Bethana smiles, "May Desna bless you all, even those of you who revere other Gods. Thank you, thank you so much!"
Located within the city itself on Glass Street, the Glassworks Sandpoint Glassworks has been owned by the Kaijitsu family from the town's inception. The glassworking trade has been in the family for generations, and many of their techniques-perfected in distant Minkai-result in dazzling and impressive works that fetch top price among the nobles of Magnimar, Korvosa, and beyond.
As the group nears the building they find Karmid casually loitering outside of nearby Cracktooth's Tavern.
Karmid reports the following from his time spent thus far near the building. The building is silent and the curtains have been drawn over all of the windows. The furnace chimney still plumes smoke though so some work must be taking place.
At the garrison Rojava requisitions herself a shortbow and quiver of arrows. As much as she'd like to check evidence for some thieve's tools, she not going to take a chance on there actually being a mimic around looking like a box or chest. She will "pretty please" a watchman or two to see if they will look for her though.
After hearing what Karmid has to say outside the Glassworks, Ro shrugs.
"It's the middle of a business day. They should be open. We might as well just go in the front door. It would look very silly to do anything else and have them ask why we didn't"
Lia is already casually strolling to the front door, watching the smoke coming from the chimney.
Sandpoint was a small town, still, and at night, people were usually busy sleeping or in their own homes. Being nosy usually did not pay off as there was so little to see, and she did not expect any of them to have seen something worthwhile by chance.
While walking, she speaks, possibly to herself:"Why the curtains...?"
Frustration at waiting for so long, leaks from Karmid's every pore.
"Wait Lia! OK. Let's try the front door I guess. If its locked or barred by something that we can't get past,
then we can try and go in through the skylights."
Karmid hands a handful of arrows to Windsight, pulled from his own quiver.
"Make 'em count."
Karmid then pulls out his Earthbeaker and settles it into his grip with an audible 'smack' into his open left palm.
"Let's do this: Me, Xarmas, and Francesca up front. The rest of you stay back behind us by at least ten or fifteen feet."
Smiling finally, Karmid heft's Angela's weight as if measuring it for the first time.
"I'll knock."
When Rojava sees Lia has already started across the street the front door, she double-times it over to catch up with her. She hopes the two of them can head off an assault on the place by acting like normal, sane people first.
"Wait Karmid, give us a minute!"
Xarmas narrows her eyes, and they turn gold, taking on a bird-like quality.
"Sure thing Karmid. I sincerely hope we are overreacting here. But this Tsuto does seem like trouble. Maybe we're just being overprotective of our favorite bartender?"
Karmid grimaces and grumbles quietly to Xarmas, while the big hammer stays settled in his hands casually.
"Anything's possible."
"Perhaps we should first check the perimeter of the house?" Drasven points out as he starts heading left to see how wide this house is.
"If there are any other entry ways, then this should be done in order to ensure no other complications."
Karmid checks the front doors of the Glassworks and finds them locked. A slight push on the door shows it to be sturdier then he initially thought it would be. It will be noisy, to say the least t break them down. No doubt it will alert the locals who live nearby. You have not seen anyone walk by, at least not yet, but this can be a busy thoroughfare for those who have business with the "works" or Cracktooth's Tavern.
Talene grimaces, "If Ameiko is in there we need to get in right away!"
Karmid waves the cleric back.
"Hush Talene! We don't want to panic or give ourselves away to Tsuto if we can help it. We'll give Drasven a chance to
find another way in, but if nothing presents itself soon, I'll bust this door in myself. Just keep an eye out for locals and
keep them out of this."
"Locked? Curtained? And the chimney is smoking. No good."
"Flutter, fly, ♬
and be our eye, ♪
in the sky! ♩"
"Only if you cut the drama!", Flutter answers as he raises up, opting to look into the building through the skylights and report his findings.
Various glassware produced here is on display, bottles, windowpanes, and glasswork art are the primary contents. Nothing out of the ordinary.
The second skylight however is anything but normal. This room is a gruesome display of goblin boredom. The bodies of the eight murdered staff lie in various stages of dismemberment! Goblins, and several of them, burn the legs and arms of these victims in the furnace with glee. Others pour melted glass on the remains in a twisted attempt to duplicate the gruesome masterpiece in the middle of the room. The body of Lonjiku’s
body, propped up in a chair in the central alcove and encased in thick, runny sheets of hardened glass.
Talene stomps to Karmid and glares at him whispering, "Hush me again Karmid, I dare you".
"I am telling you, Ameiko is in danger and we are wasting time, we have to get in there and damn what he locals think of a break in", she hisses.
Overwhelmed by a feeling of urgency, Lia stumbles and almost falls to the ground, trembling and barely able to hold herself up on all fours.
After a moment, the feeling settles down.
"We need to ..*gasp*.. get in, fast... Death took... hold of the works. Someone... murdered the head, and now the tools... nibble at the fingers. I...we..."
At a loss for words, Lia struggles to stand, then heads, unsteady, straight to the closest(and most qualified as per Discussion) possibility to enter, forgetting about casing the joint, then trying to force her way in.
Talene leads Lia away from the front door. "Karmid would you do the honors?"
Just as Talene leads Lia away from the door, Drasven comes around the other side of the building, his scouting complete.
"Nothing around here." Drasven reports only to see Lia's position on the ground and Karmid being edged on by Talene as she leads Lia away.
"I'm guessing the noisy way it is." as he unlimbers his own axe to aid Karmid in his endeavours.
Rojava gets the picture: get inside right away. She prepares to throw an extra shoulder into the door if needed.
With a loud unintelligble noise, Karmid swings his hammer high and grows to an ogre's proportions...
And misses the mark completely, maybe taking a splinter out of the door.
Gwyd watches the massive hammer bounce off the door. Sliding up behind Karmid after the second swing, he speaks. [b]Karmid, let me have Shelyn guide your hammer on this next swing. With any luck, she'll see you through![b] He says as his hand lightly touches the larger man's shoulder.
Objects are easier to hit than creatures because they don't usually move, but many are tough enough to shrug off some damage from each blow. An object's Armor Class is equal to 10 + its size modifier (see Table: Size and Armor Class of Objects) + its Dexterity modifier. An inanimate object has not only a Dexterity of 0 (–5 penalty to AC), but also an additional –2 penalty to its AC. Furthermore, if you take a full-round action to line up a shot, you get an automatic hit with a melee weapon and a +5 bonus on attack rolls with a ranged weapon.
Xarmas turns her back to the group, keeping an eye on both the rear of the group, and on the stumbling Lia. She growls, and then moves to help Lia stand.
"I got you. Wait here if you are dizzy...Karmid and I are going to be...aggressive for the next few minutes."
Re-Roll!
Much better!
The stocky dwarf takes a deep breath and lends his shoulder to the cause!
Ideally, if there's a masterwork composite longbow of up to +2 STR, Windsight will use that while on-duty (which, it would appear, would include this invasion-of-business); otherwise, as close to that as there is, 'down to' a standard longbow.
Rolls:
Would the Glassworks be a good place for staging goblin attacks into the south side of town?
Get up onto the roof, and quietly!!
=======================================================================
In the sheriff's armory, Windsight took the opportunity to replenish his arrow supply, carefully making sure to take those with fletching considerably different than his own. What made him pause - and was cause for some considerable low-voiced discussion between Rojava and he - was a smooth, elegant bow almost as tall as he was. At one point, she picks the bow up and holds it out to him; the Shoanti, looking almost embarrassed, puts his hands behind his back, though it's clear his eyes are feasting on the bow's beautiful (at least to him) lines.
Eventually, though, she says something to him that makes him takes his hands out from behind his back, and actually wrap his fingers around the bow's grip. A slight smile curls his lips, and both that evening and early the next morning (far earlier than normal) see him practicing with the bow. He seems to be somewhat better with it than with his shortbow, though he does practice with that as well.
The morning after, with Bethana's letter delivery, Windsight turns and looks towards the Glassworks. Tsuto? When ... I don't think I've ever met him. And why would he meet at the Glassworks instead of at their house?? This ... is not straightforward. Something is wrong. The Glassworks is right above the beach, though ... Though he approaches, his body works slowly while his mind wrestles with the issue at hand. He doesn't get there until Karmid, Xarmas, and Drasven are battering at the Glassworks' front door.
Glancing quickly along the building, the Shoanti contemplative moves to scale the building's side and onto the roof. Even he knows of the Glassworks skylights; only a glassworks would have such a fabulous thing. (Okay, or a mage tower.) Maybe if he can get up there quietly, he can see what's thrown Lia into such a tizzy, and get in as well - and if he can get in, he can let the others in.
Xarmas sets Lia down gently, and moves help Karmid. She leans on the edge of the door, holding it extra taut so Karmid's blows may do more damage.
'Not that the door swinging open will be what gives us away, what with that hammer swinging away!'
Karmid, Drasven, and Xarmas eventually after a few, very loud, minutes are able to smash and bash the door down.
The room that is opened before you is a reception area. Nothing seems amiss in this room that houses a desk and three chairs which appear cozy enough.
Two doors lead to the west and one door leads to the north. You hear nothing coming from inside the building.
As you stare down into the building you see that the racket they make is exceeded by the racket that is the opening of the door by the GodTouched. The Goblins prepare for a fight!
The Mastwrwork Composite Longbow +2 is approved.
Windsight if you wish to you can break open the skylight and fire down at the Goblins but you would be sole source for them to focus on if you do so.
"Ameiko, Ameiko honey can you hear me?!"
There is no response...
Karmid will move cautiously into the interior, hammer poised to swing.
Rojava nocks an arrow in her bow and waits behind Karmid.
"Lia, can you tell us how to get to what you saw?"
Windsight's dark skin goes pale as he sees the malevolent chaos the goblins have perpetrated - murder, mayhem, cruelty ... "My blood boils," he says softly, gone as still as the glass-encased old man below - old, bitter, sour, but not deserving of the torture he clearly endured before his death. "My blood boils," he says a second time with exquisite precision, "but words are not enough. Flutter, tell your mistress to hurry - or there will be none left for her." And standing, he nocks and draws one of Karmid's arrows, pulled back to his ear, then balances on one foot on the sloped roof - and smashes the skylight's glass with the other.
#1: go with the standard strike, then get out of sight (if you can do that...)
#2: auto-break-glass
Targeting priority: first, with a cross/bow in their hands; second, reaching for a bow; third, holding spears/daggers/throwing weapons; fourth, being a goblin.
Attack = 2 + 2 (Dex) + 1 (Weapon Focus) + 1 (masterwork) = +6
Drasven covers Karmid with his crossbow, having slung back his axe. Having a good shot here might save them some pain later though of course if need be, he could always break out the axe once more.
Turning his head slightly to be clear, but keeping an eye on his surroundings, Karmid whispers heavily to those
in the back with ranged attacks.
"If you need a clear shot at something, say 'Move' or 'Drop.' Am I clear? I don't want my rear end to look like a
pincushion because I might block your shots!"
"I...maybe. Ameiko may die, but she won't. We can't turn back before we find her. Ever forward through her Fathers crypt.", Lia stammers as she finds the strenght to stand alone, again.
"No time for subtelty. They know we are coming. They ready for battle.", she warns the others as she takes cover next to the door, opting not to present a target until she is ready to act herself.
Rojava had hoped for a more meat-and-potatoes kind of answer from Lia. Something more in line with "Take that door and then go...". But maybe that isn't the kind of thing Lia sees. Instead of rewording the question, she considers what they know as the little group prepares for a fight.
If Flutter is using a skylight to see what he's seeing, It must be on the back side of the building somewhere. The north door would probably take us to something that incorporates this side's exterior wall into it's construction. That won't take us deeper into the building, or across to the other side. So we want one of the west doors since the rear of the building is oceanside.
"We want to go through one of the doors across from where we came in, west. They're more likely to take us to the back of the building where the skylight is!"
Rojava tries the handle of the door on the left. If it will open, she cracks it and takes a peek.
Xarmas drops into a crouch, and waits, watching.
"Then we keep opening doors until we get there. You seem pretty admadant that we hurry." Drasven points out.
As Ro tries the handle for the first door on her left she sees that the room is a small office. Before she can explore the room she hears the sound of glass shattering outside and Flutter flits down to the midst of the group.
"Goblins! Windsight has shattered the skylight and is firing at them, hurry up and get in there!"
And take a 5' step backwards out of sight.
[ooc]If you fail the Perception check below all you can hear is the roar of the boiler utilized to melt glass on full blast.
"I no throw..." "No me no throw either!"
"Shhhhhhhh! Someone come, me hear door break, big pounding. Big Longshanks I bet!"
"I hopes they have dogs! I hungry!" "I eat Longshanks, tasty!"