Continuing on your way, you make your way along the road.
Despite all the tracks from yesterday's mayhem, Ana spots a set of goblin tracks leading toward the cemetery behind the cathedral.
What were you bastards up to?
Ana followed the tracks, hand resting easily on her ax.
Seeing that Ana had picked up on something, Bairn follows behind the half-orc.
Lilla takes out her weapon and follows as well.
As you approach the cemetery, you see Father Zantus and Sheriff Hemlock engaged in conversation. The sheriff sees you approach and breaks away from Zantus. "Just go ahead with the consecration and I'll handle this."
The sheriff approaches you and gives you a wan smile. "Thank you again for your help yesterday. What brings you by?"
She looks from Ana to the Sheriff, "We wanted to make sure the goblins were really gone, and couldn't sneak back in to wreak more havoc. We went back to where we fought them before, and our friend here picked up their tracks and I guess she followed them out here, because here we are. We just wanted to make sure the town wasn't in any more danger." She explains to him.
Hemlock nods. "We haven't found any more of them around town, but they were here in the cemetery. Apparently, some remains were stolen during the chaos yesterday, but I don't know if it was the goblins or not. I was about to go looking for you and see if you wanted to investigate with me."
"If we can be of any help, then we'd be glad to. Right, Lilla?" Bairn asks his companion.
She nods, "Absolutely!" It looked like she was going to get to have a real adventure just like she used to hear about from the adventurers that would pass through their camp. Looking up at the sheriff she says, "We'll have tho talk to Ven when we get back though. Shayliss stopped us on our way here, and all but begged Bairn to go down in the basement with her to take care of some kind of problem she said her father wasn't able to. She didn't seem happy that I was unwilling tyo let Bairn go with her alone, and even more unhappy when I told her we had more important things to take care of at the moment." She says with a shrug.
"Not sure I know much about that," Hemlock says. "But this shouldn't take too long."
She shrugs, "Sure, it's not a big deal. Just something I need to handle later, we'll be happy to help you out. I'm not worried about how long it might take. So, are we ready to go?"
"Let me have a look at the tracks, I can tell you if their Goblin or not."
"I guess Ana's ready," Bairn chuckles.
Lilla nods, "I think she's always ready." She says with a chuckle of her own.
Looking at the half orc she says, "Well, go ahead Ana. I don't think anyone is going to object to you looking at the tracks that are left around the site. I'm a little worried about what they might want with someone's remains though."
Anazaliana stepped forward and knelt down for a closer look at the tracks, focusing intently to discern how many there were, and what they might possibly be.
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As you walk, the sheriff asks you about your future plans and attempts to gauge your interest in staying in Sandpoint. You reach a vault not long after and you see the soil around it has been disturbed. Ana makes out six sets goblinoid tracks and one set belonging to a medium humanoid. The door to the vault hangs ajar.
"I hadn't planned on staying around, however I certainly could be persuaded to do so for the next week." She replied to the Sheriff's inquiry, while thinking, Though I think you'd prefer if I left as soon as possible.
After examining the tracks, she said, "There were definitely six Goblinoids here, and one medium sized being, although I'm not sure what or who." She looked again to determine if any of the little beasts were part of the raid on the town or specifically going to this vault.
Lilla thinks about the sheriff's question as they walk. While Ana inspects the area she says, "Well...I'm kinda tired of the constant moving from place to place. That's why I left my families caravan. I didn't want to be a nomad anymore....but I wouldn't mind being an adventurer with a nice town as my home." She pauses for a moment, "Eventually I'd like to have a place that I can just settle down in, maybe have a family....there are lots of things that need to be taken care of though before that can happen."
"I was merely looking to get on with the theater here," Bairn admits. "Though I wouldn't mind the adventuring life."
The tracks appear to have originated from beyond the wall behind the vault. When the chaos began, it was likely that this separate group climbed over the wall and raided the vault.
Hemlock nods. "There's something suspicious about all this and the goblins we managed to capture seem to indicate that there is someone or some group behind this. If you're not opposed to staying, I could use the help looking into this matter. Mind looking into the vault for me?"
Looking at Bairn she gives him a shy smile, "Neither would I...that is...if you still want to...you know, travel with me?" She looks around at Xeni and Ana, the pink in her cheeks turning to a dark rosy color. "I mean...we could travel together, if...if you guys wanted to." Why is this so hard? She thinks to herself as she feels the heat in her cheeks deepening.
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Bairn smiles back at Lilla. "Like I told you before, I'm all for it."
"Yes...right...okay yeah...the vault." She looks up at Ana, "So..what are we looking for again?" She asks as she walks into it and looks around. she seems a little lost in thought as the dopey looking grin stays plastered on her face. Looking over at the Sheriff she blushes again, "Oh yeah...I was wanting to talk to you anyways, because all this seemed really suspicious to me too. I was trying to tell my companions before that I believed that someone had to be directing the goblins because they don't usually work together like this." She says before starting to look around.
As soon as Lilla moves the vault door, two skeletons rise to attack the group. Hemlock draws his longsword and prepares to fight back.
Round 1: Xeni, Hemlock, Bairn, Lilla, Ana, Skeletons
There were few things Xeni hated more that the skin crawling wrongness of the undead. As the skeletons rise, the druidess dashes forward, thick bark growing around her fists, covered in tiny thorns as she punches the animated bones.
Xeni smashes the skeleton, leaving a pile of bones on the vault's floor. Hemlock steps around the druid to attack the remaining skeleton with his shield.
;
The second skeleton is destroyed by the attack. Hemlock shakes his head. "This was a diversion...or an attempt to spook us."
"I'm betting on the latter," Bairn says, glad that he didn't have to get physically involved in the fight. "Maybe there's some clues here?"
Lilla attempts to help them with the search.
Ana pulled her ax, only to put it back on her belt. I'm willing to bet the latter as well. She thought.
Giving her head a slight shake, the Ranger knelt down and looked for more traps.
Still bothered by the presence of the undead, Xeni is unable to focus.
The group finds a discarded black robe in a corner of the vault and it appears that only one sarcophagus, labeled 'Ezakien Tobyn', has been opened and the remains removed. Hemlock shakes his head. "Ezakien was the town's previous priest...he perished in the fire five years ago. I don't know why his remains were taken, but...would you all keep this quiet? I'll let Father Zantus know what we found."
She nods, "Yeah sure, whatever you need us to do."
"So question, if there's only one sarcophagus, and it was occupied, where did those two piles of bones come from?" Ana asked while pointing at destroyed skeletons.
"I'm guessing this," Bairn says, picking up the black robe. "It looks too new."
Hemlock waits for you to finish in the vault before replacing the stone door in front. "I'll let you know if I hear anything else."
"So what now?" Bairn asks the group.
"Probably some sort of cultist or mad necromancer." Xeni mutters.
"Well...that probably doesn't bode well with the remains that they took and all. They're probably gonna do some kind of creepy dark ritual with it. I think we can either keep looking around here, or check the rest of the perimeter of the town....even though now I'm believing this was all a diversionary tactic as well. I'd really like to find out who's at the bottom of all this, but if you guys think we should make sure the rest of the city is secure, we can do that. I just don't like any of this to be quite honest." She says thoughtfully.
Bairn shrugs. "What do you think, Ana?"
Ana looked up from her study of the area, "Well, the two of you seem well enough liked in the town, perhaps you can do some digging. Meanwhile, I'd like to look around the town perimeter. It's not likely I'll find anything different to indicate goblins are about, but I'll sleep better."
"Surely you don't mean to go off by yourself?"
She cocks an eyebrow at Ana, "What he means to say is that you're not going off by yourself. With stuff like this going on, we are not separating so get that thought out of your head right now. We are all sticking together, so if you want to inspect the perimeter, we're all going with you. Got it?" It comes out more of a statement than a question, but there was no way in any of the hells she was gonna let Ana go off by herself with who knows what lurking outside of the town. She crosses her arms over her chest and gives Ana a look as if to say, "that's that."