"Do you know exactly where they built this village in the swamp? We've known about the Licktoad tribe, but goblins usually stick to warrens and unsavory hidey-holes, not whole villages. This is something I've got to see for myself! Even if only to landmark it."
Mai replies
"It's a bit of a mess right now, and I don't think Chief Gutward likes tourists visiting."
Alfric leans forward to peer at Parvaneh more closely.
"Hm. You flatter me Madame; to the point of excess. Might I inquire what has brought you to this small village? My pardon if I seem forward, but you seem... more of a big city woman."
"The better question is what keeps me in this small village, traveler. It's a battle where I lose ground, day by day. I've been to big cities and small towns and tribes and caravans, from mountain ridges to forests and seaside beaches. What I think you might mean is that I don't seem like a Sandpoint girl."
She shrugs, leaning back in her chair and idly turning her own beer around. A challenging edge creeps into her voice, meeting his peer point for point. "What is it I should do, then, so as not to confuse a foreigner? To prove my pedigree as a native born daughter of Sandpoint?"
Mai adds
"Alfric is just being a jerk, You tended to go on the caravans with Koya when you were younger."
"The good old days. I always told Shalelu you should come with us on one, but she said you were having way more fun playing with your own friends. And boy, you kids played hard! I guess in some ways you still are. Look at you, going off and kicking goblins around. And don't worry, if their Chief doesn't want tourists, I'm not about to go adding their village to a map for everyone to see. For every sensible person who will look at a map and say, We ought to steer clear of there, that's goblin territory!, you'll have three adventurers wanting to go there specifically to earn quarry."
Alfric looked back and forth between Mai and Parvaneh.
"Wait; you two know one another? When did that happen?"
Mai replies
"How could you forget Parvaneh, she was one of us cute girls.
Though given the amount of whacky stunts you did I would not be surprised if you forgot some things."
You know that Alfric didn't grow up with you guys right? He's only been around the Sandpoint region for a bare handful of years, so these stories are all new to him.
"So what about a traumatized goblin?"
Mai replies
"Oh that's right you, you only really settled in here a few years ago. but you did pop in for a few months and then pop out of here about 12 and a half years ago with with someone for something."
"As for the traumatized goblin, Parvaneh. When we got into the wrecked Licktoad village, one of the rooms had a traumatized goblin that was rocking back and forth whispering "I don't wanna play with Ray," which is creepy."
"Strange. What wrecked their village? I can't imagine who they might have had a turf war with down in the swamp."
"Skeletons, apparently. We found a cave full of them. Seems the goblins had found the cave and looted it, and, well, the 'owners' were...upset."
She smiles slightly. "I believe we settled that problem. And, of course, kept the stuff for our efforts. Speaking of which, let's look this stuff over."
Mai
"You referring to stuff from the cave or something else."
"If you don't mind your nosy neighborhood priestess prying, I'd like to have a look, too..."
potions of cure moderate wounds, three potions of lesser
restoration, a ring of climbing, a wand of identify
with 19 charges, a masterwork chain shirt, a
masterwork cold iron wakizashi, 11 Desnan
candles, and four skyrockets (see page 60),
in addition to 3,820 sp, 421 gp, and various
pieces of fine jewelry worth 560 gp total.
Big Bad:
Broken Chainmail, Whispering Shrike (+1 wakizashi)
interior are cleaned off, the chest is worth 150 gp.
six masterwork shuriken, 329 sp and 112 gp
in loose coins, a long hairpin with a red pearl at one end
worth 150 gp, and a gold-and-ivory fan depicting a gecko
walking amid cherry blossoms. The fan is worth 80 gp, but
a crude map has been painted on the reverse side. The map
is messy, but a DC 15 Knowledge (local) check is enough
to decipher it.
Parvaneh takes peculiar interest in the map on the opposite side of the fan. She even runs home, grabs a map of Varisia, and comes back to the tavern, spreading it out over the table and comparing it to the map on the back of the fan.
with the locations of two shipwrecks and a cave.
So that everyone can see it, Parvaneh finally has her Ah hah! moment and unfurls the fan to its full length, and then lays it next to an area on her map of Varisia.
"This is the most recent rendering of Brinestump Marsh. You can clearly see that the line on this fan matches the coastline in that area almost perfectly. Though there's no legend on the fan, I know what these markings indicate. That's a shipwreck. Oh, and so is that one. And this little block right here? That's a cavern entrance. You don't see that on a lot of maps, mostly because your casual traveler doesn't want to wind up in a cave. I usually only see this on maps intended for miners, landscapers, and spelunkers."
Mai adds
"That's is strange, considering that map was in the goblin treasure room and look at this part, it's an odd letter. Did a goblin draw this map?"
I don't think so. Don't recognize the letter. Or this box. But some of the iconography on this treasure looks Tian. Maybe Ameiko would recognize bits and pieces of it. Ameiko! Ameiko?
Parvaneh wanders around trying to find Ameiko to have a look at this stuff, too.
Alfric perused the map on the fan with interest.
with the locations of two shipwrecks and a cave.
The map also has a faded, square and triangle west of the land ships, and you did hear of an odd exiled goblin that did write and draw.
"That's is strange, considering that map was in the goblin treasure room and look at this part, it's an odd letter. Did a goblin draw this map?"
Alfric looks up at this.
"Well, I have heard rumors of an odd goblin exile who could write and draw. Truly a genius among goblin kind."Alfric leans over Parvaneh, following her reasoning closely as she points out features on the fan-map and her own charts.
"Yes, yes I see it! The swamp, those two shipwrecks, the cave, and..." He pauses, looking closer. "What is that? That little square and triangle symbol west of the ships?"
"It might be Old Megus's place."
"Old Megus?"
"Local rumour is she's a old witch, who lives in the swamp."
She is still trying to fetch Ameiko.
Ameiko:
Ameiko's in the kitchen focusing on cooking a curry and just mow notices Parvaneh.
"Do you need something?"
"Mai is back and she found some amazing things in a cave down there. Some old Tian stuff, I think. Come take a look at this! The curry won't go anywhere."
Ameiko:
"Curry might not go anywhere, but it'll get burned or taste awful if I don't watch it.
As soon as the dish is done, I can join you."
"Wonderful! We'll be waiting."
Alfric frowns.
"Hm. I don't recall hearing of a Witch in that area. Is Master Shalelu about? She would know if anyone."
He looks around at the common room, hopeful she was here.
"Looks like onee-sama slipped out for something."
"Well, we could always take a road trip out there to see for ourselves."
Alfric raised an eyebrow.
"Well, aside from the excitement with the goblins, it has been fairly quiet lately. I am a little curious as to what is out there as well."
"So demure. Come on, you know it'll be fun." Parvaneh seems confident enough that one would think she's ready to walk right out the door of the tavern and onto the road.
Alfric grins.
"Well, yes. Yet you would not begrudge a gentleman a nights sleep in a real bed would you?"
"Under a roof and everything? By all means, get your beauty rest. Not that you need it. I can be ready to leave tomorrow."
"We just came back from that leech infested swamp, I think a rest from it would be good for a night"
"Yea, I agree Mai. In fact, the next time we go in, I want to bring a wizard with maximum fireballs memorized and just raize the place.Um, don't tell any druids that, though."
"I don't think onee-sama would approve of that action."
Natara chuckles. "Like she'd even LET anyone try it!"
"Your right on that..."
Ameiko:
Arrives and looks at the loot and map.
"The map's of Brinestump Marsh, has Megus's house on it and has a very rare goblin looking letter? in the corner.
And it looks like you found some Tian treasure."
"Have you ever met this Megus? And why did goblins have Tian treasure? Any ideas?"
Ameiko:
"I've only heard of her, and I don't know how the goblins got Tian treasure, but likely one is they found it somewhere."