Wyam returns with the rope and helps tie up the goblin, then goes to talk to Amele.
"Amele, I am sorry to tell you that your husband did not survive his encounter with the goblin. He was a brave man, and he will be missed by all the town. I cannot help what has already occurred, but I vow to you that we will look into where the goblin came from and why - and exact justice on whomever is responsible. If it is alright with you, I would like to bring your husband's body to the church where he can be buried properly."
"Another for the sheriff's cells, I suppose." Spectrum muses. "Hopefully he will be back from his investigation of the graveyard by now."
Wyam's words nearly send Amele into a complete breakdown but his reassurances manage to stop her falling entirely to pieces, instead she simply cries, quietly. Fortunately, Sheriff Hemlock arrives, taking in the scene with this quintessential grim expression. He thanks you all for taking care of the goblin after he hears of it, and orders a few of his guards to take him to the cells. He says he will arrange to have Amele and her children stay at the cathedral for a few days. She nods, still tearing up. Shortly before she leaves, she hesitates and quietly says "Thank you." to Wyam.
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As everyone leaves Noro stays behind. after everyone is gone she cleans the house of the mess left behind. trying to remove as much of the blood as possible.
Noro will gather up the remains of the dog and give it a decent burial. Noro is not a religious person and the grave reflects as much.
Later into the night Noro goes to the back door of the Rusty Dragon to tell her brother Lou and asks for any food items they can spare. Sh will take them to the family and stick their pantry with what she can.
Noro then returns to her place and lays in bed trying to keep from getting angry enough to tourture that goblin till it pleads for death just so she can deny its request. She wants it to suffer.
Spectrum bids everyone goodby and returns to his work at the small museum next to the Dragon, doing whatever it is he does in there.
Glimmer once again prowls the town, staying close to the people she knows and generally watching from above.
Wyam will accompany Amele to the cathedral and see if he can learn of Elena's fate.
Chaise waves a farewell at Wyam, telling him he'll see him later. He follows the sheriff out of lack of things to do and seems to be genuinely interested in learning more about what's happening and if there's anything he can do to help.
Noro buries the dog; the food is much appreciated at the cathedral.
Spectrum curates.
Wyam helps Amele move into her temporary accomodations; he learns that her sister from Magnimar will soon arrive to take the family back south to live with her.
Sheriff Hemlock is curt with Chaise; though he is curt with everyone. He describes his men and his journey to the crypts, though they failed to discover anything else that was taken. He does, however, have a request. He asks that Chaise and the rest meet him and the Mayor at the town hall tomorrow at eleven O'Clock for a meeting; he is oddly mysterious, but makes it clear that a 'new report' is about to come to light.
Chaise nods at the sheriff, saying he'll tell the others. He's curious, not taking the man for mystery, but contents himself that his curiosity will be satisfied tomorrow.
With nothing else to do, he heads back to the inn to see if the others are back.
Wyam finds that there is no corpse by her description found and buried; it is likely her corpse was either destroyed, burnt, taken or eaten.
Gathering everyone at the bar during dinner, (informing or finding Spectrum beforehand in case he wouldn't join them), Chaise claps his hands to gather everyone's attention. Isme on his shoulder doesn't bother listening, already pecking at some food she grabbed in her claws.
"So, the Sheriff has asked us to meet him and the Mayor at the town hall tomorrow at eleven o'clock in the morning. He said something about a new report, so he might have more information for us though he wouldn't tell me what kind of information."
Spectrum was already seated at a table when the others arrived, reading a book while the barely touched plate of food in front of him slowly cooled.
Having people to interact with forced him to split his attention, and he put his book down with an exasperated expression as Chaise spoke. Already in a less than pleasant mood, the elf rolled his eyes.
"So the sheriff, and perhaps the mayor, know something that they wish our help with, but they choose to wait until tomorrow rather than delivering the information now? As long as I live, I will never understand the human penchant for deliberate inefficiency."
"Maybe it's just not urgent, and they wanted to make sure we'd all be there?" Wyam offers, despite largely agreeing with Spectrum's sentiment.
Noro arrives at the station and finds the lights lit, and the Sheriff at his desk, alert and implacable as always. He nods to you politely in greeting and waits.
Hemlock frowns. "Thank you for your past aid; but I still do not permit civilians to wander in and out of my cells. Why do you want to see it?"
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Hemlock frowns. "Thank you for your past aid; but I still do not permit civilians to wander in and out of my cells. Why do you want to see it?"
She looks toward the Sheriff Queshtoning. is all she says.
this is intended to be some ruffing up or pre-conditionthe creature before any real questioning begins. instill a sense of real fear
The sheriff examines you carefully and implacably for several minutes. Then he simply nods, and hands you the key. He states, "My old deafness problem just resurged. I shall be completely unable to hear anything for the next forty minutes. Should the faulty ceiling in a few of the cells collapse, I will be unaware. If any are killed-" He stands, and looks Noro straight in the eye. "I will have to reconsider you."
Then he sits, and begins working through his reports.
The next day comes.
You all (presumably) arrive outside the town hall, where you are greeted by Sheriff Hemlock; well, as greeted as you could be by a man so curt.
"Good morning, Sheriff," Wyam returns in greeting.
"Say, Noro, we didn't see you last night. Were you out visiting your brother?"
Chaise prepares his spells for the day and then eats breakfast!
When they arrive outside the town hall, he similarly greets the sheriff before attempting to sate his curiosity. "So, what news do you have for us?"
"I see. Well, I hope it was enjoyable for you," he replied, choosing not to acknowledge her blatantly poor (to him) attempt at deception.
Spectrum clearly didn't care about why Noro had been absent. He was restless and not in the mood for further distractions. He was here for information and was tired of waiting for it.
The Sheriff takes you all in to the town hall, and up to a comfortable office on the second floor. The mayor is waiting there, along with a brown-haired elven woman, clad in leathers and with a heavy bow strapped to her back. She smiles in greeting to you, and the mayor does the same. Hemlock speaks. "This is miss Shalelu Andosana, thorn in the side of all the goblin tribes and a valuable source of information for all of us here in Sandpoint. She is... an unofficial member of Sandpoint's down guard." She smirks at this. "And this is Sandpoint's latest crop of heroes. Please, tell them what you just told me."
She speaks, her voice louder than her small frame would seem able to produce.
“Belor’s told me of your work against the goblins—well done. I’ve dedicated the last several years of my life to keeping
them from causing too much trouble around these parts, but they’re tenacious and fecund little runts. Like weeds that bite.
“Anyway, there’s five major goblin tribes in the region, and, traditionally, they’re pretty good at keeping each other in line with intertribal squabbles and the like. Yet from what I’ve been able to piece together, members of all five tribes were involved in the raid on Sandpoint. A fair amount of the Mosswood tribe goblins I dealt with yesterday were already pretty beat up, and there was a lot of chatter about the ‘longshanks’ who killed so many of them. Now that I’ve met you, it seems obvious from their descriptions who they were talking about. Seems like you’ve made an impression. “In any event, the fact that the five tribes are working together disturbs me. Goblin tribes don’t get along unless they’ve got something big planned, and big plans require big bosses. I’m afraid that someone’s moved in on the goblins and organized them. And judging by these recent raids, what they’re organizing seems like bad news for all of us.”
After she speaks, Hemlock announces that he will be leaving Sandpoint- taking a few of his men south to Magnimar to secure additional soldiers to be stationed at Sandpoint for a few weeks. While he is out of town, Shalelu will be sniffing around Shank's Wood and a few other key places where goblins live to find out what's going on. He asks that you maintain a public presence in Sandpoint over the next few days. "The locals seem to have taken to you, and seeing you around town will do a lot for keeping worries down for the next few days."
"It is indeed worrisome that someone has coerced the disparate goblin tribes into joining together to attack the town. Has anything been identified as the possible reason for the raid? I have trouble this person would go to such efforts on a whim."
"I will be done." Spectrum says simply.
"When you return, I believe it would be prudent to plan more aggressive countermeasures."
Chaise nods along as the elven woman explains the situation.
"That makes sense. I'll be happy to do as you ask, though just walking around makes me feel that I'm not doing as much as I can do." Chaise frowns. "But if it's the best thing for me to do, then I'll be happy to reassure the townsfolk."
Shalelu shakes her head to Wyam. "That's what I need to find out."
She nods to Noro- you two have seen each other before, but haven't talked much.
Having received your cooperation, Hemlock nods in satisfaction and declares the meeting closed. "Well- I am glad this is all resolved. I will leave immediately." He heads off.
The Mayor speaks to you- "As you will be effectively serving as volunteers for Sandpoint's guards, I would like to pay you stipends as guards, with your permission. Just so you do not feel that we are taking advantage." She hands each of you a small package containing five gold coins, your pay for the duration. She hands Shalelu a somewhat larger package and makes her exit.
Shalelu speaks- she offers to buy you all a meal at the Rusty Dragon, where she is staying. She'd like to find out more about the goblin attack, and offers to share a few facts about goblins she's picked up over the years.
Chaise nods to the Mayor, pocketing the small package as she leaves.
"That would be very good and I'm sure we'll be more than happy to share what information we have with you."
Chaise waits for her to lead the way.
Wyam nods in understanding of what was to occur. "Be safe in your travels, sheriff," he offers in parting.
"Indeed, Shalelu. To the Rusty Dragon, then."
Spectrum nods. "This is satisfactory."
Shalelu heads off with you to the tavern.
When they arrive at the tavern, Chaise seats himself. When they finish ordering, he begins to speak while they wait. "The goblin attack was sudden. As you might know, it was on the day of the Swallowtail Festival. It started near sunset--I was in front of the new Sandpoint cathedral, watching its formal consecration when a woman screamed...."
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Noro joins them a bit unsure of accepting payment. she is sure there are probably syill some unpaid fines she still ahs.
Noro orders up some ale and a light meal. then relaxes and listens to the stories as they unfold about the goblin attack.
Noro does not really have much of her own to add. but will listen closely when information about goblins is brought up. she want to know what makes them tick, you to break a goblin during interrogations.
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Shalelu listens interestedly to your tale of the goblin attack, paying particular attention to the details of those goblins who rode animals and the way they said they were working for a human.
Herself, she offers firstly some basic information about goblins.
1: Horse Hate: Goblins excel at riding animals, but they don’t
quite get horses. In fact, their hatred of all things horse is
matched only by their fear of horses, who tend to step on
goblins who get too close.
2: Dog Hate: Although goblins raise horrible rat-faced creatures
called (creatively enough) goblin dogs to use as mounts
(and ride wolves or worgs if they can get them—goblins are
quick to explain that wolves are NOT dogs), their hatred of
plain old dogs nearly matches their hatred of horses. The
feeling is mutual. If your dog’s barking at the woodpile for
no reason, chances are he smells a frightened goblin hiding
in there somewhere.
3: Goblins Raid Junkyards: Garbage pits, gutters, sewers… anywhere
there’s garbage, you can bet goblins are nearby. Goblins
are weirdly adept at crafting weapons and armor from refuse,
and are fond of killing people with what they throw away.
4: Goblins Love to Sing: Unfortunately, as catchy as their lyrics
can be, goblin songs tend to be a bit too creepy and disturbing
to catch on in polite society.
5: They’re Sneaky: An excited or angry goblin is a noisy, chattering,
toothy menace, but even then, he can drop into an
unsettling silence in a heartbeat. This, matched with their
diminutive size, makes them unnervingly adept at hiding in
places you’d never expect: stacks of firewood, rain barrels,
under logs, under chicken coops, in ovens…
6: They’re A Little Crazy: The fact that goblins
think of things like ovens as good hiding places
reveals much about their inability to think plans
through to the most likely outcome. That, and
they tend to be easily distracted, particularly
by shiny things and animals smaller than them
that might make good eating.
7: They’re Voracious: Given enough supplies, a goblin generally
takes nearly a dozen meals a day. Most goblin tribes
don’t have enough supplies to accommodate such ravenous
appetites, which is why the little menaces are so prone to
going on raids.
8: They Like Fire: Burning things is one of the great goblin pastimes,
although they’re generally pretty careful about lighting
fires in their own lairs, especially since goblins tend to live in
large tangled thistle patches and sleep in beds of dried leaves
and grass. But give a goblin a torch and someone else’s home
and you’ve got trouble.
9: They Get Stuck Easily: Goblins have wiry frames but wide
heads. They live in cramped warrens. Sometimes too cramped.
10: Goblins Believe Writing Steals Your Soul: The walls of
goblin lairs and the ruins of towns goblins have raided are littered
with pictures of their exploits. They never use writing,
though. That’s not lucky. Writing steals words out of your
head. You can’t get them back.
She also volunteers some information. There are five major goblin tribes in the region. Birdcruncher goblins who live in caves along the western edge of the Devil's Platter, although these are usually the least agressive of the five tribes. To the west are the Licktoad goblins of the Brinestump Marsh who have an unusual talent for swimming. East are the Seven Tooth goblins of Shank's Wood, who typically raid Sandpoint's junkyard and rebuild the stolen refuse into armor and weapons. Further to the east are the Mosswood goblins. They've probably the largest tribe, but historically they've been held back by feuding families within their own ranks. And Finally there are the Thistletop goblins, who live on the Nettlewood coast atop a small island that looks a little like a decapitated head.
About individual goblins of reknown, she tells you how goblins generally live short and violent lives; it's unusual for any to achieve notoriety, but thus far five have done so. Gresgurt is an unusually strong and powerful goblin, said to be fanatically loyal to his Mosswood clan's leader; it is said he had a hobgoblin for a mother and a wild boar for a father.. Koruvus was a champion of the Seven Tooth tribe, known for his quick temper-even for a goblin- and his magic shortsword. Koruvus vanished months ago after he discovered some sort of 'secret hideout' in a cave along the cliffs; the Seven Tooths remain certain he is out there somewhere, angry. Vorka is a notorious goblin cannibal who lives in the Brinestump marsh, a hero to the other goblins for how she usually prays on the Licktoad tribe. Ripnugget is the current leader of the Thistletop goblins and controls what the five tribes agree is the best lair. And, finally, there is Bruthazmus, an infamous bugbear ranger who lives in nothern Nettlewood and viists the tribes to trade things he's stolen from caravans for alcohol, news, or magic arrows. Shalelu remarks that this bastard has a particular hatred of elves and the two of them have clashed on occasion. As she mentions this, she bitterly vows that she won't be the first to fall in their private war.
"You sure know your stuff when it comes to the little buggers, which comes as no surprise. But what's all this about being the backup Sheriff? What does that mean for what we have to do?"
Chaise snorts at what Noro says. "They burn the same too."
Shalelu grins at Wyam and replies "Well since Hemlock, no disrespect intended, is such an obsessive-compulsive bastard I'm pretty sure he'll have arranged every possible thing he can to go as normal in his absence. He'll want you to do the things that only his physical presence can do- set up shop in his lock-up and make sure the townspeople know there's someone here to drive off goblins and bandits."
"It will be done." Spectrum says simply.