Grumbletoe

Today started with a message from me to Albert via my faithful companion, Misty, my cat. I wanted to discuss the invitation I received to the Magus Meet as a guest. When Albert arrived at the riverside, I showed him the invitation, but he seemed puzzled by the fact that I, Zoe, was invited. Nonetheless, he saw it as a golden opportunity for investigation, and we decided to delve deeper into the matter.

Our first stop was the Great Hall, where we found Lilith in tears. She was distraught because her father had escaped from Carcerix, the infamous prison, and students were bullying her because of it. Albert offered her comfort, and we decided to retreat to the food court to discuss the situation further.

Over a meal, Lilith confided in us about her father’s imprisonment and the rumors surrounding his involvement in the portal’s disturbances. According to Lilith, her mother had mentioned that her father and his friend were somehow linked to the portal’s malfunctions. She described her father as awaiting the arrival of someone known as “the chosen one,” a belief that seemed to stem from his time in confinement.

When I inquired about her father’s friend, Lilith admitted that she knew little about him, except that her mother referred to him as a “creepy tiny friend.” It was then that Albert and I realized that the mysterious man who had escaped with Lilith’s father from Carcerix was none other than Bumble Grumbletoe.

Suddenly, memories flooded back to me of a conversation with Lilith where she had referred to Mrs. Morgana Ravencroft as her mother. Confused, I asked Lilith about her mother, to which she responded that she didn’t know her real mother and considered Julia, the landlord of her father’s house, as her mom.

As Lilith left to meet with Julia, Albert and I discussed the preparations for the Magus Meet. Albert revealed that his task was to search for any spots in town that could serve as entry or exit points. When I asked if he had found any, he shook his head, indicating that if he had, he wouldn’t be sticking around to tell me about it.

We discussed our plans to meet Mr. Grumbletoe, Albert suggested that it would be wise to bring Barrel along for our safety. He believed that having Barrel with us would prevent any suspicions from arising if we were to encounter trouble during our investigation. So, we decided to meet with Barrel in the afternoon.

When we arrived, Barrel was busy a creature named “Voltarus”, and he seemed delighted to see us. Curious about the chariot, I asked Barrel who it was for, and he informed us that it was for the headmistress.

I then inquired if Barrel was free later that night, to which he replied that he had no plans after the headmistress left for the evening. Albert then proposed that we spend some time with Barrel that night, but Barrel hesitated, reminding us that we were supposed to be in our respective chambers at night. However, when we explained that we wanted to research dwarves and their problems in the town for the Magus Meet, Barrel agreed to help us.

So, after dinner, when the headmistress had retired for the night, we planned to meet with Barrel to continue our investigation.

I can’t help but feel a mix of nerves and excitement as we delve deeper into the mysteries surrounding Ebonvale. With each new revelation, the pieces of the puzzle start to come together, but there are still so many unanswered questions. I hope that our meeting with Barrel tonight will bring us closer to uncovering the truth.

Yours in anticipation,
Zoe