We head off to the cozy hollow orphanage, the staff that remain offer no resistance to us entering. We walk in as I bring my power out to augment my vision. We move into the records room, morgan immediately sifting through the various as I make a survey for any magic in the room. Seeing nothing I split away from her to check out the rest of the orphanage, ending in caela’s room. I look through the bedding, the dresser, in the closet. There’s a small glow of magic and I find a small box tucked away out of sight. I pull it out and see the lock. It has nothing else visible so I try to open it and find it locked. I put it aside and keep looking, searching through her room. I find a few odds and ends, a pair of earrings but nothing of importance. I move through the orphanage again, looking without y magic sight this time and trying to find something out of place. I eventually come back to the records closet that morgan’s been in. She’s taking notes and completely engrossed in her work, I wait a few minutes, she’s not done but I have questions.

“is it important?”

[morgan] “What!? Ohh, you startled me. Uhh like all of it? Then yes. This bit though can sit for a moment.”

“Good, I want to inspect this room, it’s the only one I haven’t checked.”

[morgan] “oh sure, yeah let me just… there, notes all gathered. Check away m friend.”

I paused just a moment then focus back on the task. I look around and with so much covered by the various shelves to store the records I start moving them. On the third shelf it doesn’t move easily so I start working on it, trying to get it to budge from any angle and suddenly get it to open up. A passage in the wall now visible as it’s a shaft that descends straight down.

[morgan] “damn, glad you checked it. Guess we’ll check if this is an escape route or something else.”

I nod, push my power into my feet and walk down the shaft… well more of a crouch walk to crawl down it, but still I make my way down and at the bottom it’s supported by thick heavy beams of wood while rising to a solid eight feet… it’s oddly spacious, especially for what I was expecting from a human tunnel.

“come on down morgan, it’s empty. Surprisingly tall too.”

[morgan] “alright on my way… huh, that’s really tall for underground. Too tall really if you wanted to kidnap kids. Ready to check it out?”

“yeah it’s just a tunnel.”

[morgan] “you guys don’t believe in causing bad luck by making statements like that right?”

“like what? It is just a tunnel, what’s there to worry about?”

[morgan] “I’ll take that as a no, just. Just try not to ask something like what could possibly go wrong, I swear you’ll get us the worst luck.”

“no such things as luck just chance and odds.”

[morgan] “figures. Alright into the dark tunnel we go.”

With light provided by our magic we make our way in and with at least an hour of walking we make it to the exit, a set of stairs leading up to the door. We push it open and find ourselves in the jungle. Completely covered by the canopy.

[morgan] “this seems like pretty good evidence. You see a path around here?”

“no. would should give everything a closer inspection though, oh one moment.”

I focus my power to my eyes again… there’s nothing.

“odd. Caela seems to have used almost no magic in capturing these kids, or less than roulla.”

[morgan] “or she’s better at hiding it… wait, on the trees.”

I look as she points out the branches, each worn down. A few broken off.

“that’s not proof, not enough anyway. You did find more in the paperwork right?”

[morgan] “some. I definitely wanted more. You find anything else?”

“just a locked box, no idea what’s inside… besides something magical.”

[morgan] “alright, well lets give everything a look over again and talk with the staff and the orphans.”

We close the door and head back into the orphanage. Another search and hours of questions later we return to our house and my mind somehow is sore. Every thought seems sluggish, like I’d been without sleep for a long time.

“I’m get sleeps soon in times while we want answers, food filling me.”

[morgan] “… What?”

“I sleep, talk morrow.”

[morgan] “yeah, night.”

With that we both go to our beds. The next day we wake later than usual, morgan sent a request for a lock picker from the monarch to help us. She’s actually pretty good sometimes, by lunch we have our food and the box is opened up. Inside is see the magic radiating off what looked like a stone and what almost looks like a miniature writing set. Ink well stylus, and paper all sized way down as well as some small wires.

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“what’s this about?”

[morgan] “check the paper, maybe there’s one that says something on it incriminating?”

I carefully sift through the papers, there’s nothing.

“what would this be used for? I mean these papers are small but the length is weirdly long, what would the point of it be?”

[morgan] “maybe keep them secret? Rolled up and stowed away somewhere?”

“no, there’s many others ways to do that I bet, and this feels weirdly specific… look everything else is small, made to help you write small I think… but why.”

[morgan] “well I’m not the one to ask, we’ve both been… we need to ask others, come on lets take a walk around town. Bring the box along as well we need to show it.”

With that we were off, walking about through the city going from store to store. The first scribes store we come across there’s a balding, thin man with some wrinkling in his face though it seems he’s not in old age yet.

[Store owner] “ah welcome in.”

[morgan] “hi, so we’re in need of some outside understanding. This is eluding us, we’ve a box we found on an investigation and we’re not sure what the things inside are for, in specific.”

His face goes from smiling to unsure and his eyes flick to our medals before he moves in nodding his head… at least I think that’s what it all was. I present the box, opening it up and putting it on the counter.

“the rock is magical.”

[Store owner] “noted, now let’s see… ahh, all- yes I know what this is for. In specific it’s for writing notes and tying them to the leg of a bird. It’s a mundane way of moving critical information at distance relatively fast… though of course it has its own potential problems.”

[morgan] “so if you wanted to communicate to someone outside the city this would be a stealthy way to do so?”

[Store owner] “yes in times of peace it would be very unnoticed. Though not impossible to stop if wanted.”

“would this be something only those committing crimes would use?”

[Store owner] “uh, no. my apologies for your investigation but this on its own would prove nothing, did you perhaps get one of the messages from the bird?”

[morgan] “what bird? I, we haven’t seen a bird.”

[Store owner] “if there wasn’t a bird waiting then it’s likely summoned by the magic stone.”

[morgan] “well great, guess we need to find more info mianshal.”

“… in all the magics one could talk to a bird right?”

[Store owner] “I have heard of those with druidic and nature based magical talent being able to do so yes.”

[morgan] “you aren’t… we’d want to make this a trap for the bird.”

“I think with a little help we can do this. Lets go… oh uh thank you for your help.”

[Store owner] “oh of course, the crowns can rely on my aid whenever needed.”

With that we head out. We write our report and request then wait. At night there’s a halfling, the thing is definitely not from the city and wears very little but he does help us. After some failed attempts I succeed at making the stone’s magic activate and before long a bird lands on the windowsill looking at us. The halfling casts the spell.

“did it work?”

[bird] “what work?”

[morgan] “yes, hey there. You want some extra food today?”

[bird] “yes, where food? Food not on sill.”

[morgan] “yeah we’re not the usual but-”

[bird] “that not matter, where food?”

“you don’t care about caela?”

[bird] “you give food I deliver thing.”

[morgan] “what about we give you all the food you could want for a few days and you tell us all we want to know?”

[bird] “YES, good trade, good trade. Where food?”

[morgan] “we have it elsewhere, we’ll take you to the food and then you tell us all we want to know right?”

[bird] “you make trick? Eat me?”

[morgan] “wh-what? No, why would we eat you?”

“you’re too small anyways.”

[morgan] “don’t say that!”

[bird] “you bring no food and promise there will be some, sound like trick.”

I pull out a bit of trail rations.

“here’s some food, we mean it. You get food for answers.”

he takes a few pecks, swallowing the pieces down.

[bird] “other food better be more tasty.”

[morgan] “it will be, you can ride on my shoulder.”

“here’s to talking with birds I guess.”

[morgan] “here’s hoping it’s enough.”