Story:

Chapter 2 – The Memory Thieves of Lorin

Eldan, Ka'El and I had been apprentices for perhaps a year or two when Skira told us that we were being sent on a mission on behalf of the Green Arrow Path Company.  The village of Lorin, about a day's travel downriver, had applied to the Green Arrow Path for assistance, and Skira was sending us.  We were surprised and excited at the chance of proving ourselves.

We took a little boat, sufficient for the short trip.  The voyage was eventful, however; we were attacked by jubjubs, a species of large and carnivorous amphibians that look like giant frogs with venomous fangs.  Taken by surprise, we were nearly overpowered by the jubjubs but rallied and repelled the attack.  Eldan dealt the last one the coup de grâce with his dagger, which he then proudly named Frogsticker.

We made our way to Lorin, which was populated by a mix of T'skrangs and Cathan Humans.  We met with the tribal elder and hetman, a Human male called Matlas, who was very deaf.  Fortunately, a little Human girl called Hrothla helped us understand the village's troubles.  We learned that House K'tenshin, which controls this section of the Serpent River, had taken all the able-bodied adults of Lorin as levees against House Hengyoke's forays.  Soon after, objects of purely sentimental value had started disappearing, and one of the children had started having nightmares.  Non-human tracks had been found after the thefts. 

Ka'El examined astral space, while Eldan and I questioned the villagers and examined the tracks.  It seemed that there were perhaps half a dozen man-sized beasts involved.  We learned that the child suffering from nightmares was the daughter of the local Seeress, and was in fact Hrothla's younger sister, a four-year old called Joli.  Ka'El and I went to question her about the dark dreams.  She had seen shadowy figures peering into houses and taking objects of no apparent value: an old pot, a comb, a doll. 

Meanwhile, Eldan had heard rumours of Windling activity in the area.  He and Ka'El turned down my suggestion to organize watches that night.  As a result, we discovered the next morning that Ka'El's hat had been stolen during the night.  Eldan started examining the village's surroundings for tracks while Ka'El and I searched the village. 

Eldan found some tracks, which he followed with all speed.  He scared up four Namegivers in a clearing, who ran away at his arrival.  After he came back to fetch us, we united forces to pursue the runaways, three Humans and a Dwarf.  We cut them off as they tried to double back to the river.  We pursued them until the next dawn, when we attacked and captured the three Human males, using my fishing net as a trap.  The Dwarf male managed to escape, but Eldan tracked him and brought him back.

The three men were brothers, called Horlick, Lorick, and Morick, and the Dwarf was Danthro; they had all been hired by a Windling called Stiletto.  They confessed to the petty thefts, which they had perpetrated on Stiletto's order; they did not know the reason for these bizarre actions.

That same day, a House K'tenshin barge arrived, returning the conscripted workers who had discharged their obligations.  Alas, Eldan took a great and mutual dislike for the barge's commanding officer, Lord Captain Lorto Ipikos K'tenshin; when he challenged the captain, he was wounded for his trouble.  Eldan, who until this moment had been resolved to sell the four thieves as slaves to House K'tenshin for profit (despite my adamant objections), then resolved to bring them back to the Citadel.

The grateful villagers gave Eldan a potion brewed by their healer, and gave each of us a light quartz in thanks for our help at catching the thieves.  We made our way back to Erengazor, somewhat puzzled by the whole affair but feeling we had despatched our obligations honourably.

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