Both of the goblins pass out as Gabriel saunters over to the noble.
With the battle over the noble takes a moment to steady himself before standing up, shaking off his fear and dusting off his lavish clothes as he quaintly strolls over to the party. Throwing up his arms in cheer he right past Gabriel to Ioxeia and while looking at her address you all "My friends! What marvelous work you made of those foul beasts!" He kicks one in the head for effect. "I can't thank you enough for your aid. You know, of course, had I been better prepared I would have easily dealt with these vile creatures, but alas with the festivities I did not have the proper equipment with me." He puffs up to try and demonstrate his own, very apparently false, prowess and winks at Ioxeia. Smiling he continues "I shall be very certain to reward your heroic deeds. Let me put you up at the Rusty Dragon inn. I'll send word that you are to have the accommodations you desire and I'll cover your expenses there. Perhaps on the morrow we can meet to talk further, as tonight I am very exhausted." He continues his smile, extending his arm to Ioxeia to shake on it.
Thorfinn nods brusquely as he finishes cutting the heads off the goblins. "Thanks. Glad to help."
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The rays of the sun cause Chimaeryus' eyes to ooze a red viscera, despite squinting he stares blankly at the noble reaching for the masked elf's arm.
Guess Magnimar will have to wait... Heroic deeds hmmmphh. Stupid moth festival.
Chimaeryus heads back to the caster goblin, his scavenger insticts taking over.
Gabriel looks around for more goblins for a second before flattering the noble.
"Ahh yes, tis a shame that these foul creatures would attack such a marvelous festival. I myself would have been caught unarmed as well had my last job not involved a certain lady with a certain apple on her head."
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Ioxeia is bemused by the noble’s effusiveness, but will hardly refuse flattery, even from a human, though she notes privately that his timing is abysmal, watching as Thorfinn calmly beheads the sleeping goblins. She herself tries to slide her goblin off her spear and clean off the worst of the guts, while she dips into as gracious a fraction of a curtsey as the situation allows, tilting forward a couple of inches as she crosses one foot just behind the other ankle and her arms flit open briefly.
She transfers her spear to her shield hand and accepts the noble’s proffered hand, trying to be diplomatic about his boast, “Truly, sometimes even with the grandest grimoire one finds one has prepared entirely the wrong spells for the occasion.”
Ioxeia glances towards Gabriel, taking up his point, “And we’re glad for it. I prefer a simple bow myself, at times, but I wasn’t expecting such an interruption, and today I was working with other weapons.”
She politely disengages her hand, and discreetly suggests to the noble that this is not the best time for talking. “My accommodations are sufficient, but do not let me discourage your hospitality to the others here. But you should find a place of safety, sir, while wetake care of things here, and see what we can learn about the attack. Why don’t we all meet for breakfast at the Rusty Dragon, though, sir …?”
She pauses significantly to give him a chance to introduce himself.
Aldern shakes Ioxeia's hand and smiles "Ah... where are my manners. I am Aldern Foxglove. I hail from Magnimar but I am in town often. I understand about not needing the lodging then. However, please come and see me here at the White Deer. I'll be in town another few days and I would love to talk further." Looking around at everyone briefly he says "If there is nothing else I'll retire for the evening."
Unless otherwise stopped he will walk into the White Deer.
With the goblin commando defeated and Sandpoint’s overall battle against the goblins decided you hear the common sounds of after battle, some crying, people cursing and efforts to clean up or ensure there are no further threats. In the shadow of the goblin attack, Sandpoint is hardly interested in finishing up the Swallowtail Festival— citizens retreat to their homes to hide and recover from the day’s horrors, yet as they go, they take the time to thank you for saving them. With a break from combat you notice you were not the only ones fighting as there is damage and goblin corpses around town. Any surviving goblins flee north in droves, in some cases preferring to leap to their certain deaths off the cliff at Junker’s Edge rather than be captured. Several of the little menaces are caught alive. You seemed to have stopped the initial attack and provided time for most of the civilians to seek shelter with little to no harm. Night begins to fall on the town of Sandpoint.
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The amalgamation of humanoids pilfers what he can and attempts to rejoin his battlefield allies.
"I think I am going to the Rusty Dragon. Anyone else taking that pin... fellow up on his offer. I'm by no means rich and I know a good deal when I hear it."
I hope they have goose on the menu, the feathers help me digest.
"Sounds good to me, too. Too bad the fight stopped, though--I was just getting warmed up." He looks around at the rest of the impromptu group. "It was an honor to fight at your sides. I'm Thorfinn, son of Feigr, son of Losk, son of...ah, probably not important to you."
"After all that trouble I could use a drink."
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“I’ll join you for a glass – I expect we could all do with a moment to unwind, and we might hear more about how the town fared apart from where we were.”
Ioxeia turns to Thorfinn, and continues, “It may not be quite the custom of my people, but I would not have anyone abridge the tale of their lineage for my sake, Thorfinn son of Feigr. For my part, it will suffice that I am Ioxeia, called Androdaixa, daughter of Thelsiara and Evandron, from the shadow of the Mordant Spire.”
Getting to the inn you are warmly welcomed by Ameiko Kajitsu, the proprietor of the establishment. "Well done! I welcome you to the Rusty Dragon Inn. Aldern sent word he will cover your bills, although even without that I would have done the same. So order some food and drink and enjoy yourself. I'm glad you were here to assist in the towns defense against those retched greenskins. I'll get you a room."
Gabriel will order a frilly drink and a nice meal.
Whew, all that running around is exhausting, I could use a nice meal.
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Ioxeia orders a glass of red wine to put her in mind of sunnier climes, then strolls over to join the others. “So, sirs, shall we drink to a fortunate end to the day’s excitement?”
She pauses, glances towards the bar where their drinks are being gathered, and wishes that she had small talk, but makes the best of it, hoping she doesn’t sound too strange as she addresses Chimaeryus and Gabriel primarily, “I hope I shall not be tiresome in turning directly to matters of art, but as we are arcanists, I would like to thank you for your deft spellcraft. I’m afraid that I tend to hoard my spells, as my studies have been more diffuse than would perhaps be ideal.”
Thorfinn raises his mug of ale in response to Ioxeia's toast. "Aye, I'll drink to that. But I fear we haven't seen the end of this."
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Knowing that he will not get this opportunity anythime soon, Chimaeryus orders the most expensive drink on the menu, and raises his glass to the magus
"Arcanist? Hardly, I know a spell that has served me in my past, and I can use nearly any wand I find. I'm no artist though, I have to force magic to work for me."
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Ioxeia commiserates, "I think I know that feeling - you hear the old stories, and you wonder if you'll ever feel what it's like to know that much magic. Still, there's time enough, and lore keeps..."
She lets her thoughts and the conversation run where they will, "I must concur with Thorfinn, however. If anything, we may find ourselves pushing our limits more strenuously than before if we're to make sense of today's troubles. It hardly seems likely - that is, I'm only travelling, and the trails I saw were wild enough, but a raid on the town? Does anyone know what may have driven the goblins to it, or if there's a particularly bellicose tribe in the area?"
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Ioxeia commiserates, "I think I know that feeling - you hear the old stories, and you wonder if you'll ever feel what it's like to know that much magic. Still, there's time enough, and lore keeps..."
A look of sadness crosses the face of Chimaeryus
Elven lore. Will I only be entitled to a third of it?
Gallus watches the exchange between Ioxeia and Aldern with a raised eyebrow but says nothing.
Gallus nods at Ameiko.Thank you young lady. I would be quite content with a glass of Chelaxian red.[b]
[b]My name is Gallus... I am most recently of Magnimar. Looking at Ioxeia Most impressive use of your spear and an arcanist as well? We will likely need all of those talents. Something else drove those goblins to attack. They would never attack a town in the middle of the day like that. Something else is going on here.
"You have the right of it, Gallus. Unless someone bigger was driving them."
Gabriel enjoys a nice meal and a fine wine.
"Well, back in Taldor goblins would attack because they were hungry. These seemed better organized though, not just trying to eat everything in sight."
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Ioxeia's hands flutter in demurral as she responds to Gallus while the conversation shifts, "I dabble, and I know a few feats to join spell to steel, but others are more skilled in either - you're something fierce with a glaive, by the way."
She continues, "Is there any chance that between us we have the skill to find out where the goblins came from? We could search beyond the walls for a mustering point in the morning, but the sheriff might know what direction they would probably have taken for their attack if the little monsters are active in the area."
Thorfinn wipes foam from his mustache and sets down his empty tankard. "I can follow a trail well enough. Don't much know the lands hereabouts, though."
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"That is certainly a relief; in my homeland, there is little room to track, and so..." Ioxeia lets the sentence trail off, leaving room for the ebb and flow of conversation. After a while, as everyone mulls over what the goblins might have been after beyond a feast of a next meal, she nods and takes her leave, promising to return early in the morning so the group can coordinate their next steps.
As she steps into the night, she pauses just outside the inn door, and then makes up her mind. I did say so, she thinks, and so she turns toward the cathedral again. It looms up in the dark, past the square still in disarray after the raid. She circles the building, hoping to find an unlocked door, though she hopes that any valuable ritual ware was secured. If she can sneak in, she'll burn a pinch of incense to Findeladlara on an available altar, trusting that the good gods are not so jealous of each other - after all, she's not confusing them, and she takes care to add a prayer to that effect. If she can't get in, she'll do the same in her own lodgings, meditating on how best to adjust her training to get the most out of it, before retiring for the night.
Either resting, drinking, or doing other things through the night, there is little more excitement through the evening. As the sun rises on a new day, a courier finds each of you to deliver two messages. One from the Mayor requests your presence as soon as possible at city hall to discuss last nights events. The other from Aldern noting he'll be available in the afternoon.
"Huh. Guess someone else thinks we did good. Best we not keep Her Mayorness waiting, eh?" Thorfinn takes a few minutes to comb the tangles out of his beard, but in the interests of time doesn't braid it.
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Ioxeia breezes into the Rusty Dragon to find Thorfinn and Chimaeryus already up and about. "Good morning, gentlemen! I came as soon as I could - did you also get a message from the mayor? I wasn't expecting it, but I suppose it settles our visits for this morning."
Although she keeps her tone light, as if she were discussing a salon at the Spire, she clearly intends to be readier for trouble today, bow and quiver joining the shield hanging from her baldric instead of a spear in her hands. She resists the nervous impulse to check her component pouches again, ruefully scolding herself, Come, you're not going to get any better prepared now. And it will be a mercy if you can come away from here in due course with all your impedimenta, but where to find good help?
The dwarf nods to Chimaeryus with a grunt. "She runs this place. I remember her from all the speeches yesterday. Forgot her name, though."
"While many a noble be petty and petulant, just as many are truly concerned with the welfare of their people. Fortunately they tend to reveal themselves quickly either way."
Ugh, also those noble children in acting school. How miserable they made feel... It's probably nothing compared to Chimaeryus's past though.
Gabriel puts his arm in a reassuring buddy way around Chimaeryus and follows up with:
"Let us hope this mayor is one of the latter and does not cause you to relive any of the horrors you may have faced."
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Chimaeryus looks into the blue eyes of the aasimar and attempts a smile, somehow he manages to fail.
"Thanks, the only similarity in all of my tribulations is my survival. I hope you are right"
This actor has a tainted blood quotient as well, he might be able to understand me better than the others.
With the arm of gabriel's friendship around him Chimaeryus suddenly remembers something. He reaches into a pocket and produces a vial.
"While scavenging the bodies I found this potion, does anyone know what it does?"
"Can't help you there, Chi."
Gabriel will take his arm off of Chimaeryus and casts detect magic on the potion.
Thorfinn stares blankly for a moment, trying to catch up. "Oh, yeah. That's her. Ken-something Deverin, Kendra? Sounds right. Some human name, anyway."
"A simple healing potion, could come in handy, you should hang onto it. I wonder where the goblins got it from?"
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Ioxeia shrugs, glancing around the knot of spellcasters. "I doubt we would want to know what went into it, but I suppose they have their own sort of potion-dealers and witch doctors. It seems a valuable thing for such scavengers, though; I fear we're only confirming our suspicions that this was no ordinary raid. We might ask when we meet the mayor what else has been recovered - if more of the goblins were so well equipped, they were either ambitious or desperate in staking so much on the attempt."
After some time getting breakfast and preparing you head off to the mayors office. Heading in you are brought to the mayors office and asked to wait a moment as the sheriff and the mayor are talking. The assistant sticks his head into the room and lets them know you are here. He quickly comes to get you and bring you into the room. The office is decorated but nothing too extravagant. There is another door leading out of the room and a window that overlooks the street and the Jailhouse that lies across.
Mayor Deverin motions for you to come in, sheriff Hemlock stands to the side of her desk as you enter. The mayor address you "Ah, the glorious heroes! Please come in, we were actually just discussing you as well as the events of last night." She waits to see what you have to say before continuing.
Gabriel will head in.
"It is a great honor to have been of assistance. I myself merely traveled here to take part in your wonderful festival. I had no idea these vile creatures would dare strike at such a time."