Exhausted from all that has transpired, Eli grows agitated when the Goblin chieftain asks to speak to them, but he keeps his mouth shut.
What now? What can he possibly want from us? After all this?
Ventus unceremoniously shoves the bound Orik into the room before tossing the severed head of the beast to the feet of the goblin chieftain. He was not exactly worried about possible foul play. There would need to be some outright extraordinary circumstances for the chief to stand up to them alone especially if Nualia and the Beast had cowed him so easily.
Ripnugget clears his throat.
"You longshanks are big damn heroes. You gave Thistletop back to the goblins and deal with evil Nualia longshank."
"You help Ripnugget with one more tiny problem and I make sure you go down in goblin legend!"
"Ain't we just," Ventus said wryly. "Alright, headman, shoot," his hands stayed ready to draw his weapons and put the goblin down if need be but he suspected there might be a way to work the situation in their favor.
"Ripnugget is in charge because he's the meanest and the toughest. show them other goblins how tough Ripnugget is by killing big horses in front if them", the goblin explains.
"A week ago Thistletop warriors brought a new horse for Ripnugget to fight but this one was too mean. It broke my arm and killed six Thistletop warriors! You help Ripnugget by getting rid of the devil-horse and I give you big treasure!"
Pirknok stares blankly at the goblin. Does he not see how injured we are? And is he really asking for our help? As if he's a brother tribe? As if he has a single right other than to die right here and now?
The dwarf puts Nualia down and draws the Kaijitsu katana, his knuckles white on its hilt. He takes one step toward the chief, his eyes dark, before glancing over at Ysme and Ensu and stopping. Nonetheless, he glares at Ripnugget as he speaks.
"Ah want ta make wun thing real clear. We didint do this"—he gestures at Nualia and the great beast's head—"fer you. We did it fer civ'lized folk. Ah'd jes as soon kill you an' all yer tribe fer what you did in Sandpoint, but ah'm told it wudint be gud fer thuh rest uv thuh world... sumthin uhbout yer deaths givin' power ta some evil force. Thet don't mean ah've got ta help you, though, and ah wudint. Not fer all thuh treasure in thuh wurld."
Ventus furrowed his brow, "Show me the horse," he said calmly, putting out a hand to stop Pirknok.
"Ripnugget no show. Ripnugget tell."
The goblin chieftain gives the party directions to where the horse has been trapped.
Pirknok glares at the ranger. After they leave the room, he speaks up. "Why? Why ar we wastin' ar time on this? Let it kill him! Let it kill 'um all!"
"Wait here Chief," Ventus says, heading in the direction of the horse.
"Horses are valuable, the green idiots probably have a war horse or something. It might be worth our while to liberate it. Regardless, I'm not going to leave it in their hands to suffer a slow death."
The dwarf looks uncertain, but nods. "Ah gess thet's uh gud enuff reason. But how do ya know it's not gunna kill you? 'speshully if it's real mad frum bein' here with thet guy..."
"I don't, but I'm no goblin. Animals respond to respect and care more than many would think."
A short walk brings the group back outside, atop Thisletop, and soon the group is assembled in a small fenced-off pen standing adjacent a small building of rotting (but surprisingly sturdy) wooden planks. The door to this outbuilding has been nailed shut, and additional boards have been nailed over these nails. The door itself is cracked and splintered in
places. Two dead goblins, their heads crushed in by something heavy, lie in the dirt by the door, their ripening bodies covered with flies.
The sound of an angry and frightened equine can be heard coming from inside.
Ventus approached the door slowly, making calming sounds to the beast within while he worked the door open. Once it was open he continued with the calming sounds and tried a couple of basic commands, trying to exert some control over the animal within.
Ventus opens the door to find not a horse but something more - an equine beast with the head of a deadly raptor and powerful feathered wings - a hippogriff.
The hippogriff bucks and vocalizes its anger but over the course of a couple minutes, the ranger manages to calm it. Before long, it's calmed enough to stroke and soon it's nuzzling the human for nourishment - something it sorely needs based on the ribcage visible beneath its thin hide. Goblins, watching from a great distance, chatter among themselves waiting for the monster to turn on Ventus.
"Shh, hey there," Ventus says as he stroked the side of the hippogrif's neck. His exact words were unimportant, he just wanted to keep speaking to the animal in a reassuring tone, "We'll find you something to eat, yeah? Look at you, all skin and bones."
"Oh...
Oh my!" Ysme exclaims at the sight of the body-blended creature. "I've heard of such beasts...
Never seen one before."
She holds herself attentive should matters turn against her companion.
Pirknok's eyes go wide as he watches, though he's careful to stay just out of the thing's reach. As Ventus' words begin to reach the beast, the dwarf's face takes on a frown, and he glares back toward the goblins angrily.
Doran simply nurses his wounds as the others interact with the strange animal. A' leas' i' don' look like we've gotta fight th' damn thin'... I don' know 'ow much more I c'n take t'day... the tanned man thinks to himself.
Despite the goblin’s wishes, Ventus keeps things under control and soon the half-starved beast eagerly follows him.
Ventus leads the hungry hippogrif towards the exit, keeping an eye on the goblins as he does so, ready to take up sword and shield if they decided to get too close.
"Ah wunder if thuh green-faced 'chief' wuz lyin' uhbout thuh treasure..." ponders the dwarf aloud.
Ensu just shakes his head at the whole scene, amazed at stupid some folks could be at times. Once they are away from the goblins, he'll stop and apply any necessary healing that isn't starvation related, which will have to be taken care of with food, the gathering of which is outside his skillset.
The goblins keep their distance but can be heard moving and talking nearby.
As the party reaches Thistletop's front entrance they spot a coffer awaiting them with a note attached, For Longshanks.
Inside is a large sum of coin and assorted gems.
"Ah gess thet answers thet question, don't it." The burly dwarf hoists the coffer, only pausing once to be sure his weapons are still accessible should he need them.
"Wait." Ysme asks as Pirknok comparatively effortlessly hoists the coffer to his shoulder. Quickly & carefully looking through, she fishes out a small handful of gems before nodding for him to lift it once more.
As the others cross the bridge back to the mainland, Ysme turns to face the Goblins, particularly the Chief. "Though we have removed the horse-thing, I realize we may not have availed you much sport in the process. Keep these as forfeit."
"Wut are you DOIN?!" asks Pirknok, staring at Ysme in disbelief. "Yer treatin' 'um like... like... like peepul instead uv thuh scum they are!"
The pack of goblins following on the party's heels excitedly clamours over the scattered gems.
"Thank you longshanks!" one of them cries.
***
The trip back to Sandpoint is uneventful and surprisingly brief. Along the way, the party passes through areas the goblin horde had assembled in but there's no sign of the vicious little greenskins. It seems that word of Nualia's defeat/capture somehow exited Thistletop faster than the party did and without her influence, the veritable army of goblins quickly scattered back into the varisian wilderness.
When the party reaches Sandpoint's gates it's dark (nearing midnight) but the guards on watch recognize the approaching heroes and quickly unbar the gate.
They can be heard whispering as the party enters.
"Is that her? Is that Nualia? What's that thing following Ventus around?"
Ventus stays close to his new hippogrif friend, periodically whispering reassurances to it and patting its face to keep it from getting skittish. Much like he kept an eye on the goblins, Ventus watches the crowd on the off chance that one of them decides to make Nualia pay for her actions prematurely.
Pirknok turns to Ventus as they enter the gate. "Ah gess we shud git thuh gurl ta thuh jail... ah think wun uv us shud be guardin' her all thuh time, though. Is yer... new friend... jes' gunna stick uhround? It's real nice-lookin', but ah'm supprised it hezint run away..."
"That's because they people Pirknok. So long as we treat them like nothing more than monsters to be slain at the merest provocation they have little to no incentive to be anything else.
Which makes them fodder for whoever next decides they need some unthinking muscle for whatever next atrocity comes to haunt this land. Ask me about Ricle Peakes sometime. There was a monster foul enough to be Legend even as far away as the Lake of Mists & Veils."
"I agree we should watch Nualia. I will do so tonight. Come the morning I'm sure Father Zantus, Mayor Deverin & Sheriff..." Ysme's face falls when she remembers Sheriff Hemlock may no longer be among the living.
Ensu is glad to be back in town, hardly believing all that happened in a single day. Weary to the bone, but aware that tasks still needed to be done, he struggles to stay awake. "We should see if Shalelu is around as well, and probably store the religious items at the cathedral until we can figure out how to dispose of them."
"Mebbe we shud split up? We shud report ta thuh... Lootenint... an' ther's no need fer all uv us ta go evrywher. Ah kin watch thuh gurl fer tuhnight, Ysme, an' report ta thuh Lootenint at thuh same time."
Shaking herself out of her fugue at recollecting Sheriff Hemlock's uncertain fate, Ysme nods. "Yes, please take these to the Cathedral for me." As she hands hime her pack with the books & relics she collected from Nualia's 'temple'. "If he is not yet asleep for the night, please share with Father Zantus what you learned."
Turning back to Pirknok & 'Ventus, "I doubt the poor thing can fly just yet. From what little I know, wings are far more delicate than legs & it was kept in torturous circumstances for several days. See if it stays after recuperating for a week or so, Pirknok." Chuckling for a moment at a thought, "Of course, after a week of 'Ventus' tender care, perhaps it won't want to leave..."
Finally directing her attention to the guards at the gate. ""
"Special Team returned from Thistletop! We've made two arrests & need to see to our prisoners."
"We also need to report to the Sheriff!"
Eli stares incredulously at the Chief as he makes his request, but Ventus' calm confidence about the situation sets him at ease somewhat. He follows the others and gasps in wonder at the sight of the Hippogriff. He watches admiringly as Ventus calms the beast. On the way out he watches the Goblins warily, a bomb in his hand and ready to prime should they try anything, and it is with a sigh of relief he puts it away when they reach the road. Once back at the gates he feels anxious to return home to his wife.
"I'm glad that's over." he says.
Pirknok nods at Eli. "Ah'm lookin' forerd to uh real long sleep with no wun tryin' ta kill me or mah friends."
Doran chuckles, nodding deeply at Pirknok's words. "Coul'n't 'ave said it betta meself, mate," the tanned Inquisitor speaks, looking thoroughly tired and beat up.
Events within the city occur as a blur for the heroes of Sandpoint. Nualia is whisked from their grasp and taken into custody; Sheriff Hemlock finally returns with a platoon of soldiers from Magnimar to face the vanquished goblin threat; and life slowly returns to normal for the bustling coastal city. For now, it appears the danger has passed and the day is saved.
Nualia's trial is brief. The people of Sandpoint want blood for the losses and terror they've suffered and even the most gentle souls struggle for good reason to show her mercy. Despite their lust for vengeance, Doran makes it a point to ensure that the hateful assimar woman gets a fair trial. Abadar himself could have done no better. Not 24 hours after her guilty verdict, Nualia's head is separated from her body and her blood ending the life of the one that had orchestrated the festival invasion.
Ysme and Ensu are put to work. With the lack of immediate doom, Father Zantus has them busy escorting his acolytes as they labor to reconsecrate and secure the various holy places Nualia had violated within the town. Despite the necessity of it, the work is tedious and mundane, a far cry from the adventure the duo had known over the past two weeks.
Pirknok and Ventus find themselves called on more and more by Lieutenant Krojun to help in training the guard. The experience they gained in their struggles against Nualia's plot proves invaluable for even the most veteran of soldiers. Ventus struggles to find enough time to properly nurse his equine companion back to health.
Eli finds that he has less and less time to tend to his wife as contract after contract for work shows up on his doorstep. Fortunately, the herbs given to him by Shalelu prove to be very effective and Marysin improves considerably even without his direct care. Soon she's well enough to lend her husband a hand with his work, even if only a few hours each day.
All of the heroes of Sandpoint find that their lives have changed in a very real way due to the defeat and capture of the dangerous Nualia. Where before they might have been thought of as temporary celebrities, none can deny their new presence within the city. Many look to the group with a kind of wide-eyed reverence and most refuse to take coin for simple fare like drinks or a meal.
Having argued vociferously against Nualia's execution Ysme is understandably subdued & withdrawn over the days following, coming out of herself only enough to request permission to remove the body to the Windsong Abbey as part of her initial pilgrimage & as she felt that Father Tobyn might have wished such for his daughter, fallen or not.
Given that Windsong Abbey is only about a day's journey from Sandpoint, Ysme's pilgrimage should only take three days or so at most. Upon her return, Ysme is considerably less subdued, although still not as bubbly as she first seemed before & during the Swallowtail Festival.
Yes, I realize this may cause Ysme to fall.
If she is not allowed to take the body with her, she will be a bit more leisurely on the trip & while being a pilgrim there will focus on meditating on the Song itself.
If he presses her further, she will admit to feeling that simply executing Nualia merely adds one more death to the tally, while the opportunity to atone might actually bring a measure of peace & justice.
If he flat out asks her if she intends to try & bring Nualia back, she will admit to the attempt, but will point out it will only be successful if Pharasma wills it...
& if the Goddess whose purview is making those kinds of decisions is alright with it, who are mere mortals to second guess them?..
When Ysme arrives at the Abbey and is given a moment to speak with the Abbess, her request is met with considerable doubt. The power to raise others from the dead should not be used light... if at all. What makes Ysme thing Nualia will even want to return?
"Abbes, in answer to your first question, I know not."
"She resides now in the arms of her goddess & perhaps finds what little comfort a soul, wounded as hers surely is, may in such solace."
"I do know that if Nualia's soul does accept such an opportunity, serving penance here for her actions will both further her goddess' will & better serve justice among the living, a justice denied her in her youth."
Pondering the question of the potential frivolousness of the request. "I do not ask lightly. Nualia's death served nothing so much as it did to feed that small beast within all of us that would lash out in response to pain. In this way how were we any different than she herself, who's only imagined answer to the wrongs (real or imagined) inflicted upon her as a child & a young woman, was to burn down the town in some inarticulate howl of pain & rage & spite."
"Her life was & hopefully may be an opportunity to grow beyond the strictures placed upon her by her own & others expectations."
"A spirit so twisted by hatred would refuse to return to the living by our hands anyway. Pray that she finds some peace in the thereafter, young Ysmerelda."
Bowing her head in acknowledgement, Ysme will meditate on the Windsong & over Nualia's corpse until such time as it is interred, or a full day & night have passed, whichever comes first; after which time she will return to Sandpoint.