Introduction

Observer: After investigating the Memorial Room, you wind up tagging along with King Nero as he heads off to speak to Iola, holding the clue you discovered.
Observer: Queen Iola is less distraught now than when you first peeked your head in, holding a stewy on her lap as she works on paperwork.
King Nero: “Iola, we found something while we were investigating the Memorial Room.”
Observer: Her head lifts immediately, as he holds out the scrap of dark fabric that you found.
Observer: Iola's brow furrows as she considers it.
Queen Iola: “Fabric… Hmm… That’s not much to go on, is it…”
King Nero: “Unfortunately not.”
Queen Iola: “Hmm… Maybe it would be worth visiting Abella? Even if she doesn’t know who the fabric came from, she could probably identify what it is and that might give some ideas?”
King Nero: “Mmm, that’s definitely possible.”
Queen Iola: “There’s also that new bookstore that came to Haven recently… They do both wear dark clothing.”
King Nero: “True, though I can’t imagine what they might steal a statue of Deja for…”
Queen Iola: “Neither can I, but… there’s not much to go on beyond fabric.”
King Nero: “…I do recall that the owner of Enchanted Elixirs also wears a lot of black. She also conceals her face, doesn’t she?”
Observer: You watch as the Queen frowns and considers.
Queen Iola: “That’s… true, yes. I know our guards all expressed concern about that when we did our last round of visits to Haven’s prominent businesses…”
King Nero: “I recall that. We thought Haven’s protections wouldn’t let her in if she was corrupt, didn’t we?”
Queen Iola: “Yes… but that doesn’t mean she couldn’t be up to something for her own ends, or on behalf of somebody else.”
Observer: You watch the two of them as they are silent for a long moment.
King Nero: “I wonder if the thief wanted it to display jewelry on, like all those tasteless auctions purporting to sell Deja’s jewels.”
Observer: You see Queen Iola make a face.
Queen Iola: “I wish people would just… let her rest.”
Observer: She seems like she might say more, but then shakes her head and looks at you.
Queen Iola: “Could you keep helping us with looking into this? I hate to ask it, but I suspect anyone involved will go running at the instant they see a Verdant Guard, let alone Nero or I…”
Observer: You agree, of course, and with some ideas of places to look further into the matter, set off not long after…

Pay Respects

Observer: The Memorial Room has been scoured now, but you find yourself returning to the room anyways.
Observer: There’s now a guard in the room, who looks at you for a bit as you arrive.
Observer: You don’t seem to be the only one who has visited since the statue went missing, though.
Observer: New offerings have been placed around the plinth, including a stew that makes your mouth water.
Observer: You have to wonder who placed that one - the Queen is usually the only one offering stews, and hers are well… Preferable to avoid thinking about.
Observer: Well, maybe someone felt bad for Deja having to get so many unpleasant food offerings…?
Observer: You have more to do than just stay here, however - it is probably best to pay your respects quickly and get on with them.

Nero's Wheel of Fortune

Observer: Lalasa is still attending to the wheel, and waves merrily to you as you enter.
Lalasa: “Welcome to Nero’s Wheel of Fortune! He’s still busy, but Queen Iola’s back at least!”
Observer: Despite her cheer as she says it, you feel a slight twinge of dread - if Queen Iola is back, then that means…
Queen Iola: “I’ve replenished my stew stocks again! Though… not all of it seems to be coming out how it should…”
Observer: …what does that mean? Can she have found a way to make her stew worse? You hope not…
Observer: …time to spin the wheel and hope to not be so ‘fortunate’ as to find out…

deja's disappearance (Daily)

Observer: King Nero paces the Memorial Room once more.
Observer: Everything you could possibly find here has been found, you suspect, but he seems to have been drawn back here regardless.
Observer: Maybe he wishes he had Deja’s guidance now too?
Observer: You don’t know much about his relationship to the departed Queen, but you assume it must have been good if she had engaged her only child to him.
Observer: Better not to disturb his thoughts, you figure, glancing at the scrap of fabric you now hold.
Observer: It’s time to start your search…

Verdant Castle

Observer: Something smells strangely… good as you follow the familiar hallways.
Observer: You’ve rarely seen anyone but Queen Iola here, though, so you have to wonder at the smell.
Observer: As far as you’re aware, the Queen has never made anything that smelled good, let alone tasted good…
Observer: Still, as you step into the room you so often find her in, she is very clearly at the stove, working on cooking stew.
Queen Iola: “Oh, it’s you- Hello, come on in, I’m just making stew…”
Observer: Despite the smile she gives, she’s clearly still quite stressed about the disappearance of her mother’s statue - the smile falls away too quickly, and her voice lacks her usual cheer.
Queen Iola: “It’s just… not turning out right, no matter what I do… I don’t know what I could be doing wrong… I hope you’ll still like it…”
Observer: She says this while handing you a big bowl of… perfectly normal stew? It looks like the nice stews you see sold by actual restaurants.
Queen Iola: “I feel so bad that it isn’t my normal stew, I don’t want to disappoint anybody… I still have some leftovers of that wrapped up still for the Wheel, but…”
Observer: She rubs her face with a hand, and sighs.
Queen Iola: “…hopefully everything will be okay…”
Observer: It seems like it would be rude to tell her you think you like this stew better than her normal one… but how is it that she even made something this good in the first place?

Abella's Boutique

Observer: With the dark fabric scrap secure, you make your way to Abella’s Boutique to ask her about it.
Observer: You’re not sure if you think she’s as unlikely to know anything as Queen Iola and King Nero are, though…
Observer: After all, when you were last there, she was fitting someone for something black - but maybe that is just recency bias speaking…
Observer: When you enter the Boutique, all seems very quiet initially, but Abella is nowhere in sight. You do hear singing coming from a back room, though…
Observer: Well, since the royals sent you, it should be fine to go interrupt, right?



[after clicking link]

Abella: “Oh, I’m so sorry I didn’t hear you enter! My bell just broke yesterday and I haven’t had time to get it fixed yet.”
Observer: You reassure her and produce the scrap of fabric for her to examine.
Abella: “Oh… hmm… Where did you get this?”
Observer: She turns it over in her fingers as you tell her. Although you debate whether or not to be honest, you wind up telling her exactly where you did.
Abella: “I see… It’s [FABRIC TYPE], I can say that much. I don’t think I’ve designed anything recently with it, though, but let me look through my archived designs…”

[after clicking link]

Observer: While Abella looked through her archived designs, you made the executive decision to order some spicy noodles for the two of you to eat.
Observer: The decision was purely motivated by seeing how tiny the scroll bar was when she opened them up.
Abella: “Hmmm… The last time I used this type of fabric was on the last gown I had made for Amalia before… that incident.”
Observer: You decide to pretend you understand, but you really don’t.
Abella: “Since she’s… Since things are the way they are, I doubt she would be involved, and any designs before that point would have long since ceased to be worn, since fabric ages rather faster than we do.”
Abella: “I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help. Hopefully you’ll be able to figure out who took Deja’s statue.”

Enchanted Elixirs

Observer: You don’t have high hopes of finding the Mysterious Shopkeeper who owns Enchanted Elixirs, in all honesty.
Observer: Her new hires already told you that they hadn’t seen her in the past week, which was weird enough even before you had found the scrap of dark fabric.
Observer: You did check inside with them to start, but they said the same thing, so…
Observer: Well, now you’re halfway up the building trying to open a window because…
Observer: …okay, honestly, you don’t have a particularly good excuse for this, but nevertheless, you’re already committed to it.
Observer: What you’re not prepared for is for the window to swing open and for your body to suddenly be pulled inside by magic.

[after clicking link]

Mysterious Shopkeep: “…oh, it’s just you.”
Observer: As you drop to the ground with alarm, the window swings shut behind you.
Mysterious Shopkeep: “And what are you skulking about for? I did tell you last time that you have to pay.”
Observer: Feeling rather absurdly silly - and perhaps a bit afraid - you produce the scrap of fabric and manage to make some sort of excuse or explanation about the statue.
Observer: She goes strangely quiet for a while, looking at the fabric.

[after clicking link]

Observer: She is quiet for so long that you wonder if she will actually respond at all.
Observer: Then, she turns away. She speaks some words you do not quite understand, moving her hands around some drawers.
Observer: There’s a shimmer of something… blue? Or is it green?
Observer: Then, she clicks her tongue, and produces two pairs of gloves, giving you one set to put on. She then drops something into your gloved hand.
Mysterious Shopkeep: “To find what you seek, you must look for what lies beneath.”
Observer: You try to ask what that means, but the window is open again and she is already out of the door, leaving you to stare at the broken piece of a potion bottle in your hand.

Rodeo Ruff Pets

Observer: Out of curiosity, you swing back by Rodeo Ruff Pets again. With everything that’s going on, you think getting to pet some animals sounds nice.
Observer: As you arrive, a sign in front of the draphibian stables greets you.
Sign: “LOOKING FOR ASSISTANT. MUST LIKE ANIMALS. INQUIRE WITHIN.”
Observer: It looks… distinctly handwritten, and you wonder if he managed to get an ad onto the internet or not, or if this is it.
Observer: Inside, a pair of jelluxi being chased by an exuberant whazer flow past you, and you can hear Boone’s laughter.
Boone: “Well, look at them go - it’s a good sight to see them at play, isn’t it?”
Observer: Despite his warm laugh and words, you spot a revolver and an axe on his person, something you’ve never seen before.
Boone: “…ah, you noticed those.”
Observer: His gaze darkens a bit.
Boone: “When you live the life I have, you don’t take things as coincidence. Queen Deja’s statue disappearing right after the eclipse?”
Boone: “I don’t trust it. Whatever storm’s blowing, I’ll make certain my critters and my people are protected and safe.”
Observer: You’re not wholly sure who he means with ‘my people’, besides his daughter, but you’re not going to argue it either.
Observer: He’s probably just overreacting, at least. As important as it is, it’s just a statue, after all.

Nevermore Bookstore

Observer: You expect to see Vincent and Keir at the bookstore when you arrive. It would be easiest for trying to see if the dark fabric you have is like the clothing they wear.
Observer: Neither is outside, though, so you venture inward - but they are also strangely absent as well.
Observer: Oddly, they seem to have forgotten to even leave anything out or even a sign about paying.
Observer: Did they leave in a hurry?
Observer: Dismayed by this and hoping it means nothing, you decide to take some time to browse through the stacks of books while you wait for them to come back and hope that it won’t be too long a wait.
Observer: There don’t seem to be too many books you fail to recognize.
Observer: You wonder if their shipment of books from Maquette was interrupted again…

[link to page]

Observer: As you reach one of the stacks near the back, something catches your eye.
Observer: Looking closer, you see… paper?
Observer: …no, it’s not just paper.
Observer: It was torn from a book.
Observer: …but why?
Observer: You can’t imagine Vincent and Keir would tear up books for any reason.
Observer: Yes, you’re here to investigate if they had anything to deal with the disappearance of Deja’s statue, but…
Observer: Stealing a statue is a far cry from tearing up books.
Observer: Booklovers tend to be pretty uptight about the destruction of books.
Observer: Wait, is that more paper and the storeroom door wide open…?

[link to page]

Observer: Not only is the storeroom wide open, but so is the backdoor.
Observer: And a trail of paper torn from books leads your way right through both doors.
Observer: Halfway down the street, you see Vincent and Keir, grimfaced as they return. They spot you and their expressions change to surprise and then embarrassment.
Keir: "…did we forget to lock up…?"
Observer: You inform them that they did, and try to subtly check if their clothes match the fabric scrap you have.
Observer: You’re not subtle.
Vincent: "What is that?"
Observer: Well, at least it doesn’t seem to match, so as you return to the store with them, you explain that you’re trying to figure out where Deja’s statue has vanished to…
Observer: The pair trade an exasperated look.
Vincent: "I suspect it might have been taken by the same nefarious individuals who keep stealing our books."
Keir: "I concur. I cannot imagine they have more respect for a memorial to a departed queen than they do for books or private property."
Vincent: "We almost had them this time, but they slipped into this maze of alleyways full of trash, and we lost them."
Keir: "I guess we should try picking some of them up, rather than letting them lay around…"
Observer: You watch as he starts to, and then see his shoulders slump, as though in resignation.
Keir: "…I would ask why they’re chewing on the pages, but I suppose it tracks with everything else. Of course they’re chewing on pages. Why wouldn’t they be chewing on pages?"
Vincent: "Disgusting."
Observer: You do what you can to help them right things, and take a few of the pages, wondering what King Nero and Queen Iola will think of them when you bring them back…