Lona unclasps her cloak, and covers the body the best he can.
"It may not make him less dead," Lym hisses, "but it will make him look less like long pork filet! Please just do it!"
"Fine." Markum goes back into the boy's room. "Cover up the dead guy. His wife is squeamish."
Lym returns to the new widow, sits down next to her and gently takes hold of her hands. "I ... am very sorry," she tells her. "Your husband ... died fighting the Goblins. Is there a particular priest you would like to make arrangements with ...?"
"Wh..what...?" the woman stammers. He slowly falls to her knees and cries uncontrollably.
Just then, Sheriff Hemlock arrives at the house. "What's going on here?" He quickly searches the house, including the bedrooms and returns with a grim expression. "All of you," he says to you, "come meet me outside."
Outside, more watchmen are arriving. Hemlock spends some time discussing matters with one of his watch before turning to you. "I'll arrange to have Amele and her children stay at the cathedral for a few days. She has family in Magnimar, so and I'll try to get in contact with them." He pauses and finally states. "Thanks for your help."
The rest of the day passes without event.
...
The next morning, Sheriff Hemlock arrives at the Rusty Dragon. He asks all of you, "Will you join me and the mayor at the town hall? I have some news that may interest you."
"Glady, sheriff," Lym agrees without hesitation. "But if I may ask ... What has become of the lady whose husband we found yesterday? Amele, you called her, I believe."
"Sure, We'll be there."
"She and the children are staying at the cathedral, in the care of Father Zantus," the sheriff states. "Follow me."
Sheriff Hemlock leads the party to the town hall. On the second floor, in a comfortable office, Mayor Deverin and an elven woman are already seated. Hemlock introduces you to the mayor first, who walks up to each of you, individually, and thanks you for your help during the raid. Then the sheriff introduces the strange elf: "This is Shelalu Andosana. She's sort of an unofficial member of Sandpoint's town guard." To Shelalu, Sheriff Hemlock introduces all of you: "These are Sandpoint's newest crop of heroes! Please tell them what you told me today."
The elf begins, nodding towards the sheriff, "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.
"Anyway, there's 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 of Sandpoint. A fair amount of the Mosswood tribe 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."
After Shalelu finishes, Sheriff Hemlock lets you know that he's taking a few of his men 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. "I've asked Shelalu to sniff around Shank's Wood, Devil's Platter, and other places where the goblins live to see if she can discover anything else about what's going on, while I'm out of town. I'd also like all of you to maintain a public presence in Sandpoint over the next few days, if you don't mind. The locals seem to have taken to you," he says, "and seeing you around town will do a lot for keeping worries down over the next few days."
"Speaking for myself, that should not be much of a problem," Lym agrees. "I came here to study as much as I could before visiting the Thassilonian ruins. I have yet to view the town records, and was hoping to talk to the local Shoanti about their oral culture. But ..."
Lym turns to the Elf woman and bows her head, one hand on her veil to keep it in place. "Excuse me for asking," she says. "I have limited experience of Goblins, after all ... Is it common for them to tunnel in under their enemy's towns to attack? I thought they were too impatient for such things."
"That wouldn't be a problem at all, sheriff." Lona responds with a smile. "I've already come to consider Sandpoint my home, and would be happy to help ease their worries."
"I hope you are able to secure the additional security, and let us know if there's anything more we can do to help." At this point, Lona's smile is almost beaming, reflecting her happiness at the implicit acceptance of her by the town.
"We get a chance to help prevent more people from being widowed and orphaned? I'll help in any way I can."
Shelalu responds to Lym, "Tunnel in under towns...? No, I've never heard that before." The scout looks quizzically at the mage.
"It is as Lym said. A goblin popped up from one of the holes just last night! I took a peek, but could not see readily where the hole led."
"I think what miss Lym is asking is: how did all those goblins get into Sandpoint during the Swallowtail Festival? The one we saw yesterday is easily explained; it probably escaped from the Festival raid. But a big raiding party? That would require a tunnel, or some secret like that."
Markum stands at the back of the room with Vuvo sitting next to him. He pays close attention to what the elf ranger says. She would make a good ally if he were to take the region as his protectorate. After Varg speaks, he blurts out, "They could have just broken up into four or five groups and come over the wall. Normally they're too stupid for even that much planning, though skilled enough to pull it off, but if they got a Big Boss, then he could have directed them to do so. What I want to know is why did they attack. Was it part of some greater plan or just were they just 'running some horses'? It's probably the second. Whoever got all those goblins in one place realized that they had to give them something to do before they fell to infighting. Now that we've beaten them, they probably won't be much more trouble."
Sheriff Hemlock interrupts. "Some of them seemed to have snuck into the city...in what way that was, we're still investigating. However, the bulk of them charged through the northern gate."
"I wonder, I wonder," Lym sighs. "Did the Goblins' 'big boss' just give them something to do so they wouldn't become a nuisance, or did he have an intention for all this slaughter? A distraction from something else that happened, an attempt to soften up the town for the next wave of invaders, some act of dark ritual ...? I worry."
"Why don't we go have lunch at the Dragon," Shelalu begins, "and you can tell me more about what you experienced during the raid. I can tell you what I know about goblins."
"Lunch would be good. Vuvo and I are getting hungry."
"Lunch would be good. Vuvo and I are getting hungry."
"Y ... es, thank you for the offer," Lym says, bowing again. "That might be a very wise thing to do. Share our information, I mean. Having lunch is always good around lunchtime."
"Lunch at the Dragon would be great. There is no better place for conversation than at a table topped with food and drinks!"
At the Rusty Dragon, during lunch, Shelalu listens to your accounts of the raid. Then she gives you a crash course on goblin culture.
"Goblins don't get horses, and have a hatred for these creatures, who tend to step on goblins that get too close. They also hate dogs...not the rat-faced vermin they train for mounts...but plain old dogs. This feeling is mutual, and if you see a dog barking at the woodpile for no reason, chances are it smells a goblin hiding in there somewhere.
"Goblins like to raid junkyards, garbage pits, gutters, and sewers, and wherever else garbage can be found. They have some weird gift for crafting weapons and armor made from refuse...and they have huge appetites. They can eat a dozen or more times a day, and most tribes don't have the supplies to accommodate their appeties, so they also raid junkyards for food thrown away.
"Goblins like singing disturbingly creepy songs. They also seem to be quite crazy, unable to put any forethought into their plans, and easily distracted by shiny objects and small animals that may end up as a goblin's dinner. They're also sneaky. While an angry or excited goblin is often very noisy, it can drop into unsettling silence in a heartbeat. Along with their small size, they are unnervingly adept at hiding in places you'd never expect: stacks of firewood, rain barrels, under logs, under chicken coops, in ovens...
"However, because of the massive size of their heads compared to the bodies, and their affinity for cramped spaces, they get stuck easily.
"Also, they have a pyromaniac's fascination with fire. Though, they're generally pretty careful about lighting fires in their own lairs, a goblin with a torch is trouble in someone else's home.
"Common among goblin superstition is the idea that writing steals your soul. Walls of goblin lairs are littered with pictures of their exploits, but they never use writing. Writing steals words out of your head that you can never get back."
"Like I told you earlier, there are five major tribes among the goblins in the region, and while goblins are generally short-lived, each tribe has a leader that has lived long enough to gain notoriety. These leaders are heroes in the eyes of the goblins.
"The closest to Sandpoint are the Birdcruncher goblins that live in caves along the western edge of the Devil's Platter. Even given their proximity to this town, this group is traditionally the least aggressive of the five. Bruthazmus is actually a bugbear who runs this tribe. He's an infamous ranger who lives in northern Nettlewood and often visits the five tribes to trade things he's stolen from caravans for alcohol, news, or magic arrows. Bruthazmus has a particular hatred for elves, and I've fought him on several occasions. To date, neither of us has managed to gain an upper hand on the other, but I vow I won't the first to fall in our feud.
"To the south are the Licktoad goblins of Brinestump Marsh. These pests tend to be excellent swimmers. Their leader, Vorka is a notorious goblin cannibal who lives in the marsh, more of a "hero" to goblins other than the Licktoad tribe.
"East are the Seven Tooth goblins of Shank's Wood, goblins who've secured a place for themselves by raiding Sandpoint's junkyard and rebuilding the stolen refuse into armor and weapons. Koruvus was a champion of the tribe, well-known for his short temper, as well as his prized possession - a magic longsword sized for a human that he stubbornly kept as his own. However, he vanished several months ago after he supposedly discovered a secret hideout in a cave along the cliffs, but the Seven Tooth goblins remain convinced that he's still out there, a ghost or worse, waiting to murder any goblin who tries to discover his hideout.
"Further east is the Mosswood tribe, perhaps the largest tribe, but their history of in-fighting among feuding families has held them back from becoming dominant among the tribes. Their hero, Big Gugmut, is an unusually muscular and tall goblin, who is said to have a hobgoblin for a mother and a wild boar for a father."
"Finally, the Thistletop goblins live on the Nettlewood coast atop a small island that some say holds a passing resemblance to a decapitated head. Ripnuggest is their current leader. He controls a lair that goblins from all five tribes agree is the best location to have."
Lona listens to it all, enthralled by the descriptions. She was dimly aware of the goblins in the aware (until recently, when she's gotten to know them a little more than she'd liked). However, she did not know of the complexity of the various factions of goblinoids that existed here.
"Do you have any idea which goblins are pestering this town? i fear they all look the same to me."
"Like I said before, it looks like members of all five tribes were involved in this raid."
"That seems ... odd," Lym hazards an opinion. "What kind of force could impress of frighten such a diverse group of leaders into surrendering their sovereign authority and work together with the ones they have been trying to kill or subdue for so long?"
"Shalelu suggested that a big boss came and united the tribes. That's the only way for them to work together. It could have been on of the bosses we know about or someone new."
Lunch and conversation continue for a little while until Shelalu makes her departure. "Farewell," she offers, before leaving. The rest of the day passes by without event.
Early next morning, Bethana, Ameiko's timid elderly halfling employee, finds you and asks to speak in private. She's obviously upset by something. "Please, it's very urgent!"
Lona was just about to head to breakfast when Bethana sighted her and flagged her down. Fighting down the protestations of her stomach, Lona listens to Bethana and agrees to help her find the rest of the group to hear her out. Asking her to wait a moment, Lona knocks on the doors of everyone staying at the Tavern, waves anyone down who's already up and at breakfast, and looks about for someone who might be willing to call in anyone not staying here.
Too much activity before breakfast, Lona sighs to herself as the group gathers. Remembering Bethana's desire for privacy, she asks Bethana if there's a place where they could speak without attracting attention.
OOC
I'm not presuming the whole group arrives, for those of you who may have misinterpreted and got offended by it. By that, I meant while the activity of trying to gather everyone occurs.
"How can we help little one?"
Lym comes out of her room when Lona knocks, and is agreeable to listening to the Halfling's worries. "If you really want privacy, we could use on of the rooms," the wizard suggests. "We could keep someone near the door to make certain we're not eavesdropped upon, if you like."
"My ear is yours."
"Ameiko is missing! I woke earlier this morning and found that she hadn't started breakfast, and she's never done that before. I went to her room and knocked on her door, but she didn't answer. So I entered anyway, and she wasn't there! Her bed hadn't been slept in. What's worse is that I found this piece of parchment crumpled by her bed." Bethana hands you the note.
Bethana starts telling you about the history between Tsuto and Ameiko. "Tsuto's birth was a scandal 21 years ago, since he's a half-elf, and both of Ameiko's parents are humans. The rage held by Ameiko's father, Lonjiku, about his wife's indiscretion, was the talk of the town for months. Atsuii, Ameiko's mother, never revealed who Tsuto's father was, and if Lonjiku wasn't so stubborn, the two wouldn't have stayed married. Nonetheless, they did, and Tsuto was handed over to the Turandarok Academy to be raised outside of the Kaijitsu family.
"While Tsuto was forbidden visits from his mother, and ignored by his mother's husband, Ameiko still visited him few times a month to keep him company, and offer encouragement that things would one day get better. Then six years ago, Ameiko and Tsuto had a terrible argument, where Tsuto struck Ameiko. I don't know what the argument was about, but it was bad enough that Ameiko left Sandpoint for a year, living as an adventurer. She returned five years ago, when her mother died, to attend the funeral, and has stayed here since.
"Tsuto was very public with his accusation that Lonjiku had pushed Atsuii off a cliff, and Tsuto and Lonjiku had a physical altercation at the funeral. Lonjiku broke Tsuto's jaw in the fight, and the half-elf cursed him and left Sandpoint. Ameiko tried to re-establish contact with her brother, but she was never able to succeed.
"...and now, there's that note. Please, you've have to hurry and go to the glassworks and find out what's happened to Ameiko."
Markum's own family tragedy makes him very sympathetic to the situation. He readily agrees to help.
Varg is somewhat less sympathetic. "A family oughtn't fight. In a world where people can be attacked and killed by goblins at any moment, a family should stick together, no matter what.
"Still, if this has anything to do with that goblin attack, I'll do anything I can to help."
"I will, of course, join you all," Lym offers. "But I must ask ... Where is Lonjiku right now ...?"
"That note is the only indication of where Lonjiku may be."
Lona, nearly in tears from hearing about such a tragic family situation, one involving a half-elf no less, speaks quickly, "Yes, we need to make haste!" She grabs her gears and tries to hurry the group. "Let's go check out this place, the Glassworks, and see what we can find." Quickly rereading the note to make sure she got the pattern down, she mutters, "...two, three, one. Got it."
"You arrive at the Glassworks (#20 on the town map). Neighbors are active around this part of town, chatting and moving about, even this early in the morning. The Glassworks itself, however, is curiously silent, though the chimney still plumes with smoke.
I'll go try the front door.
Varg draws his sword and joins Markum at the door.
"A moment, if you both please," Lym whispers. "Hoc quod est occultum, video." The Wizard makes an arcane sign while she casts the spell, and looks intently at the door. "I may be paranoid," she explains, "but better safe than sorry."
When you get closer to the building, you see curtains have been drawn over all the windows.
The front door is locked shut.
Lona
"Should we go find the delivery door, and try the knock as indicated by the note, to see what kind of reception we get?"
"Good idea" Markum goes to the service door.
"Might I recommend that our strongest melee warriors do the knocking, while the more archery-inclined of us stand at a slight distance?" Lym suggests. "And I am happy to report there is no sign of magical inconveniences anywhere in the area, by the wa\y."
"I'll go up front, if no one objects. Knock twice and then three times more and then once more, right?"
You head around to the other side of the building to find double doors. You knock, according the instructions in the note, and after several minutes, no one responds. These doors are locked, too.
Lona sighs. She had hoped it would not come to this. She takes a quick look around to see how much foot traffic is about them.
A handful of locals are watching you, curious looks on their faces.
It's a simple lock, and you could easily unlock it within a couple of minutes.
Oblivious to the onlookers Markum comments, "What are you waiting on? Open the door already."