you are a novelist. high fantasy story, medieval setting, nonspecific vaguely English like country, magic exists, known, but rare, considered witchcraft and prosecuted. consider the following story beats:
Jack Ravenwood, 18, untitled son of baron, lives in father’s mansion near small town Noreldor
he overhears servants talking about disappearance of young women in Noreldor
he discusses it with family at dinner, but baron dismisses his concern, brother mocks him, sister is scared
next morning Jack goes to Noreldor’s main tavern hoping to find out more about the story
A distraught woman Mary bursts into the tavern seeking help to find her missing sister Helen, 18, who is one of the disappeared.
Mary shows Jack a piece of jewelry that Helen always wore, which she found lying on the ground near the old church.
Mary describes a strange symbol that she saw scrawled on the walls of the charch. The simbol vanished as she looked at it but woman manages to draw a copy for John.
John and Mary visit the place but there is nothing new.
John returns to the tavern.
He overhears a conversation between two men in the tavern, in which they were whispering about something that might be related to Helen’s disappearance.
They mention that a coven of witches has been using the old church as a meeting place, that a powerful demon has been summoned in the town’s cemetery, and that an enchantress has been spotted in the town.
The men notice John’s interest, pay and quickly leave.
John asks a barmaid Viola, she is convinced that disappearances is a work of demons, but further discussion make it obvious she doesn’t know anything.
Vagrand suggests to point Jack in a right direction, but all he has is a suggestion to talk with city guards.
Jack decides that it is a fairly good idea and tries to talk with city constable. He becomes strangely defensive and John is trown out of guards barracks.
One of the guards wispers to talk with Jane Black, John asks Viola who it is and it turns out she is an old herbalist living in the woods nearby.
John finds the way to Jane’s hut and they talk.
Jack tells her about all the the clues, leads and suspects he has so far.
Jane warns John about the dangers of messing with magic and encourages him to be careful.
Jane recognizes the symbol that Mary saw in the church as likely to belonging to an ancient coven of witches.
Jane tells John that the demon that was supposedly summoned in the cemetery is an old legend, and the missing women might have been taken as sacrifices for the demon that the coven is trying to summon.
Jane reveals that the coven might be working with a corrupt local official for their own purposes.
Jane dismisses suggestion that the enchantress that was spotted in town has anything to do with it.
City guard don’t want to dealwith the coven for some reason, the enchantress, Noelle is the only one trying to help the victims. She gives Jack a ring to show Noelle as a means of introduction and describes her.
Jack returns to the town and walks around in hope to find Noelle. Eventually he hears a terrible noise from an abandoned warehouse and rushes in. A young women, likely Noelle, is in magic battle with 3 shadowy figures. List all the clues, leads and suspects John may have so far