The dwarf thumps his heavily-armored chest, shaking his head and grinning. "Let the elf take it for now. I've got better armor, and Gallus can kill anything before it gets close enough to attack him."
You head down into the basement of the Glassworks, the area is reasonably well lit, but a bit cramped. A hallway leads to the south and west and to the north west.
Thorfinn holds up a hand and listens, then shrugs. "A bit tight, but I can manage." He takes the hallway to the south and west.
Going down the hall you see two closed doors on the southern wall and a closed door on the western wall all the way at the other end of the hall where it branches to the north.
In order:
Thorfinn opens the first door to the south, ready for an attack.
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As the group pads downstairs, Ioxeia joins in the hasty, hushed conversation, whispering, "Thank you, Chimaeryus, but you've already taken one arrow in the shoulder already, and we wouldn't want to lose you, while if I had been a bit more careful... And thanks to Gabriel too, for some inspired healing."
She brings a hand up to her head, noting that the movement provokes no painful twinge, and that the spell has even whisked away the nasty thump to the side of her head along with the other bruises and cuts. She feels somewhat sheepish being fussed over like a delicate flower, though in some hidden angle of her soul finds it absurdly enjoyable. As Thorfinn leads the way to the first door, Ioxeia shrugs imperceptibly, and concludes, Decent folk so far, and even that bizarrerie of a sorcerer seems to be opening up a bit. I'm not sure what's in his blood, but I hardly expect he's had a good time of it-
Her train of thought comes to an abrupt halt as the group pauses, and her hand twitches in readiness for the quiver as the dwarf throws the door open.
Opening the door you find a mostly empty room with a rough tunnel, devoid of light cut out and heading to the southeast.
Gabriel will cast light to help lead the party's way.
The dwarf backs away from the door, closing it gently. "That leads outside the building foundations, so I'm guessing that's how the goblins got in. Best we see what else is lurking in the building before we take that road." He moves to the second door to the south and opens it.
Opening the other door, you find a small office that contains a number of liquor bottles strewn about and a small sleeping spot made up in the corner.
"No sign of Ameiko, or more goblins." Thorfinn closes the door and makes his way to the far door, opening it.
Gallus moves up beside the last door waiting for Thorfinn to throw open the door.
Gabriel moves up as well.
Opening the door, you find a storage room with random odds and ends, but bound and gagged lieing on the floor is Ameiko.
The dwarf grunts noncommittally at Ioxeia's question before opening the door. On seeing what's inside, he enters the room cautiously, alert for an ambush. "Ah, lass, what's happened to you?"
Gabriel will hurry in ignoring Thorfinn's caution and tries un-gag Ameiko.
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Ioxeia kneels and lends a hand, starting to cut Ameiko's other bonds while Gabriel removes her gag. No one deserves to be trussed up like this in a dark hole. At least, very few mortals do - let's get her free of this. She keeps her movements gentle and tries to breathe some soothing words, expecting that an unfamiliar masked elf is not likely to set Ameiko's nerves at ease, under the circumstances.
Upon entering the room... you notice that Ameiko is unconcious and while stable is very badly beaten up. You have no trouble getting her out of her bonds but she is unresponsive without some medical attention.
"Let's get her up above and to the priest, 'less you've got another cure in you, Gabe. I'll dance rearguard going back."
"No such luck, between that and putting the goblins to sleep I don't think I could muster another spell till I've got another meal, a few ales and a good nights sleep in me, and I even used my scroll up on Chimaeryus."
You take some time to lock up the place as best you can and take both the half-elf and Ameiko to the cathedral. You draw a lot of attention along the way but eventually making it to Father Zantus who sees to Ameiko. Shortly after Sheriff Hemlock arrives "What is all this I hear of you dragging two bodies through the street?"
I really appreciate that Gabriel. Let us lock up the glassworks we can investigate further later. Someone strong needs to carry Tsuto as well as Ameiko.
Scroll of CLW used on Chimaeryus, part of my starting equipment.
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Ioxeia looks up wearily from where she's sitting against the wall of the Desnan chapel in the cathedral, reading through Tsuto's journal more carefully while waiting for Father Zantus to take care of Ameiko. Left a bit snippy by the exertion of helping to carry two awkward burdens through the town, she resists the urge to ill-timed facetiousness, but doesn't quite manage to be perfectly serious.
"One body, and one badly beaten victim of assault and ... effectively abduction, I suppose, Sheriff. Mistress Kaijitsu didn't appear to open up her inn this morning, and the circumstances were suspicious, so we decided to try and find her.
We found her, and also the leader of the raid on your town. He almost escaped," with a significant stress as Ioxeia's eyes grow stern behind her mask. "Resisting arrest," that's what they call it, isn't it? Put it the way they want to hear it. And yes, we did make a mess getting in, but if we hadn't...
"Apparently Miss Kaijitsu's half-brother more than held a grudge. It's a nasty business, and there's more for us to explore at the glassworks, and... oh, the details are in this journal he was carrying, but I'm happy to discuss my ideas."
Ioxeia offers the book to the Sheriff, but makes it clear that she would like it back.
Thorfinn, unwounded and relaxed by his fight, is less tired and more pleasant than Ioxeia. "There's a pair of live goblins in the Glassworks, too, tied up. Might want to ask them a few things, since Tsuto didn't make it."
Hemlock huffs and takes the jouranl, flipping through it casually as he talks "Well... I'm glad you handled the situation but it would have been helpful had you let me know what was going on and not disturb the scene of the crime. In any case I'll see to those other goblins and lock down the Glassworks. I'm sure Lonjiku Kaijitsu, the owner of the Glassworks, will not be all to happy with this."
"Yeah, about that...there's a man's body in the workshop, looks a little like Ameiko, and I think Tsuto poured molten glass over him. Sorry we didn't mention it sooner."
Hemlock looks at the dwarf with concern "Ah wonderful... now one of the towns biggest business owners is dead too?" He shakes his head and begins to storm off "I'll report this to the mayor and see to locking down the Glassworks."
The dwarf looks after the departing sheriff, shaking his head. "You're welcome. Let's go see how Ameiko's doing...guess she owns the Glassworks now, right?"
Gabriel nods along, not seeing fit to confuse the sheriff by adding any more details at the moment.
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Ioxeia lets out a careful breath once the sheriff glowers off along his way. That went surprisingly better than I was afraid it might. Aloud, she says, "I suppose, though I think we would do well to be gentle about it, but we should let her know that we'll need to search that tunnel you found below. According to that journal, it was used for smuggling, and it would be very good to know where it opens out. It also mentions something called a "quasit" and "her freaks," and I'm sure we would all prefer not to find out the hard way what allies the goblins might have."
As everyone walks over to see Ameiko, she mutters darkly to herself, "Not disturbing the scene of the crime! Well, the next time the man opens up a slaughter-house to be greeted by an arrow, he's welcome to it. Or maybe he'll see things our way once he sees for himself what the situation was in the glassworks."
Gallus shakes his head as the sheriff stalks off. Hey, we were glad to help out and all!
Turning to the others as they go to check on Ameiko. We should check that tunnel out in the morning. I doubt the authorities here are capable of dealing with whatever they find in that tunnel.
Thorfinn grins and shakes his head. "If that's a smuggler's tunnel, there might be all sorts of things...laying around. Over and above the chance of fighting more goblins."
"Let's see how were feeling in the morning. I for one am curious but think we deserve the rest of the day off first."
Checking in on Ameiko she gratefully thanks you for the rescue. Upon hearing about her brother she is upset but not so much as when she hears about her father. She takes the news stoicly. She explains "Tsuto revealed that he and several other mercenaries were led by Nualia and hinted that she’s got big plans for Sandpoint’s future. Tsuto warned me that I didn’t want to be in town when those plans came through, and offered me a chance to join his group at Thistletop. I recoiled at the suggestion and slapped him in shock that he’d sunk to such a low. He responded by unleashing his goblins on me. They overwhelmed me and then I woke up here."
Seeing that some of you are wounded Ameiko actually takes some time to cast some healing spells on you. Getting everyone back up to their full capacities. She also notes that you always have a place at her inn, free of charge for as long as you would need it.
The dwarf grins at Ameiko. "Thank you kindly. Probably still have to pay our own bar tabs, though. Who's Nualia?"
Ameiko shakes her head and sighs briefly "She was a foundling raised by Father Tobyn, our previous religious leader. Her unearthly beauty made the other children either jealous or shy, and many of them took to playing cruel jokes on her. The adults in town weren’t much better—many of the superstitious viewed Nualia as blessed by Desna, a sort of “reverse deformity.” She was seeing a young youth here in town, but something happened and Father Tobyn forbade her to leave the church. Then the fire at the church happened and everyone assumed she perished with Father Tobyn, apparently that was not the case. Something grave must have happened for her to go this far to seek such wrath against the town."
"D'you know what she looked like? Ioxeia, here, has Tsuto's diary, and it's got some drawings in it."