Whistles, the kindly, old, forgetful mage has been making toys and puppets for children in his tiny, cluttered shop for as long as anyone can remember. The PCs visit Whistles shop, and as the old man chats them up, he mentions that something bizarre has been happening to his creations recently, they have been disappearing.
Vanishing, he insists, from his shelves, from the beds and windowsills of the children who bought and own them, from his workshop, and even from right under his nose. One day Whistles finishes a puppet, the next day, or a week later, its often gone, vanishing apparently into thin air. Whistles does have some minor magics at his disposal, but has been unsuccessful in his attempts so far to solve the mystery of his disappearing puppets. He has alerted the city guard, but claims they deride him, as an old, senile man, and tell him they have more important things to do than track down missing toys. "They were probably just stolen from under your old beak", they tell Whistles.
The old wizard and toy-maker petitions the PCs for help, in solving this most peculiar and singular affair.
As in many plots, the PCs play the role of investigators.
Possible Explanations:
1. The Wood?
2. The Wizard?
3. The Puppets?
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? Responses (7)

Murometz] 7:56 pm: question: can anything cool be done with this?.... http://www.strolen.com/con
tent.php?node=3525
Murometz 7:57 pm: hang on..phone
Ria Hawk 7:57 pm: well, what did you have in mind for it?
Chaosmark 7:58 pm: I think it could be done quite nicely.
Chaosmark 7:59 pm: It wouldn't be an epic world-shaking plot, but it'd be a good 'filler' for some PC city
downtime.
Murometz 8:00 pm: back
Murometz 8:00 pm: hmm, i didnt have anything in mind actually, except the premise
Murometz 8:00 pm: hence the Advice Requested
Murometz 8:01 pm: no clue
Chaosmark 8:01 pm: Well, to start, what all magics does the old geezer have at his disposal?
Ria Hawk 8:01 pm: well, you could go with a harmless explanation, a somewhat sinister one, or a creepy one
valadaar 8:01 pm: I like it. Are they being drawn into an alternate realm, animated and do battle with intelligent
rodents?
Murometz 8:02 pm: CM...i guess you could say he's a 3rd level mage or something
Murometz 8:02 pm: Ria...that sounds good..the three options
Murometz 8:02 pm: val, wow...
valadaar 8:03 pm: Er, sorry. Silly mode still engaged aparently..
Ria Hawk 8:03 pm: harmless, either the old man is senile and forgetting what he's doing with them, or some
reletively harmless magic makes them either move to new places, or makes them temporarily disappear
valadaar 8:04 pm: A eccentric fae loves his work and wants teh complete collection...
valadaar 8:04 pm: evnetually coming for the old man, too.
Ria Hawk 8:04 pm: Sinister, someone (maybe the old man himself?) is using the puppets for criminal
purposes, either enchanting them to steal things, or there's something valuable about the puppets themselves
Ria Hawk 8:05 pm: Creepy, the puppets themselves are coming to life on their own, and going somewhere.
Purposes and attitiudes may vary
Murometz 8:05 pm: copy/pasting
Chaosmark 8:05 pm: lol

The puppets are alive and hungry for PC blood! Hahahahahahahahahhaharkhhh....erhm....sorry, got a little carried away there.

Finish please...:)

I like it so far. Possible explanation-a magically powerful child, or magically powerful being with the mind of a child is taking the toys for its own amusement?

This one is just screaming "FINISH ME!"

The toys aren't coming to life; they are stealing it instead. The missing puppets & toys steal the souls of the children while they sleep. Their little bodies still animated in a crude parody of life--the chemistry of life continues, but without the 'spark'. The formerly inanimate bodies are then animated by the children's souls, and taken by a third party when they come to life & confusedly begin to explore their new existence. It's simple for the thief: wait until after dark (which could be a limitation on the enchantment) & scoop up any toys that are wandering the streets.
It's what one plans to do with either the children's captured souls--or the still-living husks of their bodies--that is the true terror...

Good idea Kinslayer... Will this ever be finished Murometz? Hope so... Or we will hav to talk to your BOSS! :D