"A'course we will." Rogar nods his head firmly as if the request were directed at him as well. "We'll need ta get Kesni ta go with us at least in case thar's more goblins. Probably tha others, too."
Kesni perks up considerably as the Sheriff makes his request. She had stayed in town to make sure the goblin menace was taken care of and here was her opportunity to see to that.
”That task is right up my alley, Sheriff. Count me in.” She takes a moment looking around the room at the others in conversation. ”I suppose the rest of them will be wanting to come too. I have spent some time with them and they don’t seem the types to not help out. I’ll take those that want to go and see the matter gets looked into.”
Mayor Deverin – Azorious, Gudada – The Goblinslayers of Sandpoint!
She nods “Well yes, if there are more pressing matters, I would understand. I thought it may raise the spirits of the town even further to see the Goblinslayers in ‘action’ if you will.” She smiles as she continues eating.
“The townsfolk have grown very fond of your six, not an hour goes by since the festival I don’t hear it. I would mean a lot if you could.”
---
Father Zanthus – Rast, Rogar – Crypt of Tobyn
Father Zanthus looks visibly relieved at the ascent of both to investigating the Crypt. It had been of growing concern to him in the past few days. “Excellent, excellent.” He says clasping his hands together.
“If there anything you need I would be happy to oblige.”
----
Sheriff Hemlock – Kesni – Stragglers
Belor continues drinking. “Seems about right. I appreciate it Kesni. Your companions seem like they’re up to the task. They handled themselves pretty well from what I saw on the Festival night.” He reaches into his pocket taking out a small piece of parchment, places it on the bar in front of Kesni.
“It’s a writ by me. Just in case you need anything official. Consider it a token of being part of the Sandpoint Guard.”
|
Rast shrugs at the priests offer to answer questions and kind of blushes.
"Not sure I would no what to ask Father but it seems straight forward.... even if a goblin got in there it cant be a big problem could it?"
He looks at Rogar thinking this might not even need everyone but certainly happy to do what the more experienced dwarf thinks best.
"Well there's enough ruins in the area and it's a nice spot. If I can get reasonably steady adventuring work I'd consider staying around Sandpoint for a short while, a few years or a decade or so. Are there any resident wizards in the city already? ... it would be more competition for me but that can be good, keep your skills sharp.Or Historians for that matter."
Kesni takes the writ and tucks it away and laughs as she does so. ”Kesni, guard of Sandpoint. I don’t like the sound of it but thanks for the gesture. I am happy enough being your “Goblinslayer.” She stands up from the bar. ”I will let you know how it goes.”.
Nodding a farewell to the Sheriff, Kesni goes to join the two speaking with the priest. ”Everything alright here boys?”
"We'll discuss it with the others. Should we look for you if they're wanting to do this, or Cyrdak"
Gudada sounds kind of, well, neutral on the topic. He's not being dismissive, but he's certainly not enthused.
Looking over at Rast, Rogar gives him a small smile. "It's nae about need, lad. If thar's adventure ta be had, we shou' see if they want ta go." When Kesni approaches, Rogar's smile goes slightly wider. "Oh, aye. Well, somethin' broke into a tomb durin' tha raid and thar might be more adventure ta be had."
"We'd best go talk to the others. Any dangers threatening Sandpoint take priority over the play of course but I'll see what people think." Azorious moves away from the Mayor unless she has more to add, ready to confer with his peers when their own conversations were over.
After getting an answer from the mayor, Gudada heads back to the table where everyone was seated a few moments earlier, waiting for the others to return so any necessary discussion can be held.
Wendyl watches his new companions speaking with the various leaders of the city. He is admittedly curious to know the details of the conversations but hesitant to encourage this new found celebrity. When he notices Gudada returning to his table, Wendyl joins him with and asks, ”News?”
"To put it bluntly, apparently some of the locals have decided to put a play about our fight with the goblins. She think's it'll be good for morale which people could use after the scare. It should be a lark I think, she wants us to play ourselves. I had the idea of trying to get my hands on some illusion magic to make things more interesting."
The elf raises a hand "But I did say anything more pressing or important will take priority."
Given Var's quick response, 'Dada just shrugs.
Wyndel frowns at Azorius suggestion that they star in a play, ”By Erastil! I think You are both conspiring to corrupt me! A play?!? Surely you know I am not going to perform in any play...unless, you both swear to join me when I return to my village!”
Before the two can offer a protest Wendyl laughs and adds,”There will be work to do but it will cleanse your soul!”
Azorius raises an eyebrow [b]"Is there something going on in your village? Or are you going to convince me I must commit penance... I hope there's some kind of artistic expression you don't find abhorrent, whittling perhaps? If you can't appreciate a good wood sculpture then I'm at a loss."[/b[
”I have been known to whittle toys for my children. We dance and sing once our work is done. I enjoy a good tale in front of the fire too! But a play? That is just the kind of subtle lure that keeps one from their chores!”, Wendyl responds to the elf. He finds himself enjoying the challenge of trying to expand the elf’s stubbornly urban attitudes.
"Such corruptions will undoubtedly lead me to a life of sloth and deviancy rather than doing my chores... except wait I see them done. For now however that tomb does seem to be of more potential importance, unless it leads to something more. Of course the Sheriff might have other ideas."
Leaning over the table towards Wyndel he asks conspiratorially "Exactly how does one divine where the subtle lure is located, which arts border corruption and which are downright despicable... is all dancing alright or only some? If ones chores are done can one conduct a play. Books take a lot of time, are they bad, what about holy books... holy books with illumination?"
"What you ask is not difficult to divine, every man, woman, or child of the Hinterlands could tell you. They all know that shelter, food, and community is not just a comfort but survival. A dance is not bad but to spend the night dancing and fail to awake in the dawn can mean your harvest yields less than you need. Erastil says 'If you whoot with the owl you must still crow with the rooster!'. The lure is subtle because one late morning may not mean so much and so it becomes acceptable. But it grows like a weed and then becomes two, three, and more. By the time for harvesting has come it is too late.", Wendyl says in a softer tone as if this is not just a tale but something that he has seen too often, "Books? You know as well as I that most cannot read or write. Those of us that do read often enjoy a book before the fire on a cold winter day. You try to argue that good can come from time spent other than on honest labor. It is true but that is a luxury of living off of the fruits of others labor. Think on this...a farmer in the Hinterlands can survive without books but could a bookseller survive without a farmer's goods?"
"These things aside, I agree with you that the tomb does seem to be of more importance."
Kesni grimaces slightly at talk of taking part in a play but says nothing. She listens closely to mention of the tomb however. When Azorius brings up the Sheriff, Kesni clears her throat before speaking. ”The Sheriff wants us to investigate talk of gobs northeast of town. If my guess is worth anything, I’d say the gobs are responsible for the tomb as well. Let’s clean it out and then take a walk out of town. Can everyone be ready to head out within the hour?” She seems very eager to be moving.
Wendyl smiles at Kesni's decisive suggestion and nods in agreement. He then winks at Azorius stating, "I will be ready to join you and I am sure an hour is enough time for the elf to get his books together!"
"That sounds well enough to me Kesni. The tomb should likely be a shorter affair. We should make haste, I can enlighten Wyndel on the way further." He gives Wyndel a playful wink.
"You must broaden your horizons on work and leisure. Many a man has died without the aid of a doctor, who has broadened their views and expanded their knowledge through study not just with their peers but also with [i]books! Not all hard labour takes place in the countryside. I think you'd be surprised how much effort goes into creating a book. I assure you it's hardly a pleasurable activity, you're hands, eyes and back will ache at the endeavor."[/b]
"If you've spent your day bent over copying or studying a book they might be the last thing you wish to see when it comes time to relax. Different mediums are more adept at conveying particular stories better. Indeed some religions promote plays with theological leanings..." ...no doubt the two will debate as the group sets out to investigate the tomb, Azorious will grab his equipment before they leave.
Wendyl laughs again as he follows Azorius in the direction of their rooms. The debate continues and as the two turn a corner you can hear Wendyl responding loudly, "You can't eat a book!"
As the morning continues the three that came in looking for the Goblinslayers leave the Rusty Dragon, each of them confident that their task will be handled.
A lovely song can be heard coming from the kitchen, just behind the bar.
It's just after dawn three days after the festival, and the city is slowly waking up.
Obviously distracted by his debate partner. "Clearly you haven't heard of agricultural science, yields of crops and foodstuffs can be increased with new techniques. I heard of a promising new system of irrigation from the distant dragon empires, now granted the books have only gotten here lately and they aren't to do with crops we have here but a cunning man might adapt their lessons. Slavish adherence to tradition is a sloth and vice all of it's own."
"Can everyone be ready to head out within the hour?” She seems very eager to be moving.
The dwarf keeps his nose out of the 'discussion' between his two companions, instead more focused on the tasks before them. "Aye, lass. I ken be ready now." Rogar demonstrates by hopping down off his chair and lifting his overloaded pack onto his back with a riot of jostling and clinking from the various objects inside.
The dwarf heads over to the door and turns back to the others. "Ye ready?"
"Check on an open tomb? I don't remember seeing an open tomb. That will be an awfully small space . . .." He obviously drops into thought for a few seconds. "An hour? Easily done. Try to focus on close weapons if you can."
Wendyl continues to debate oblivious to any music from the kitchen.
Kesni disappears for a few minutes and comes back armed and ready to leave. She is distracted by a song coming from the kitchen. Kitchen? Gods, I almost left without breakfast. Something small for the walk then.
She enters the kitchen, following the sound of the singing and hoping it’s a cook.
In the middle of the kitchen going back and forth is Ameiko she's preparing meal after meal.
Without turning around she answers the 'foreigner' in her kitchen "May I help you?", her arms are moving quite quickly as she's keeping the stew warm, while at the same time preparing an evening meal. A rather large side of beef is being mounted onto a rotisserie.
Kesni stands back in the doorway to keep out of the woman’s way. ”Morning, Ameiko. The city officials have us looking into some things. Gobs may be involved so we want to get on it quickly. You got anything quick I can grab for breakfast on the run?”
Ameiko turns around and recongnizing the half-orc she smiles. "For you, of course." She picks up a bowl, and fills it with a combination of oatmeal, pork meat bits, lentils and beans. She walks it over and hands it to Kesni. "Trust me it's delicoius"
"Goblins eh, wouldn't surprise me that they're out and about the town right now. Weird to see so many of them grouped up. Never see that before."
You make your way to the temple of Desna. In the streets you are occasionally stopped, you are thanked, asked how you are doing. Most are very welcoming and thankful, and earnestly a tad too intrusive. It feels as if the only interesting thing of late is you in this city.
You approach the temple from the west side, as you walk up you can clearly see why they chose this location for the temple. The early light of the day as the sun rises shines straight into the temple. You swear that there is a deeper silence as you approach and begin your footsteps up the temple.
Near audible to Rast “Welcome my child”
Near audible to Wyndel “Welcome blessed priest”
An aura of calmness becomes you as you enter through the front archway to the temple. . Upon entering, there is a minor congregation near the front of the temple. Father Zanthus sees you and waves you forward. As you reach him, he motions with an arm pointing towards a side hallway. In a low voice he whispers “Come with me heroes. This way.” He leads the way through the newly built temple. Although the ceilings are low, maybe not for the Dwarf, the mix of wood and stone give the feel of it more cozy than claustrophobic.
Eventually the hallway splits into three, and after a short turn to the left, you exit the temple and emerge into the daylight once more. It is very bright as it would be in the morning. After your eyes adjust, you can see the distance of the graveyard. It is easily the largest single area in the city and also the quietest. Father Zanthus continues walking assuming you’re following him “I take my walk here every morning around the same time. It was yesterday morning I noticed that one of the Tomb archway stones had moved and I thought with the recent ‘excitement’ it would be better to have you investigate for me.” You approach the entrance to a Crypt. It is about the size of a larger shed, and you can clearly see that the stone door at the front is off kilter. It is on the inside of the frame at an angle.
“Don’t let the size of it fool you. It’s a little deeper down there than the entrance shows. Are you ready?”
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Rast, normally a little slouched, stands tall as the walk around after he realized the attention the town is giving them. He smiles thinking this is about the best time of his life so far as he has never felt so accepted.
He stumbles a little when he hears the barely audible welcome but regains quickly, looking around a bit. Still feeling good he follows the priest too the crypt with a smile.
"We are ready Father, I.. well if wits not bigger we wont fit."
Now armed with a shield Rast will want to stay near the front as you go in.
Azorious refrains from using any spell yet, not wanting to use any of his spells on an empty tomb potentially holding no hazards. He gets his bow ready, just in case.
"Bow? I guess we can start that way out here. Doesn't seem likely we'll use them, though. Once we move inside, there probably won't be room." As he speaks, 'Dada puts his rapier away and readies his own bow, standing slightly back from the door, but on the side it should open towards.
Rogar is graceful but quiet with the townsfolk, nodding at their interest and compliments of his hammer, Aevi, but not elaborating on its origins or meaning to him. Keen observers notice that he looks upon it with an almost regretful sadness every time the townsfolk comment on it.
The dwarf walks through the grand temple with quiet respect, acknowledging to himself that human craftsman aren't as good as dwarves, but conceding that the temple came out quite well-made despite the fact.
When the priest mentions the deepness of the tomb, Rogar pragmatically retrieves the bullseye lantern off of his pack and lights it with some flint and steel that he digs out of his massively stuffed backpack.
With a gentle smile, the dwarf nods his readiness at the others and shines the light out from behind Rast and Wyndel.
Wendyl kneels outside the tomb and looks for any unusual tracks. He motions to Kesni to join him.
Kesni nods in agreement with Ameiko. ”I thought the same. I don’t understand it yet but I aim to figure it out. Thank you for the breakfast, Ameiko.” Kesni turns to leave, already shoving the food in her mouth as she hurries after the others.
———————————
Kesni makes the trip to the tomb quietly. All the attention makes her visibly uncomfortable, as even the few days she has had dealing with it haven’t been enough to get used to it. As they meet with Zanthus and he ushers them in, Kesni will go with Wendell to investigate the outside of the tomb.
She is having a hard time looking closely enough as she finishes her breakfast. She sets Ameiko’s bowel on the ground in a safe place to retrieve and take back to her when they are finished.
"Enjoy the breakfast, good luck. Stay sharp" Ameiko turns back to the food she was preparing and continues humming the song she was singing.
---
The front of the Tomb you see is slightly ajar. Wyndel notices that there are two sets of tracks leading in and leading out. Of what he's not entirely sure, but he could presume Goblins based on all recent events.
The early light of the day, gives everything an almost yellow-white glow. With the spacing between the large slab of a door and the opening the angle open makes it look like you would need a good amount of strength to be able to move it open.
Kesni realizes as she's looking over Wyndel's shoulder that there's no way a Goblin would ever be able to muster the strength to open the door. It must have been opened by someone of at least 5 feet to be able to generate the leverage needed.
As it opens you see a staircase leading down into the darkness, the light of day goes to the bottom. It's approximately 10 feet wide, and 20 feet at a 70 degree angle down, a very steep and sharp drop. Likely to save on space.
"As we advance in I suggest we stagger leaving a gap of say about five feat between each row. We'll be less vulnerable to traps and spells that affect an area." Azorious suggest.
The Varisian shrugs as he puts away his bow. Before he draws his rapier, though, he moves forward to the door. "Who wants to help?" as he obviously takes a position to work the door open.
Wendyl points to some tracks and states grimly,”Looks like goblins.”
Watching the others struggle with the door, Wendyl moves to help.
”There may have been gobs here but they didn’t move that slab themselves. Something stronger than a gob is down there.”
Kesni watches the others struggle with the door. Once she begins to realize how small the entrance is, she looks down at her longspear. Gudada was right to suggest weapons for closed quarters. Spear and bow won’t be incredibly efficient here, but it’s all I have until I resort to my knife.
The doors of the crypt grind open along the stones that line the floor as you make space to enter the Crypt. You find yourself just before the base, where the room opens wider.
The light from Rogar's lantern, while moderated, gives the crypt an eerie yellow glow. Once you're below ground the sounds of the outside world disapper. You hear almost the faint rushing or air and when you speak your own words don't resonate. Sound feels absorbed by the walls.
It's colder and damper down here.
Wyndel and Kesni are hear a slower grinding sound as you reach the bottom of the stairwell.
Wyndel and Rast have an unearthly feeling when their feet touch the floor of the Crypt. Something wrong, something off, something desecrated.
The light from Rogar's lantern illuminated the distance of the Crypt the back wall flickers with the faint light reaching it. There's a set of stairs that go deeper into the Crypt. Four ornate statues line the sides. There appears to be four chambers that split off the side of the main chamber.
Along the walls there are alcoves for bodies.
”Hear that? Something is definitely down here, and with all the noise we made getting in, it probably knows we’re coming.”
Kesni feels a little better now that she is in the tomb and sees she might have just enough room to maneuver in a fight.
Azorius touches the fletching of his arrow and speaks some arcane words and the arrow begins to glow. "If they show themselves I can enlighten them." Not having seen the cause of Kesni's alarm he holds onto his more precious spells for the moment.