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As Rig delivers his rendition of the story, Flo does her best to add little details and minor sound effects to convey the atmosphere of their adventure. My my, looks like Kargas might have made an impression on our host! She's practically besides herself during the battles!
"Thank you Ameiko, you are a gracious host, as always!" she says with a warm smile.
Flo rises with the sun, as usual, and performs her clerical rites to Desna. As part of bridging the fading world of dreams with the brightening world of reality, she makes sure to include a mention of each companion in the ritual. After taking a quick breakfast, she makes her way to the Sandpoint Cathedral in search of Father Zantus and then Master Quink (leaving a note with an attendant of her intentions).
Flo spends the next two weeks in a flurry of activity. After ensuring Father Zantus has the key in his posession and probing Master Quink about his thoughts on what sort of demon lies in wait at the ruins, she heads straight for the city gates. After waiting for a group of sturdy, west-bound, adventurers to begin heading out, she stops them.
"Excuse me, are you heading West? I have a letter that needs to be taken to Wartle and left at Mr. Filch's boat repair shop," she asks, handing the cleanest adventurer a letter. "I can pay, if you need it," she offers, handing the same person a small pouch of fifteen gold pieces. With nothing left to do but hope, she blesses their travels and heads for the Sandpoint docks.
Having arrived, she finds the dockmaster and inquires about sailing boats for loan. After much haggling and prodding, she finally acquires a weathered but sturdy catamaran. Pushing off immediately, she spends all day cutting across the waves, enjoying the smell of the salty water, the feel of the wind on her skin, and keeping her mind away from the events of the past few days.
Tired but content, she makes her way back to the Rusty Dragon Inn for the night. The next three days are full of sailing, regardless of the weather.
On the fourth morning, she waits for Kargas to rise. "So, we had a deal! Want to see what we can scrounge up about this Sandpoint Devil?!" she asks ecstatically, hands on her hips and bags packed for a mini-adventure.
Letter:
This envelope is thick with folded papers and has "Mandulescu" written in neat, but otherwise plain, handwriting.
Upon opening the letter, it is clear that Flo has described their recent travels and a brief summary of her time in Sandpoint over the past year. The first note, presumably a cover letter, reads as follows:
"Mom, Dad, Luther,
It is Flo! Sandpoint has been treating me well, but it isn't without it's ups and downs. Has Sander come home yet? I haven't heard tell of him here, but I'm sure he will show up eventually. I've found a new family of sorts here. I've written about our work in the next few pages, but the city has grown to calling us the Savior of Sandpoint!
Anyways, I hope you are all doing well and Desna continues to bless you. I'll visit when I can, but I just don't know when that will be. I love and miss you all, please stay safe. Send word back to Sandpoint, address it to me at the Rusty Dragon Inn!
Love,
Floredana"
The following pages include personal notes for each family member. A sharing of her latest daring tales for Dimitru, some of her more clever exploits for Reliza to read, and a long over due, lengthy promise of parental mayhem for Luthor. Notably, the longest letter is a guilt-ridden message for her brother Sandor.
________
For Kargas and Guiness, your first night at the Rusty Dragon and every subsequent one over the next two weeks is a true relief after Thistletop. Your dreams are mercifully free of the foul horrors that had been crowding them ever since you slew Nualia. Perhaps its the distance from the island? Or maybe the lingering effects of putting down one of Lamashtu's chosen are finally wearing off. Either way, you sleep as deeply and comfortably as you wish.
---
As for Flo, Father Zantus promises to keep the strange star shaped key both secret and safe. However, its clear from how he handles it that he feels the device is very dangerous. After leading Flo and some other visitors through a morning prayer to Desna, he consigns the key to a lead-lined box and stores it behind the altar. Before Flo leaves, he mentions "My dear, you've truly done much good for us. But I feel Desna has much more in store for you in the future. This is no divine vision or foretelling... its simply the feeling I get seeing the light in your eyes. I simply pray that Desna keep you safe on your further journeys."
---
When Flo reaches Brodert Quink, he finds him dozing in his home, buried under an assortment of ancient scrolls and books. It takes a bit of prodding to wake him up, though once he's roused he listens with rapt attention to the story of what happened at Thistletop. When you describe the hidden demon that Nualia was hoping to free, he dives into his scrolls and texts, rummaging about until he seizes a dusty old tome. "A deadly creature that is both a hero to goblins and an ally to Lamashtu's chosen warriors..." He adjusts his glasses. "That- that I suspect may have been a Barghest! Some of the older texts regarding the goblins mention that they revere the legacies of four ancient barghests, creatures that they refer to as goblin Hero-Gods. Hadregash, Venkelvore, Zarongel, and Zogmugot... each a great and terrible fiend. I had assumed they were myths, but it could be that one was sealed within Thistletop!" The excitement of the thought overwhelms him for a moment with glee. "A true discovery! Though its quite good that you did not free the creature."
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Sleeping more deeply than he has since leaving his mountain home, Guiness wakes up late in the morning, finally feeling himself—having finally recovered from the draining fights of the past few days (both Con and Str damage).
Coming downstairs clad in simple traveling clothes instead of his usual armor, Guiness heads towards the bar to see what leftovers there are from breakfast. Seeing the proprietress at the bar, he smiles, ”Good morning—it is still morning, isn’t it—what sustenance is available this fine day?”
Halfway through his tardy breakfast, Guiness starts thinking about what to do with his time today—selling loot, enchanting his hammer, repairing his armor, and making tokens of appreciation. He opens his mouth to tell Ameiko of his travels and ask about the people of the town who might help him in his errands, then suddenly shuts it again. He is not familiar with the town because he didn’t make it here in time for the festival—delivering the fine Dwarven Stout promised to the Rusty Dragon inn...
His countenance and mood suddenly much more serious, Guiness speaks earnestly to Ameiko, ”Thank you kindly for your hospitality last night. I fear I owe you an apology. You see, I was the lead guard in charge of delivering my father’s brew to this fine establishment in time for the Swallowtail festival. Due to the goblin ambush, I failed—and it seems the product was wasted on those miserable sots.”
”Let me in some small way repay you for this loss,” Guiness continues, offering up a small dented crown, ”This is the ‘crown’ of the goblin who led the raids, their chieftain known as ‘Ripnugget’. Perhaps displaying as a trophy here in the Rusty Dragon will embolden the townsfolk and bring you a bit more custom as well. I am sure you recall the tale of the battle from last night’s celebration.”
Colvyn spent the first few days relax and taking care of Phasgan. He also uses that time to see if he can find himself a better bow. Once he is fully recovered from the fight with the undead spirit, he spends most of his time outside the city wall. He primarily hunts and traps for food and bring it back to the Rusty Dragon. Entering from the kitchen, he gives all the animals he finds to Ameiko. "Here, if you know anyone that is having a hard time getting by, would you mind giving them this food? It is not much, but it could help a few families."
Rig clears his throat as he begins to recount the tale. His voice breaks right off the bat. After a little ale, he starts again. It's factual, not terribly embellished, almost approaching boring, but with a little help from Flo, he at least keeps most of the people vaguely interested. He does leave out the couple of times he was forced to run from the room, and any mention of the group being forced to flee as well. But he does stress that several of the creatures were literally terrifying.
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Sometime later in that morning after finishing talking with Ameiko, Guiness catches up with Floredana while she is waiting at the gate for someone to deliver her message. He asks some questions about the town and the people in it especially enchanters and metalworkers (for his errands).
It is pretty easy to tell he would rather have Floredana show him around and make introductions, but he doesn’t want to impose on her time.
It is much harder to notice that Guiness is evaluating the way she is treating him now that she is back on familiar territory and doesn’t need him for safety...Does she consider him part of the ‘family’, or just a rescued mercenary to be cut loose one he is no longer immediately useful?
Ameiko shoos away Guiness' apologies, insisting that the loss of the dwarven brews she'd ordered had more than been made up for by Guiness' involvement in defeating the goblins at Thistletop. "The Stout, we can just order more. But if those goblins had launched their attack, I'd have lost friends and neighbors, my home and livelihood too." At first she strongly refuses any mention of repayment, but as you push the crown, she reluctantly gives in, saying "I suppose it'll serve as a reminder of the crisis and what you all did for Sandpoint."
When you all arrive back at the Rusty Dragon later that day, you see that the crown has been placed atop the elk bust mounted on the western wall. The dented piece rests jauntily atop the right antler.
---
Colvyn's delivery of fresh game sends Ameiko and her helpers in the kitchen into a furious spree of baking, roasting and stewing. Much of the meat also goes out to the back to smoke for the day. That evening, she makes a point of inviting the less well off families in town for a feast at the Rusty Dragon. "All thanks to Colvyn Dashtail, one of our Saviors of Sandpoint!" is all she answers when people ask her the occasion and reason for the sudden charity. She even packs together meals for each family to take along back home to last them through the following week.
---
Rig's storytelling hardly needs to sport much embellishment, with how exciting the actual events were. He finds it easy to hold his audience's attention, especially with Flo's help. That said, by the end of the evening, he can't help but suspect that had he just made a few changes to his presentation here and there, he might've picked up quite the reputation as a storyteller!
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"Sandpoint isn't a large city by any stretch, but it is big enough for me! The people here are friendly enough, if a little superstitious about some things. I can't blame them though, for some reason or another, bad things tend to happen. Not too long ago there was a serial killer, called the Chopper, running around. Nobody likes to talk about it, but memories like that generally keep the people a little wary of otherwise mundane things. Das Korvut is the blacksmith we've always gone to! We've done some personal work for him too, I'm sure he'd be more than willing to work a deal out with you. He trains dogs as well, if you're looking for one. I'll be heading to the docks after this, but I can take you there and introduce you to him!" Flo explains, clearly passionate about Sandpoint and it's people. Throughout the conversation, her body language makes it clear that Guiness is someone she trusts, despite only knowing him briefly, and is more than happy to continue helping him.
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”Thank you, Lady of the River,” responds Guiness earnestly to the kind words. ”I overheard Kargas talk about tracking down the Sandpoint Devil for his ritual combat. I’d be honored if I could come along and bear witness.”
After a bit more conversation, Guiness excuses himself and heads to Das Korvut’s shop to get started on his projects.
Something clicks for Floredana about Guiness’ actions. He left his home and didn’t join the family business. He joined the militia but left them too for a mercenary life. Now he is at a crossroads...does he forsake the mercenary life and join the “Sandpoint Saviors” or keep trying to get mercenary jobs? Where does he belong? Do they even want him to join them in their next adventure? Guiness is looking for purpose and meaning in life, but is unsure if he has found it yet...
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It's not long after you arrive back before you find yourselves at the Rusty Dragon, Sandpoint's oldest inn and the tavern that the Sandpoint Four know best.
"Ah-ha. There it is." Kellek picks up a small pamphlet from the floor beneath a bench. "I knew that must have dropped it somewhere."
Kellek says "Thank you, no." to Ameiko's offer of alcohol. "Just two mugs please one with some hot water and the other one empty." Then he produces a packet of some dark, powdered, strong-smelling herb. When the mugs arrive Kellek carefully measures out some of the stuff onto a shallow filter that he places atop the empty mug and then slowly stains the hot water through it. The process stains the water dark brown--almost black. The steam that rises from it is enough to wake up the wino at the far end of the bar. Then before the crowd arrives he retires to his room for the night to study and scribe.
Over the next few days he visits the town's various sages, scholars, herbalists, and apothecaries to replenish his spell components, collect the magical pigments he needs to make scrolls, and study more about the nameless horror that plagues both Kargas and Guiness's dreams. He questions them about their sleep and runs some tests. He takes notes based on anything he finds.
At night, he retreats to his room, to read whatever texts he can barrow, inscribe scrolls, and make more notes in his spellbook. During this time he rarely sleeps, and seems to live on nothing but his bitter-smelling, black elixir.
"So, we had a deal! Want to see what we can scrounge up about this Sandpoint Devil?!"
"Oh! Yeah, the Sandpoint Devil." Kargas offers an unconvincing grin and rubs the back of his neck. "I was thinking--the thing's been lurking around this area for decades, right? We just spent a couple of rough days out there, I figure we could take a few days off. I need to talk to people who've run into it anyway, so we know what we're dealing with."
"And also, you know," the half-orc's grey skin turns a darker shade and he glances away. "Ameiko just lost her da and brother, I figure she may not be in a great place right now. Could probably use some help and normalcy. I'll get back to you on the Sandpoint Devil in a few days, alright?"
* * * * *
Kargas readily accepts Rig's offer for dancing lessons, but prefers to have them somewhere away from the Rusty Dragon.
"Great!" Kargas claps his hands and then rubs them together. "So what kind of dances do people do here?"
Flo smiles at Guiness' offer to witness Kargas' trial. "I don't know how he will feel about it, I'm not well-versed in the rules around his tribe's rituals. Ask him though, I'd imagine that'd be fine!" She pauses for a bit before continuing. "So, fellow Sandpoint Savior, what's your next plan? Trouble is never too far away here in Sandpoint, if you want to stay. Do you have to speak to your employers about that beer though?"
She plasters a fake pout on her face when Kargas provides numerous excuses to delay their plans. "Fine, fine, fine, I just thought the Mighty Kargas Stormscar wanted to prove to his tribe that he was not runt by slaying a monster. That's ok though, we can just find information instead," she teases with a wink. "While you dance and console distraught maidens, I'll be scrounging around town looking for information on your fight!"
Without skipping a beat, she springs out of the door, giving the Half-Orc a smirk as she leaves.
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Blushing a bit at being included as a “Savior of Sandpoint”, Guiness responds to Floredana’s question,”Ahhh, that would be my father...this was to be my test run as a mercenary—delivering his special variant of Dwarven Stout after which he named me. I am in no hurry to go back.”
”On the other hand, staying in Sandpoint sounds good for now. Perhaps I can do some good here, and—so it seems—Sandpoint is in need.” Smiling widely now, he says, ”Thanks for showing me around Floredana. Let me know when Kargas is ready to slay that Sandpoint Devil.”
"Sandpoint what?" asks Kellek looking up from a the hired spell caster's book of spells. One long finger marks his place in the tome, his other hand holds a steaming mug of his black herbal brew.
Kellek heads to both the House of Blue Stones and Brodert Quink's small home in search of tomes that might explain the strange horrors that invaded Guiness and Kargas' dreams back on Thistletop. There's little conclusive available, but he's able to draw a single strong theory. During the fight with Lamashtu's champion, Nualia, and her yeth hound, Guiness and Kargas bore the brunt of the harm. It's possible that the injuries imparted upon them in some way drew the attention of either the foul goddess herself, or one of her champions. Perhaps even the creature said to have been trapped within Thistletop. And said attention, minor though it was, left a terrible mental burden on the two of them that manifested in the dreams they saw.
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Flo and Kellek set about gathering information on the Sandpoint Devil: Flo talking to her friends and acquaintances in town and Kellek checking the towns archives for information.
1) It is some variety of unnatural horror that haunts the Sandpoint Hinterlands.
2) Stories of its presence started 10 years ago.
3) It's considered bad luck to see it. Any who do are cursed to suffer an ill fate. A common story is that the devil is always spotted flying over Sandpoint before tragedies, murders, and shipwrecks.
4) Its capable of hiding itself perfectly from investigation - tracks, bitten animals, and other evidence of its presence regularly vanishes, no matter how well watched or guarded.
5) Those who have tried to seek it out similarly vanish, never to be seen from again.
Months later, the first sightings of the Sandpoint Devil began.
These same stories describe the Devil are a howling, screaming black beast. A horse-like thing with wings and a wolf's head, that stands on its hind legs and glows with an infernal light.
Furthermore, you're able to correlate from the various tales that the largest number of sightings (or supposed sightings) come from the area of the Hinterlands known as the Devil's Platter. This elevated plateau is the home of a nonaggressive tribe of goblins called the Birdcrunchers, as well as (as far as rumor has it) a whole tribe of devil-worshipping bugbears. Likely, it also has many other dangers.
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Rig shakes his head as others go off in search of information on the Sandpoint devil. "Haven't we suffered enough here?" he says with a smile. Privately he wonders whether that THING under Thistletop is the real devil and if its power hasn't simply given people nightmares they've then attributed to some other creature. It's bad enough dealing with people and their wild imaginations, but having some legitimate demonic influence... yeesh.
Instead, Rig concentrates on more important things, i.e. helping Kargas (who is surprisingly light on his feet) with his lessons and just getting to know some of the people around town. Except for Shayliss. Nope, not going there. He's pretty sure her father knocked out one of his teeth.
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"Sandpoint what?" asks Kellek looking up from a the hired spell caster's book of spells. One long finger marks his place in the tome, his other hand holds a steaming mug of his black herbal brew.
"Ooh, that 'Sandpoint Devil.'" says Kellek. He promptly returns to his reading without further comment.
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Two weeks later finds your party well-recuperated from the ordeals of Thistletop. Most of you are sporting new mementos from Guiness' time at the forge. Some of you are slightly more adept at dancing than you were just a few days ago. And one of you may be feeling just a teensy bit skittish at the rumors that Shayliss is back on the prowl again, now hoping to bag one of the "Saviors of Sandpoint" if she can... no matter what her father says.
You spend a relaxing night at the Rusty Dragon, chatting with the locals, mulling over the topic of the Sandpoint Devil, and enjoying Ameiko's generosity with food and drink. There are fewer folk in the Rusty Dragon these last few days, but its easy to attribute that to the novelty of the Saviors of Sandpoint starting to fade. Wrapped up as you are in your own tasks and goals, the rumors have not yet reached your ears.
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You're woken up in the grey pre-dawn the following morning by Ameiko's elderly halfling assistant, Bethana. She calmly, but insistently, directs you all downstairs, mentioning a visitor that wishes to not cause a ruckus. You arrive to the common room to see a grim-faced Sheriff Hemlock, looking as though he's been awake through the whole night.
He gestures towards you all to sit, waves to Bethana, and begins to speak in a hushed voice. "Good morning to all of you. I'd apologize for waking you so early, but I'm about to saddle you with something far worse than lost sleep, so we'll save the apologies for later."
He takes a deep breath "We have a serious and delicate situation. And considering all that the group of you have done for Sandpoint up until now... well, I was hoping that we could rely on you one more time. You're the most capable group of folks I know, and this is something that needs dealing with now, before the situation grows even worse."
He realizes he's dancing around the issue at hand and decides to cut straight to the point. "Put simply, we have a murderer in our midst - one who, I fear, has only begun his work. Flo may have told you about the Late Unpleasantness, how this town nearly tore itself apart in fear as Chopper’s slayings went on unanswered. I’m afraid we might have something similar brewing now."
His eyes unfocus, as if he's recalling a vivid memory "Last night, the murderer struck at the sawmill. There are two victims, and they’re… they’re in pretty gruesome shape. The bodies were discovered by one of the mill workers, a man named Ibor Thorn, and by the time my men and I arrived on the scene, a few curious gawkers had already arrived on the scene."
"I’ve got my men stationed there now, keeping the mill locked down, but the thing that bothers me isn’t the fact that we have two dead bodies inside. It’s the fact that this is actually the second set of murders we’ve had in the last few days."
"I come to you for help in this matter — my men are brave enough for guardsmen, but they're hardly skilled investigators. And if they encounter a murderer... well, they were barely able to handle themselves against the goblins, and what we’re facing now is an evil far worse. I need the help."
"Of course, there's another complication. You see, I’m afraid that this particular murderer knows one of you as well." He pulls a folded piece of bloodstained parchment out of his pocket and rather hesitantly hands it to Flo. On its outside, in a wild jagged script is written 'To my dearest Floredana, Lady of the River'. Flo unfolds it and reads:
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Guiness smiles as he thinks about the feat he orchestrated two days ago. The food was excellent, he had just gotten his newly enchanted hammer back, and he had finally been able to thank his rescuers properly.
To each person, he had given a finely crafted item, personalized and inscribed with Dwarven runes declaring the bearer a friend to the Janderhoff Dwarves (each worth 100 gp).
To Floredana, he gave a small sheath made from blued steel and inlaid with platinum wave crests to match the dagger she received on the island.
To Colvyn, he gave a supple leather quiver reinforced with silver wire. The bed for the arrowheads was contoured such that the arrow could be positioned for the perfect draw, every time.
To Kellek, he gave a sturdy steel scrollcase inlaid with platinum filigree and made to form an airtight seal to protect the most important documents from the elements.
To Kargas, he gave a blackened steel hanger that positions the Falchion on his back for maximum security, but with a clever mechanism to allow an easy and speedy draw.
To Rig, he presented a sturdy steel scabbard for that new magical Longsword, with spiraling Dwarven lettering in platinum covering the entire piece with the greatest Dwarven sagas of heroism.
He had worked on the items for almost two weeks, and he was proud of his craftsmanship, but today’s news rocked him out of that pleasant memory.
”Murders, you say, and threats against one of our own? Let’s go,” offers Guiness, ready to address the latest threat.
”Murders, you say, and threats against one of our own? Let’s go,”
"Oh, that 'Flo.'" says Kellek. He again returns to his reading.
"And Guiness, thanks again for the scroll box. Excellent work."
Flo rubs the sleep from her eyes as Bethana wakes her. Nursing a cool mug of water on her way down, she mercilessly gets yanked into full consciousness as Sheriff Hemlock's story turns gruesome.
Hand shaking, she takes the note from the Sheriff. Unsteadily, she opens the note, her stomach dropping through the floor. Two citizens of Sandpoint... butchered... for me?
She places it on the table before holding her sides, a stare fixed on something across the continent. In the silence, she can hear the rapid thrumming of her heartbeat. "Shall we- shall er head to the scene?" is all she manages to force out of her tight throat.
Rig holds the beautiful scabbard up to the light and grins. "My thanks. It's lovely."
-------------------
Rig's still pretty groggy when the sheriff speaks to them, until he says 'murderer.' Rig's wide awake after that. "Murders? Any chance this is a hobgoblin or something that's seen you from afar Flo?" He shakes his head. "After all we've this town's recently... wait, second set of murders?"
The sheriff nods at Rig's question. "Second set of murders. Two days ago, a pair of Sandpoint guardsmen were patrolling along the Lost Coast Road south of town when they were assaulted by a crazed man. This was just down near Cougar Creek, mind you, not all that far from the town proper. The guardsmen managed to subdue the man, but weren't able to calm him down. They tell me he seemed feverish, with wild eyes and frothing at the mouth. He was also badly bleeding."
"They followed the trail of blood back towards an abandoned barn nearby, and found three bodies, all badly mutilated. I saw the bodies myself, and can say with confidence that identifying them was impossible from their remains. However..." He pulls another bloodstained piece of paper from his satchel. "They did have this on them."
"Messrs Mortwell, Hesk, and Tabe. The names of three of region's more notorious con-men and swindlers. The kind of folk not welcome here in Sandpoint. While it's not absolutely certain, I wouldn't be surprised if the bodies in the barn were the three of them. I'd always figured that they'd meet their ends violently at some point - there's only so much time you can spend swindling before someone comes to get their revenge on you - but I didn't imagine it would be like this..."
"Originally, we'd thought the crazed man had killed them, and perhaps the act had broken his mind in the process. But I'd ordered the man sent to Habe's Sanitarium for treatment until we could question him intelligibly. And not a day later from doing so, we have more murders... and once again a note left at the scene."
He shakes his head in helpless disbelief.
Who will be next? We spent so much time keeping Sandpoint safe from the outside, we didn’t even begin to assess the city itself after the Glassworks. What do I do? How can I help keep the peace and prosperity of the city when murders are done to appeal to my love? I could leave, yeah, Desna will protect me on the road. Then nobody else will get hurt. I’m the problem now. But... what if I turn into just another unidentifiable pile of parts in a barn? The only fighters I know are right here, I couldn’t fight a murderer off on my own. If three criminals couldn’t, what chance do I have? Is this how Nualia felt? Caught in the snare of somebody else’s hate without a good option to be seen?
Flo’s gaze continues to penetrate the walls. ”The mill, keep the peace in the city. Then the old scene in the barn outside,” she whispers, barely audible.
Kargas gently places a big hand on Flor's shoulder in a supportive gesture. "You okay?"
Once she makes her decision the half-orc nods. "To the mill then. Lead on, Sherriff."
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Kellek looks up in mid-sip from his book and black brew. "What?"
Flo puts a hand on Kargas' and shakes her head. After a moment, she takes a deep breath and stands up, using his arm for support. "Let's talk later, yeah?"
She heads back up the stairs for a minute. When she comes back down, she has all of her usual things packed and ready to go. Her bags look a little more stuffed than usual though. "Let's check the scenes of the crime!" she says while painfully forcing a smile.
________
Following behind Flor, Kargas hooks the leg of Kellek's stool as he passes and pretends to stumble, yanking it after him.
You know that the millers liked to keep late hours - waking late in the morning and then getting work done late into the night. This schedule of theirs had become a bone of contention around town, as the noisy mill and its infernally creaky log splitter kept neighbors awake.
Hemlock nods in relief at your acceptance, and gets up to lead the way to the mill without delay. Once you've all gathered your things, he passes Bethana a gold coin, places a finger to his lips for quiet, and takes you out into the town.
A few minutes later, you're in front of the Lumber Mill. This well-built wooden structure lies on the shore of the Turandarok River . A half-dozen nosy townsfolk have already gathered here to find out what brings the Guard to the Mill so early in the morning. Six guardsmen and women stand in front of the mill's entrances to block anyone from advancing inside. They look equally relieved to see your group and to see the Sheriff.
The doors into the mill are closed and the mill's machinery lies silent. It looks like in addition to the doors leading into the town, the mill likely has another entrance from the pier on the river.
One of the guards calls out to Hemlock "Sheriff, Emet, Kal and Neeman should be making their way back from the Garrison now. Ven Vinder got here while you were gone and was screaming at us like he was possessed. I feel for him, but we couldn't guard the place like you asked us, what with him on us the whole time. He's uh, in custody."
Hemlock shakes his head and sighs "I'll visit him at the garrison once he's cooled down a little. Good work. I have our friends here, deputized to aid in the investigation. Please answer any questions they might have."
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Looking at the scene before him, Guiness mutters to Rig, "Lots of people here...Maybe someone saw something. I'll stand here and look official if you want to see what you can find out..."
versus DC 10
To Kargas, he asks, "Should we have someone cover the riverside door in case there is still something dangerous in there?"
”I’ll do it,” Flo says quietly with a small smile and walks to the pier. Might not be the talk of the town anymore, but people shouldn’t see even former heroes of any renown like this. Could hurt morale and the investigation. Not that I’m in the mood to chitchat anyways.
She looks out to the water while the others talk up the guards and citizens. I could just swim away from it all right now. Nobody could catch me then.
Following behind Flor, Kargas hooks the leg of Kellek's stool as he passes and pretends to stumble, yanking it after him.
"You great oaf! You nearly made me stain my book. I suppose I am not going to hear the end of this until we do the Sheriff's job for him."
============
Later at the scene.
"I'm not really seeing the connection between this and our investigation of the ruins at Thistletop." Kellek says without looking up from his book.
Flo rounds the building and steps up onto the wooden pier that extends from the mill's back side out onto the river. The pier has been built to serve as a guide for logs being floated down the river. Currently half a dozen logs sit up against the pier, ready to be carried from the water into the mill through its large back door. The level of the river right now is fairly low, exposing the river's muddy banks.
A single pale-faced guardswoman with a worried expression stands by the back door. She looks palpably relieved when Flo arrives.
The large back wooden door of the mill has been closed shut, but appears partly splintered.
"Did anyone see or hear anything? Prior to the guards coming? Any information you have could be valuable, even if it seems insignificant."
He'll also step up to the guard in charge while the crowd is handled. "What can you tell us about the scene? Just give us your impressions. And, umm, why is Vender here in the first place? What's his stake in this?" He's a little extra nervous about that part.
"Oh, and what can you tell us about this mill?"
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"Oh, and what can you tell us about this mill?"
Kargas watches Flor head towards the pier with a concerned expression, then turns to survey the crowd, trying to pick out anyone looking nervous or oddly intent.
They all kind of look the same...
Deciding that working the witnesses was work better suited to Rig, the half-orc moves towards the other door, giving the guards a respectful but silent nod. Walking a slow half-circuit around the building he checks the ground for traps and inspects the door and windows for signs of tampering or other clues.
Between Rig's diplomatic approach and Guiness' reassuring presence, the townsfolk quickly open up with their impressions. A few of them speak at once, so you get bits and pieces.
"Ven was like a demon, I saw him! Red eyes, screaming about Katrine, his older daughter."
"Poor girl! I think I saw her before they closed the doors. Horrible, just horrible."
"The guards arrested Ven for killing Banny Harker, I heard them saying it all quietly."
"I heard horrible screaming, a woman's voice, and then the mill's saw stopped - I came out running, calling for the guard. But I couldn't look inside, I just couldn't. "
Most of the information is like that. While the folks here were witness to Ven Vinder's outburst, none have seen what lies inside the sawmill.
---
Kargas searches the back of the building for any strange or interesting features. He notes (much as Flo did) that the back door is partially splintered, as if something hit the door from the inside. He peers through the cloudy glass windows and sees a large dark room. Thanks to his darkvision, he can make out the shapes of furniture to the side of the room, a large open space with what look to be split logs stacked up, and a central sawblade sitting still in the center. Although the low quality glass makes it difficult to make out details, it seems as though three bodies lie on the ground inside.
Kargas looks down across the pier and the bank of the river. His eyes are drawn to muddy splotches across the wood. He takes a couple of steps back and examines them carefully... and realizes that they're muddy footprints leading up from the river bank towards the wall of the mill, and then heading back to the river.
He follows the prints up to the wall of the mill and looks up, spotting a small window near the peak of the roof that has been broken open!
"Harker's one of the two millers." says Kellek from behind his book.
*Flip* goes a page.
Peering more closely through the splintered door, Kargas tries to get a better look at the bodies inside.
After a moment he gives a frustrated sigh and pushes open the door, then steps inside.
Guiness doesn't spot much more than Kargas did while looking in from the back side of the building.
Kargas eases the door open and takes a step inside. The inside of the building is dim in the early light of dawn. The ground floor consists of a single large room dominated by the giant sawblade that serves as a log-splitter. Along the walls lie various pieces of furniture - tables, cabinets and work spaces for the millers to do work on smaller pieces of wood. A ladder at the northern end of the room heads up into a loft.
The mill's interior is coated with sawdust strewn with footprints and gratuitous splashes of blood. A heavy smell of fresh blood, and a strange smell of moldering decay, both hang in the air of the room.
Most striking however are the bodies that lay in the room. What you'd originally taken to be three bodies are instead three fragments of the same body. A pale faced woman, her expression fixed in abject terror lies at the base of the sawblade, her torso and clothing jamming the blade in place. Her lower half rests a few feet away atop a few short logs. Her arms have clearly been picked up and moved - they lie at the southern end of the room in a pool of blood. Katrine Vinder is very clearly dead.
What you missed entirely when looking through the windows is that Banny Harker's desecrated body lies affixed to the southern wall by several hooks normally used to hang machinery. The body is mutilated, the face slashed almost beyond the point of recognition. His bare chest is also defaced, carved with deep gouges in the shape of a seven pointed star.
*Sigh* If we must.
Kellek puts his book into his haversack and steps through the opening into the newly christened abattoir.
"Don't step on anything." he says to Kargas. "And keep everyone else, except Colvyn, out for now."
Kellek carefully picks his way across the room to look over the remains, inspecting the wounds closely with the aid of his forensic healing kit. He notes the sigil inscribed on the Harker's chest. "Seven pointed star. Coincidence?"
"The man's Harker, one of the millers. I've seen him and Ven his partner working late. The woman is Ven's daughter, Katrine."
Then he looks down at the dirt floor.
"There was a struggle here." His eyes scan about the room, to the ladder and up to the loft.
Then he nods slightly in the direction of the ladder.
Flo gives the guardswoman a tight smile, but otherwise keeps an eye on the river.
When it becomes clear the others are looking to go inside, she meets back up with them. She is about to head in when Kellek suggests everyone stay outside. She raises an eyebrow, but otherwise obeys the request.
"Sounds like we'll have to pay a visit to Ven in jail," she notes dryly to her friends. Approaching the nearest guard, she whispers, "It might be worth dispersing the crowd. Sounds like whatever is in there might not be something we'd want them to see." Can't be worse than what we saw in Thistletop or below the Glassworks. More wood for the nightmare fuel, I suppose.
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Having opened the door for The mage and entered to assess the area for active threats, Guiness stops as soon as he enters the door at Kellek’s request and closes the it behind him (after party members enter, should they desire) to block the gruesome sight from the townsfolk and not disturb any evidence.
Looking around from the door, he grimaces at the carnage and indicates the seven pointed star, ”Looks like we have our connection to Thistletop.”
Rig's busy taking notes from various townsfolk. He doesn't mind staying outside. He doesn't think Vinder is a killer, but he's glad it isn't him the man went after.