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Ioxeia wonders at the bare-faced people's equanimity as she feels her own cheeks warm with a faint blush. Either they really don't mind, or they're certainly not people to try to play for a reaction, even unmasked. She quickly flips through the little book to a spread with a more tasteful portrait of the woman she presumes is Nualia before showing the volume to Ameiko. As the notion strikes her, Ioxeia adds, "We don't want to cause you any more disquiet after all you've been through, so we'll let you rest. But before we go, is there one thing we should know about - Thistletop, is it? so we can form some idea of it until you're feeling a bit better to talk about things. None of us is local, you see."
Ioxeia does her best to be gentle without being smothering, unsure of the emotional range humans are comfortable expressing, and how they might describe the blend in the wake of even a brutally disordered family. Her head tilts just very slightly in a gesture of sympathy through which she hopes her curiosity in local lore is not inappropriately evident.
"Well I hope everybody is feeling a bit better today."
Ameiko nods "That could very likely be her. She would be a bit older now which could account for some of the differences, but I see the resembelance. As for Thistletop it is some ancient Thassilonian ruin up the coast. I hear word that a tribe of goblins calls the place home."
Thorfinn nods slowly. "Hm. Thistletop sounds like a bad place for just the five of us. Say, you know where that tunnel in the Glassworks basement goes?"
Ameiko shakes her head "No, sorry."
"Thanks, lass. Rest well, and time we were doing the same."
You head off to bed or whatever else you might do in the night. The night is uneventful but you rest well after the tireing day before. In the early morning Sheriff Hemlock comes to seek you out "If you have time I would ask you to accompany me to the mayor's office there is an important meeting taking place."
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The sheriff's morning visit finds Ioxeia still mulling over what she's been able to glean from Tsuto's journal, testing ideas this way and that. She muses, Infiltrating a goblin tribe? I wonder, does Magnimar have enough troops, or is this a question of raising enough magic... First, there's that tunnel, though. That's certainly a weakness in the town's defenses, wherever it might go.
She finds the interruption of her frustrated speculations a relief, and looks around for the others before she assures the man that they'll be happy to come as soon as they can get ready for what might well turn out to be a day with more on the agenda than a council meeting. "After all," she says, "we can't just abandon you to the problem of what's under the Glassworks."
Before turning in Thorfinn spends some time cleaning his armor and weapons, filing out any nicks in his axe's edge, and making sure that nothing took any lasting damage from the fight.
The next morning, he rouses himself in time to hear the Sheriff's invitation. "Aye, I'll come. Give me but a few moments to get ready. Now where's that thundermug?"
Gallus nods at the Sheriffs request. I will come. Sheriff did any of your men check out the tunnel under the glassworks? After this meeting I think we should establish where it leads. Gallus brings his Freshly cleaned an polished glaive and follows the others to the meeting.
Coming to the mayors office you are shown into her chambers. Inside along with the mayor is a rough looking, but beautiful elven woman dressed in leathers. Hemlock then introduces you to the woman "This is Shalelu, unofficial member of Sandpoint's town guard. Shalelu has been a thorn in the side of the local goblin tribes for years, and few in the region know more about them than she does." He looks to Shalelu and then motions toward your party "These are Sandpoint's newest crop of goblinslayers." Shalelu bows her head to great you.
Thorfinn nods brusquely. "Nice to meet you."
Gabriel sweeps down in a brief bow.
"Well met Shalelu, my name is Gabriel."
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Ioxeia relaxes a little to see another elf at the meeting, even if she looks a bit wilder than the inhabitants of the Spire. The magus dips into a curtsey in response to Shalelu's nod, "Salutations."
I'm sure this is a person with a fair bit of woodcraft- certainly more than I have, at any rate. A welcome ally, depending on how local she is. I wonder, could we draw bows together? Ah, but it's long since I left home, and heard our tongue beneath the trees, and the waves on the cliffs..." Ioxeia's eyes linger for a moment, looking for a sign of a warrior's grace in repose in Shalelu's stance, before flicking towards the mayor and sheriff again, waiting to hear their news.
The mayor chimes in "Shalelu has already told us, there has been an increase in goblin related raids along the Lost Coast, particularly in the dale between Nettlewood and Mosswood. Only a day ago, a farm south of Mosswood was burnt to the ground by a group of goblins. She was thankfully nearby, and while the farm couldn’t be saved, she did rescue the family and drive off the goblins; the family is staying at a nearby farm for now, but the goblin problem is obviously not going away."
She nods to Shalelu who steps forward and begins "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.
There are 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 number of the Mosswood 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."
The dwarf listens impassively as Shalelu relates her story, grinning when she gets to the part about the Mosswood goblins. "We tried. So someone's got them all working together, eh? Think we've heard something about that before. Did the Sheriff tell you about what happened at the Glassworks? Took an interesting book off of Ameiko's brother there."
The mayor nods in response to Thorfinn's inquiry "He did at that. Grave news indeed. I'm glad, at the least, you were able to rescue Ameiko. I hear news that there is some tunnel that leads beneath the place?"
"Aye, and Tsuto wrote of an attack on Sandpoint with 200 goblins, a 'Ripnugget' and a 'Bruthazmus,' and a woman who might well be Nualia Tobyn. And other things below the town."
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"Weeds that bite." I like that, Ioxeia thinks. She is grateful that the conversation does not lag over Chimaeryus' inscrutable Elven utterance, but joins in with carefully enunciated Common. "The journal mentioned something called a "quasit." It's mortifying, but for the life of me, I can't quite recall what that is. Most of my library is back home. At all events, Tsuto's preferred plan seemed to be to exploit an underground passage, and to make heavy use of goblins from Thistletop. I gather it's comparatively well-known in these parts?"
As she speaks, Ioxeia notices her glance never quite settles on Shalelu, an observation which piques her but does not sufficiently steel her resolve to be able to hold the stranger's eyes. Absurd. Keep your head, Xei.
Gabriel nods to the Mayor.
"Aye, we found a tunnel underneath, seeing no immediate danger from it we decided it was wiser to bring Ameiko to safety in case her wounds were graver than we thought."
Gallus eyes Shalelu curiously as the mayor describes her recent efforts. No small feat that taking on a band of goblins by yourself. Impressive!
Whatever is down there cannot be good for the town. With your leave mayor and lady Shalelu we should investigate the tunnel further before something else comes crawling out of it.
The mayor nods "Ah well, it does definitely sound like a threat and we should have them cleared if there is any danger, or at the very least find out where they lead so we can seal it off if needed." She looks to the sheriff who chimes in "I am taking a few of my guards south to Magnimar to see about securing additional soldiers to station at Sandpoint for a few weeks, at least until the extent of the goblin threat can be determined. While I'm out of town Shalelu will sniff around Shank's Wood, Brinestump, Mosswood, Devil's Platter, and other placs where goblince live to she if she can discover anything else about what's going on. I would ask that all of you maintain a public presence in Sandpoint over the next few days, if you don't mind. The locals seem to have taken to you and seeing you around town will do a lot for keeping worries down over the next few days. Deal with the tunnels and then perhaps we need to see about Thistletop."
Shalelu adds "Yes Thistletop is to the north along the coast. I'll be in town a day or two before I head out again perhaps we can meet at the Rusty Dragon once you have dealth with the tunnels and speak further?"
Thorfinn nods. "Aye. We'll go root out whatever's down there. Luck to you all." Not giants, but still some good fighting. And not dwarves by my side, but good comrades nonetheless. Odd, though.
"We are happy to be of help."
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"Quite. Good hunting, both all and some," Ioxeia adds, somewhat grimly, looking from the Sheriff back to Shalelu again, an edge creeping into her voice as she steels herself for whatever she might find in the tunnels under the town. As the group takes their leave, she remembers the unsettling note in Tsuto's journal, The quasit and her freaks...
I'm ready to continue.
I don't think we have any treasure yet, so I don't think we have anything to buy with.
"Best we get to it." The dwarf gathers up his equipment and, when the rest of the party is ready, heads for the Glassworks.
Heading back tot he Glassworks, the scene has been cleaned up although Lonjiku encassed in glass still remains. There are a couple guards posted at the entrance that grant your entry. Heading back down the tunnel is dark and dank. It is old, apparently built decades ago. As you head down the tunnel it comes to an intersection. The tunnel continues to the north and there are two side tunnels that branch off to the east and west.
Gabriel has darkvision.
Thorfinn pulls out a torch and lights it. "Which of you wants to carry this?"
Gabriel will nod to Thorfinn and take the torch in his buckler hand.
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"Are you sure?" Ioxeia says, offering her shield hand, "I don't mind taking it, since Gallus favours the glaive, and you have your crossbow." In her other hand, she holds her spear ready, slightly uneasy at the prospect of a place where a bow is less convenient. She'll keep an eye out for any torch brackets as they proceed, so that in a pinch she can put it down if they need to make a stand.
Gabriel will happily hand the torch over to Ioxeia, and ready his crossbow.
"I'll take point again." His shadow cast before him by the flickering light of the torch, Thorfinn advances into the tunnel.
Thorfinn examines the ground at the intersection, looking for tracks to follow.