On the darkest day of winter Nix comes to her lab to find a child has been left on the stoop, well bundled, but without a note or further explanation.
Nix looked around the stoop, her ears twitching as if looking for bandits to spring out, she looks at the child, walks over and picks them up. She's sniffs at the child appraisingly, and sighed softly "aww you are a cute one, how did you end up at my door...Let's get you on before you catch a death of cold... And find something to feed you."
The child, obviously, or maybe not so obviously given your life, does not respond as you talk to it, pick it up and carry it inside. It does however turn it's head to try and nurse when it feels you close picking it up.
"Oh....you are already hungry arent you...well we need to figure something out fast huh?" She would grab a thicker cloak to toss over her shoulder and clip it in place "Alright little adventure today, we will need a wetnurse, and for that we will need the help of the giftless, or we are going to get stoned for some milk arent we." She said making adorable faces at the baby, as she stepped back outside...heading for where she might find the other magi, companions or Grogs.
She held the babe close in one arm and waved dramatically back and forth, with all the exuberance she could muster "Umm no idea, i went out to grab, some mice for dinner and well when i came back, this cute widdle thing was swaddled out in front of my door. My first guess is the parent left it, or were eaten by wolves, or something...I have no idea, but but...this little ones hungry and I cant leave them out on a stoop, id be horrible and struck down by lightning for such a thing."
The child practically glows with glamour.
She noted the frown and tilted her head "Whats wrong with mice, they are really delicious if you mix them with honey and poppyseeds...well cooked for a short while. But I haven't the proper stuff to take care of them...so I will go out around dusk or dawn for a little meal. Get a good stretch of my legs, and enjoy the sheer warmth of the experience."
Int+faerie lore target 6
Finishing his dinner, a bit away from the other covenfolk, Vallju decides to head out to make sure his reindeer Njeađggádat, is taken care off. He's been here a bit, but still his looks cause and his foreign nature cause some concern with some folk here, but at least these strange magic folk seem to have no problem with him.
Seeing the two ladies magic folk, he heads towards them and asks in halting Norse "Hello Ladies, what do we have here? May I be of some assistance?"
The child seems to be a changeling- normally left behind in exchange for a child the faeries have stolen, it lives only long enough for the humans to form an emotional bond. If the changeling is rejected then the trade may often be reversed, but the oddity here is that generally the changeling is left in the place of the child, in hopes the exchange may not be noticed, for it to be left here is a huge change in the story.
If Vallju does this, he should make a folk ken+com simple roll.
"Certainly that would be most helpful, I don't know how this little one could have ended up at my door, but it would be terrible if they were simply misplaced...And oh so hungry too." the smile sat on every word from her
Not sure the villagers will react well to him, he nods to the two magical people, and heads to try and ask around.
Com -2, Folk Ken +1, Specialty Peasants +1
Explosion, total of 4
Asking around you manage to locate a young woman who recently lost her child and is willing to be a wet nurse if the pay is good.
Vallju will take the young woman back with him to the two magical ladies. "Here, this one here has lost her baby recently."
As a thought dawned on her she looked over to Alva "...how much discretionary funds do we magi have for personal...um expenses and all that, i never thought to ask." She looked like it was the first time she thought about money in a long long time
At the current time you have a net profit of 71 MP per year. It should be noted that Nix's lab cost 10 MP/yr where others cost either 150 or 280 for a standard year (with heavy use this can increase to where it means the covenant will run at a loss that year)
That being said, it looks like light usage (half cost) for a couple labs this year, so that should add to the reserves...
she tilted her head to the side, she obviously knew nothing special about her mysterious bundle of baby "why? And what?"
She looked at it, and tilted her head "Huh...hmm...oh...damn. She nodded her head and shut up
Changelings are simple fae, but generally subservient to whichever faerie abducts the children. Otherwise their role is to die after a short while after whomever is caring for it becomes emotionally attached. The alternative is to return the changeling to its master and reject the 'trade'.