Without opening the door, he says, "Sheriff Hemlock rode out of town about an hour ago with a few men. He's heading to Magnimar to see if he can get a few dozen reinforcements. Things has been a little rough around 'ere of late."
"Who did he leave in charge in his place, then?"
"The Mayor asked us to work with Shalelu on tracking the goblins who attacked the Glassworks, and wanted to report on what we have found thus far. She is not to be found, so the Sheriff seemed to be the next best choice." Townies...can't help 'em if they don't want to be helped....
When you arrive back home, Niska asks, "Where have you been Kuromein? Where's Karlimein? Did you drop off that package like I told you?"
The man on the other side of the door says, "I don't know if I should tell you. I recognize Issak, but the rest of you all look to be a rather shifty lot. Maybe you could persuade me to tell you who's in charge?"
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** spoiler omitted **
The man on the other side of the door says, "I don't know if I should tell you. I recognize Issak, but the rest of you all look to be a rather shifty lot. Maybe you could persuade me to tell you who's in charge?"
"Oh that's just perfect, call us shifty while asking for a bribe."
Norhalo merely smiles affably. "We would not wish to inconvenience you. I believe we can write up our findings and present them to the Mayor...what is your name? I should like to credit you appropriately." He turns away from the door. "Come, my friends. We have some writing to do."
Kano smiles, Calathes and Norhalo's words mirroring his own thoughts.
"Catacombs you say? Probably just the tunnels sczarni use for smuggling."
The guard's eyes bug out for a split second and then he quickly unbolts the door and opens it. He yells, "Hold it! I wasn't asking for no bribe! You attempted to bribe me!" He's redfaced now, and looking at the group worried, but trying to look like he's in charge.
Some of the people traveling up and down the street are stopping to watch the scene, others are hastening their steps to get away.
"Calm yourself, my friend. A simple misunderstanding, and it will go no further." He looks around at his companions. "Is this not so?"
Karlimein considers this for a moment, and nods. "Thank you, mother, although they may have found something else. Possibly older." Unless stopped, the kobold slips back out and goes looking for the pack of adventurers again.
Issak is clearly irritated as he says, "Just let us in or tell us where to find Shalelu, Scarnetti. We don't have time for you to play games."
"So, are you going to let us in, friend?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll let you in. Just don't rat me out. Please?"
Norhalo shakes his head. "Rat you out? Over such a small...misunderstanding? Of course not!" He claps the man on the shoulder as the party enters, murmuring, "No more misunderstandings, I hope." Diplomacy is useful, but I should also learn to intimidate....
Kano gives the guard an annoyed look as the group walks past, and into the next room.
"By the way, I believe the Sheriff left Dusk in charge while he's away. If he's here, Dusk is probably up in the meeting room on the second floor. You know the way Issak."
Norhalo looks over at Issak and gestures ahead of the group. "Lead on, my friend."
Issak leads the group up to the meeting room. "Hey, Dusk, we're trying to track down Shalelu--any idea where she is?"
"What?! Oh, Issak. What're you and your specialists doing he..." He spots Kuromein, "WHAT IN THE ABYSS IS THAT RAT DOING IN HERE?! Guards!"
Kano rolls his eyes at the man yelling in surprise about the kobold, "Alright, I've had enough of your stalling! Open the door and show us in to see whoever is in charge, else everyone in this little town will know about you trying to get a bribe out of us."
"Whoa, everyone calm down! He's with us, Dusk, at least assuming he stays out of trouble."
Norhalo will attempt to remain unobtrusive while the guards discuss Kuromein's status. I'm not the best character witness, so I'll just keep my mouth shut.
Dusk says, "What?! That rat is with you? Have you fallen so far in just a few days that you are working with and vouching for one of those two degenerate troublemakers? Now, I've seen it all...." He shakes his head in disgust.
"Well, to be honest, we're working with both of them. Just be happy I'm keeping them out of the sort of trouble you'd have to deal with."
Dusk looks at Issak as if he's grown a second head. "Wha?...." He collapses into the nearest chair and just shakes his head.
After a minute or so, he shakes his head one last time and looks at Issak and says, "What was it that you needed?"
Norhalo glances around at the rest of the group, then speaks up. "We have discovered a number of interesting things, and wish to report them to someone in authority--Shalelu would have been best, as the Mayor requested that we work with her, but the Sheriff may also have been interested in what we found. I, at least, would also like to learn if anything else out of the ordinary has been happening since the goblin raid." He gives Dusk a guileless smile, as if to say 'Look at how helpful I am being!'.
Dusk looks over Norhalo, then says, "Sheriff Hemlock is headed for Magnimar to see if he can get a squad of regulars to reinforce the town. I believe Shalelu headed back to the hinterlands around the same time the Sheriff departed. The Mayor is busy getting Sandpoint back to running its daily routine. Aside from funerals for those killed in the raid, not much out of the ordinary is going on that you don't already know about."
Norhalo nods slightly in response, his face impassive. It'd probably be really, really undiplomatic if I rolled my eyes right about now.
"When Shalelu returns, please inform her that we are looking for her." He gives a small bow and turns to go. "My friends, I cannot help but think that we have missed something of great importance. Let us consider: When the cathedral burned down, the then chief priest and his foster daughter died in the blaze. The daughter's body was never found, but the priest was buried in the local cemetery. Some time later, Tsuto--for reasons unknown--contracted with the local goblin tribes to invade the town. Under cover of that invasion, someone took the priest's body; at some point, the ancient Thassilonian catacombs beneath the town were opened. There is something in the catacombs that changes creatures' forms, something tied to the Mother of Monsters.
"We still do not know why the priest's body was taken. We do not know Tsuto's motives. We do not know what they plan to do next, and we do not why they opened the catacombs--or if it was even part of their plan.
"Have I missed anything?"
Dusk visibly pales and asks, "Did you say 'the Mother of Monsters?'"
Norhalo turns back to the startled guard. "Yes, I did...perhaps I have said too much. However, now you understand why we want to speak to someone in authority, and quickly."
Dusk says, "Well, Sheriff Hemlock left me in charge of the guard, so I guess that would be me, and...." He swallows hard, and continues, "...and I authorize you to do whatever you must to return peace to Sandpoint."
Norhalo freezes for just a moment at Dusk's words. Did I just hear a townie guard give me (well, not just me) carte blanche? Bet that won't stand up once someone over him hears about it.... He says only, "We shall do our best, Dusk. We shall do our best."
Dusk responds, "Just, don't get me in trouble, okay?"
Kano shuffles his feet while waiting for the conversation to end. After Dusk finishes speaking, the tian man says to the rest of the group, "Okay, so aside from tracking down and killing my traitorous cousin, what's the plan?"
"Finding out why he did what he did and breaking the goblin alliance against the town. That will, I think, suffice for now. On a personal note, I believe that Calathes and I would like to spend some time in the catacombs, but that is not necessary at this time."
As Karlimein is failing to pick the Garrison's lock, he makes enough noise, and Titus Scarnetti opens the little window to see what he's hearing. "Hey! Who's there?"
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Karlimein glares up at Titus and bares his teeth in something that could be mistaken for a grin. "Dusk is screaming about my brother again. Mind letting me in to see what idiocy he did this time, or do I need to climb in a window again?" He nonchalantly puts his things back as he speaks and folds his arms across his chest. "Unless /you/ know where the adventuring types he was hanging out with have gotten their soft hides off to."
"Who? What?" He finally looks down. "Karlimein!" He slams the little window shut and opens the door. "Get inside, quick."
Karlimein quickly darts through the door. "Thanks, Titus. I'll just follow the screaming, yes?" He heads in, looking for his brother or, if he's lucky, the adventurers his brother is supposed to be hanging out with.