Feldspar continues his attacks, hammering at the beast with renewed fury as it savages his comrade. Realizing the danger Idrian is in, he decides to call upon Torag to aid him.
Mikka's summoned elemental falls upon the yeth hound with the howling chaos of a summer storm, enveloping the creature as it morphs into a violent whirlwind.
Even as the elemental falls upon the beast, the young druidess calls forth the power of the storm once more hurling a burts of powerful wind and torrential rain to pound upon the hellbeast.
Between them, the group managed to slaughter the remaining hound. It's corporeal form frayed and smoked as it's bond to the material plain was severed and it returned to the mistress of beasts. No doubt she would punish the creature for its failure here, as was the want of the evil gods.
Down the hall, the screams and sobs of Tania's terror, and Durik's words of comfort slowly faded as the fear wore off the young woman. All of them panted slightly from the exhertion of the battle, and Jo'no stared with some sadness at the ruined corpse of the young and beautiful woman he had known from his youth. The threat to Sandpoint had been ended.
Idrian had never met Nualia, but in his time in Sandpoint, he had heard of her. To him, she was just another bad guy that needed to be brought in or brought down. However, he had fought side by side with Jo'no and Tania and they knew and mourned for a different version of the deceased celestial maiden. In what was for him an uncommon bout of humanity, Idrian did not make a negative remark. "I'll go, uhh, secure the perimeter. Um, Jo'no, why don't you see if there's anything of worth in here. And take your time. Take all the time you need. Mikka, would you come with me? There should be some sheets upstairs we could use to cover her up and, maybe, take her back home in, but I would rather not go walking around here alone just yet."
Tania's sobbing slowly calms, as the supernatural effect subsides from her. She walks with careful steps back to the room, avoiding the trap, looking a long time at her blood on the wall... With shacking hands, she lifts her sword from the floor where she had left it and puts it back clumsily. She then turns and watches the body of Nualia.
At the sight, her eyes fill with water and it seems as though something just broke inside her. She started sobbing and crying. She crashed on the floor, shaking, and stays there for a while.
Finally, once more, she gradually takes control of herself and looks at her companions: "I have failed you in crucial moments and I beg your forgiveness. You have prevailed still though, and the evil that threatened our beloved town is no more. I wish to become stronger and keep fighting at your side, if duty calls and if you'll have me." By the time she ends her sentence, she seems to be herself again, though covered in gore, blood and tears...
"Easy Tania, easy. The effect has worn off and the hound is dead. Let us beware that trap on our way out. Allow me to heal some of your wounds."
"I'll go as well Idrian, those who knew her need their space."
Jo'no approaches Nuala's body and drops to one knee, and hangs his head down. Deeply saddened both by her death and by the path she had chosen.
The young wizard sees how disraught Tania is, and in a hugging grasp holds her and tries to console her.
"The poor naive girl was always getting herself into trouble, but something like this I did not anticipate. Poor Nuala. She didn't deserve to be misled like this. Someone is responsible for taking her down this dark path, and that is something I intend to pursue."
Jo'no sighs.
"We should take a quick look around to see if there are any journals or documents which might help us assess who is behind this. Then we will need to return her body to her family so that the proper arrangements can be made."
Looking at the deformed body, Tania offers: "Perhaps we should spare the good Father some of the more... disturbing details about his daughter."
Idrian and Durik move around the complex, finishing a quick reconoiter while Tania and Jo'No grieve over their old companion. It turned out to be a profitable venture, as they uncovered a relatively large and ornate chest that Nualia had obviously kept down here away from the goblins.
After carefully checking it for traps, the pair of them opened the cask to find it brimming with coins and gems. The woman and her band had obviously taken time to loot this place thoroughly, and this aggregation of treasure looked to prepared for movement rather than handing over to their goblin allies. Nualia had obviously planned to move on after Sandpoint's destruction.
Back in the room, Jo'no carefully hugged his oldest friend, sharing her grief and providing comforting support. They had draped a spare travel cloak over her body, covering the dead and staring eyes from glaring in accusation at them both. Returning her to Sandpoint was an honourable act, though she had no remaining kin in that place since her father had died in the fire that had destroyed the original temple to Desna. They would take her to her home and bury her, hopefully laying this poor soul to a rest she never recieved in life.
Mikka sighed as she watched Jo'no and Tania go through their grief. As she wandereds around the area, she vowed to herself to cleanse this place of the taint of Lamashtu, and reinvigorate the soul of sandpoint.
Walking ino another room she puts the unholy symbol on the ground and draws the wand. Looking at it she took in the perfectly carved image of her goddess, then pointing it she spoke the invocation, flame blossoming in her hands as she hurled the fire against the gold symbol melting the unholy object.
We could get the Father Zanthus to cast Consecration if none of us can.
Tania is thinking of the prophecy they have heard before from the possessed blind girl: "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."
She's brought back to here and now suddenly: "... yes, yes, perhaps Father Zanthus will have the proper means. If not, we'll need stone masons, but I doubt it will keep this place locked for very long... Any way of knowing for sure what N-Nualia was trying to do?" She walks around, looking for clues...
Mikka's flames washed over the golden amulet, heating it to the point where the details became indistinct at first. All at once, the metal gave way, pooling as a liquid with the leather thong completely burned away. A few moments later and the gold nugget was cool enough to touch. While it was still worth money, just as gold, the loss of artwork and detailing had invariably edcreased its value. A moentary loss that Mikka felt was more than justified if it weakened the goddess of beasts sway on this world.
The group finally reagthered, collecting up all the equipment and various notes they had found. In the search around Nualia's place, they found a diary, locked with some magic that Jo'No couldn't quite make out. It was bound through an arcane lock, most likely requiring a special word to deactivate. What was more worrying was a strange sigil on the front that radiated dangerous magic. It was a lucky thing the wizard had found it first, for he believed this was a protective magical ward that would trigger if one looked at it too long. He didn't have to magical knowhow to remove or protect against it yet. They would need to get it back to town in order to sort that out.
With that, their work in this complex was done. It had taken them three days of dangerous hit and run, and nearly all of them were exhausted, both physically and mentally. As they left, Idrian casually set fire to the Goblin fortress, walking around various locations with a torch and touching it to the weathered timber and various hangings in the place.
Mikka led the large warhorse they had discovered on their first day. The creature looked half starved and slighttly injured with stab wounds and bite marks, but with care it would return to be an excellent mount. It's saddle was still on, and it bore the mark of a noble family, but not one anyone recognised locally.
As they made their way wearily out of the tnorn thickets, they were met bby a familiar face. Their elven excort greeted all of them warmly, huggin each in turn and congratulating them on their fine work. She had just been about to give them up for dead when she saw the flames leaping from the goblin fortress. Slowly, with mixed feelings of success and sadness, the group made its way back to Sandpoitn.
Upon her return to Sandpoint, Tania will check upon her beloved ones: her father and Marcus. Unable to cope with the affection though, she will cruelly keep them at arm's length, for she remains torn between her different heritages. Parts of her looks for a community to call home, looks for the meaning that worldly ties bring, but parts of her looks for freedom, for the carelessness and the feeling of lightness that comes from having a life that fits in a pack, calling the world your home, the sky your roof...
She'll thus wander to different libraries, looking for new lore on Thassilon, for insight into the wonders she has seen, in particular the ruins she has visited.
Idrian checks in with Sheriff Hemlock and Father Zanthus. He rents out an anvil from a blacksmith to help pass some time. Other than that, Idrian will mostly be at the Rusty Dragon.
Durik will check in with Father Zanthus on the girl and happenings in town. He will also see about venturing into the Glassworks to cleanse it now that the goblin threat is so thoroughly dealt with.
Tania will also make sure something more definitive gets done about the Thistletop ruins.
Jo'no will continue his studies into the unnatural things they encountered. He will also spend time copying spells into his spellbook.
Jo'no pretty much isolates himself to keep a focus on his studies... only leaving his house when he runs out of food.
With the battle for Sandpoint seemingly done, Feldspar settles down to help Father Zanthus with any repairs that need to be made and tending to the village in general. He also takes the time to check in on Maree and see how she's doing.
When he has a few free moments, he also talks with Zanthus about what they'd found, both below Sandpoint itself and the corruption the woman Nualia had embraced. He wants to know if there were any records of Sandpoint's past that might be illuminating.
The sadness experienced by her friends is balanced by the sense of a great evil being cleansed as the fortress and the vile temple beneath it burn.
Mikka returns with her friends to Sandpoint, spending much time in the glades just outside of the town, communing with nature or dancing in the moonlight ao those blessed nights.
If any woman is with child, she assists, giving advice, and delivering the child if the need arises. She also spends time communicating with Shelalu as another who shares a link to the natural world.
The welcome to Sandpoint is not as vocal as they may have suspected. Unlike the goblin raid, where everyone had seen the actions the group had taken, this latest forray had been much more secretive.
However, those that mattered were there to greet them on the return. Mayor Devering and Sherriff Hemlock were both ecstatic with their success. In a rare show offa ffection, the big Shoanti sheriff hugged all of them, offering a Shonati greeting that very few people heard from the mans lips these days.
The mayor was more discrete, smiling and shaking the hands of each in turn. "We shall be offering you recompense as best we can manage my friends, rest assured. For now though, please take your time to recoup. Your lodgings are on me for the next week."
With that, both officials leave and return to running a town ravaged by disasster in the last few weeks.
Idrian
Idrian's time working on the bow for Durik was settling. It allowed the hunter to reflect on the events of the past few weeks and his intereactions with those involved. As a man used to working alone, there had been times where his elvish perspective and bounty hunting nature had clashed with the others. Yet for all their differences, they seemed to gel.
As he was adding the final touches to the bow, laminating the timber with a resin he'd had the old Gnome alchemist prepare for him, he got the sense of someone behind him. Turning carefully, he found himself bing stared at by the youngest Creedy, the little girl who had spied on them when her brothers had been brought to justice.
The hunter looked around cautiously, watching to see if others were with the girl, but so far as he could tell none where near by. "What is it girl, I'm busy" he stated bluntly.
The girl stared defiantly at him, showing the same brave spirit she had in their earlier encounter. "Ma says to tell ye that the Judge is a coming. If me brothers hang on account o' you and yours, Ma says she'll be holdin you accountable. She said ter let ye know, that when the time comes, you need to be makin' the smart choice"
With that, she turned and scampered out into the street.
Tania
Tania's time in town was a mix of emotions. Her father was more than emotional when she returned alive and mostly well from the goblin fortress. Her forced distance from him hurt him deeply though, and Tania found more and more of her time Ameiko at the Rusty Dragon, or telling tales with the performers at the Cracktooth.
Marcus Blunt on the other hand responded with growing frustration at her coldness. More and more he pressed her for affection, buying her small gifts and calling to see when he could, but as time grew into weeks, he began to return her coldness. "You have changed Tania Teg!" he told her bluntly on their last meeting. "A person can only try for so long before he has to come to a decision. I'm sorry you feel this way about me, I'll not be bothering you again. Sheriff says a Judge is coming to help sort out the stuff in town recently. I'm to ride out and escort him in. Won't be in town for a few days, so that should suit you to a tee."
He had left her at the entrance to the rusty dragon then, her emotions torn.
Durik and Feldspar
Both holy men found solace in the general running of the temple in the first few days back in town. Father Zanthus was magnanimous in providing them a place to stay and allowing them use of the libraries to study what they had found.
Maree had made a complete recovery after the exorcism the two had conducted. Her eyes seemed brighter, for all that they couldn't see the world. Her cat on the other hand, seemed to resent both men and steadfastly refused to go near them. Maree laughed at the discomfort this caused them, the bubbling sound of it lightening the mood. "Both of you are my newest heroes you know. Very few people in this world have shown kindness to me since my parents died, and you two put yourselves at risk to see me set free."
Her tone turned more serious though, as she made them a pot of tea. "I had another vision last night. A true vision this time, without the twisting perceptions of the demon to taint it. The words were written through sky of dark clouds, marred by crows of evil nature. "Ware the grave danger of hungers gnawing. The fallen maid weeps in bones of liche's falling". She turned to them both, her blind eyes not quite finding them in the room as she spoke again "This one had me worried, in way my visions haven't done so since my parents died. I can feel to for boding in the omen, and you will both need to act if Sandpoint is to survive what is coming"
Despite these words, neither man could find any hint of danger of the next few weeks. Father Zanthus conducted a cleansing ritual on the arcane pool beneath Sandpoint, draining the power from it into a blessed urn which he then sealed in the temples strong rooms. Durik Feldspar and Jo'No all had to work on the ritual with him, combining their power to his in order to make it work. Jo'No had looked bleary eyed during the event, showing how much he had been studying of late.
On the note of studies, Feldspar had found some reference to the symbols he had found within the the ruins. The starred symbol was known as a Siehedron rune, and carried the seven sins of mortals at each point. As a religious item, it was used in ancient Thassilon as worship to the immortals of that time apparently. That was all he could find though.
Durik had no joy in getting anyone to travel to the burnt out goblin fortress though. Zanthus wouldn't risk another foray into goblin terrirtory, and Shalelu insisted that the place would not be reinhabited by the feral green skins for many generations now. "I took pains to inscribe many of the Ttribes names on the trees and rocks surrounding the region. Goblins believe that words trap the soul, and they'll think the place is haunted by the spirits of those you slew there. Fear no danger from that quarter my friend"
Feldspar frowns uncertainly at Maree's latest vision. "'Fallen maid?' That reminds me of Nualia but she's no danger now. Perhaps the Gods will give us more to go on in the future. I'll not forget your words."
He felt a great relief at draining the power from the arcane pool beneath Sandpoint with Father Zanthus. The presence of all that evil energy so close to the town was a constant worry for him and it was only after it had been contained that he was finally able to rest easily.
The knowledge he was able to unearth regarding the Siehedron rune was curious but he wasn't sure how it might apply to what they'd encountered. These Thassilon must have been evil, or certainly misguided but he couldn't quite guess as to what their significance in current events might be.
He resolved to discuss it with the others when he had the opportunity.
"I am glad of the help I was able to provide you Maree."
This one lived. Perhaps I am not cursed.
"I've no idea about that message either Feldspar. If the symbols were used in ancient Thassilon perhaps that means something? Or the lich's falling."
Durik is relieved and renewed by the cleansing of the pool, and sets to work on ancient manuscripts, looking for any information on Thassilon and a lich.
Jo'no
Jo'no's eyes were gritty from studying such archaic writing under the dom lights of candles and magical illumination. He found that nothing beat reading in daylight, but his recent studies had shown him that certain texts only revelaed their secrets in the light of old flame or arcana itself, burning at the whim of one willing to tap power for such frivolous needs.
The book he had taken from Nualia had finally revelaed its secrets to him, though he had needed to purchase a scroll of dispelling magic from distant Magnimar in order to break the enchanted sigil on the front cover. Even then, the words were a muddle to him, and it was only by luck that he had broken the code. His candle had guttered late into the night and in sheer frustration he summoned forth a magical light to read by. When he did, missing words and letters leapt him from the journal. Nualia had learned magic from some source since he had last met her, and whatever had tought her this, had also told her to be cautious it would seem. At the end, she had been a far cry from the innocent and unfortunate girl he remembered from his youth.
The diary revealed much of her hatred for Sandpoint, burning deep after her only two friends had left her (she used the word abandoned). Her father, the good priest of Desna, had beaten her regularly, it would seem. He had told her it because she had to remember the pains of her flesh lest her angelic heritage lead her to trouble and dreams beyond mortal ken. In her older age though, the young wizard had found musings about the cause of such beatings. "It was only after he had been looking at the image of mother that he beat me. I caught him watching me bathe once, and after that I had gotten a beating that left me scarred. My father was less interested in my sanity than he was in his purity it would seem."
There had been a scandal, and she had fallen pregnant to a travelling sailor in the end. Her father had seen fit to bust, locking her away in the tower of the old church and telling folk he had sent her to live with an Aunt in Magnimar. At the end though, he had to call for a midwife for her child began to pain her. In a night of blood and pain, the infant had torm its way from her womb, bestial and deformed, but still Nualia had loved it. Her father and the midwife had gasped in shock, and he had tried to rip the child from her arms. In that moment, the babe had fallen, dashing its head on the floor and perishing. Nualia knew rage then, and reaching out to whatever god would listen she drew on power that burned both her father and the midwife where they stood. The church had burned, but Nualia had fled.
The diary wandered then, but eventually she made it to Magnimar where she met a man she called "The bloodied judge". It was he who showed her the power of the goddess she had chosen, and he her told her to seek the ruin of Thassilon to unleash retribution on her homeland. In Magnimar, she had truly fallen to darkness.
The mage sighed and put his work aside. He had spoken to the old man about the Thasilonian ruins, but mostly he had rambled about fire towers and statues of imense power. one thing he had learned though, while Tania was with him none the less. Thassilon had been ruled by a cabal of powerful mages that each drew their power from the sins of the people who lived under their rule. Some great cataclysm had destroyed their lands though, and all that power had apparently vanished from the land. It would seem one such item of power was the well he had helped seal beneath town. It was time to tll his friends.
Mikka
Mikka danced naked beneath the moonlight, her lithe body twisting to a music that only her druid sense could percieve. The biting creatures of the glade left her be, sensing the powerful nature magic that the woman was binding to herself even as she seemed to float effortlessly through the steps of her danse.
The young woman was exultant in victory, having destroyed a minion of her mother and in so doing removing a temple to the hated mother of beasts as well. She felt sure she was on the path her goddess had set before her, and her power grew as she fought the monn mothers enemies.
She felt a presence beside her, dancing in time with her steps. Naked flesh pressed gently against her then skipped away, increasing tempo as the dance neared its conclusion. Mikka kept her eyes closed, aready knowing who it was who joined her this night. She had been expecting a visit and it did not seem so out of place that it would be here in this moonlit glade.
The tempo continued, and the Druidess' heart beat faster with the effort and excotment as she felt her goddess' power begin to flow into her and renew her magic. Again the flesh of a wyoung and lithe body pressed against her, staying in place and swaying in the last steps of the dance, pressing pelvis and breasts hard together even as the palms of both their hands pressed together and raised towards the moon.
As the power rushed through her body, the young druid screamed in primal pleasure, experienceing a release stronger than any carnal act could prdouce as the power of the young maiden filled her body with magic and power.
The women collapsed to the ground, panting with the effort of the ritual and smiling at each other in the silver light.
"You do me great service, Mikka of the dell. Your mothers power already falters, and minions of the great abomination have been driven from this land, never to taint these shores again."
The young maid leaned in and kissed her gently on each cheek, sending a thrill of excitement through Mikka's body as she felt the power there.
"I sense your eagreness to continue to track your mother down, but I urge you be patient. Passion is the domnion of the young, as you have shown well this night, but you must display the wizdom of the mother and hag as well. There is a danger coming to this place, an abomination that should never have risen has come to awakening and distant tendrils spread even this far. Stay and work with those you have so recently seen to be worthy. It would be a sad event if all your good works to date were unreavelled because you left as a greater danger rose. I cannot tell you more, for there are those who work against even I in these dealings. Your fate remains bound to these lands for a while yet young druid, and your Mother's thread is wound within, of that I am sure."
With those words, Mikka again found herself alone in the glade, a sense of peace and happiness welling deep within her womb, from which all her magic welled.
Mikka lay in the glade, sated, filled with a sense of calm and purpose as well as the renewed power and pulsating life energy. It seemed that she would remain with her new friends for a while yet and continue to heal the land upon which the town was built.
Even the knowledge of her mother's continued involvement could not break her reverie as she listened to the sounds of the night, cool night air flowing over her sweat drenched body as the sacred moonlight kissed her skin, she breathed a soft sigh as she allowed herself into the gentle embrace of sleep, secure in the knowledge of her safety in the sacred space of thhe glade.
Jo'no will gather his friends and will share some of the highlights of Nuala's diary. See above info in Wrath's story for Jo'no.
"I feel honor bound to seek out this blooded judge in Magnimar and ensure that he is..." Jo'no pauses slightly, but clear his mouth seemed poised to speak the word of "kill" next. "... is brought to justice."
"I'll follow you to the pits of the Worldwound Jo'no... And I also think it's my duty as well to find this corrupter!"
Having gathered at "The Rusty Dragon" to share a meal and news of recent events, the group approached by Ameiko.
"I wouldn't be too keen to go running off just yet you two" she stated in her strange accented voice. "Rumour in town is there's a Judge coming in from Magnimar to hold court against the Creedy's and the smuggler the sherriff captured on his raid. Balor sent to town for assistance, and this is what we get. The Judge's require all witnesses to give testiony in any case they preside over, and you folk'll be right in the thick of it"
She smiled as she handed out the ales and wines the group had ordered, looking almost like her old self now a few weeks had passed since her father and brother had been killed. "Balor won't be letting you leave town until the judge has heard what you have to say."
"Besides, I want to be here to see the Creedy's get their comeuppance."
"That is dark news Jo'No. Though I often travel to Magnimar as part of my duties, this judge is unknown to me. Nualia's father was a troubled man it seems, and one who should've been taken care of long before it came to this. Though I do not feel bad about his fate the means for it trouble me greatly. Whomever taught Nualia the dark magic she used is still out there."
Feldspar nods at Durik's words. "I am willing to see whoever brought such dark knowledge to taint Nualia's soul cast down to the judgement of the Gods. Until our tasks here are complete, however, our duty must come before our desires."
He takes a long pull at his beer before speaking again. "I did what I could to learn more of the dark powers the woman had been drawing upon. I wasn't able to learn much, but I did get a hint that may lead to greater information. It seems that evil symbol we encountered on Thistledown is from some ancient empire or nation known as Thassilon. It is not a word I've heard spoken of before. Have any of you perhaps heard tell of such a realm?"
She'll thus wander to different libraries, looking for new lore on Thassilon, for insight into the wonders she has seen, in particular the ruins she has visited.
Tania thinks how much she longs to put some distance between her and this town, for a few days at least. She thinks of Marcus, of her father and mother... Finally, wisdom and her friends' advice win: "All right, no point in going by myself. I'll stay for the trial's testimony at least. Jo'no, from what you say, do you think Nualia was referring to another cult in which the priest plays a role as a "judge"?"
Thassilon still seems to be a mystery to most of the group, and there are very few records in town about the ancient civilisation. However Tania did manage to wrangle out of some of the older Shoanti in the town that Thassilon held a place of fear and revulsion in their old stories. "Was a kingdom of subjugation and slavery. The god kings ruled with an iron fist, and each one encouraged its people to indulge in their preferred sins to the detriment of any but the god king. In these parts, the old stories speak of beserker rages and acts of angry murder that make the unpleasent business recently look like children at play. The god king fed from this anger, and she used the power to fight the other god kings, hurling fire over great distances and ruining mountains with a wave of her hand. It was a bad land little Tania, and we are well rid of its power."
The remainder of the night passed in pleasent conversation and good food, with Ameiko cooking her friends a particularly fine and rare dish from her homelands.
The next morning saw a buzz in town. Rumour spread like wild fire that the judge had arrived from Magnimar, and he'd brought a Hell Knight with him. Some where excited about this, for when a Hell Knight came, it usually meant punishment would be swift and permanent. Heads would roll this week, and the town seemed more than happy to see it happen.
One of the guardsman did the rounds that morning, calling on each member of the group to come to the town hall, for the Judge had asked them to give evidence.
Tania gets a little gloomy about those dark tales of a distant past. She thinks of the magic ruins they visited, all the wonders that filled her young fertile imagination as they connected with the girl's childish fantasies, when she would dream wonderful tales set in distant Thassilon. How far was she from the mark!?!
The arrival of the judge and the news of a Hell Knight brings her back to here and now. This doesn't bode well for the Creedys... She hurries and rehearses her testimony, wondering how bad it will all turn out...
As much as Idrian was for having criminals pay for their deeds, he disliked hellknights. They had a way of finding everyone guilty, even the innocent. However, we is ready when they finally call for him.
Mikka enjoyed the time with her friends, pleased with the night of cameraderie. She made her companions aware of the fact that her goddess also wished her to remain in Sandpoint.
The stories of ancient Thassilon only secured in her mind the readon decadent civilizations were all eventually destined to fall.
Durik listens intently to the stories of ancient Thassilon. He does his best to forget the smell of burning flesh when the depravities of the ancients is described.
A hellknight? This bodes ill for those boys, there will be no compassion here.
Feldspar nods at what Tania had to share about Thassilon. "I suspected it might be as bad as that. The sigil we encountered has to do with seven 'sins'. Any people that would put such great value in sins as opposed to virtues is one that I am glad to see gone from the world."
Feldspar accepted the summons to give testimony at the town hall with mixed feelings. That the Creedys had earned their punishment there was no question, but he had little appreciation for the manner in which the Hellknights wrought their justice. He had a bad feeling for what the day would bring.
Nonetheless, he made sure his armor and shield were well-tended and clean, drawing a clean cloak over his shoulder embossed with the hammer of Torag before making his way over to the town hall. He would do honor to his God this day, no matter how distasteful he might find those he must work with.
Tania looks back at Feldspar: "I shudder at the thought that these were perhaps seen as virtues for them..."
The council hall was quiet when the group arrived. It was still quite early morning, and the sherrif's men were keeping nosy folk away while things were in the preliminary stage.
As they marched in through the heavy front doors, they were met with a strange smell. It was a smokey incense burning in a few metal censors that had been hung in the hall. Apparently the Judge had an issue with the sea and fish smell of Sandpoint and this cloying odour was far more to his liking.
They were shown through to a waiting room and asked to sit by a harried looking middle aged woman. "The judge will call on each of you one at a time." She seemed nervous as she spoke, as if even mentioning his name would bring her under his scrutiny.
True to her word, each one of the young heroes was called in to the main office of the building, a chamber usually reserved for Mayor Deverin herself.
Sitting behind the ornate wooden table, his hand busy scribbling furious notes on parchment with a metal tipped quill, was a slim and aged Elf. He was dressed in the garb of a Judicator, red robes over black underclothes. His silver hair was pulled back into a severe pony tail, and his strangely tilted eyes gleamed with shrewd intelligence as he looked up from his work. For a moment, his hand traced across the intricate filligree of the desk, before looking up.
It was at that moment that the called group member noticed the almost statue like sentinal standing to the side of the room, buried in the gloom of the darkened corner. The man was huge, both in height and stature, standing a good six and a half feet tall and built very solidly. His body and face were completely encased in an ornate suit of plate armour, laquered with dull greys and blacks to remove all form of gleam and leave naught but the craftmenship and shape of the armour itself to be appreciated. A massive axe leaned on the wall beside the man, its handleeasily in reaching distance.
The Judge spoke then, drawing the visitors eyes back from the imposing visage of a Hell Knight in full regalia.
"I have heard it said by the Mayer of this little town that you may have evidence to present in regards to the..." he looked down at his paper work for a moment before continuing "Creedy Brothers. Tell me, what is it exactly that you can show in regards to their involvement in the events of teh Goblin raid on this township, and subsequent troubles in town. Think carefully now, your very words may decide the future of these mens lives."
Those eyes stared with unnerving intelligence directly into the eyes of whomever he spoke to. Elves rarely blinked, which made the gaze even more unnerving. Anyone speaking to this man would need to choose their words carefully indeed.
She lets her voice rise and rign with energy as she speaks: "I'll tell you about the Creedy boys, Judge. They were misled and went a-thievein' not knowing what they had gotten themselves into. Now the real mastermind, the Kaijutsu father and sons, they're dead, one from his goblins and son, the other, by us. Them boys we captured and surrender they did, causing no trouble, helping even, collaborating to help us find who had lied to them and betrayed them. Scoundrels and thieves they are, but not conspirators. Without their help, the real culprits would have not been caught!"
"You called on me your Honor?"
Durik stands straight as he enters the room and betrays no nervousness. As an inquisitor of the church of Desna, specializing in exorcisms, this man and his lackey are hardly the worst things he's seen.
Feldspar walks into the chamber, resplendant in his armor and cloak, helm carried in one arm so that his head is bare. His beard is well groomed and his hair pulled back so that the mark of Torag's blessing showed clearly upon his brow.
With a nod to the justice, he clears his throat and speaks in a deep, sonorous voice, "I am Feldspar the Flamebeard, Paladin of Torag and a defender of Sandpoint. As all men know, the word of a chosen of Torag is as strong as steel."
He speaks briefly of the attack on Sandpoint by the goblins and the clues he and his fellows had uncovered that led them to the caves outside of town.
"The Creedy lads were there as we'd expected. They attacked us at first but wisely stood down when we demonstrated our superior forces. We questioned them and they told us they'd been hired to steal a shipment of fireworks on behalf of a man they named as Lonjiku Kaijistu."
"We also found in their possession a number of items such as payment for their crime, and evidence that they'd been involved in smuggling alcohol to avoid the local taxes on imports. Later we were able to confirm that Kaijistu was indeed involved in the attack on Sandpoint. There has been no further evidence that the lads had greater knowledge of his plans."
With that he places his hands behind his back. "Though the lads are clearly guilty of smuggling and theft, they cannot in truth be blamed for the attack on Sandpoint itself. It is my belief that whatever their punishment it should be delivered with that in mind. The youngest, at least, is largely an innocent that has been misled by his elders. The eldest shows considerable lack of foresight and understanding of the consequences for bad choices. This is an opportunity to teach both of them the penalties for stepping beyond the law."
He pauses a moment, considering the last of the three. "As for the other lad...Torag has shown to me that he has allowed evil to twist his heart. Several times he threatened me retribution for his imprisonment. But I am unaware of any other crimes he has committed that require harsher punishment. Have you any further questions for me?"