Missing In Action

Brenn and Agyness sat in the coach as it rumbled its way down the mountain into Undertow. The pair had kept up a conversation to cover their nervousness, but it had trailed off into silence as they drew nearer to Vedran's apartment. Brenn occupied himself looking out on the torchlit streets; Agyness's gaze remained steadily distant.

Finally, the coach pulled to a stop. The nobles stepped out, arguing briefly over who should take responsibility for the fare, more to delay than anything. Eventually, Agyness handed over the coins, nodding as the driver tipped her cap. Brenn waited up the steps at the door, knocking on it as Agyness joined him.

Vedran wasn't exactly *expecting* any visitors, but ever since the news had broken that Thantopolis had exploded into full-fledged rioting, he kept hoping for someone to turn up and reassure him that the Thunderbolts had managed to get out of the city beforehand. Brenn's schedule had been open enough that they hadn't set a precise expected arrival time for their return to Highmark, but they could have been back yesterday, or today, or even the next, and still kept out of the worst of it.

Hope triumphed over concern for a brief moment, until he found Brenn and Agyness and not Aleyn standing on his doorstep. That they were both clearly worried and tense didn't help matters at all, but he smiled and opened the door all the wider for them to come in. "Hey guys - what's up?"

Brenn managed a brief smile, replying, "May we come in?"

Agyness gave what Vedran could recognize was meant as a reassuring nod as she and Brenn both stepped inside.

As they took a moment to remove their coats and various accessories, Brenn began.

"I take it you've heard about the trouble in Thantopolis by now? I imagine the 'sheets had pages back here before the guards responded."

Agyness gestured towards the divan and chairs. She and Brenn both looked ragged.

"Yeah... It's all people are talking about, really." He ushered them in and sauntered to the back of the room for a moment. He glanced back to confirm his instinct before for pulling three bottles out of the cabinet - Brandy for Brenn, Dwarven rum for Agy, and wine for himself. He set them on a tray and brought them over to his friends. "Feels like this is gonna be one of those conversations. Glasses optional?"

"I'll leave that decision to you, after you hear what we have to say," Brenn answered, looking at Agyness as if to ask who should go first. Agyness nodded and turned to face Vedran.

"We're actually here ahead of the Highwind. We left Thantopolis about two, three hours ago. We thought we should head here as soon as possible."

She paused, taking a deep breath.

"When the riots broke out, the Thunderbolts had gone out to a play in the undercity. They helped evacuate the theater and dispersed rioters there, before apparently deciding to move on to make sure the cultist prisoners had be secured. They took down some, but at least a few escaped."

Agyness quieted, unsure how to continue. Brenn chimed in with characteristic bluntness, though it wasn't tempered with his usual levity.

"They've disappeared, Ved. We know they went into the jail, and no one's seen them since."

He felt a cold tension grow in his spine as his mind filled with questions and took a moment to sit and sort through what exactly he'd just been told. "Okay." He said after a moment. "So - they went to the prison, and fought some Geyr Hextor cultists who were escaping? But the cultists got away and the Thunderbolts are missing? Did they get captured, then?"

He was trying to stay calm and figure out what he could, but his heart was sinking, and he reached for his wine while he waited for one of them to elaborate.

Agyness rushed to answer.

"Well, it's looking like it was several groups. The Palatine identified symbols for Pazuzu, Oublivae, and Orcus. Hells, Orcus is the only one of those I was familiar with before this."

She sighed as she continued.

"We're pretty sure the cultists got away, but not out into the city. There was a ritual circle drawn in the jail, and its not one anybody recognized. They're still analyzing it. It looks like that's how they got out. Its also possible that the 'Bolts, uh, essentially got dragged along with the cultists when they 'ported out."

Agyness reached for the rum, taking Vedran's earlier invitation to forgo a glass. She pulled out the stopper and took a long drag, waiting for Vedran's response.

Vedran frowned slightly at Agyness's list of the cults - they were new to him too, and he wasn't sure he understood how she was saying they fit in. But the rest seemed more important for the moment. "Have you tried to contact them with sending?"

"My father attempted it, not too long before we left. He's pretty skilled, but got no response. Based on that and the odd portal, we have to assume they're on another plane. We can get sendings done on the 'fell and the Feywild easily enough, but if they're further afield..."

"Then it becomes a much more expensive prospect." He sighed. He didn't know the price off hand to the ritual needed to contact other planes, but he could guess its ballpark, and it wasn't the kind of money he could come up with on short notice, especially with the divorce settlements still being finalized. And that was assuming that this wouldn't count as guild-related business, which it probably would. "Well at least we know what to try next."

"I had hoped we could prevail upon Capulette to help with that, or Thru," Brenn offered. "They both have connections that can help and won't involve the Houses."

He reached for the brandy and a glass, continuing.

"In any event, we thought it best to come straight away, once we established they weren't within easy rescue. Well, with one relatively short stop-off higher up the hill."

Vedran nodded, but shot Brenn a curious look at his mention of a stop along the way. "Thanks, I appreciate it." He sighed again though, taking another drink of wine. "How are you two holding up?"

The two shared an exhausted look before Agyness responded.

"Tired and worried. We've been scrambling to find out what we could, and now we're back here just to wait again. I know they can take care of themselves, but I do wish I'd been with them. Then again, that would have left this to Brenn..."

Brenn looked up from his brandy as Agyness mentioned him.

"We'll find them, Ved, and get them back. We've just got a lot to do in the meantime."

"Right." The coldness had settled, but it didn't feel quite real at the moment, and wouldn't until he had a chance to process all the worst case scenarios... but not now. "Of course. It's probably too late to catch Monti at the guild, but I could probably track down Thru..." The orc would want to know about Delona anyway. Did the guild have protocols for notifying people about MIA adventurers? They must, he figured, but it wasn't something to worry about just yet. Or hopefully at all. "I think you two should try and get some rest, though."

Agyness took a long drought of rum before answering.

"Yeah, I'm not going to deny we need it, but we're good for now."

She glanced at Brenn, who nodded his assent.

"If you're wanting to go find Thru and tell him now, I'd like to go."

"Same here," Brenn added.

"I'll run by the orphanage in the morning, let them know what's going on, but I know Roscoe set up his accounts to keep them afloat in case he was ever gone for a while on a mission," Agyness added wearily.

"We should get a note to Tzesira's masters; Capulette will know how. We already saw Halatir...," Brenn acknowledged Vedran's look, but Agyness spoke up before he could answer.

"Does Warryn have family we need to contact? Or, hells, rent we'll need to see paid?"

Vedran could tell they were skirting mentioning Aleyn specifically, though he was bound to come up soon.

"Warryn has a roomate, we can take care of anything there. If he has other emergency contacts, they'll be on file at the guild. Same with... Everyone else." And thinking about having to tell Aleyn's mother that her son was missing... missing *again*, made the whole of it feel more real. Vedran was glad he was already sitting down, and rubbed at his forehead as though he could physically push back the building flood of anxiety. He could be anywhere - they all could, and there was no way of knowing what condition they'd arrived in, either. If they'd been at the theater, who even knew that they had for provisions. Only whatever Roscoe had stored, but thank Avandra they were lucky enough to have that.

He looked up, realizing he'd fallen quiet and Agyness and Brenn were sharing worried looks. With some effort he pulled himself together, taking another long drink of wine. "Okay." And another, to deal with everything coming next. He stood back up and gave a resolved smiles. "Marys is in with Macen right now - I'll see if she can stay with him, and then we can go find Thru."

After Vedran had sorted out Macen's care for the evening, the trio set out towards the apartment Thruik shared with Cael and Alia up in Sarcliff. A relatively brief walk through Undertow took them to the falls, and a short, if precarious, elevator ride brought them to the largely industrial neighborhood.

Like Undertow, Sarcliff remained busy despite the hour, the great factories hard at work. Vedran and his companions made their way through to their friends' building overlooking the drop.

After climbing the stairs, Brenn rapped carefully on the door. Indistinct voices came from within before one became clearer on the other side of the door.

"No, you mind the vegetables, I'll get the door," the three of them heard just as the door opened, a familiar young man standing in the doorway.

"Oh, uh, Master Aelindar, Mistress Cziernos, oh, Lord Callais," Kier practically stuttered. "Please, do come in."

"I'm sorry, Kier," Vedran stepped up, smiling apologetically, though a little tightly. "We didn't mean to disrupt your evening. Is Thru here?"

"Yes, sir, he's just in the kitchen with Cael, ah, Master Scrye. Would you like me to go and get them?"

"Ahh..." He hesitated for a moment. His head was already so full of concerns at this point that the worry that Cael might find the scenario unduly stressful after his own experiences seemed right at home. And apparently he was going to need to have a conversation with Kier at some point about forms of address and when to worry about them. And possibly about Aleyn? Was that going to be a concern? Well - he hoped so, perhaps, but it was a fairly inconsequential worry for the moment. He managed not to sigh, glancing back at Brenn and Agyness to cover his pause before looking back to Kier. "Please." He allowed a grave look, because a warning seemed fair. "Our apologies again, but we have a fairly serious situation on our hands."

Kier nodded, making his exit through to the kitchen. A moment later, Thruik and Cael walked in with worried looks.

"Agyness, Vedran, Brenn, what's going on?" Thruik asked. "Kier looks terrified."

Vedran did sigh now. "I think the terror is unrelated - it's a social context thing, I think... But this is actually about the Thunderbolts." He paused. "Can we sit somewhere maybe?"

Thruik nodded towards the couches, which Cael proceeded to take a seat on. Thruik remained standing, owing to space, leaning against the mantle.

"What happened to the Thunderbolts? Is everyone all right?"

He took a seat with the others. Brenn and Agyness had given him a slightly more detailed run down on the way over, but it wasn't entirely comforting. "The short version is that they're missing, and may be stuck non another plane." He waited a moment for the pair to absorb that information, giving Thru a sympathetic look. "As I understand it, they were out on the town when the riots broke out in Thantopolis, went to help check on some cultists that had been imprisoned, and got caught up in an escape attempt that involved ritual teleportation to somewhere unknown. They weren't contactable by Sending when Lord Cziernos tried it."

Cael looked horrified, sinking back into the couch next to Agyness. Eventually he looked up at Thruik, who appeared distant. After a moment, the orc shook his head as though clearing it.

"This cult, is it possible they might have high-level casters? Its possible to block sendings, given sufficient resources and skill. Though that's only likely if they were captured. I think your assessment of them being on another plane is actually more likely."

He was obviously worried, looking for any way to attack the problem.

"I assume we're going to try to contact them on the other planes? I can make the necessary arrangements at the temple."