Zella will order up some lunch once they enter the Dragon and assure the workers there know that they found Ameiko and that she is currently taking care of some family business.
"So, a lunch and a break sounds nice, but after that we should go check out that tunnel and make sure the building is safe for the deputies to remove the bodies of the factory workers and Ameiko's father. We can't just leave them in there long to just rot out in the open."
Elaina eats happily while the others fill her in on the contents of the journal. "Why attack Sandpoint again? They might lose five, maybe six goblins. If you're gonna take over the world you should think bigger, they're just gonna make the Varisian's mad. Attacking from the river isn't very good, either. We could just meet them on the shore before the land. I happen to know it's very difficult to fight when you're underwater."
Swallowing his mouthful of soup Nover has one idea.
"Maybe it's not about the world? Maybe this Nualia person just wants to wipe out Sandpoint for whatever reason. We aren't trying to figure out the why, but the how and when. We need to figure out the how so we can be at the right place at the right time to stop all this. Going back into the tunnels seems like a good idea to me although the burning and the bleeding and the punching has seemed to worn me out a bit."
Enna continues eating the bread she has been slowly eating through between turning journal pages. A small break in what has become a noticible pattern happens as she raises her gaze in order to look her new companions in the eyes as she speaks."It really does just come to a question of which is the more credible threat. For my money,"The slamming shut of the book makes little impact in the ambient noise of midday. I would say we should deal with a demon threat right under our noses first. The goblins will likely be waiting for Tsuto before they assault the city.
"Oh, I found this." Elaina takes out the ring she stole and throws it at Zella. "It's magic. Now you have to marry me."
Elaina's comment elicits a few strange looks from the other patrons and nearby server.
"It actually is," Togog jolts back, as his divine orison tells him so. "Be careful with that. Compelling a companion into the divinely-blessed act of marriage is a grave sin. If you and Zella both wish it, it would be my pleasure to preside over your ceremony."
Togog pauses.
"That said, I'm forced to agree with Nover. The goblins endanger people's lives - a demon, their souls. We shouldn't judge the glassmaster's son too harshly - his will may have been compromised by the demon-worshipper's perfidy."
Elaina stares expectantly at Zella while she replies to Togog. "I think his will was compromised by her nakedness. That works way better than lying. We could wait till winter, she'll probably freeze to death."
Finishing his bowl of soup, the only thing left in the bowl were some stewed carrots that he poked at with a spoon.
"I'm pretty sure we should go back into the tunnels, just to make sure nothing pops up. We let the remaining guards know about the river and set up a choke point in case the worst happens. Spiked pits, crossbows, trip wires, tanglefoot traps, oil slicks, burning oil slicks, you know the usual stuff. What we shouldn't do is nothing Elaina. You know that human saying, when good men stand idly by and all that other heroic sounding stuff."
"Uhm, I can attempt to identify the magic on this ring, but you really aren't my type Elaina."
Zella will cast Detect Magic and attempt to decipher the magical aura on the ring.
"I'm for going back and clearing out and then collapsing the entrance to the tunnels. I don't see any point in leaving such a glaring weakness in the town's defenses."
"Whilst Sandpoint stands in danger, no true servant of Angradd could take to their bed. We must go on. Every moment we delay increases the danger innocents are placed in."
"But Zella, what about the baby?!" Elaina is only a little disappointed the ring wasn't in fact a ring of compulsory marriage, but she's pleased that they seem to have decided to go into the tunnel like she originally wanted to.
"Huh? I'm not pregnant."
Zella is unable to determine the nature of the ring's magic, beyond the abjuration school. She is also quite sure she is not pregnant.
Elaina shakes her head sadly. "I thought you loved me, now you'll have to raise our baby alone. I'm done eatin'. Are you guys ready to smash the naked demon rebellion?"
Resolving to deal with the clearly complex situation between Elaina and Zella at some later time - pastoral needs having never been his strong suit - Togog simply nods his agreement.
Elaina jumps up and skips out the door. "Last one out has to pa-ay!" She leads the way through the large, body-filled room, back to the glassworks basement. Climbing atop the things piled against the door, she presses her ear to the wood.
Nover opened up a tab for himself before he ate, he was a little light on spare coin but was sure to find something to sell with the goblins. Among all the junk they collect there are usually a few gems or stones worth some money to somebody.
"Alright, then back to the glassworks we go. Let's get ready to crush some goblins, and take some loot if it isn't just the usual trash they stockpile."
The party makes it back to the Glassworks, then to the door leading to the basement. All the items the group left to blockade the door are still in place, and looked to not have even been slightly moved. The place is ominously silent, lacking the shrieking of the goblins from earlier. The only sound is the rumble of the furnaces that continue to run even with the staff in pieces, likely to run out of fuel soon.
Elaina puts her ear up to the door, and hears no telltale signs from the basement area.
Elaina sits back on the pile of things. "I don't hear nothin'. We should have brought battle chickens. Just in case."
"This barricade has served its purpose," Togog mutters, saying a few words of benediction over it, before nodding firmly. "Let's get it down and get on."
Enna waits patiently, hoping her depleted energies would not be sorely needed on this run.
Elaina hauls away the lightest looking piece of debris. "Ok guys, open 'er up."
Beginning to take down the barricade was simple work. Nover thought he could make a childrens game about removing blocks from something like the barricade and whoever brought it down would win or lose depending on how the structure was built.
"This will take a few moments, Ms. Enna do you happen to have a sling? I know you favor ranged combat with some spells. Perhaps you could use one?"
"The honour," I gesture to the place at the front of the group, "is yours, cousin."
Drawing her bow out to have it ready for the descent into the tunnel, Zella will also cast a Light spell upon it since she doubts the tunnel will be well-lit.
Enna smiles at Nover's suggestion. "I appreciate the suggestion, and I do possess a sling, but I am just as handy with the bare minimum of energy I still possess.'
Elaina nudges Nover forward. Normally she would go first, but she decides to let Nover have some of the glory today.
Knowing the tunnel would probably be dark Nover thought. While the stout folk among the group would have no problem with this, the humans might. And sometimes certain things don't seem to pop when all you can see is black and white.
"Does anybody have a spell of light prepared? Normally I'd be against it, but if there are any footprints or blood spatters they won't be as clear in the darkness, even if I can see in the dark."
With that Nover draws his hammer and shield and heads into the tunnel.
"Quit nudging me ya' impatient one. I'm moving as fast as I think we should go."
Enna follows the group as they move through the tunnels, ever watchful for ambush.
In the small storage area in the northwest, the group performs a more thorough search and finds nothing more of interest. In the room Tsuto was hiding in, you find where he left a Composite Short Bow behind in his attempt to deceive you. The room where Ameiko was kept was also empty of valuables.
"I say we check all the doors. Some people wanted to leave before we did that last time we were here."
Nover moves down the hallway to the doors near where Tsuto was hiding.
"We should open these up next. Let's let lady luck decide which one we go through."
Setting his hammer down for a moment Nover digs into his pocket for a copper piece. Balancing it on his thumb he flipped the coin into the air, caught it on the way down, and flipped it over on to his shield. Before revealing the coin he states.
"Heads is the right, tails is the left."
"Well looks like lady luck has spoken. Left is always right, and right is always wrong, so I say we go left. My left, that is."
When you open the door, you see a room roughly 10 feet square, with unfinished walls and a few empty crates on the floor. Another tunnel heads north off of this room.
Zella scoops up the composite longbow as she searches along with the group.
"Hmm, let's see if the other door leads to another tunnel or just a room before we get too far out with our exploring since we have no idea how long that tunnel is."
Zella will move over and try to open the next door.
"Normally I'd invite you to go first, Lady Zella," I growl, "but in this case, I must insist upon shouldering the risk."
In counterpoint, I unshoulder my axe, opening the door and stepping through...
Togog throws open the door into the room, Zella by his side. Inside is what looks like a small office. Several bottles of alcohol lay strewn about, and a bedroll lies crumpled in the corner. This room looks like it was likely used as a hidey-hole quite recently. A quick search of the room turns up nothing.
"You'd think their smuggling den would be more organized. I thought these kinda' things were more...exciting. That dead guy musta had a lot of pull for no one to ever ask questions about the giant tunnel in the basement. I wonder if it comes out in the water. We should have brought a boat."
"Who says he ever used this tunnel, this was all bricked off at one point."
Pocketing his coin the short bearded dwarf picks his hammer up from against a nearby wall. Adjusting his grip he finds the groove where his fingers fit the best.
"Alright, let's head down this one next. Time's a wasting."
Nover moves carefully forward with his shield raised. His eyes peeled for tripwires... or worse.
Nover sees nothing unnatural in the looping cavern as the party follows it a few hundred feet. At this point, the tunnel forks, with the left fork heading northeast, and the right fork heading in a south/southeast direction.