Daxur nods sagely at Ven's suggestion, "Indeed, my first act upon taking up my position will be to advise both of what happened here. Oh, by the way, the three-armed miscreant took something from your pocket before withdrawing."
Confused, Khravos looks from Ven to Daxur and back again. "I apologize, Master Ven, if you've forgotten, but you had a key in your pocket. The disfigured goblin said that "she" gave him orders not to kill, but he seemed quite sure where to find it. I understand the need for secrecy on some matters, but it might benefit you to confide in those of us who shared this experience with you."
Garrick charges the beast, looking to cleave its head in twain with an overhead chop. He is singularly focused on ending the demon-spider.
He sprints off the ship, launching himself into the air halfway down the gangplank. He brings the sword down hard, cutting deep into the back of the creatures head as he lands next to it in the dock. It screeches horribly, as it bleeds a weird dark blood.
Around him, dozens of people panic, running in all directions, screaming. Some even jump off the docks into the bay.
Engineer lenghtens his stride a bit, heavy footfalls sinking into the roadway slightly.
"Garrick!" Satinder screams, waving his arms frantically at the ex-soldier to get his attention. "I've got a plan! See if you can push it closer to the water!"
He points to a spot at the edge of the rain-slicked dock, then runs across the deck of the Demon's Dream toward the jib controls. He climbs into the control seat, praying that he remember how each lever works.
He takes out his sling and loads it. He tries to recall everything he knows about Rhagodessa. Does it have any weaknesses?
A Watchmen runs up to help the two of them, yelling over the rain, "I've got this!" He lunges out with the spear, but the creature smacks it aside, and grabs the Watchmen with its front legs, pulling him towards its open mandibles. "Ahh!" he screams, dropping his spear.
With a snap, Satinder releases the catch on the jib overhead, sending the pallet plummeting onto the Rhagodessa. It slams into it with another resounding boom, slamming it into the dock, which splinters and breaks apart again. Both the Pallet and the Rhagodessa, as well as the Watchmen still clutched in the Rhagodessa's pedipalp, disappear into the churning water.
A rope, tangled up with the creature as it goes down, snakes into the water. Suddenly it snaps and tightens around Garrick's ankle, yanking him off his feet onto the wet dock, and dragging him to the edge. Just before he is pulled under, his foot twists, and the rope slips off.
You pass the tannery and the smithy on Festival street, before turning and hiking up the steep High street, to take a left at the armory on Tower street. The two dominant buildings of the Town hall and the Garrison loom up in the darkness.
"The Sheriff," Ven bellows, pointing at the Garrison, before stomping through the mud towards the building.
You enter in the front to a small entry room. A desk with a few books and a couple of chairs sits there, unused at the moment. The building is made of large cut stone, very strong and heavy.
Water squelches from your feet as you enter. "Sheriff!" Ven calls.
A member of the City Watch, his hair dripping wet, pokes his head around the corner. He addresses someone out of sight. "Sheriff, its Master Vinder." He sounds as if he's run a distance recently.
A surly looking man in his fifties stomps around the corner. He is wet, but not as soaking as your party. He has gone to seed, his armor just a tad too tight, his hair gone, his short bear stark white. His beady eyes lock on the group of you, and he scowls.
"I don't have time right now, Master Vinder. Whatever it is, it can wait until tomorrow." He turns away, pulling on gloves, and donning an oiled cloak, and addresses the Watchman. "Find out where everyone is, and send someone to bring in six extra men. Its going to be a long night."
"Sheriff? I am designated as Engineer #3. These are my traveling compatriots and battle comrades, Wizard Daxur and Soldier-of-the-Mind Khravos." Engineer indicates his friends with wide stretched hands.
"Perhaps we can be of assistance? We are fully combat capable, and Citizen Ven can attest to our effectiveness. If the task requires magical or psionic attention, we are able to serve such needs as well."
"Wizard Daxur? And...Soldier-of-the-mind Kratos? You'd be the magical security liaison, wouldn't you?"
Daxur sweeps off his sodden cloak with a flourish, spraying most if not all of the others in the room with droplets of water
"Indeed. I have come to fulfil my obligations as the Magical Security Liason for Sandpoint and Environs! As my metal friend has already asked, how can we assist?"
Just as he seems about to speak, the door of the Garrison bangs open, and a woman stumbles inside.
"The Dark Six take this sodding weather!" The woman says, flinging water from her fingertips. She looks up at you as she is brushing water off her knees, and almost falls over, slipping on the wet floor.
"You must be Master Daxur!" she says, regaining her footing and coming forward, a big smile on her face. She is quite pretty, perhaps thirty years old, with short brown hair matted to her head from the rain. Her smile is quite disarming. She shakes your hands. "I'm Kendra Deverin, the Mayor's niece. I act as liaison to the people of Sandpoint."
The Sheriff approaches, his boots echoing against the stone. "That is not an official title, Kendra, you've been told that."
Kendra smiles and waves away his comment. "I don't need my job to be official. I do it because I want to help."
"I will leave you to deal with these, then." The rain blows in the front door as he leaves, leaving you with Kendra.
The rain is coming down in sheets now, and there are only a few people left in the vicinity, the rest seemingly fled the rain and the creature.
Bubbles still rise from where the Rhagodessa and the Watchman went into the water with the rest of the pallet.
Looking back at the Demon's dream you see Shadow, perched over the deck. With a bob of its head, it dives back into the ship.
Garrick directs and watchmen around, instructing them to continue keeping the civilians back until he gives further orders.
Daxur grins his tooth smile at Kendra, "Ah, indeed Miss Kendra, I am Daxur, Wizard extraordinaire! At your service..." he declares, sweeping down into an elaborate courtly bow to the pretty woman.
He gladly returns her hand shake, then shaking a bit of remaining rain from his head, "What's the trouble with the Sheriff? We had a run in with some of my more vicious cousins on the way..."
Watches-Shadow-Behind-You runs back into the Demon's Dream. He thinks he may have missed something.
Engineer looks down on the small human woman striking his pauldron.
"I would advise you to use caution in such dealings. Firstly, you may have injured your hands on my plating. Secondly, other warforged might take offense to your unasked for physical contact."
"My name is Khravos Vortensis, Miss Kendra, but you may call me Khravos." Looking to Daxur and #3, as an aside, "Should we not make sure that the actress arrived safely in town?"
Daxur snaps his fingers in irritation at Khravos' reminder, "That blasted woman! " he all but shrieks, then remembers Kendra. "A thousand pardons, Miss Kendra, the actress Allishanda was one of our charges on the journey here. She ran towards Sandpoint when the goblins attacked. I must ask the Sheriff if he knows anything of her arrival."
Engineer delivers the facts in his deep baritone, almost monotonously. He does not seem overly concerned that the unarmed non-combatant female is apparently unaccounted for at this time.
Ven steps forward nervously, his hat in his hands. "Pardon, m'lady, but I imagine she went to Mr. Drokkus."
"Yes...that makes sense. Thank you, Master Vinder." Another Watchmen steps out from the rear of the building, and she turns to him. "Goergo, yes, perfect. Could you send someone to the theater to find a woman? Allishanda, the actress."
Another Watchman steps around the corner. He's young, probably just come of age, and lanky. "I'll send my assistant, m'lady, young Meechum, here." The lanky boy nods his head.
"We want to verify she made it into town safely. Check at the theater, and if necessary with Garridan at the White Deer, Ameiko at the Rusty Dragon, and even Jargi at the Hagfish." The boy nods, and moves to leave. "One last thing, if you cannot find her quickly, please notify the Sheriff. Do you know where he just left to?"
Goergo speaks up, nodding to Meechum, who ducks his head and leaves. "Apparently there was an accident at the docks, involving Garrick and that one high-minded one back from Sharn..."
The corners of Kendra's lips curl up in a small smile. "Master Hawkes, yes. Thank you, Goergo."
"Now," she says as Goergo departs, "Master Daxur. Master Khravos? Master Engineer number three...?" She stops, and looks up at the tall warforged again. "I'm sorry, how do you like to be called?"
Engineer bows to the young woman in polite greeting.
"As far as the prefix, I have not achieved the rank of Master in any given profession. My skills still have many deficiencies to have attained that title. I appreciate your politeness, in appending it to me, however."
"I was unable to glean the true numbers of the goblins, but there were more than a score. Perhaps 30, perhaps a few more or less. Their leader seemed larger than the others, and spoke in a loud voice. He commanded us to relinquish the wagon where Citizen Ven kept his goods. Faced with such insurmountable odds, we had no choice but to retreat."
Engineer pauses as if to allow his. Ompatriots to chime in before continuing.
"The goblins took the wagon while holding live flames openly. That did not end well, as the cargo included a sizeable amount of fireworks. The remaining goblins who survived the blast scavenged what they could before fleeing. A few chose to engage us in direct combat, much to their disappointment, I would hazard."
"What are you doing?" he shouts over the building storm. He glances back to where Garrick and the guardsmen appear to have the dock secure, then mutters a curse under his breath and chases after the elderly halfling.
"Where's Witton?" the newcomer bellows at the Watchman who was already with you.
"In the bay! He got drug under!" the second wails back. He looks to be near a panic, his eyes wide.
Watches-Shadow-Behind-You, breathing heavily, opens his mind to the senses of the physical and spiritual worlds.
"What do you think you're doing, running away like that? There's a monster on the loose! We need to get back!"