Your group moves to the Rusty Dragon after bidding farewell to Mayor Deverin. Upon arrival, Ameiko shouts, "Shalelu!" and runs over to give her a hug. In short order, you're all sitting around a table in the common room with mugs of ale and some light snacks to tide you over to dinner. Shalelu says, "So, tell me a bit more about the goblin raid. The more you can think of, the more I'll have for when I look to find evidence of the big boss who could be organizing them. I have some suspects, but I'm not sure they necessarily have the chops for it. Knowing more about the goblins' tactics will help with that."
"They were working in small bands, a group of the pests lead by one of the tougher ones. And they had those disgusting dogs with them." Talia contributes what she remembers.
"They had some kind of war chanter, who was singing an awful song to motivate them," adds Isabella. "Did anyone manage to pick up one of their dogslicers?"
"They were acting like they were under orders. One of them bent down to pick up a piece of silver, and another reprimanded him for it, saying something along the lines of how they were supposed to kill people first, then pick up stuff." Rasmorn says, frowning a little as he dredges up the memory. "Then a small group of them snuck into the crypt during all the commotion. Seemed very organized for goblins." He shrugs, then takes a drink of his ale.
"A humanoid was helping them." Yasu adds. "I could tell you their boot size."
"I do not know goblins, but what I saw of them up close does not match the big picture of the raid. They were ferocious, but chaotic, unfocused."
"The raid was large and began at several locations at once. Different groups entered the town by different ways, but remained coordinated. And yes, there were complicated objectives like the opening of the tomb. Not just killing and looting."
Shalelu listens to your descriptions and nods. At Yasu's comment of something bigger than a goblin helping them, she fixes him with a gaze. "Hmmm...well, it definitely sounds like the goblins were being coordinated on a large scale, although without direct command I could see them resorting to their disorganized ways. Right, I'll tell you what I can of the Goblins in this area. You know the names of the five tribes?" As you each nod in the affirmative, she says, "Good. The Birdcruncher goblins live closest to Sandpoint in Devil's Platter. Fortunately, they're also the least aggressive of the tribes - normally, anyway. South, we have the Licktoad goblins of the Brinestump Marsh. They tend to be good swimmers, which makes hunting them challenging since they can set decent ambushes. The Seven Tooth goblins live to the east in Shank's Wood. They're the least afraid of civilization, and have been sighted raiding Sandpoint's junkyard for materials to build their armor and weapons. The largest tribe is the Mosswood goblins, who live even further east than the Seven Tooth goblins. Typically, their raids are curtailed by feuding families within their ranks. Finally, there is the Thistletop tribe. They live north in the Nettlewood atop an island that holds a passing resemblance to a decapitated head. It's a highly defensible position, and difficult to reach."
Shaking her head, she says, "With all five tribes involved, we need to figure out who the Big Boss coordinating them is. Typically, only one of their "heroes" would have the pull for this. While goblins normally live short, violent lives, and it's unusual for any goblin to achieve a level of notoriety, there are currently six who might have the ability to pull this off.
"First is Big Gugmut, an unusually muscular and tall goblin from Mosswood. It's rumored he had a hobgoblin for a mother and a wild boar for a father. He could have been the one whose bootprints you saw in the cemetery, although goblins usually eschew footwear.
"Second is Koruvus. He was a champion of the Seven Tooth tribe, as well known for his temper as he was for his prized possession - a magic longsword sized for a human he stubbornly kept, even though it would be too large for him to use properly. He vanished several months ago after discovering a secret hideout in a cave somewhere along the cliffs, but the Seven Tooth goblins remain convinced he's still out there, a ghost or worse, waiting to kill any goblin who tries to discover his hideout.
"The next one is Vorka. He's a goblin cannibal who lives somewhere in the Brinestump marsh, and considered a hero by any tribe that isn't the Licktoad, since he preys on them. Speaking of the Licktoad, their chieftan, Rendwattle Gutwad is on this list. He's rather obese and it's said he never leaves his throne. I don't know that I can see him being involved in this.
"Ripnugget is the chieftain of the Thistletop tribe. He rides a giant gecko, and all five tribes agree that Thistletop is the best lair.
"Finally, there's Bruthazmus," Shalelu says, and you can hear the hatred in her voice as she speaks about him. "He's a Bugbear who lives in the northern Nettlewood and often visits the other five tribes to trade things he's stolen from caravans for alcohol, news, or magic arrows. He also has a hatred of Elves, and he and I have fought on several occasions. Neither of us has gotten the upper hand in our encounters, but I won't be the first to fall in this fight. I'll make sure that bugbear dies."
After a moment of glaring at the tabletop with a dark look on her face, Shalelu shakes her head and looks at you. "Anyway, none of them has historically had the influence or the strength to unite the tribes, although Bruthazmus may have been the one whose bootprints you saw in the cemetery. I don't suppose you noticed any other leads?"
Yasu will relate everything he remembers about the encounters with the goblins, the direction the trail went, the robe found and the skeletons in the crypt.
"That's all I got. Unless someone manages to interrogate one, I guess." he concludes.
"There is the fact that the raid was a ruse to hide the stealing of the holy mans body from his tomb." Talia suggests.
"Someone who can use magic, or items that hold magic went in and took his bones, leaving undead to attack whoever was next to enter. That suggests they had a reason to want that mans remains?"
Shalelu listens to Yasu and Talia's thoughts on the matter, and then says, "Leaving the robe of bones doesn't sound like any goblin's style. We might be looking at a non-goblin coordinating things, and they'd have to be pretty powerful to get all five tribes to work together. I'll have to see what I can find out during my scouting. Once Belor gets back with those soldiers, I'll hopefully have enough information that we can figure out where they are and we can attack them."
Eyeing Yasu's bow, she says to him, "Is that an aurochs horn?"
Yasu nods. He holds out the bow for her to hold, to feel the weight and heft of the thing. "Yes! An aurochs you might remember... since you're the one who killed it nearly two decades ago." he looks a little embarrassed under his hood. "That display of archery was what inspired me to take up the bow myself. The horn bow... just felt right, you know?"
He shrugs. "I also needed to make a bow that was sized for my hands and could handle my strength."
Shalelu gets a considering look in her eyes as she thinks for a moment, then her eyes widen. "I remember that incident. That was before I settled down in the region and still wandered Varisia. Wow, so you kept the horns of the aurochs and fashioned a bow out of it. And you can really use it effectively in battle?"
"Quite effectively," affirms Isabella.
Shalelu gets a considering look in her eyes as she thinks for a moment, then her eyes widen. "I remember that incident. That was before I settled down in the region and still wandered Varisia. Wow, so you kept the horns of the aurochs and fashioned a bow out of it. And you can really use it effectively in battle?"
Yasu nods. "I have to use longer arrows, but I can fire them effectively. They hit hard, but I'm not going to be firing them in rapid numbers."
The look on her face says she's impressed. "At some point later, I'd like to take the opportunity to try firing it if you don't mind. It's a unique weapon, and I'll bet those arrows pack quite a punch. They almost look like javelins."
As the afternoon goes on, Shalelu is clearly impressed with your goblin killing abilities. She seems friendly but reserved, as though she doesn't quite want to get close to you - much in the way a soldier who has seen companions die doesn't want to get close to the new recruits.
As evening falls, she takes her leave, wanting to get started on scouting out the goblin encampments, despite Ameiko's attempts to get her to stay. A short while after she leaves, a woman with two children, a boy held by the hand and a baby girl clutched to her chest, bursts into the Rusty Dragon. Seeing your group, she runs up to you and says, "Oh, thank Desna you're here! It's terrible, absolutely terrible, and I can't find the sheriff anywhere! You have to come quickly, Alergast needs your help!"
You recognize the woman as Amele Barret. Her son, Aeren, is about 4, and her infant daughter's name is Verah.
Isabella stands smoothly and says, "Of course, Amele, we'll help. Please, tell us what's happened."
The pale gnome hops up from the table, a concerned look on his face. He looks patiently at the new arrival, waiting silently to hear her response, ready to follow if anyone leaves.
"How can we help?" Yasu asks.
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Talia gets to her feet checking her gear is ready.
"Oh, thank you, thank you so much. During the raid, Aeren saw a goblin light a cat on fire and then dance around the burning remains. He hasn't been the same since. Every night he would wake up screaming, and Petal, our dog, would begin barking. When we would go to check on him in his room, he said that a Goblin was in his closet. Alergast checked, but didn't find one. He was constantly saying that there was a goblin in his closet, and terrified, and yesterday Alergast told him that if he couldn't learn to be a man and sleep through the entire night without crying and telling stories, he would make Aeren sleep in the woodshed. Well, this time, he didn't go to soothe Aeren's night terrors, and after a few minutes, Petal cried in pain and Aeren's screams grew shrill." At this Amele pauses, takes a deep breath and shows you Aeren's arm. On it, you see several bite marks - goblin bite marks. "When Alergast burst into the room, he found a goblin on top of Aeren, trying to chew his arm off, and Petal was dead with a knife in her ear! Alergast attacked the goblin, and it fled into the closet, where it disappeared through a hole in the floor that was covered by a fur. Alergast started tearing the closet apart to get to the goblin while I grabbed the children and ran. Please, you must help Alergast!"
Amele collapses into a fit of terrified hysterics. Ameiko, having emerged from the kitchen to hear this, looks at you and says, "Go. I'll take care of her."
"Come on-I know where her house is," says Isabella.
Yasu puts his hand on his shortsword and nods. "Hurry."
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"Lead the way." Talia follows Isabella.
Rasmorn follows closely behind the rest, a resolute expression on his face.
As you enter the Barrett house, it is eerily quiet. You don't hear any sounds - not even the scampering of a rodent. Moving down the hallway, you approach the room where Aeren sleeps. Entering the room, you see Alergast Barrett laying on his belly, head in the closet as though he had tried to crawl into it. The dog, Petal, lies on the floor unmoving, blood pooling beneath its head.
"this is bad." Yasu whispers, creeping in at a crouch. He keeps one hand on his sword and with the other reaches out to pull the man's (hopefully alive) body out of the closet.
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Isabella hangs back and says, "Please, try to pull him back to where I can check his injuries."
Laufey keeps her sword at the ready, covering Yasu as he pulls the man from the closet.
Talia has her crossbow ready and is looking around intently.
As Yasu pulls Alergast back, it immediately becomes plain to everyone that his soul has gone to the Boneyard. You are unable to tell what killed him, however - in fact, Alergast is almost unrecognizable, as his face and upper torso appear to have been eaten, and but for a few features that whatever had eaten him hadn't gotten to yet, you would be completely unable to identify him. You can only hope he was dead before whatever it was began eating him, else this would have been a truly gruesome fate.
You hear hyperventilated breathing coming from the closet.
"Damn." Yasu slides the body past him but keeps his eyes on the closet. "He's gone.Watch my back."
He will creep forward and lunge with his shortsword to skewer the little murderer in his hole the moment he lays eyes on a target.
Isabella lets out a heavy sigh. "Oh, no. Oh, Alergast."
If needed Talia will also sneak forward and open the closet door for Yasu to attack.
As Yasu creeps forward to stab down into the hole, the shuffling gets louder, and as Yasu closes on him, a goblin suddenly bursts out of the hole, wielding what looks like a dagger somehow formed of the remnants of other daggers, shouting something in the Goblin tongue.
"You steal Gresgurt's food, you become food!"
Yasu strikes the creature with a mighty blow, but undeterred it lashes back at the ranger, screaming wildly, a look of insanity in its eyes. Fortunately, it's knife goes wide but it clearly does not intend to surrender.
The Goblin strikes again at Yasu, this time giving him a good cut on his left arm. He continues ranting and raving in the Goblin tongue.
Gresgurt 3/12
Yasu 8/12
Laufey steps around from behind Yasu and brings her sword down on the goblin.
Talia aims carefully.
"Ugh! You..." Yasu growls, stabbing again.
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Isabella gives Yasu a brief touch of hope.
Rasmorn will take a wild shot at the goblin with a glob of acid, which unfortunately hurls wide of the creature.
The tight quarters of the room make it difficult for the heroes to connect with the goblin, who's small stature and seemingly quick maneuvers take him out of the way of each of their blows.
Fortunately, the Goblin's anger and dodging leave him out of position for his next strike against Yasu, and the Tiefling is able to avoid further injury - for now.
Gresgurt 3/12
Yasu 8/12
"Lets try this again." Talia mutters.
"Enough of this!"
Yasu stabs at the goblin again, his muscles rippling seemingly in frustration.
"Hold still you little-" he glowers.
Laufey is finding herself in an ill-temper similar to Yasu's over the homicidal little runt. She steps forward and recovers for a second strike.
Rasmorn once more attempts to fling acid at the ugly creature, only to once more be tripped up by the packed action, sending the acid wide of the beast.
Isabella prays to Reymenda for aid and again touches Yasu to grant him guidance.
The heroes' attacks again go wide as they try to beat down the goblin. Indeed, the small space seems to benefit the goblin and hinder the party as those attacking from range find themselves unable to get a good shot in.
Yasu is again cut by the manic goblin as he screeches angrily about the theft of his food.
Gresgurt 3/12
Yasu 6/12