Introduction

Observer: As you finish speaking, King Nero finally lets out a groan. He’s held it in longer than his wife, Queen Iola, whose head met with her hands while you were recounting your visit to Nevermore Bookstore.
King Nero: “I am at a loss for ideas now…”
Queen Iola: “I… There’s the… paper trail, I guess…”
King Nero: “…I suppose there is.”
Observer: You get the idea they’re both disgusted by the concept of all that trash, which you cannot blame them for.
Queen Iola: “…maybe you could check with Boone at Rodeo Ruff Pets?”
King Nero: “What about?”
Queen Iola: “About… what exactly was biting those pages… Maybe… maybe there’s just a really weird draphibian who thinks paper is tasty?”
King Nero: “Well… that’s not a terrible idea. Maybe Vincent and Keir are just plagued by a draphibian, rather than anything actually nefarious.”
Queen Iola: “Maybe it’s using that trash area as an escape route?”
King Nero: “That trash area does bother me… We should probably send some sanitation workers and guards to clean it up, once this matter is resolved. It sounds hazardous to Haven’s health.”
Queen Iola: “Yes, it does… I’m concerned it got to that state in the first place.”
King Nero: “Likewise… We’ll investigate it as soon as we can.”
Queen Iola: “I know I saw Blossom chasing her tiburok out that way a few weeks ago. Maybe you could also check in on her?”
King Nero: “But how could a tiburok get through doors?”
Queen Iola: “…magic…?”
Observer: Although the idea is not very convincing, you add it to your list of places to visit anyways.
Observer: Both draphibian and tiburok are more pleasant culprits for the book eating miscreant than what Vincent and Keir suspect, after all.
Queen Iola: “I don’t know where to even start with what the owner of Enchanted Elixirs said…”
King Nero: “I don’t either… However, maybe Nepra might have some ideas what she could mean?”
Queen Iola: “We need to give her a pay raise if she can make anything out of what that woman said…”
King Nero: “I wonder if Vincent and Keir would be able to help you figure it out, as another option.”
Queen Iola: “Oh, that’s a good thought - lockettes do live a long time, they might know things that none of us dextroluma would recall.”
Observer: With a new list of targets to investigate in hand, you set off into Haven once more…

deja's disappearance (Daily)

Observer: King Nero has set up a cork board in the room near Deja’s Memorial where you have been meeting with him and his wife.
Observer: Well, it’s not really made of cork, but it looks like it. It’s some fancy thing from Galactica, apparently, and by putting the clues you have found against it momentarily, it has put up their images on its face.
Observer: He has similarly connected them by drawing lines with his fingers and tapping them to get them the color he wants them to be.
Observer: You have no idea what the red lines, blue lines, or yellow lines mean, but he’s already had to move on to other business, so you cannot really ask him.
Observer: Seeing the piece of broken bottle reminds you that you didn’t actually talk about what the bottle was - it tickles the back of your brain, however…
Observer: Maybe you should visit Enchanted Elixirs - by the front door, this time - and ask Violet and Mirrani about the bottle.
Observer: Even if their boss isn’t going to give you any further information, maybe they might have some ideas about the bottle?
Observer: It feels like it might be more to go on than just the shopkeeper’s strange words…
Observer: Or maybe it could help you for when you talk to Nepra…
Observer: With that in mind, you decide to head out to investigate again.

Aerius Archives

Observer: You remember the Mysterious Shopkeeper’s words as vividly as you can as you head into the Archives, hoping against hope that Nepra or Symphony might understand what the hell she meant.
Observer: Nepra is sipping tea once again when you enter, working busily on a stack of papers.
Nepra: “Oh, welcome - do you need the passport office or the scrolls?”
Observer: You explain, somewhat awkwardly, that you don’t need either, and that you’re here at the request of King Nero and Queen Iola. Immediately, Symphony stands from where she was working, coming over to Nepra’s side.
Symphony: “Is something wrong? We’d heard of the missing statue, but I fail to see how either of us could help with that…”
Observer: Carefully, you tell them of the steps you’ve taken so far in your investigation, and in particular, your encounter with the Mysterious Shopkeeper… and her strange hint.
Nepra: “To find what you seek, you must look for what lies beneath.”
Symphony: “What an odd riddle… Why not just say plainly what you mean?”
Nepra: “She strikes me as someone who likes to see how people try to solve a problem… I wonder if she has some sort of sight magic? She could treat the rest of the world as reality television, if she did, and relish playing a role in that regard…”
Symphony: “…that’s a very specific supposition.”
Nepra: “I’ve met a few like that, before, it’s a shockingly common way for the sighted to behave.”
Nepra: “Regardless of her motives, though, let me think…”
Symphony: “You said she gave you a fragment of a bottle of some sort. Could I see it?”
Observer: You reiterate the caution the Mysterious Shopkeeper took as you show it to her, but she just snags it from your hands with no caution.
Symphony: “The things that can hurt a dextroluma cannot hurt me, don’t you worry about me. If she took that much caution with it, I’d rather be the one handling it than Nepra.”
Nepra: “Mmm… Why don’t you investigate our section of recorded potion recipes while I go looking for… What lies below…”
Observer: With little else to do, you settle in to wait as the two disperse.

[link to page]

Observer: To your surprise, they do not come back simply with answers.
Observer: Symphony has a collapsible table hoisted in one of her hands, and a number of books floating around her, seemingly all in the process of falling, but their motion completely arrested.
Observer: In her other hand, she holds an hourglass covered in the same flowers that cover her ears and tail and that you can see on her collar - her charm.
Observer: Nepra, more sensibly, has a rather large metal cart laden with different things, and raises her eyebrows at Symphony’s collection of floating items.
Nepra: “Was something wrong with the cart?”
Symphony: “Broken wheel - I notified one of the techs, but this is a plenty expedient solution.”
Nepra: “I suppose. I’m sure it will eventually feel less odd to see your summon’s power in action.”
Observer: Symphony laughs a little as she gets the table set up. She places the hourglass onto the table, and all the books move to hover over it, just off its surface.
Observer: Swiftly, she flips it, and there is a series of light thumps as the books all drop into place.
Observer: Nepra unloads the books from her cart onto the table, shaking her head slightly as Symphony moves to help her too.
Nepra: “I wonder how long that cart had been broken… We use that section frequently, it should have been noted when it first began to fail.”
Symphony: “A good question. I’ll make a note to ask the employees of that section about it later, and to check the carts in the other sections.”
Nepra: “Thank you. For now, though, let’s get to work on this. The whole… ‘you must look for what lies beneath’ makes me quite uneasy.”
Symphony: “Me too. What all did you pull?”
Nepra: “Well, I wound up going a bit of everywhere… I cannot be sure any of these will be useful, but I tried to work with the ‘beneath’ angle. Glassmaking, due to the potion bottle, maps of local cave systems…”
Nepra: “…records of arrests for the crafting of illegal and restricted potions, records of permits for mining machinery, records of… Well, you can see, there’s a lot.”
Observer: It seems like the night will be quite long, as the three of you settle in to go through the myriad books they have pulled.

[link to page]

Observer: Nepra’s gasp startles you from the stupor that you had been in while trying to get through the maps of local cave systems.
Symphony: “What did you find?”
Observer: Symphony places mugs of tea in front of you each as she speaks - you had almost forgotten that she had gotten one of the Archives’ employees to fetch you all tea while she went to do something.
Observer: Nepra takes a moment to compose herself, and to seemingly double check what she just saw.
Nepra: “Symphony, look at these blueprints.”
Symphony: “Hmm…”
Observer: You watch as she examines them, and look yourself. Nepra has unfolded the blueprints to two particular floors of the Verdant Castle - your eyes can trace the path you usually take there.
Observer: You’re confused about the other floor at first - till you notice…
Symphony: “If you line them up… And that’s an access… And it’s perfect… No one could see you.”
Symphony: “…we should look into who all has looked at these blueprints, the entire history.”
Nepra: “Yes, I agree. First, though, we need to make a copy of them so you can show King Nero and Queen Iola… Oh, and, did you find anything on the potion bottle?”
Symphony: “I did.”
Observer: Her tone is so oddly grim that you are caught off guard, especially as she produces a sturdy bag - not the one you were originally handed by the Mysterious Shopkeeper.
Symphony: “I noticed there was some residue on the glass, and took it to a Lockette I know here who specializes in magic, Violet. She was able to do some analysis for me.”
Nepra: “The bottle wasn’t giving you anything?”
Symphony: “[Every other restricted or illegal potion seems to use similar components like skulls,]/[So many potion bottles tend to use purple glass that] it would be impossible to tell without the residue.”
Symphony: “Violet was able to ascertain what it is, though - it’s popularly called Tears of the Damned, though there’s some other names it might be called.”
Symphony: “It’s most often used as a more… hygienic way to give a Dextroluma necrosis.”
Observer: You see Nepra’s eyes widen as she looks at the bag.
Nepra: “…that… No, I won’t jump to conclusions. Nevertheless, that is concerning to hear, and to think of what that Shopkeeper might have meant by linking her riddle to that potion…”
Observer: The blueprints are copied for you in silence, after that, and you head out soon after to relay the information to King Nero and investigate further, unnerved.

Abella's Boutique

Observer: Abella’s Boutique is a frenzy of activity when you arrive.
Observer: The normal racks of clothes are all pulled out as Abella works to change out clothing for the new season.
Observer: She waves at you with a smile as the bell - now working again - jingles, stopping singing to greet you.
Abella: “Welcome, sorry for the chaos today! It’s autumn now, so I’m trying to get everything switched over… I should have done it sooner, but… Oh, there was a custom gown, and then I wound up going through my archive in full…”
Observer: Remembering the time you came in during a custom dress fitting, you mention your thought she should hire a clerk.
Observer: She grimaces at the suggestion.
Abella: “My… friend says that too… And my… Well, a lot of people say it. But I mean, this store is my baby… How could I…”
Observer: You point out most babies usually have multiple caretakers, and she looks away, looking… You’re not sure what emotion is on her face. Wistful? Sad?
Abella: “…most, I suppose. But… I’m sure it’ll be fine… It’s not like I… It’s not like plenty don’t just have the one, after all.”
Observer: You decide to leave it, but… You kind of hope someone else can get it through to her. Or maybe she’ll wind up having to visit a healer from overdoing it, who knows.
Observer: At least you can browse the clothes she has managed to get switched out…
Observer: Though she seems a lot less cheerful now, a small frown on her face that wrinkles her brow with thought as she works.
Observer: …you can’t help but feel like you somehow said something wrong, but have no idea what.

Enchanted Elixirs

Observer: When you walk into Enchanted Elixirs, you are struck by the smell of… well, a lot of smells, all at once, but burning cedar is the most notable.
Observer: The second most notable thing is the sound of crying.
Observer: As you crane your neck, you finally see Mirrani trying to mop up a mess, having seemingly messed up quite badly making a potion.
Observer: As she mops, she waves a dish with a burning herb mix over it, muttering incantations between tears.
Observer: It seems kindest to just… leave her to it. Violet and that Mysterious Shopkeeper will probably help her out later, and you suspect she would only be more upset to know you saw this…
Observer: Hopefully you can find answers about the pieces of that potion bottle at the Archives…

Rodeo Ruff Pets

Observer: As you step into Rodeo Ruff Pets, you find yourself hoping, just like Queen Iola, that Vincent and Keir are being plagued by a draphibian.
Observer: It would make perfect sense, after all - draphibians have thumbs and can open doorknobs. They’re known to eat weird things.
Observer: They’re highly intelligent, curious, and many are very mischevious.
Observer: It’s almost easy to try to convince yourself of, but you’re here to check with an expert…and to pray that Queen Iola is right.
Observer: Boone isn’t inside the shop, however - after some searching, you wind up finding him in the draphibian stables, looking quite messy, with a newly hatched draphibian clinging to him, fast asleep.
Boone: “Ah damn, I didn’t realize the time.”
Observer: He struggles to stand up without disturbing the hatchling, who makes a few noises of protest, but doesn’t seem inclined to move. His shirt is probably destroyed.
Boone: “Sorry ‘bout that, she hatched pretty early and it was a tough one.”
Observer: He yawns, as if to underlie how early it was.
Boone: “Give me a few to get clean and I’ll help you in the shop.”

[link to page]

Observer: Boone doesn’t take too long to get cleaned up, and the hatchling draphibian is now trotting beside him, curious about everything she sees.
Observer: You note new items on him - iron rings on his fingers and on his horns. Clearly, he’s still concerned by the vanished statue…
Boone: “Alright, how can I help you out today?”
Observer: Feeling more and more ridiculous as you speak, you outline Vincent and Keir’s problem and produce some of the chewed on papers for him to examine.
Boone: “…I see…”
Observer: He pulls out a light, leaning close to examine the pages with it.

[link to page]

Observer: After a while, he laughs - just a small, short bark of a laugh.
Boone: “I guess you were hoping an animal did this?”
Observer: His tone suggests the answer you were afraid of, but, nevertheless, you confirm what you had hoped.
Boone: “Those’re definitely bites from the mouth of something more humanoid - human, dextroluma, nunuluma, dexette, lockette, kipitin, auratail, medi-borg, nunuke… Could be any of them, but it’s bound to be one of them.”
Boone: “A draphibian’s bite would have torn the page in half if they’d bitten at this spot - they’ve got those long muzzles, and they don’t tend to nibble.”
Observer: Of course. You thank him for the information, and prepare to head off again for further investigations…

Strawberry Gardens

Observer:

Observer: You don’t have high hopes that Blossom’s new tiburok will be the culprit causing Vincent and Keir so many problems, but you’d never complain about an excuse to visit Blossom.
Observer: When you enter the shop, it is to the loud chirping of the extremely mad Petal, who is struggling in Blossom’s arms.
Blossom: “Hello, I’m so sorry, don’t mind the mess…”
Observer: A pot has been placed over something on the ground, and there’s a good amount of dirt and water everywhere.
Observer: You ask what happened, and she grimaces.
Blossom: “Petal decided to pick a fight with Tulip while I was busy with…”
Observer: Her voice trails off, and sensing some sort of distress, Petal chirps with worry and tries to shove her head into Blossom’s - whether she’s trying to cheer her up or hoping that doing so will get her out of trouble, you cannot say.
Blossom: “I guess I might as well tell you, I already called the labs about it…”
Blossom: “…actually, though, can we wait till they collect it? I’d really rather not be in this room right now, you caught me just after I finished talking to them.”

[link to page]

Observer: Blossom sighs with relief once you’re in the garden outside the shop, hugging Petal and finally releasing her, then going to give each of her other pets a hug.
Observer: She seems to feel better outside, under the moon and the soft breeze of an early autumn night.
Blossom: “So, I was just prepping some of my newest batch of logs, but while I was doing so, I… Well, they’re supposed to come to me clean and without spores, I grow moss on them, it’s…”
Blossom: “I don’t know what happened. I didn’t do anything differently… I’ll need to talk to my suppliers, or maybe the guard will, I don’t know…”
Observer: She looks around, then lowers her voice.
Blossom: “There was a corrupt mushroom on one of them. It wasn’t big enough to put off spores yet, I got it covered with the pot you saw, and I’m going to sterilize everything…”
Blossom: “I might have to buy all new stock, I- I don’t know how long it had been growing, I don’t know if anything else got contaminated, I- I don’t know.”
Observer: You do your best to comfort her, resolving to put off asking about the bitten pages till after the lab people have collected it.

[link to page]

Observer: After a few hours, the lab people - apparently from Morgue Station, up in Galactica - have collected the potentially contaminated stock from Blossom’s shop, taken some blood from her and all her pets to run tests.
Observer: They’ve also cleaned and sanitized the shop with something that is strong enough they’ve advised her to stay closed for a little bit while it works.
Observer: They’ve also left her with a number for a specialty lawyer, in case her supplier is ‘a problem’ about something that is likely their fault by negligence.
Observer: Now, you can finally bring up the bitten pages, though it feels a bit silly to do so…
Blossom: “…bitten pages…?”
Observer: You let her look at them.
Blossom: “Well, nothing my pets have chewed on has ever looked like that. I don’t think any of them care about paper.”
Blossom: “…I wish I could trade problems with Vincent and Keir right now…”
Observer: She sighs after saying it, and squares her shoulders.
Blossom: “Well, I’ll figure it out, I guess. I’m glad they didn’t think I was likely to be infected, at least. Thank you for being here with me for it.”
Blossom: “I’m going to head home now, though, so I can start dealing with my supplier about this.”
Observer: You wish her luck and bid her farewell as she heads off.
Observer: What a night… Certainly not what you anticipated dealing with when you walked into the store.

Trash Kingdom

Observer: There is no longer any chance to avoid trying to learn more about the ‘trash kingdom’.
Observer: You’ve scampered off every time before… but now you plunge in, wearing a pair of gloves and clothing that you don’t care about.
Observer: The papier-mâché castle around the dumpsters has grown exponentially.
Observer: The tower is even finished now. It all bears a strange and striking resemblance to Verdant Castle, which is…
Observer: …you really do not know what to think about it at all, honestly.
Observer: You don’t know if you want to think too hard about it.
Observer: Disturbingly, you find you can actually enter the papier-mâché castle.
Observer: What is this papier-mâché even made out of - it shouldn’t be strong enough for this…

[link to page]

Observer: The interior is disturbingly similar too, and your feet wind up leading you to the memorial room.
Observer: You don’t expect there to actually be a memorial room, though - most ‘rooms’ seem to be filled with just trash bags, or stacked dumpsters that might be load bearing.
Observer: Despite this, though, there is a memorial room…
Observer: There is even the unmistakable scent of Queen Iola’s signature stews here - and as you look around in the dim light, you recognize, with some horror, that these stews have been stacked so high and so carefully that they are literally supporting the papier-mâché floor above you.
Observer: Your mind tells you that it is definitely impossible, but… you’re seeing it, aren’t you?

[link to page]

Observer: Then, to your surprise, you spot it- spot her!
Observer: Deja’s statue, in the middle of this bizarre place, this disgusting parody of the Verdant Castle.
Observer: You hurry over to examine it in the dim light, but it seems undamaged.
Observer: How can you get it out, get it back to where it belongs?
Observer: You try to test its weight by lifting it, and to your surprise, it lifts quite easily.
Observer: That seems… odd, but you’re too overjoyed by the idea this could be settled to really worry about it. Maybe the statue’s maker lied about actually making it from stone and just fleeced Queen Iola?
Observer: Holding it close, you hurry from this trash kingdom and try to run back to Verdant Castle as quickly as you can…

Nevermore Bookstore

Observer: The Mysterious Shopkeeper’s words are still in your head as you approach Nevermore Bookstore once again.
Observer: You don’t have any resolution to your last visit to them, unfortunately, but you hope they might have some ideas for you…
Observer: They’re at least in the shop this time, though by the looks on their faces, you suspect the problems have not stopped.
Observer: Their heads are both bowed over an instruction manual.
Keir: “It seems like a well-designed warding spell.”
Vincent: “It does, the spices all seem well chosen. Powdered volcanic mushrooms in particular seem like they’d be good.”
Keir: “So long as it doesn’t ward off our customers as well, I suppose.”
Vincent: “There is that to consider… At this point, though, we might as well try. Our customers can’t buy much if all our books keep getting eaten…”
Observer: They finally spot you and wave you over.

[link to page]

Keir: “How has your hunt been going?”
Observer: You explain the places that King Nero and Queen Iola suggested you look, and their idea it might be a draphibian.
Keir: “Wishful thinking, but I understand it.”
Vincent: “We have already had to get through our denial phase about the matter - I would far rather a draphibian than what it actually is…”
Keir: “A draphibian can be trained. These… individuals…”
Observer: They trail off, and shake their head again.
Observer: Seizing the moment, you continue on to explain the other half of your investigation, and the riddle you were posed.
Observer: Their faces both brighten at the opportunity to offer help.
Vincent: “Oh, I’ve an idea of some books that could be helpful - and can we see the bit of potion bottle she gave you? “To find what you seek, you must look for what lies beneath” strikes me as likely referring to it, after all.”
Observer: You let them both look, though you emphasize the care the Shopkeeper took and your assumption that it is dangerous. They handle it carefully in turn.
Keir: “I’m not too familiar with potions - we tend to use powders in Maquette instead. Still, we’ve got quite a few books on those as well.”
Vincent: “Give us a little time and we can collect the ones we’re thinking of for you.”

[link to page]

Observer: The two of them collect quite a number of books from eclectic areas for you.
Observer: Keir has a stack of books on potion making, the history of potions on Aerius, as well as some books on glassmaking and its history.
Observer: Vincent has books about riddles, cryptography, symbolism, and caves.
Observer: You don’t honestly get the impression that they’ll help much, but you’re not going to refuse a bunch of books that will surely be on the dime of the Verdant Castle.
Observer: Besides, who knows… Maybe you’ll find something in them.