Day 13.3: Choose Door Number…Um

Mutu decides he is “fine” and we continue on in our search for the Toymaker. (He’s chattier than normal, so thinking some wires might have gotten crossed.) 2 doors left. To the North, we find a skuttler type creature sorting through packages behind bars and “stuck” doors. I flip over a near tag and see a name – VonStein Family. We decide to leave it for now as it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. To the South I find another small room with a sink and 2 more doors. Great a privy. Room on the left had scratch marks on the back of the door as though someone was locked in, trying to get out. No sign of a body though. Room on the right showed bloody standing water, but nothing was down the sewer. No bodies (hopefully) means no issues. Decided to investigate the basement.

2 doors. I creak open the door to the right and find a makeshift prison. In one of the cells an unaware young man was bound within a mark on the ground, punctuated at its points with black candles. Swirling dust motes filled the air and pierced his skin in needle formations, his mouth sown shut with stitching like we saw the other living dolls trying to do to the children. I pulled out Geist and he suggested this might be a focal point of some sort. Strong, dark magic probably only disrupted by a dispel magic spell.

[Need to superimpose this spot with the other children we know about as well as the rumors of other families to see if the connect to a central point in the city.]

Searching the room we find a bracelet of deception, bracelet of dashing, and a copper ring with the Draffy coat of arms on it. Taking what I know, I identified the bound person and Andre de Draffy, youngest son of that family. Left to deal with the other room before investigating further.

Next room is a workroom. Was able to crack open the door and see 3 clockwork workers and 2 metal tables with bloodstains and black sand. Set up a fighting perimeter in the hallway where we can control the battle and Mutu taunted them into position. I find out electricity works very well against them. Our party worked together to dismantle the constructs (not trapped souls). We investigate the room to loot clean up and find evidence that here was where they trapped the souls into dolls or other constructs. Found more of the black hearts but these are blank (no runes scribed on them) Diana collected several samples along with the black motes for further investigation.