Father Zanthus is just about finished cleaning up for the night with a couple acolytes when you arrive.
"What is it Ensu? You look troubled. Are the goblins on the move again?"
Pirknok selects a nicely-articulating breastplate and a nice new axe.
"Goblins are the least of my concerns. I have information that points to something deeper and far more problematic. According to the source I have, Father Tobyn's body was stolen by his daughter, and has now been burned as the start of a process she is trying to undergo to become more like her 'mother.' I sought you out first to get your views on it's credibility before trying to share it widely, as it casts the whole history of the fire, and all of the other troubles at that time, in a much darker and more disturbing light. Also, the journal mentions a quasit underneath Sandpoint; do you know anything about that?" Ensu is quiet and pensive as he hands the journal over to older priest for him to look through.
Zanthus grows increasingly alarmed as Ensu explains everything as he knows it.
"That is... quite a wild theory", he responds. "But it's an awful lot of speculation based off of one bloody journal. How do you even know this is the same Nualia? It's not an impossibly rare name. And a dark ritual that involves burning a man's remains?"
The priest becomes entirely dismissive at this point.
"You're going to need a great deal more proof before I even begin to entertain such a dark idea. Sandpoint has quite enough to worry about without adding undead little girls and evil rituals to the menu."
"Perhaps, but the other options are even wilder. We know for a fact that Father Tobyn's body was taken, and I have reports from Lt. Krojun that other information of the journal are correct. It's not entirely implausible that Nualia could have faked her death, and unless Father Tobyn had some other daughters hidden away (which is the even wilder and more out there possibility), she's the only real candidate for what is being described. I was hoping you might have insight as to who this "mother" might be that would ask for such a thing in the first place, and secondly give a deformed body as a reward. I certainly understand the difficulty in looking into what must be a very painful wound, but there is too much evidence to simply dismiss it out of hand. I don't profess to know that the truth is, but we need to find it or this town is going to have much worse problems than a goblin horde to contend with."
"I will consider your story and gather whatever shreds of information I can to confirm parts of it. In the meantime, I ask that you keep this between us and the group that you've been traveling with. I would prefer such fanciful stories not grow too widespread until we separate the reality from the dark disturbing fantasy."
"Of course; I am fully aware of the limitations of conjecture and the need for proper investigation. The key is that the investigation is done and the questions asked. Perhaps I will have more information to shed light on the true situation after we are done exploring the tunnels below." Ensu nods quietly as he returns the Glassworks both relieved and concerned at the same time. The fire and everything surrounding it are still very clearly raw wounds that would need to be worked with very tenderly, but at least Father Zantus had not refused to touch them at all.
Pirknok arrives back at the Glassworks and approaches Eli. "Here's yer spear — thanks fer lettin' me use et, but ah barruhd a new axe from thuh guards, see?"
After displaying his borrowed axe, he looks around for the others.
Ysmerelda has occupied herself by reading & re-reading Tsuto's journal. At Pirknok's return she looks up. "Yes, I certainly we don't run into anyone or thing able to destroy another weapon so...
Effortlessly, as Tsuto seemed to."
"I need to speak with Father Zantus & Ensu. Please ask the others not to do anything until we return."
Once she arrives at the Sandpoint Cathedral, "Father Zantus, have you the ability to commune with the dead? I'm sure brother Ensu has relayed to you our concerns regarding the true nature of Sandpoint's foe."
***
"Yes, Ensu has explained his concerns to me. Yes, speaking with the dead is within my power but it is not a thing I take lightly. Why do you ask?"
When Ysme and Ensu get back, and Ameiko is out of earshot, Pirknok speaks up. "Wut happind earlier en thuh other room? Evrythin' okay?"
"Because unlike the last time we had a similar conversation, this time we do have a body we could ask questions of. I believe asking questions of the man who was a chief lieutenant of the architect of Sandpoint's woes qualifies as 'not lightly', don't you?"
Father Zantus frowns as he considers the request.
"Even if I were willing to do it, his spirit would fight me. There is no guarantee of success", he explains.
"I will pray on the matter and we can discuss it again on the morrow."
Nodding in acquiescence, Ysme responds. "Thank you for considering this Father."
"We need to do what we can to preserve Tsuto's body. Hopefully Father Zantus will commune with it tomorrow so that we may have more definitive answers to some of our questions."
"I also feel that we would otherwise be better served by waiting until tomorrow to investigate the tunnels below."
Eli waits at the Glassworks, going through his store of consumables and ingredients, and finding not much left of his extract supply he frowns. He begins to search the Goblins and the main floor of the glassworks for anything usable.
The dwarf listens to Ysme's thoughts on delaying, and frowns. "Thuh... Lootenint?... seemed like he wanted us ta go down ther now..."
"The lieutenant isn't in possession of all the facts at the moment. Nor is he likely to be."
"If he wants someone to go down into the tunnels, , he is welcome to do so. If he want's to go down there, he can wait until I feel doing so is most likely to achieve the ends he desires..."
Relenting somewhat, Ysme considers Pirknok's earlier question. "No, everything alright."
"Tsuto...
murdered Ameiko's father."
"He doesn't seem to have mutilated him, at least not the way he did the girl at the Pixie's Kitten...
but,
he killed him in cold blood."
"She's all alone now..." Ysme trails off.
Doran returns from the armory with Pirknok, clad in a shining new breastplate. He stretches his arms, trying to accustom himself to the new armor. A frown has not left his face for even a moment, the events of the day wearing heavily on the Abadaran.
A glint of anger appears in the dwarf's eyes at Ysme's tone. He speaks softly, slowly, and dangerously. "He's thuh elder, an' he's en charge. You ain't. You kin ask him ef he wants us ta go down tuhnight. Ef he sez go down tuhnight, we go down tuhnight, or ah challinge you ta Batmek Shuvku."
" Krojun is the elder. is not the Elder. If this town an Elder, it would be either Mayor Deverin or Father Zantus."
"The only advantage haste have given us was lost when we waited to re-equip you & 'Ventus. I am saying we should not have done so. I'm saying that having done so, the advantage is now , and given that they already had the advantages of numbers & knowing the terrain, I am loath to give them any others & going down into the tunnels depleted as we are does just that."
Doran scoffs. "An' while yer restin' on yer laurels, 'ey'll be preparin' fir us. 'ey ain't got th' upper 'and yit, but 'ey will! We need t' move fast i' we're gonna catch 'em off guard!" the Chelaxian suggests, gesturing with his free hand. "Krojun is i' charge 'round 'ere until th' Sheriff gits back. And i' 'e says we should bring th' fight t' 'em fat'eads, 'en 'at's what I intend t' do."
Pirknok nods in agreement. "Ah'm with him. Let's go."
He looks expectantly around at the others, and then his gaze comes back to rest on the paladin, his eyes narrowed.
Ventus returns, the cheerful and joking attitude he once possessed still washed away by the night's events.
"Do what you will Ysme. If you're willing gents I'll take point into the tunnels. I'm not waiting for goblins or Pharasma knows what other threats to come boiling out of them."
"It took us nearly an hour to go to the Armory, re-equip, & come back. Any raiders, bandits or other such individuals will already be as prepared now, in fact more so, because their excitement will be up, as they will be come morning.
odds will be come morning, when will be fresh while they will have been on alert all night."
"What is more important to you gentlemen? Die-ing big brave heroes, or successfully protecting these people from threats we don't know fully?"
Doran nods at Ventus, glossing over Ysme's complaints. "Right 'en, le's git movin'. 'ey're likely too riled up t' be ready fir us." Doran manipulates the reloading mechanism on his weapon, the sound punctuating his statement. "I'll take th' rear," the tanned man states, a fierce look in his eyes.
Ysme, not bothering to retake her flail, proceeds down the tunnels.
Pirknok proceeds down the corridor just behind Ventus and Ysme.
The party heads down into the tunnels...
"I've 'eard 'at smugglers used t' use tunnels un'erneath San'point t' do 'eir un'er'anded b'iness. 'is might be one o' 'em," Doran states, keeping a careful eye out for signs of goblins.
"While I appreciate the interest in gathering more information, I don't see how putting off the tunnels or trying to speak with the dead would help us. The dead tend to be generally hard to talk to even when they aren't actively obscuring their answers. Also, we are the investigation team here, so trying to find out the answers from someone else isn't likely to get us very far; we will need to be the ones to find them, probably the hard way."
"What concerns me is what the smugglers might have uncovered and inadvertently released, as not all of the tunnels are of recent creation. If anything they found is as old as the Old Light, or even half as old, we could be in for some nasty surprises."
Priknok sighs. "Why's et allus got ta be nasty supprises?" he grumbles.
After descending nearly one hundred feet, the rough crudely dug smuggler's tunnel gives way to smooth ancient construction.
On the right (east) side the tunnel opens up into a larger chamber.
Straight ahead (north) the tunnel smooths further still but also narrows to only five feet across.
You can act in the surprise round.
Priknok motions silently to the others, tapping Ysme and Ventus on the shoulder if necessary and indicating the right-hand tunnel.
Doran hears a strange sound coming from one of the east, and trains his weapon on where he believes the source of it to be. I got a bad feelin' 'bout this, he thinks to himself, his trigger finger ready and raring.
1d20+5
"Because digging up the past is rarely as glamerous as people make it out to be, as usually the good and pleasant secrets have long since been uncovered." Ensu chuckles quietly as they descend, his crossbow at the ready. As soon as he hears something from the side chamber, he immediately orients his crossbow to it, prepared to fire immediately should it prove to be a threat.