The Toymaker's Regret: Part I

Snow falls softly on a town dressed for the holidays, where lanternlight glows warm, hearths stay lit, and peace feels almost too easy to find.

When people begin to quietly disappear—without fear, without struggle, without alarm. The party is drawn into a mystery that refuses to call itself one. Homes remain warm. Bread stays in the oven. Chairs sit empty, waiting for someone who may never return.

As comforting traditions give way to subtle wrongness, the party follows whispers, rumors, and unfinished routines toward something the town insists is kind… even as it feels increasingly impossible.

Part I ends at the threshold of a place that shouldn’t exist. Where warmth lingers, music waits, and every visitor is promised one simple truth:

Everyone has a purpose.

Part II continues next week.