After meeting up for the first time in their life, the twins Ielenia and Loskid spent all evening drinking in a tavern. Melgarin ate in the same tavern. Eventually, the tavern closed and threw everyone out.
Outside, Elanor was lurking about. Perhaps she was looking for marks for her acrobatics. Suddenly, a cry for help came from a nearby alley! Everyone went to check it out. They found three thugs with facepaint beating up a scrawny guy. After driving the thugs off, Loskid recognized the man as Ruphus Laro, an acolyte from the Church of St Cuthbert. Ruphus convinces everyone to walk him back to the church. On the way, he explains that he was sent to comfort the orphans at the Lantern Street Orphanage, which had recently had four children kidnapped.
Once back at the church, Jenya Urikas (who is in charge while the high priest is away) asks the group for help. She pledged that the church would bring the kidnappers to justice, but doesn't have a lot to go on, and would like the characters' help. She broke a relic out of the church's vault and used it to cast a divination, receiving a cryptic riddle in return:
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.
Jenya has very little idea what that might mean. Maybe the locks are the locks on the orphanage doors?
This may also be connected to a recent series of kidnappings in Cauldron, though these are the first children reported missing.
Shackled City Home
Next time: Session 2