Feldspar frowns at Tania for her presumption.
"I did not. I was merely stating my preference. If there are no objections I will wield the crossbow in Torag's name. If, however, it is the intention of our companions, including yourself of course, to see financial gain by the sale of this weapon I will see that any share allotted to myself from its sale -- as well as whatever may come as a result of the appropriate return of the other items -- be dispersed to those who have suffered by the Creedys actions as is only just and proper."
"I do not mind what happens to the Creedy's gains. Their source is dubious and much of it probably should be shown to the Sheriff to check if it can be returned to its owner. The crossbow is a fine looking weapon, but I have no great interest in it."
Smiling back at the dwarf, trying to remove the tension, Tania says: "Ah! That sounds more like you! Well, I don't want it, True doesn't want it, and I don't see Idrian, Jo'no or Algus claiming it, so there's no problem with you having it. I'll try to work out the different shares accordingly."
"Here is what I have: about 80 gold worth of coins and the crossbow, which is probably worth 175 gold pieces, plus the art and the booze, still not sold. That makes 37 gold and 5 silver each. Now master Feldspar has claimed 175 with the crossbow, which is 29 gold, 1 silver and 6 copper of each share... My head is starting to hurt! How about you take the crossbow and we share the gold for now. We'll see what the art and the booze get us. Plus there might be a little reward for the Creedy's, once we can announce it... 80 gold for 5, now that makes 16 each. Easy enough!"
That ok with Idrian.
Silently, Jo'no nods while taking his share.
Algus agrees and takes his share.
True counts out the coinage into two piles and looks at Feldspar, "to do with as you willed. Half for the people of Sandpoint, half for our needs. I am sure my Church would understand."
"Master dwarf, do you have bolts sufficient for your unnamed yet stylish crossbow?"
Feldspar smiles widely beneath the thick growth of his beard. "May Torag and Iomedae bless you for your generosity, my friend. Thank you."
He closes his eyes for a moment, thinking. "Yes, a name. I hadn't thought...perhaps one will come to me in time. As for bolts, I do have a number yet remaining."
Tania looks at Master Feldspar, hoping to put the dwarf back in a good mood, she offers: "A name for your crossbow Master Feldspar? What do you think of Zurin's Argument?"
When idrian and True report to the Sheriff, he is somewhat reluctant at first, but quickly warms to the plan. "If there are folk high up in town who are involved in this, then we better get it right. I tend to agree with Idrian on this, especially if it comes to taking the word of the Creedy's over a well liked man like Kaijitsu. However, someone with influence and money organised the attack this week, and there's only a handful of folk I know of that could do that. He's on that list so let's see what can be done." He looks firmly at the two of them before adding "Be discreet, and try not to kill any more folk unless they give you no choice."
As they are about to leave, he calls to the two of them and throws a sack their way. In it they find a number of pendants, the same as those worn by the town guard, and a small amount of gold. "If you're going to be doing guard work, you might as well be sworn in for now. I'll get it all formalised later, but for now you're operating under limited town jurisdiciction. Don't abuse it"
With that he lets them go back to the house.
"Why does he keep telling me to try not to kill people?" I'm going on that hunt.
"Perhaps because you seem like the type of fellow that would do such a thing, friend.", Algus jokingly tells Idrian as he follows him to the hunting grounds.
True considers Idrian's question and shakes her head.
"My cousin is a judge of character and he does not wish to see this situation escalate in any way. His need for negotiation and peaceful resolution show his strength and we would do well to follow that example. These badges show the faith he has in us."
Back at the house, True hands over the 5 gold each and pendants, re-iterating the words of Sheriff Hemlock for caution and care.
"The hunt is something I would like to take part in, however the work here is far more important. I am no investigator but the Kaijitsu deserve our attention now. Should we confront Ameiko? Stake out her father?"
"I would love to go hunting tomorrow! I'm sure things can wait one more day, no?" Tania asks with wishful eyes.
I have Idrian, Tania and Algus for the hunt. True wshes to investigate the nobles.
I'm happy to run seperate parts if it comes to it.
Any more takers?
Feldspar agrees with True.
"Please express our regrets for being unable to attend the hunt," he tells Idrian. "It is clear my duty is to ensure the safety of the prisoners and complete our investigation."
He turns to True. "I am unsure what should be our next step. I fear I am as lacking in experience as an investigator as well. Perhaps an interview with Ameiko would be appropriate."
Jo'no begins preparing himself for the hunt, since he feels lacking of any other use he could provide to the party in their immediate errands.
True wishes them well with the hunt then accompanies Feldspar to see Ameiko.
"I think you could help us work out what truth there is with her father's involvement in all this. Maybe she will not wish to explain this openly so perhaps a private discussion would be better."
"The Creedy's location shouldn't be told at all."
The Hunt
The majority of the party head off early the next morning to meet Aldern Foxglove at the Goblin Squash Stables. When they arrive, the young nobleman stands talking to two well dressed men and a woman, while off to the side, three footmen stand tending a large group of horses. Today it seems as if old Davirin Hosk himself is leaving his stables and taking his hounds on the hunt. The old hunter stands with his arms crossed and his three mastiffs at his feet, glaring off into the morning light as the others chat.
When Foxglove sees the group arrive, his smile broadens and he nods his head in their direction, drawing the eyes of his other guests towards them.
"Ah, it would appear is if our guests of honour have arrived. Ladies and gentlemen, would you please welcome the heros of Sandpoint!" As he makes the intoduction, he quietly claps his gloved hands together, starting a small round of applause from the gathered noblemen.
"Now, some introductions. The three men are Titus Scarnetti and his two men, Jenk and Bregg." The three men nod politely, though Titus seems to look down his nose a little at the group. Jenk and Bregg are both big men, solid across the shoulders and carrying weapons like they know how to use them.
Aldern continues with his intoductions "This lovely young woman is Seline Valdemar, eldest daughter of that fine house and a more than welcome member if the hunt.". He bows low and kisses the womans hand as he says this, eliciting a blushing smile from her even as she turns her dazzling smile on the group. She is tall and carries herself well, and her eyes dance with intelligence as she looks the group over.
"I am charmed to meet the people who single handedly saved the new church and most of the township, if you would take Aldern's account fo things to heart." There is a hint of mocking humour in her voice, but it is clearly directed at Foxglove more than the party.
The Kaijitsu Family
True and Feldspar are relieved early in the morning by a young guardsman name Tellis. He is the newest of Hemlock's men, and as such draws the least attention from folk in town, many of whom still think of him as a young lad rather than a guardsman. This at least allows the two holy warriors time to make their investigations in town.
As they leave Jo'No's home and make their way towards the rusty dragon, they see a familiar figure moving with an unsteady gait towards them.
The young oracle they helped on their first day of arrival seems to sense their presence and turns her face towards them. A small smile creeps across her face as she turns towards them, but then a trickle of blood seems to weep from her left eye.
Feldspar is almost stunned by the sudden aura of evil that comes over the girl. It is almost as if her true self is torn assunder as some other presence forces its way out of her heart and takes full hold of the girl. A voice reminiscent of grinding stone rumbles from her throat, clearly in contrast to the petit beuaty of teh Varisian woman.
"Man of stone and woman of iron, hear well myyyyyyy worrds. The sins of the past rise through glyphs of pain, e'en whiiiiiiiile you both dally in pointed sands. Beware the firstborn new returned and the angel’s daughter broken. They together plot the rise of sinspawn through the token." As the last words leave her mouth, her eyes roll further back in her head and the trickle of blood grows stronger. With no warning, her legs give way and she falls heavily to the ground.
Idrian quickly comes to the conclusion that this was not what he had expected in a hunt. He determined his best route would be to remain laconic. He moved to stand a little behind Tania and tried to look as capable as Titus Scarnetti's men, hoping that anyone coming to talk to him would be intercepted by his more social ally.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Jo'no Screaminghawk, a recently returned resident of the town. I remember your families well... "(Jo'no will recant some notable event or contribution he can recall involving the Scarnetti and Valdemar families).
If asked of where Jo'no has returned from, he will advise that he had spent the last couple years living amoungst his people in the Plateau. Jo'no will of course completely ignore any scorns or looks of disgust as the nobles try to envision someone living with the savage tribes of the north.
Jo'No recalls quite a bit about the folk gathered here. Both noble families present are founding families of teh town itself, which means they have quite a bit of established power and influence in town. Local rumour has it that the Scarnetti's are using their influence to selectively shut down competition against their lumber mills. However, the young mage also realises that this may well come from their history in town which is apparently rife with intrigue and betrayals.
The Valdemars are also quite rich, but have fallen on harder times recently since their patriarch is quite ill with lung fever. Seline is a bit a mystery to most folk in town, having spent most of her life and upbringing in an exclusive school in Magnimar. She was however, quite beatuiful, something Jo'No did not fail to notice.
"It was just the heat of the moment, milady. anyone would've taken up arms to defend their home from such foul beasts...", Algus replies to the noblewoman with the soft-spoken tone he tends to use. "My apologies. I believe I've not introduced myself yet. I'm Algus Vordhosbn, Alchemist and knowledge seeker. I hail from Andoran, traveling around and seeking any knowledge that could take my research further." He bows slightly in sign of respect towards the nobles.
"It is my utmost pleasure to meet you all."
Tania blushes slightly: Algus is right, we only did what we felt was right. Furthermore, we were only at right place, at the right time, and with the right tools!"[b] The last part she says laughing and showing her sword, trying to not make Foxglove feel bad. Smiling, she adds: [b]"And Master Foxglove here was indeed in the thick of the fight and should be praised for having stood his ground with such odds."
She presents herself to the group, bringing forth her Varisian grace.
As the horses are presented: "My, what beautiful and mighty stallions! Your grace is too generous!"
Feldspar is so stunned by the fierceness of the evil that had radiated from the girl that he is slower to respond but only hesitates for a moment before kneeling beside her with True.
As he examines the girl, dabbing gently at the blood beneath her eye with a thick finger, he glances at True. "It seems that whoever speaks through this girl believes that our greater concerns lie outside of Sandpoint. But we must be wary of these warnings, my friend. Whatever it is that speaks those words has an evil nature."
The Hunt
Jo'No recalls a little of the sordid past from the Scarnetti family. Apparently when the town was being settled, the family betrayed a deligation of Varisian wagoneers who used the site as a regular rest stop. There were meant to be negotiations at the time, but the Scarnetti clan made a night raid hoping to wipe out the Varisians and take the land for themselves. It didn't go so well for them. The mage is not surpised then when Titus turns away with a mild look of distaste on his face as Jo'No mentions his Shoanti heritage.
Tania realises her and Seline are of an age, though the noblewoman carries herself with an air of seriousness that seems to age her a little more than the young bard. She also notes with some satisfaction that her compliment and dazzling smile turn nearly all the heads of the men gathered there. Aldern Foxglove bows low to her, doffing his hunting cap and murmuring "It is the least I could do for you fine folk. I seem to have brought along too many steeds though. Where are your other two companions?"
Idrian's quiet reflection is broken when one of the mastiffs shoves its head rudely into his hand, demanding a rough pat from the hunter. A gravelly voice speaks behind him as Daverin Hosk moves up with his dogs. "Glad to have you along on this one, young fella. After the raid on town, I've an inling we may see goblin sign out there. The young lordlings paying me well enough to show him some boar, but if I pick up the spore of a greensking, I'll let you know and we can have some real sport eh"
Algus finds he is almost completely left in the shadow of the others, despite his warm greeting and mild acceptance of events. With a sigh, the young alchemist resigns himself to teh fact that his appearence and trade have garnered little welcome here. With some amusement he notes that one of the Scarnetti men has subtly interposed himself between Titus and himself, obviously completely mistrusting Algus.
Aldern turns to the gatehred folk, and announces loudly "Well my good friends, let us set to the hunt. Mount up I say, and find us some Boar to roast for this evenings meal. First blood gains 50gold!"
Between True and Feldspar, they finally manage to get Maree off the ground and sitting upright. The young womn groans a little and clutches at her head. "Desna's grace, that one was hard" Her words are thick, as if she was in desperate need of a drink to ease her throat.
Feldspar could find no trace of serious injury, but his experience with human women was certainly limited. Nor could he recall any references to what she had mentioned in the telling. The words Angel's Daughter tickled at his mind, though he couldn't quite get himself to remember where he had heard it from.
"Please, could you get me back to my house. I have no recollection of even coming here and I fear I may have left breakfast cooking when the telling came upon me". Maree's voice sounds quietly desperate, though there is not much strength in her words.
Tania smiles to Aldern, noticing the reaction of Seline: "Our friends had sheriff related duties they couldn't really avoid. They send their deepest apologies and hope to have another occasion to meet with you when the dust has settled."
She then moves to get on the horse, but takes her time and goes at it carefully, as it is not familiar ground for her.
Longspear in hand, she scans the bushes for movement.
"Yes," Feldspar says, gently. "Let's see you home."
Once they have gotten Maree safely back to her home and insured that there has been no damage from her sudden departure, Feldspar leads the young woman to a seat and stands before her.
"Maree, we need to speak of what's happening to you. These...fits...that overcome you. You have no recollection of what happens, yes?" He smooths his beard thoughtfully for a moment before continuing.
"It seems that you are being overcome by a force or a spirit. This force has been offering warnings. The first one was directed to me alone. This latest one was for both True and myself. The warning itself is alarming but so is the messenger. I think we should speak to Father Zanthus about this."
The hunt
Idrian almost lets out a sigh of relief when Daverin comes up. He tries to hide his excitement at the thought of hunting some goblins. in the end, Idrian works alongside Daverin in hunting boar and looking for goblin sign.
Algus finds the distrust expected, but rather disappointing; he had hoped that mannerisms and disposition would be enough to make the hosts comfortable. he decides to try and see if any of the nobles has any sort of trust or liking towards him.
If any are "warmed" up to his presence, he tries to make chatter with him/her, and tries to find a bit more information about past happenings involving the Kaijitsu family.
after that, once they finally arrive at the hunting grounds, Algus will take keep a wary eye on the surroundings, seeing how that kind of money is a bit hard to come by, and would perhaps help the group out in further ventures, and finding Goblins could help his current research...
Tania makes small talk, all the while trying to sense the nature of the relations between Scarnetti, Foxglove and Seline (love, hate, dominance, etc.). she's most interested in understanding what a guy like Foxglove does with a guy like Scarnetti.
At Maree's
While Feldspar tends to his charge, her little cat winds itself annoyingly about his legs and Trues legs, miaowing loudly and generally demanding attention from the Paladin and holy warrior.
Maree smiles at her companion animal, before responding to Feldspar's question. "I am aware that I have had a vision, though for me they always occur in a shadowy realm, near a tower of immense height that shoots beams of fire. As the fire shoots through the sky, the words form like an after image on the eye, burnt into the ash grey clouds like a message from the heaens themselves."
She takes a sip from her tea, her hands shaking with fatigue, before continuing. "Most often they come when I am asleep. However, recently I have found myself in places I have no recollection of going to. The new church, the graveyard, the glassworks and most recently with you two this morning. I have no recollection of any visions on such occasions, just a dull headache and pain throughout my chest. On two of those occasions I have upset folk who claim I am some sort of witch or evil hag come to steal their children." Her face appears worried for but a moment, before she reaches out in her uncanny way, and touches the dwarf gently on the arm. "I am no such thing at all, let me assure you both now."
The Hunt
As the group continued to ride, Idrian and Daverin urged their mounts ahead of the party. The great mastiffs easily paced the horses gentle canter, occasionally dashing off the path as they picked up the odd scent or two, but quickly returning when the hunter whistled them in. The two men barely exchanged a word, both of them comfortable in the silent art of their trade, watching for sign of goblin or beast as they moved.
Algus meanwhile rode beside Bregg, one of he Scarnetti men. The big warrior exchanged very few words with the alchemist, but Algus certainly felt he was more open to chat than the rest of the party. From the thick chellish accent the man carried, Algus had the feeling he wasn't truly nobleborn, and therefore more likely to accept the likes of Algus and his companions. He responded to the alchemists questions about the Kaijitsu family with a non comittal shrug "He's rich. Keeps to himself, especially since his missus killed herself. Neither of his kids stuck around after that, though his girl come back not long ago." His face changes to a bit of a leer at the mention of Ameiko, further supporting Algus' opinion that he was more base born than the others in the group.
Tania kept up constant stream of polite conversation, gently probing around the edges of this groups relationships. She found more and more that Aldern paid her attention, the man seemingly completely ignoring Seline by the time they actually reached the hunting ground. It became a little uncomfortable in fact, with Foxglave moving his mount very close to Tania and leaning in occasionally to ask her questions quietly. At one stage he "accidentally" brushed her leg with his as the two mounts jostled, and she could tell his excitment rose imediately by the flush in his cheeks and the change in his eyes.
Seline seemed to fume silently at first, before she turned her full charm towards Titus Scarnetti. This was almost as useless as paying attention to Foxglove was, for Titus remained aloof from most conversation. Only rarely would he add to the conversation, and most of those contained subtle barbs and inuendo designed to seriously undermine the confidence of those around him. He was unpleasent in an arrogant way, but the young bard got the distinct impression this was a considered tactical behaviour rather than just his natural nature. Titus Scarnetti was very good at politics, and to him, this trip was obviously polically motivated.
At the front of the party, Daverin suddenly halled in his mount and called the party to a halt. He pointed out the signs of a large wallow, near the side of the track they had taken. "Two big animals, and some piglets. I suggest we split into two groups, circling through the wood and flushing the beasts towards the dell in the Hadron's hollow. I'll lead one, and Idrian here can take the other."
Tania doesn't want to leave her old friend Jo'no. She finds Foxglove creepy and too direct. She prefers to play hard to get.
Being less of a social-lite and more of a book worm, Jo'no rides somewhat close to Tania to overhear her conversations.
When he sees Foxglove's attempted advances, Jo'no smirks a little. He knows Tania can easily fend off such trouble, yet the lack of respect shown by Foxglove bothers Jo'no slightly.
As the groups split up, Jo'no will remain close to Tania, and even more-so if Foxglove continues to make inappropriate advances.
Algus decides to follow Idrian, in order to have an even split amongst the groups.
He decides to hold the information he has about the Kaijitsu family for now, as perhaps it could be redundant or commonly known....but he still finds a suicide intriguing. perhaps she was under demonic possession and the church could do nothing, thus Kaijitsu's hatred towards the church?...Ameiko could know more about this, he thinks.
The thought is put on the back of his mind as he resumes the hunt, however, in order to not draw any more distrust than the one he's currently treated with.
Daverin's plan sounds fine to Idrian.
Investiating the Kaijitsu's
The hunt
In the end, the four "Heros of Sandpoint" are grouped together for teh hunt, while Foxglove and his noble companions form the second group. At first Aldern appears disconsolate about the arrangement, but then he seems to cheer up again.
"A fine competition then! The Hero's shall try to beat we Nobles to the boars. It has a sort of poetry to it I think!" His broads grin and small wink to Tania are not missed by anyone, and leave his enthusiastic statemment seeming more flat than anything else.
Daverin claps Idrian on the shoulder and wishes him good luck. "I'll leave you with Mauler. He's the most like to take your commands, especially when you carry his collar." The older hunter hands the mastiffs thick leather collar to Idrian before smiling and turning to join the other group.
"Away then my friends, our sport awaits!" Foxglove shouts in his excitement. The party of Nobles and their retainers turns and heads into the woods on the side of the road closest to the great wallow, leaving the others to take the opposite side.
Tania does her best to follow Idrian's lead and to support him. If she has a chance, she'll us her magic to slow the boar down, with Grease and Silent Image and Fascinate.