When Tsuto stops struggling Laufey relaxes her grip on him. She had held on, following him down to the floor. She lets go of him and rolls onto her back, gasping for breath.
She's covered in blood, partially her own on her face and chest, all the rest of it is Tsuto's. She closes her eyes and asks "do we let him die or no?" without moving a finger herself.
Isabella posts her falchion and leans down to stabilize Tsuto with a touch. "No," she says. "He has too many questions to answer, and he needs to be delivered to Sheriff Hemlock."
Yasu will put his sword away and scoop up Tsuto. "Let's collect our friendly bar owner and head back then. I've had enough of this place."
With Yasu having collected the unconscious Tsuto, you head back down the hallway. Ameiko is still waiting there, and, upon seeing the bloody and still Tsuto, her face goes pale. "Is...is he dead?"
"Not that I can tell. Just out." Yasu grunts.
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"I believe I stabilized his injuries," says Isabella. "Unless he's roughly handled, or gets an infection, he should survive."
A look of relief crosses her face - despite everything, she clearly still doesn't wish her brother dead. "Okay, we can take Tsuto to the jail. I'll have to tell my father what happened here after that."
"Uh..." Yasu mutters. He puts his mask back on. "Isabella? Can you...?"
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Talia finds the stonework on a section of wall very interesting.
"Ameiko,".says Isabella gently, extending one hand in case she needs to make a sudden catch, "I'm sorry to tell you... we found your father in the glassworks as well. Tsuto had... settled whatever disagreements they had, in a final fashion." She pauses a moment, then adds, "I'll see to it that he is removed from that place and make the necessary arrangements with the temple. I'm very sorry for your loss."
When Ameiko brings up her father Laufey finds ways to stay otherwise occupied. Inter-family murder is a tender subject for her. Tsuto's deeds had provoked Laufey to go to extreme ends to put him down, but it wasn't something she wanted to talk about.
She is fatigued from her exertions a little longer. She then checks her nose. It's not broken, which is nice. She doesn't seem to be breathing through it as well as she ought to be able to though. She thinks maybe it is clogged. Laufey steps back out into the hall to blow the congealing blood from each nostril.
Ameiko goes quiet before saying, "Oh. Okay." She seems to be taking news of Lonjiku's death quite stoically.
As you ascend to the surface, you realize the enormity of the task before you. The Sheriff has left town for Magnimar, and there are no prominent deputies who can step in and take his place. Indeed, Mayor Deverin and Father Zantus are probably the most prominent people left in town that you know of. Once news gets out that goblins sneaked into the Glassworks - and it probably will - there will likely be, if not a panic, at least a palpable feeling of fear overtaking the town. Where could the goblins come from next? Clearly, the next few days will be some of the most challenging before you.
"Well, I think we must do several things right now. I will carry him to the guardhouse." Laufey indicates Tsuto, who she's probably already carrying.
Talia, you will come with me?
"Ameiko should be taken home. Isabella and Yasu?"
"He", again Laufey does not say Tsuto's name, "will need to be seen by a healer. Rasmorn, will you go tell the priest to come to the guardhouse?"
"Sure." Talia nods to Laufey, glad to be doing something. "I think we're going to have to go over the Glass works again soon. I'm sure we missed a lot."
"Actually, Laufey, I'd prefer to stay with you. I need to tell the guards what happened to me, anyway," Ameiko says, a look of resolve on her face. It is clear she won't be dissuaded from her current course of action.
Looking at Talia, Ameiko says, "The tunnel Tsuto was running down is the old smuggler's tunnel. If the goblins are getting in that way, we may need to find a way to seal it off at the other end."
Rasmorn nods at Laufey's request, and moves quickly off toward the temple.
Laufey smiles slightly at Ameiko and nods once. "Alright, if you want."
She hoists Tsuto and begins walking. "I don't know where the place is so someone will have to show me."
Ameiko guides Laufey to the Sandpoint Garrison, which doubles as the jail. The lone watchman there looks at you all, gawkingly, before recovering and leading you to a cell you can put Tsuto in. After a short while, Rasmorn returns with Father Zantus, who heals the worst of Tsuto's wounds. As the half-elven man's eyes flicker open, he looks at each of you and sneers.
Yasu pulls back his hood and takes off his mask. "Tsuto, you've got some explaining to do." He growls, his tiefling heritage causing the muscles on his neck to swell and ripple.
Tsuto merely looks at Yasu defiantly, saying nothing.
"You don't just let goblins into town and murder your own father in some kind of ill-thought revenge plot. It's over, Tsuto. The goblins have been driven off and we're backtracking to where they came from... and we'll shut down that, too," says Isabella.
"We know about Nualia," she adds sadly. "She's not going to save you, or be with you. She renounced love a long time ago."
"Maybe we should just have you talk to your half-sister. You messed this all up, Tsuto, it's no wonder you failed her too."
Talia pulls out her dagger and begins cleaning her nails. "Well, as it stands we are the law in Sandpoint at the moment. Putting our surly friend to the question is part of the job. The fun part!"
It takes a few moments for Laufey to catch on to what everyone else is doing. She's not terribly subtle herself. But when she does she tries to help out ratcheting up the pressure on Tsuto.
"Yes, we have the journal so there is not much need of him if he offers us nothing more. If you want to have your fun first go ahead. Just let me know when you are through and I will take care of the execution" she says in a bored tone.
Tsuto sneers and says, "You know nothing of what you speak, and your deaths will be coming soon. My death will be merely temporary."
There's definitely a slight tremor in his voice, as if your threats have gotten to him a bit, but he still doesn't seem willing to divulge what he knows.
Torturing him would not be legal in Sandpoint.
While he doesn't believe you would be willing to cross the line into torture, he can't be sure. You aren't members of the actual militia, after all.
Ameiko's face goes slightly pale at the veiled threats of torture.
Talia smiles cheerfully. "Oh you're right Tsuto. We know nothing about these things. Things like acid dripped into your eyes. Sharp things in places they shouldn't be. Tendons sliced until you're crippled and helpless."
She wanders behind him and whispers in his ear. "And all those wounds would give away what we had done, and then we'd be in so much trouble."
She wanders back and pats Isabella on the back. "Unless of course there was a Cleric there to heal you just when you were thinking this time you might be lucky enough to die."
She finishes up with a gentle reminder. "And lets face it Tsuto. After what you've done, do you really think anyone will look too closely at what happened to you?"
Laufey guffaws, genuinely amused by Tsuto. "A temporary death? That's some optimism!"
"Or did someone make some sweet promises to you?" she coos to him.
"I know a little about the kind of people who would make such promises in return for the things you've done. They can't be trusted. You're disposable actually. Everyone is disposable to them."
She shakes her head in mock sadness at his naivety.
Tsuto looks at Talia with a clear amount of fear, due to her psychotic act, but looking about, and then seeing his sister's face pale, he grins and says, "I don't care how crazy you are, I'll bet the rest of your group won't let you loose. You'll get nothing from me, and if you try any of your tortures, the law will see you in here right beside me. Which of us will be laughing then?"
He is clearly recalcitrant, and current methods don't seem to be working to loosen his tongue.
Ameiko looks at Isabella and says to her in a low voice, "Laufey mentioned you had a journal? Maybe there is something in there that could help convince Tsuto to help us."
Isabella looks legitimately horrified at Talia's act, and says, "We can't do something like that - I certainly can't stand by as a man is tortured."
Unnerved, she almost jumps when Ameiko whispers to her, then she says in a similarly low voice, "Oh. Oh, yes, here it is."
She digs out the journal and looks for more information in it, to refresh her memory, and shows the pages to Ameiko.
Tsuto's journal is a leather-bound book of a few dozen pages, containing several maps or erotic drawings of a woman who looks like she might have a touch of Celestial in her.
The woman is Nualia, Father Tobyn's presumed dead adopted daughter.
The maps each appear to depict certain attack plans. The first set shows three attack plans for about 30 goblins, one of which is circled. You recognize it as the goblin raid on Sandpoint. Of more pressing concern are the next several pages, which seems to indicate an attack on Sandpoint by 200 goblins. None of them are circled, and several are scratched out.
Three passages in particular stand out.
The raid went about as planned. Few Thistletop goblins perished, and we were able to secure Tobyn's casket with ease while the rubes were distracted by the rest. I can't wait until the real raid. This town deserves a burning, that's for sure.
This passage accompanies the circled map of the raid on Sandpoint.
Ripnugget seems to favor the overwhelming land approach, but I don't think it's the best plan. We should get the quasit's aid. Send her freaks up from below via the smuggling tunnel in my father's Glassworks, and then invade from the river and from the Glassworks in smaller, more focused strikes. The rest except Bruthazmus agree, and I'm pretty sure the bugbear's just being contrary to annoy me. My love's too distracted with the lower chambers to make a decision. Says that once Malfeshnekor is released and under her command, we won't need to worry about being subtle. I hope she's right.
This passage accompanies a profile of the aasimar woman in profile.
My love seems bent on going through with it - nothing I say can convince her of her beauty. She remains obsessed with removing what she calls her "Celestial taint" and replacing it with her Mother's grace. Burning her father's remains at the Thistletop shrine seems to have started the transformation, but I can't say her new hand is pleasing to me. Hopefully when she offers Sandpoint to Lamashtu's fires, her new body won't be as hideous. Maybe I'll luck out. Succubi are demons too, aren't they?
This passage accompanies a drawing of the aasimar woman fully nude, with bat wings, horns, a forked tail, and fangs.
"That's Nualia!" says Isabella with a gasp. "She is alive! And... she's behind all this?"
She pages through the journal and turns it slightly and says with a furrowed brow, "And... naked?"
Looking over Isabella's shoulder, Rasmorn squeaks in agreement. "That is Nualia! She's alive? Does the journal say anything about her plans or the attacks?"
"Ha! Now we know the reason why Tsuto is such a very loyal lackey, and it's not because he's using his head to think. So who is this person, Nualia, exactly?"
"That's Nualia?" Yasu says. "Guy's got drawing skills. Better than his judgement, at least."
Rasmorn perks up at Laufey's question. "She's the adopted daughter of Father Tobyn, who was the priest here in Sandpoint before Father Zantus. It was his body that was stolen from the tomb. Nualia is said to have died in the chapel fire 5 years ago, but apparently that isn't entirely accurate."
Isabella sighs and looks downcast. Her brow furrows slightly and a frown tugs at the edge of her mouth. "Nualia had... a troubled history with Sandpoint. We were two of a kind... both touched by celestial powers. We both suffered through many hardships. Nualia was... she had nothing, and eventually it wore her down and now this. Apparently she survived the temple fire and has dedicated herself to demonic powers."
Isabella stows her falchion and rests her hands on her abdomen for a moment, causing her leather armor to creak. "And apparently Tsuto is involved with her for the hope of her... favors."
Ameiko seems to have several warring emotions on her face - horror at what Nualia had done and was planning to do, concern for Tsuto, sympathy for Isabella, and a general holding back of grief for the death of her father. It was a testament to her willpower that she was able to hold everything in enough to, looking over Isabella's shoulder point to one of the passages and ask, "What's this about a...quasit...and her freaks coming up from below via the smuggling tunnel? What freaks?"
A quasit is a tiny winged demon with curled ram's horns on its head. They are very thin and wiry. Like all demons, they are resistant to damage unless struck by a weapon forged of cold iron, or a weapon aligned blessed by a priest of a good-aligned deity.
Quasits have demonic resistances to acid, fire, and ice damage, as well as being immune to poison and electricity. They are also capable of flight with their wings.
Quasits are capable of using innate magical abilities, such as the ability to turn invisible at will, as well as detecting good-aligned creatures or priests and magic at will. Their claws secrete a poison that causes sluggishness in those hit with them (Dex damage).
Quasits are capable of causing fear in their opponents, plus communing with more powerful demons. They can also change shape into certain animals.
"I don't know, are there other tunnels under Sandpoint besides the one we found in the Glassworks?" asks Isabella slowly. "And... according to the journal she burned Tobyn's body as a sacrifice to her new demonic patron. Her 'mother,' the journal says?"
Isabella frowns.
"Lamashtu?"
She winces and closes her eyes and the hand on her belly tightens slightly, clutching at her abdomen.
"Tsuto was in luck. If she was bent on becoming a demonic follower of Lamashtu... she'd need a father for her new brood of monsters."
Rasmorn hops back and forth a little, Ameiko's question having jogged a memory. "Quasits are nasty things, these tiny winged demons with ram's horns, very thin and wiry. They are resistant to most weapons that aren't cold iron or blessed, as well as being resistant to", he sighs briefly at this point, before continuing "acid, fire, and ice, and completely immune to poison and electricity. Oh, they can also fly, turn invisible at will, poison you with their claws, and freely detect both holy people and magic. Quite the step up from goblins!" He almost seems excited by the end of his speech, before looking around and remembering that they would likely be the first line of defense against any such being. He gulps quietly, and wrings his hands a little.
"Huh. Neat." Yasu replies, blinking at Rasmorn's enthusiasm.
Laufey smiles slightly as Rasmorn describes the quasit, looking pleased by the time he finishes.
"This quasit might not be the Sandpoint Devil, but it sounds like killing it will be an accomplishment. Something that builds reputation."
Looking around at the others she continues. "The way forward is clear now. We must find Nualia and the quasit and kill them. Those tunnels will be a good place to start. But first I must look for some special equipment. Regular weapons will not suffice for the quasit."
Glancing at Tsuto Laufey offhandedly adds "So am I executing him or not?"
"What kind of special weapons do we need?" asks Isabella. "Not sure how we can pay for anything really exotic."
"Cold iron, as Rasmorn said. Surely it can be found here too. Otherwise what do you do about fey? And a priest should bless our weapons."
"Tsuto will have to stand trial for his crimes. I'm sure the mayor can send a message to Magnimar requesting a justice to come handle the case. Savah's Armory should have cold iron weapons," Ameiko says, offering what advice she can. "I also want to offer you lifetime room and board at the Rusty Dragon as thanks for saving me. I'm going to head back there now." Pausing, she says, "If you're going to chase after a demon, you may want to rest first. It looks like you took a lot in dealing with the Goblins in the Glassworks and my brother."