Kingdom of Grayniel

Approximately 500 million humans coexist with 200 million individuals of various non-human races. Following several centuries of minor territorial conflicts between these races, the humans eventually emerged as the dominant group. In the past 300 years, a state of peace has prevailed, coinciding with the humans' mastery of industrialized magic. However, this progress has come at the cost of the other races' decline. Elves are now confined to small, marginalized forest reserves, while dwarves are forced to live near human settlements and their craftmanship and labor has been replaced by mass-produced human magical items. Though slavery has been abolished, the other races have fallen behind in terms of development and are relegated to rural areas or impoverished urban areas where they are offered low-paying jobs.

Espy's plight

Espy, a small northern town, is facing a crisis as children have been going missing and returning injured. The town has called for the help of adventurers to find the cause behind these incidents. As an adventurer, you arrive in the town and are immediately summoned to a meeting with the town's leaders, which include the mayor Julius Digby, the provincial lord's daughter Lady Gabriella Camden, and the twelfth in line for the crown Prince Austen Greyneil.

Mayor Digby

Lady Camden

Prince Austen

During the meeting, A dockworker recounts how he found the first victim by the edge of town, barely alive:

He described how he had been taking a late-night trip to the outhouse, with only a small candle to light his way. The night had been quiet, with only the sound of rustling leaves breaking the silence. Suddenly, he heard soft weeping sounds coming from nearby.

He lived near the outskirts of town, and there was no one around for hundreds of yards. The soft rustling sound outside the outhouse had grown louder, and soon he could see a small shape just outside his field of vision. He watched in horror as a small figure dragged itself across the ground, stumbling towards him.

The dockworker's heart pounded as he took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come. When the small figure reached him, he could make out that it was a child, with a sack over most of their body. The dockworker hesitated for a moment, then mustered all his courage and approached the child. As he pulled the sack off the child, his breath caught in his throat.

The dockworker's voice dropped to a whisper as he described what he saw. "Never in my 30 years have I looked into such darkness," he said, his voice trembling. The child's face was dirty, with two dark sockets where their eyes should have been. The child's eyes were missing, replaced by empty fleshy sockets. The dockworker couldn't help it - he started to weep.

With the child in his arms, the dockworker had run for thirty minutes to the nearest guardsman, desperate for help. His hands shook as he finished his story, leaving the room in stunned silence.

The apothecary/physician explains that the injuries seem to be caused by some sort of magic, but they have never seen anything like it before. The guard, Sergeant Kaeleen Batair, introduces herself as your guide and offers to take you to the scene of the crime.

As you walk through the town with Sergeant Batair, you notice that she is kind and respectful to everyone she meets, regardless of their race or social status. She tells you about the town's history, the different factions and power struggles, and the growing tensions between humans and non-humans. Despite the seriousness of the situation, she manages to keep a calm and professional demeanor, reassuring you that together you can solve the mystery and put an end to the kidnappings.

Sergeant Batair led the party out of town to the first victim's farm, Kathy Niqum, a twelve-year-old girl. Upon arriving, they were met with hostility from Kathy's father, who was furious that his daughter had been attacked and left blind. He lamented that without her eyes, she wouldn't be able to fetch a dowry. The party then met Kathy, who was feeling her way around the small hut she shared with her father. She revealed that her mother had left them, and she was responsible for keeping the house clean while her father worked the grape fields. Kathy had dreams of becoming a librarian, but her hopes were now dashed. She went on to recount the night of her kidnapping. Her father had gone out to look for their cow, which had gotten loose, leaving her alone at home. She had fallen asleep reading her favorite book, only to wake up in complete darkness with a wetness across her face. She realized that she was stuffed into a small cloth sack. Unfortunately she was never able to see anything after that.

Kathy Niqum

The party proceeded to meet the second victim, Jean Signum, who was the same age as Kathy. Jean's parents were heartbroken by their son's injuries. Unlike Kathy, Jean was not as bright but was still eager to learn. He had wanted to learn how to read so he could read to Kathy after she lost her sight. One night while he was tending to their family's cows, he was kidnapped and blinded in the same manner as Kathy. Jean's parents were still in shock and did not have much information to offer to the party. However, Jean was able to share his experience with them. He recalled hearing a strange voice before smelling something strange then passing out. He then awoke in darkness, feeling a damp cloth over his eyes. It was only after he was released and found that he realized his eyes had been removed.

Jean Signum

As the night grew darker, the party noticed flames and smoke billowing from the nearby city. Hurrying back, they realized that someone had attacked the town. Suddenly, they heard a blood-curdling scream - it was Karina, the town gossip, who was being attacked by a group of giant rats. These rats had extra monstrous eyes embedded throughout their bodies, and were fiercely attacking Karina.

Without wasting any time, the party sprang into action and fought off the rats, using their weapons and spells to fend them off. After a long and grueling battle, they emerged victorious, but the town was left in shambles. The people were in a state of panic, and there was destruction and chaos all around. The party knew they had to act fast to help the townspeople and find out who was behind this attack.

After the flames died down and the party had dealt with the giant rats, they were told that the cobbler's son was nowhere to be found. The town was in chaos, with people running around and assess the damage caused by the attack. The party knew they had to act fast. The cobbler's son was missing, and the party knew they had a new mission ahead of them: to find the boy and bring him back home safe.