Side RP: Chaos in Hara

The capital of Alcave is much reduced from its pre-War majesty. Fully three-quarters of its population went missing by the end of the War. Most of those died as a result of the various battles of the War, some simply disappeared. There are persistent rumors that many of those that disappeared were... transformed by the crossfire of arcane power. Indeed, over the years since the end of the War, the stories have only grown more outlandish, from a secret city of mutants in the deep forest, to ghostly apparitions that visit the unfortunate as they sleep and drain their life force.

The city of Hara has rebuilt somewhat under the leadership of Martin Ghara, a former captain of the city guard. The lawlessness and chaos of the immediate post-War period has settled into a routine, if not a particularly comfortable one. Mayor Ghara has rebuilt the city guard into an effective force, albeit one that does not suffer much mischief. Their heavy-handed methods have drawn grumbles from some of the residents, but there is no doubt that Hara has managed to settle into a functional state once again.

Over the last few months, though, something sinister seems to be happening.

Every once in a while, a Hara resident will go missing unexpectedly. Usually, they will return the next day, though anyone speaking to them will report that they refuse to answer any questions about where they were, who took them, or why. One thing is certain: the returned resident is spooked about something...

More concerning are those that never return. Some say that the city guard has taken them prisoner... others that the mutants have stolen them from their beds... still others that they've been sucked dry by the ghosts... but it has the entire city on edge even more than usual.

The two walk along for a time, the usual meager crowd of people moving along the street. Over the last few weeks, people around the city have grown increasingly paranoid. You can see it in the sideways glances they give each other, the tension in their voices when they speak to strangers, the reluctance to stay overlong in the streets.

After a block or two, a young woman, probably no more than 11 years old, comes running up to Coreene. Her plain dress has clearly been mended a number of times, her simple shoes show the signs of patched holes. Coreene would know her as Minama, the daughter of an occasional customer of herbs and home remedies. She's a little breathless as she speaks to the Naucan woman. "Mistress Coreene, oh thank the stars... oh please, help... it's my mama... she's gone!" she says, her voice breaking in panic and worry. "I... didn't know who else to come to. Can you help?"

Minama's panicked breathing slows a bit, now that there's a nominally responsible adult available. "She was there at home last night when I went to sleep, but she usually wakes me up in the morning... and she wasn't there. I woke up on my own, and everywhere I looked, she wasn't there. I waited for a while, 'cause I thought maybe she went to the market, or..."

Thinking it back over again, the girl's lower lip starts to quiver and her eyes grow wet. "Maybe the g-ghosts got her?" she squeaks in a tiny voice. "What if she's... gone?"

Minama takes a quick look at Uelten, not entirely sure about this... other person, but her worry about her mother wins out over her concern about Mr. One-Fang-Showing, and she moves back through the crowd. She looks back over her shoulder now and again to make sure Coreene and Uelten are following.

She leads them to one of the poorer parts of town, ramshackle run-down homes barely better than shacks. This part of the city was leveled in the War and refugees from all over the area resettled it in a haphazard fashion. It's a maze at best. Minama is more careful to make sure her companions are following as they reach this area, and leads them to a particular home. It's as well-cared for as one can manage given the little amount available to work with. It's predictably simple inside: one tiny bedroom shared by mother and daughter and an outer room that serves every other purpose. It's relatively clean and organized; if there's something out of place, it shouldn't be terribly hard to find it.

Minima points out things she seems to think might be of interest, like where her mother likes to sit while mending clothes, or how the curtain that separates the outer room from the bedroom doesn’t make any noise when it moves, or how when it’s cold at night, like it was last night, her mother likes to sleep closer together.

That last catches your ear. It’s obvious from the two piles of bedding on the floor that they weren’t pushed close together, which would suggest that the girl’s mother was abducted prior to going to sleep. You decide to spend your exploration in the outer room and immediately outside the rickety door to the street. Uelten notices an old woman outside the shack next door watching them looking around, though she’s all too clearly trying to not take too much of an interest. There’s also a partial bootprint in a patch of drying mud in the street, last night’s misty rain not enough to wash it away.

"Don’t know anything, so you can ask all y’ like," the old woman says shortly. She looks past Uelten toward Coreene, then sizes up the fellow in front of her. "Y’ don’t look none like the guard..."