer's guild, right? I'm Irwin Stonewolf, head of the militia here. I'm the one who contacted the guild about the disappearances. I've gotta admit, they've got me puzzled, so I really hope you'll be able to make sense of it all.”

For the third time in a row, Victorique introduced herself. “That's correct, I'm the guild's investigator, Victorique Sopheana. It's a pleasure to meet you sir.”

After giving the others a chance to introduce themselves, Irwin nodded and pointed to what was by far the largest building in the village. “That over there is the boardinghouse. I've arranged for a few rooms for all of you to stay in, as well as a room to use as a base of operations. We can head over there and get you all settled in, but the disappearances are really getting to everyone, so I would prefer it if you start off your investigation quickly. Any questions or ideas you might have, I'd like to hear about on the way. I've never had to do anything like this though, so I wouldn't even know where to start.” It was clear he was going to leave it up to them to figure out what to ask about and where/how to start.

Victorique was already deep in thought, observing the village and pondering about various things. It'd give the others some time to bring up whatever they deemed relevant for the investigation.

 

[Rubadubdub]

Erin

Although brief, their introductions hopefully allowed the rest of the group to at least get a bit accustomed to Erin's manner of soeech. It wasn't the clearest, but it could have definitely been worst.

As they proceeded into the village, Erin stayed a few steps behind and quietly listened. Though they were they due to unfortunate circumstances, Erin couldn't help but appreciate the quaint scenery and hospitable ambiance the village gave off. While Irwin began briefing them where they were in handling the vanishing dillema, Erin took the opportunity to appraise the militia leader. Although habitual, it could provide her with information that could be useful later on.

Before taking note of what her appraisal showed her, Erin couldn't help but ask given the prompt Irwin presented to the group. "Excuse me, Irwin. Abooeht dese vaneshings. 'Ow many 'ave you lahst and who were dey?" Erin understood that not much progress had been made in the village's investigation. Aside from a general location, everything else was vague and up in the air. The first things that came to her mind were determining possible patterns, whether it be in timing, targets, or specific circumstances. "And sence you referred to dem as messin, ya aren't sure whether any attacks took place?" Next would be the nature of these vanishings. The presence or absence of a struggle could suggest either an abduction or some kind of assault.

Despite all her questions, it wouldn't sound right to refer to Erin as inquisitive. A simpler way to describe her was more beffiting. She was merely curious.

OOC: Used Appraisal on Irwin.

Mentions: Elvario , Silent Angel , NeramoDJI​

 

[Silent Angel]

Rachael Meredith

Rachael smirked, as if she had been waiting for that question to be asked. "Oh, why I call you cupcake? Well, it's because you're soft, cute..." She paused for a few moments to better sell the next bit, before finally finishing with, "And you literally can't do jack shit in a fight. Like holy hell first hearing you be like, 'Oh, Rachael, I need you to fight for me, I can't do it myself!' was fuckin great." She seemed to laugh at her own joke for a few moments as Victorique introduced herself. However, she soon got something new to laugh at. "Jesus, do you think enough people know your name is, in fact, Victorique and you are, in fact, the guild's investigator? Might need to repeat it a few more times."

Once her ribbing was done, she finally introduced herself. "Rachael Meredith. Not from the guild. Apparently being against kidnapping is frowned upon in it. I'm here for muscle since the cupcake can't bring her own~" She gave Victorique a wink before sticking her tongue out at the halfling. Her eyes trailed up to Irwin as she heard the explanation of what was going on here. "Could you point us to the family or homes of who got kidnapped? I feel like starting there might be the best bet."​

 

[NeramoDJI]

"Well, I guess I am toy sized. My mom used to hold me like a doll when she was sad so I could cheew hew up!" He said, agreeing with Racheal for the most part. He floated around as he saw Erin approach, waving. Once everyone was gathered, he gave a big smile. Of course, it was small to everyone else. "It's nice to meet you all!" He said, hefting his sword up a little bit. He didn't really think Victoriques confusion was weird, but he also thought she was confused about a different thing. "It's nice to meet you miss Waechael and miss Victowique!" He said, before responding to Erin. "Nice to meet you mistew ewin!" He said, confused and thinking Erin was in fact a man due to their appearance.

When Irwin showed up, Sage smiled and listened to him, before nodding a little. "I don't weally think I need a woom to myself." He said, looking down at himself. He himself had never done anything that required intensive thinking, but he wanted to help as best he could for his new friends.

Sage heard the comment from Rachael, humming a little as he tried to work his literally tiny brain around it. "Against... kidnapping..." He racked his brain a little bit, not sure if she was saying that the adventurers guild was for or against kidnapping, due to her specific wording of it. "I think we're against kidnapping though. Cuz kidnapping is what bad guys do. And adventuwewes awen't bad guys." He said naively, not realizing the more nuanced ideas behind the situation she spoke of. "I think we should do what miss wachael said. She's the biggest, which means her heads the biggest and since her heads the biggest she has the biggest bwain and is the smawtest." He said, before continuing. "When you lose something, you go to whewe you lost it at to look fow, so I think it's a good idea."

 

[Elvario]

Victorique Sopheana
​

Mentions: Rachael Silent Angel | Sage NeramoDJI | Erin Rubadubdub

Victorique raised an eyebrow at Rachael's reply. She didn't quite get the comedic value of her admitting to her weaknesses, but if that was the game Rachael wanted to play, she'd gladly humour her. “Very well then, if it means I can count on your protection, I'll gladly let you call me cupcake, my dear exhibitionist guardian bunny.” She did, however, disagree on the second part. “Introductions can happen for more than just information-sharing. They're a mutual sign of respect and acknowledgement. Unlike you, I'm not planning to just let my body do most of the talking.”

That's when Victorique realised something that might end up being problematic. The fairy was as smart as his brain was small. Even so, she decided it wasn't worth making a remark on, not yet at least. There was one thing that had made her curious, however. “So your mother wasn't fairy sized as well?” She didn't know much about fairies, but having a mother that could hold you like a doll sounded oddly terrifying to her.

Irwin Stonewolf

​

Meanwhile, Irwin was about to give Erin and Rachael some bad news in reply to their questions. “We've got thirteen confirmed missing, but there are most certainly more. There's a mineral mine nearby, so a lot of people come to work as miners. They stay in the boarding house and they often don't interact much with anyone. Most of them tend to do their job and leave once they've found and sold enough minerals to last them through the winter. It makes it difficult to keep track of how many people there are and where they are, especially as this place is too small to have someone dedicated to do the paperwork. Among those confirmed there were five locals and eight of the more regular miners, who've got a more permanent room in the boarding house and a more pressing contract to abide by.”

Erin's appraisal would show a few things about Irwin;

Spoiler: Irwin Stonewolf

Irwin Stonewolf

​

Equipped Titles: Human, Norroburry Militia Captain
Height: 1.99m / 6'5"
Weight: 97.3 kg / 214 lbs

Spoiler: Stats

Stats:

Strength - ??? ​

Precision - F​

Intelligence - ???​

Vitality - ??? ​

Speed - ???​

Spoiler: Skills

Skills:

• Always Outnumbered F
• ???
• ???
• Climbing F
• ???
• ???
• ???
• Riding F

Spoiler: Abilities

Abilities:

• [...]

Spoiler: Possessions

Equipment:

• ???
• ???
• Knife F

Items:

• [...]

However, her attempt hadn't gone unnoticed by Victorique. It gave the halfling a good idea, but first, she'd have to check one thing with Irwin. “I'm assuming you haven't been able to use one of those orbs that they use to read people's titles, like in the city?”

Irwin shook his head. “We don't have anything that fancy here.”

Victorique then turned to Erin. “If there are people involved with these disappearances, they'll undoubtedly have a criminal title, so if you keep it up, you might spot someone suspicious sooner or later.” Victorique herself was also capable of using her appraisal, but she needed to be in almost arm's reach of someone, so Erin's efforts would likely be more advantageous.

As they kept walking towards the boarding house, Irwin stopped halfway and spoke up to Rachael, pointing towards a smaller house to the side. “The woman that lives here lost both her husband and son to these disappearances. She's very distressed, as you can imagine, but she'd do anything she could to help find them. Just...” He was clearly trying to figure out how to phrase it. “Okay, I'll be blunt. You're a very odd group and the woman's going through a whole lot of stress now. Please try not to give a heart attack.” It'd be up to them if (and if so, how) they wished to approached this, as Irwin clearly didn't plan on announcing them.

 

[NeramoDJI]

Sage smiled a little, nodding. "Yup! My mom was a human! So was my dad. They found me in a flowew and took me in." He said with a big smile, not caring he was adopted. When he heard the man start explaining, he sat there patiently, smiling a little as he hovered there with his wings. "Well, we can stawt with the locals then. They have mowe infowmation about them." He said, and then when he heard about the orb and woman, he got an idea, happily chirping essentially.

"Ooh! I have an idea! It's weally good at making old ladies feel comfowtable! Let me twy it!" He said excitedly, remembering stories his mother used to tell him and thinking he could do the same thing here, waiting for his friends reactions. He wanted to give his idea a try before they went it, since it might help her feel a lot more comfortable with this whole thing. His idea itself would remain secret, as he wasn't smart enough to think they wouldn't know an idea he hadn't told them yet.

 

[Rubadubdub]

Erin

Erin wasn't disappointed at the lack of information they were getting. That was the reason they were there in the first place. If they had all the answers to their questions, having them around might not have necessary. The best they could have asked for was a lead, and a lead was what Irwin gave them.

"Aye. I agree wit de fairy. Let's toehrn to de lahcals." If one was able to discern truth from lies, gossip from townfolk would certainly be a good source of information. But like Irwin said, they were an odd group and Erin wasn't someone you would put in front someone who was grieving.

Raising her hand, Erin had a suggestion herself. "Might naht be usefoehl wit de lady, boeht I cooehld 'ead fahr de mines and ask arooehnd dere." If Sage was perfect for a sorrow-stricken woman, Erin was made for the rougher and more aloof working class. She could definitely be more useful there.

Mentions: Elvario , Silent Angel , NeramoDJI​

 

[Elvario]

Victorique Sopheana
​

Mentions: Sage NeramoDJI

All things considered, Sage was surprising Victorique left and right. His parents being humans suggested he'd been adopted, but to be found in a flower? That was rather odd. He didn't seem to be lying though. That said, he seemed to have an idea, so Victorique waited for him to explain it. She waited some more... Nothing. She sighed. “Right, after you.” She wasn't sure what he was going to do, but surely it'd be something, right? She figured she'd give him a shot, although she'd follow behind him after a while.

As Sage would continue to knock on the door, a voice could be heard from inside. “Come in.” Although it wasn't clear, the voice sounded a bit like that of a women who'd been crying a lot lately. The owner of the voice could be seen short after Sage entered.

Elina Cardiff

​

The woman herself, however, didn't immediately spot Sage in flying in and just saw her door swing open. “Who..? Who goes there?” She got up out of the chair she'd been in, staring at the door with both worry and confusion.

Irwin Stonewolf

​

Mentions: Erin Rubadubdub
Irwin, meanwhile, struggled to make sense of what Erin was saying. Somewhere along the lines, however, he managed to understand she wanted to visit the mines. “The mines?” He was a bit confused, as he wasn't sure why she wanted to go there. That said, he knew it wasn't his job to think, so he nodded. “Alright, I can take you there. I'm assuming you want to go to the main mine? We've got the big central mine and multiple smaller ones further away in the hills.”

On the assumption Erin wanted to go to the main mine, she'd be led through the village, leaving it on the opposite side from where they entered. They'd follow the road along the lake, then take a right towards the hills. The mine was in sight the moment they crossed over the first hill. Whilst it didn't look big, it was clearly used, as multiple crates of minerals were stacked around the entrance on the outside.

Mine Entrance (inside)

Irwin would gesture for Erin to move ahead and step inside. “This is it.” The entrance to the mine and the area directly behind showed two things. People here didn't care for aesthetics, as it was a bit of a mess. However, it also showed that these people were in it for the long run. They hadn't saved much effort on making sure the long, sturdy wooden beams were in good state and that they were plentiful. They were clearly planning to mine here for the considerable future.

 

[Silent Angel]

Rachael Meredith

The amazon, for her part, followed the detective, knowing that she herself would mainly just be good for muscle and not the actual detective work. As they walked, she gave the fairy an incredulous look. "So, what are you, a cabbage patch kid? You show up in a fucking field somewhere, sprung up out of the ground, and just don't question it?" Her eyes flitted to the new lady who showed up at the door, and she said, "Those two are guild members here for an investigation, miss. This here," she reached down and patted the halfling's head, "Is going to be the head private eye."​

 

[NeramoDJI]

Sage shook his head, looking back Rachael. "I don't know what that means, but awen't all fawies bown fwom flowews?" He said in response, tilting his head. "That's what my mom and dad told me. And it wasn't a fucking field, it was a flowew field." He said, not knowing swear words for himself.

When the door opened, Sage fluttered in with his little butterfly wings, leaving his sword outside so she wouldn't be worried, landing nearby as he waved his wings to try and get her attention. "Down hewe ma'am!" He called, waving up to her. "I'm an adventuwew who's hewe to help find the missing people, and I was wondewing if you had any infowmation." He said, looking up at her. "Oh, I fowgot to tell you my name, I'm Sage Valla! What's youw name ma'am?" He asked, trying to make things casual. "It's okay if you don't know anything about the missing people, I'm just looking awound for clues."

For the most part, all was that really notable about him was his voice and his bright blue wings on the carpet, as he looked up to the woman. He didn't want to weird her out or make her stressed, he just wanted to ask her about where the people were to help better to find them.

 

[Elvario]

Victorique Sopheana
​

Mentions: Rachael Silent Angel | Sage NeramoDJI

Victorique sighed deeply upon realising her companions were far from being able to introduce themselves smoothly. The moment Rachael reached down to pat her head, however, she used her [Quickness] to dodge to the other side of the room. Sure, the sudden movement might confuse or startle the women in there even more, but Victorique wasn't just going to give up on her dignity. On the topic of that, she looked at the woman. “That's correct. I'm Victorique Sopheana. I'll be looking forwards to your cooperation.”

Elina Cardiff

​

The woman in question, now having spotted Sage along with the halfling and half-giant, was switching from confused to hopeful upon hearing the purpose for which this odd trio was visiting. “You're going to find them? Oh, thank the gods, thank you! I was worried that nobody would come to help us look for them.” Sage's butterfly wings were clearly doing their purpose of getting her attention, as it'd successfully drawn her eyes to them whilst she answered his other questions. “I'm Elina Cardiff. It's my husband, Richard and my son, Jake, who both went missing. I'll tell you anything I know, if you think it might help.”

 

[NeramoDJI]

Sage nodded up a little, looking at her. "Of couwse we'll find them!" He said happily, flying up a little bit. "Anything you know will help, we just gotta know whewe they wewe." He explained, looking at Elina with a smile. "Do you know what they wewe doing befowe they disappeawed?" He asked, wanting to narrow down the search terms so to speak of what information she might have. "Did anyone not like them?"

He didn't really understand why Victorique was talking that way when the way he introduced himself worked just fine, but he figured it was okay since she just wanted to help like he did.

 

[Silent Angel]

Rachael Meredith

As they introduced themselves, Rachael leaned on the doorframe, her eyes watching the conversation go on with some interest, but seeming to have changed a bit as the lady talked, not wanting to interrupt the conversation herself herself. If she had questions, she would ask, but she had a suspicion that the halfling would have good ones to ask on her own, and if the amazon felt like more needed to be asked, she would do it. Something about the way the lady talked made Rachael not want to ruin the convo with her more brash way of talking.

As the others talked, her eyes slowly wandered, moving to the different buildings in the area, before finally landing on the mine, the amazon staring at it for a few moments, examining it, before her eyes turned back to the lady, the amazon using appraise on a whim.​

 

[Elvario]

Elina Cardiff

​

Spoiler: Elina Cardiff

Mentions: Rachael Silent Angel | Sage NeramoDJI

Elina was more than willing to answer all the questions directed at her, although she sometimes needed to take a bit of time to gather her thoughts or figure out what the tiny fairy was saying. “My husband was returning from the mines. He'd been on the night-shift and I've been told he was seen leaving the central mines in the early morning and walking towards the lake. Nobody saw him enter the village afterwards, so he must've been taken during the short walk home somehow. My son was getting water from the lake early in the morning a few days later. I told him not to venture out alone, but he brought his sword and ignored me...” She sniffed. “I failed to protect him... I should've watched him more closely.”

Regaining her composure after a while, she answered the other question. “My husband had some disagreements with mister Simin, the general overseer of the mines here, but it was nothing serious, not that I think at least. My son was pretty well-liked by most, from what I know at least...” It didn't take long for her to start crying again, as she was forced to imagine the villagers she'd grew up with being the ones that harmed her husband and son.

Victorique Sopheana
​

Victorique perked up at one particular phrase. “What makes you think your husband was taken?”

“I... well... what else could it be, right? He wouldn't just abandon me and if there was an accident, he'd have been found, but if he's gone without a trace, someone or something must have taken him, right?”

Victorique nodded, thinking it through. She also noted down the name of the mine overseer, but currently didn't think too much of it. Perhaps Erin was already talking to him. She then turned to the other two. “Her story lines up with what we've heard before coming here. Most people vanished around Norroburry Lake. It might be worth checking the lake, especially along the route to the mine.”

As for Rachael, she would most definitely not spot the mine from here, as there was quite some distance, including a few hills, between the village and the mine. Were she to use appraise, she would only see the expected things, a [Human] title, no criminal titles and all around low stats with no skills, other than F grade domestic arts.

[OOC: Rachael technically doesn't have appraisal in her skill list, but considering it's a free skill, I would allow you to add it during the RP as a narrator-agreed-upon exception to rule 17.]

Were they to head towards the lake, they'd see a path follow along the lake and heading towards the mine, which Erin would've already passed through before. The lake itself was a bit below the path, but it wasn't a steep way down, so one could easily get closer to the water if they wanted to. The area didn't have a lot of plants, other than some small shrubs, although the hills made it so that not all parts of the path ahead were visible. The biggest hill was the one just before the mine, which prevented a direct view between the lake and the mine. What would probably stand out the most, by far, was that someone was fishing from atop a larger boulder near the lake.

 

[NeramoDJI]

"Of couwse not! People who cawe about you would nevew leave without weason! So we just have to go find them!" He said naively, ready to run out and start looking in the mine for any evidence, but knowing he had to stay here for a while. After all, he couldn't leave his teammates, and even more, he didn't want to leave the woman there just crying. "We'll find them miss! Cuz if we didn't, that'd be failuwe, and I've nevew failed befowe, so I can't stawt now!" He assured, floating up to woman with a big smile on his face. At least, as big as it could be at his size.

"We'll go look awound the mine, and maybe we can talk to that mistew simin to see what he knows!" He said, hovering over to rachael and trying to float up, sitting on her shoulder since his wings were getting tired. "Is thewe anything else you know about what was goin on wecently?" He asked finally, wanting to get all the information the first time around so they could solve this and get food afterwards. The sooner they found them, the sooner the lady could be happy too.

 

[Elvario]

Elina Cardiff

​

Spoiler: Elina Cardiff

Mentions: Sage NeramoDJI | (Rachael Silent Angel )

Sage's attempts to comfort Elina got him a mildly sceptical; “Thank you.” Whilst she clearly wasn't putting a whole to of faith in the fairy, she was genuinely grateful for the fact that he was trying. “I don't think anything else has been going on, at least nothing that could be related to this.”

Victorique Sopheana
​

When Sage mentioned the mines, Victorique interrupted. “We should look around the lake first and leave the mines to Erin, as most people vanished around the lake itself. Perhaps there is still some evidence of what might have happened.”

Now heading towards the lake, they'd see a path follow along the lake and heading towards the mine, which Erin would've already passed through before. The lake itself was a bit below the path, but it wasn't a steep way down, so one could easily get closer to the water if they wanted to. The area didn't have a lot of plants, other than some small shrubs, although the hills made it so that not all parts of the path ahead were visible. The biggest hill was the one just before the mine, which prevented a direct view between the lake and the mine. What would probably stand out the most, by far, was that someone was fishing from atop a larger boulder near the lake.

Mentions: Kain Parrot Parfait | Hildegrad Dante Verren
Kain and Hildegard would be able to spot them in the distance from within the village itself, as the group was on the lower parts of the route along the lake and Rachael would stand out well enough. Were they to look around in the village itself for a bit first, they'd find it mostly empty, as its people were either working in mines or sleeping if they'd taken a night shift. Kain's Sixth Sense on the emotions/thoughts of place would mostly pick up a calm tranquillity of a mountainous landscape that had been the same for ages, but with a lingering and growing worry that enraptured most people, as they weren't sure what was going on and what had become of those that vanished, or whether or not they'd be next.

 

[Silent Angel]

Rachael Meredith

Rachael watched the fairy fly up and perch on her, a frown crossing her face, but she let it be for the time being. However, as he did so, she took the sword from him, not wanting to be smacked by it while walking. After she made sure the fairy wouldn't try any funny business, she turned to the woman once more. "What is this Mister Simin like?" She probably would be able to tell for herself, but with how often her own views got clouded by emotions, she thought that it would be best to get the opinion of someone who had known him for longer than herself.​

 

[Dante Verren]

Hildegard Karling
interactions: Parrot Parfait


Hildegard stopped walking, narrowing her eyes and peering out at the small group that was walking along one of the lower routes. The group definitely stood out and that either meant of one of two things, they were the center of trouble or on their way to the center of trouble. Considering the rumors that stalked the village even on this innocent seeming morning, it was better not to take chances and assume the best in them. When the pair of Hildegard and Kain had first heard about the mysterious disappearances the zealous traveler had made connections where their might not be any. In her mind it was no coincide that these disappearance were happening around the same time that a cult was kicking up problems in other areas.

Looking down at Kain she raised an eyebrow, "What is the land telling you? Thing that odd group is dangerous or can bet trusted?" They didn't exactly look like evil cultist, but it could have been a clever disguise to throw off their pursuers. Hopefully the boys magic intuition could point them in the right direction.

 

[Parrot Parfait]

Kain Lief

"Looks like a good place!"
Interactions: Dante Verren
Mentions: Elvario NeramoDJI Silent Angel
​

---

When Norroburry could be seen from a distance, Kain became very glad considering that they were a few hours late due to Kain getting separated from Hildegard and completely lost in the city. He was a bit concerned that the delay may anger the other adventurers they were supposed to meet, but all those worries were forgotten now that they were here. The rolling mountains, the glistening lake, and crisp morning air, Kain felt mostly at peace in Norroburry's calm and tranquil atmosphere as opposed to the city's jostling busyness. However, in the apparent peace, Kain could also feel a lingering unease, which made him somewhat nervous. That was probably the reason why they were called here...

When an imposing figure could be seen within the village as the two approached, Kain grew a bit nervous and moved slightly behind Hildegard, but upon noticing the very short person in the group (he hadn't seen Sage yet), Kain grew curious but still remained shy behind Hildegard. When Hildegard asked him whether or not these were good people, he concentrated around the area around them. Unfortunately, since they weren't close enough, Kain couldn't exactly feel their aura, but from a glance, the group didn't seem like bad people, or at least, that's what he thought. Still unsure, Kain honestly responded, saying, "I don't know... but I don't think they're bad people? Maybe they're the adventurers the guild lady talked about?" Kain looked up at Hildegard, hoping he made the right call.

 

[NeramoDJI]

Sage Valla

Sage watched Victorique from his perch atop Rachael, nodding. "How awe we gonna look in the lake? I can't swim all that well." He said, looking over at Victorique with a tilt of his very small head. "And if they disappeawed neaw the lake, they must have been pulled into the lake, ow else someone would have seen them go missing." He said, trying to think of reasons they might be there. "Maybe we can check the sand fow twacks?" He asked, letting the sword go with a small little grabby hands motion before letting her take it.

Sage's aura towards Kain was akin to a flashbang of happiness and innocence, almost blinding to the sense as he sat atop the giantesses shoulder, his little flappy wings being the only thing even slightly visible from that distance. "While we walk to the pond, miss wachael, how come you dwessed like a big bunny?" He asked, wanting to sate his genuine curiosity. Normally he wouldn't ask, but he thought the costume was nice for a reason he didn't really understand.

 

[Elvario]

Victorique Sopheana
​

Mentions: Sage NeramoDJI | Rachael Silent Angel | Hildegard Dante Verren | Kain Parrot Parfait

Elina had brushed off Rachael's question with a simple yet honest "I can't really tell you, I never dealt with him myself." After that, the group had proceeded towards the lake as planned.

During their short walk to the lake itself, Victorique had to get some distance from Rachael to be able to get a line of sight on Sage, who was addressing her from his new vantage point which she definitely wasn't jealous off in the slightest. “We don't have to look in the lake, just around it. If worst comes to worst, we can observe the lake for a prolonged amount of time.” She nodded as she heard his conclusions about being pulled into the lake. “That's also what I was thinking. Being pulled into the lake would be the easiest way to explain how they suddenly disappeared. It's going to be tough to find real evidence though.” She pointed to the ground below them, as well as to the lake's edge. “The ground consists mostly of rock and gravel, which don't leave many traces.”

It's true that there were some places that had sand, but out of all the lakebed, it was a very small proportion. Most of the lake's edge was as rocky as the rest of the area. She then heard a surprising question coming from the fairy, who was asking about Rachael's attire. She wasn't sure how much 'teasing' she could get away with with the half-giant, but she couldn't let a chance like that slide. “She just really likes it when people look at her and this outfit makes sure that it happens more often.”

Were Kain to get closer and attempt sixh-sense Victorique's emotions, he wouldn't get all that much, just some curiosity. It wasn't because Victorique didn't have anything else going on, but because he'd be distracted by the insane amount of pride radiating from a man that was fishing in the lake from atop a boulder not that far off.

Spoiler: Fisher

Victorique, meanwhile, had spotted the two (Hildegard and Kain) newcomers as well. She wasn't sure what to think about them. “A kid and a knight..?” It didn't take her long to come to a conclusion. “With how much they're standing out, I'd say that either they're here for the same reason as us, or they're involved somehow. I'd put my money on the first option.” With that said, she waved them over. In a worst-case scenario, she had her bunny guardian to protect her, after all.