Unsure of what participle of activity Kpu commended (healing the man or calling the dog) and overwhelmed by the barrage of compliments today, Dusk merely manages a shy smile and small "Thank you!" before hurriedly rushing after Dog-Nerak and Estria.
As you begin moving outside the wall, Nerak's dog nose picks up the scent of these fly traps. You'd have to follow the scent or tracks to be certain of where the creatures came from , but it is pointing you along the Lost Coast Road here. That road would take you past the Ravenroost hills and then between the Tickwood (south of the road) and Shank's Wood (north of the road).
Given that the gremlins bore a symbol belonging to a creature known as the Tickwood Hag, the direction makes sense. You know that walking to the Tickwood along this road would take about 45 minutes, but you will have a harder time closely following the tracks if you're moving at normal speed.
It is currently around 9:30pm--darkness fell about an hour ago.
"We should probably return to town for now and rest up, then head out in the morning. Darkness only favors our enemies."
The dark haired mutt returns to the group and shimmers back into his normal form, a small grin on his face. "Got their scent. Looks like they came from up along the Lost Coast Road."
At Kpu'Unde's suggestion, Nerak nods his agreement. "Dunno if I can catch the scent again in the mornin', but it's pretty clear where this lot came from I think. Let's let some people know what happened, and rest up. Dunno about you lot, but I'd sure like to follow this one through; they make for good hunting!"
"Indeed. I wouldn't want to fight such creatures in the dark." Estria agreed. "With a hunting party during the day, however... I'm not too bothered by such vermin if they stay in their own territory, but if they attack people, that's another story entirely. Ignore it and they'll just be bolder the next time - they cannot be permitted to think that our cities are targets."
"They bearing a symbol is what worries me the most" Rick adds. To him, animals or creatures naturally looking for food are one thing, and an organised group of critters is completely another. "But yes, I think it's time to call it a day and get some rest for tomorrow." He waves goodbye and walks towards the Rusty Dragon with whoever else is staying there.
Dusk assents to turning in for the night. Unsure of where else to go, she accompanies Rick and any others heading to the Rusty Dragon Inn.
Brommyl was happy to return to the Rusty Dragon Inn. The food was good, the waitstaff was friendly, and the location made it easy to get to most areas of the town quickly in case another attack happened overnight.
As you make your way south through town, you see Sheriff Hemlock and several other guards gathering slain flytraps and gremlins into a heap and preparing to burn the bodies. The two guards that you saved from the group of three gremlins see you--they smile and give a wave before returning to their task. Almost all of the townfolk have already retreated into their homes by this time. When you approach the Rusty Dragon, you find its proprietor, Ameiko Kaijitsu, standing outside in the street talking with an elf . Ameiko ushers in another patron, "Come on in. We have a good fire going, and Bethana is serving a hearty stew to warm your belly," and then turns to you. "Now, this must be the band of surprising heroes I've been hearing about! Is it true you stepped in and saved Marv and Corin's necks from a bunch of gremlins?" She gestures at the elf beside her. "This is Legonor--he acquitted himself well in the battle, too. You all are welcome to stay here at my inn--in fact, your rooms are free of charge for the week! Now, get some rest. I look forward to hearing more about you tomorrow."
In the morning, any of you who aren't early risers on your own awake to knocking on your door--it's Ameiko, summoning you downstairs to meet with Sheriff Hemlock, who has asked to see you. When all of you are downstairs (Estria is here, too; Hemlock went to Brodert Quink's house first to get her), the sheriff begins. "I've heard from some of my men about the role you all played in the defense of the town last night, so let me begin by saying thank you. Quite a number of people were injured, but by the grace of Desna and in no small part due to your actions, no one died last night." He looks each of you in the eye as he speaks, and you see that his gratitude is genuine. "But I'm not here just to say that--Father Zantus informed me that something is amiss at the tomb of our former priest, Ezakien Tobyn. I'd like you to come with me to the Boneyard to investigate."
As you walk from the Rusty Dragon to the Boneyard, Hemlock asks about you--he wants to learn your names, where you're from, why you're in town, were you planning to stay a while?
It was good that she rose early to prepare for the day - a bit hard after everything that had happened last night, but she wanted to be prepared with her curatives. "Estria. I'm a scholar from Taldor, here to study the history and ruins of the area." Estria explained as the Sheriff inquired about her history. "I haven't decided exactly how long I'll be in town - probably until I'm done with my studies. I've also got a few more healing packs this morning - magical healing is precious, so let's not use it unless we really have to."
Nerak swells with pride as they are recognized by Ameiko. "Aye, nasty little buggers they were, but not strong enough against a solid axe hit!" The large half-orc enjoys all the attention he receives from the various patrons, as he stays up late into the night drinking and telling stories and drinking some more.
The next morning, when Ameiko bangs on the door and makes enough racket to wake the dead (curses and more curses, I remembered her being nice yesterday...) Narek just rolls over and grumbles a half-hearted "Sod off..." before trying to return to the pleasing quietness of being blacked out. Ameiko is persistent, though, and finally manages to get him out of bed. Bleary-eyed and head pounding, he tries his best to be presentable when the Sheriff introduces himself. Being half-asleep, he agrees to the pro-bono investigative work without even realizing it, something he is normally rather against. (Well, maybe it will spread m'name a little bit...) He follows along, if somewhat reluctantly, with the Sheriff.
The remnants of the alcohol from the previous night keep him from talking too much, though he does say enough to be polite. "Nerak Gajutar is m'name, Sheriff. Tracker and hunter, looking to spread my name a little and make a livin', and otherwise just keepin' my head down."
Rick bows to Ameiko's offer. "Please, I can't accept such a generous offer. Let me pay for the room, it's just fair." Most people in Varisia would just accept and say some kind words in return, but in Minkai it is polite to try to reject a gift. He doesn't speak of his reasons to travel here, though, hoping to do it the next morning. Unfortunately, it seems destiny and a meeting with the Sheriff won't let that happen...
Asked about himself on their way to the Boneyard, he answers with sincerity. "My name is Rikkuro, though you can call me Rick. I am a student of the esoteric arts of the Ki. A monk, if you prefer. I came to Sandpoint in search of my family."
"My name is Kpu'Unde, and I am glad to have lent a helping hand, but I require no thanks. I was simply doing what I was raised to do." said the tall Mwangi man with a nod of his head.
Dusk accepts the kind woman's offer of hospitality, having little else to depend on. Her dreams are contradictory and conflicting, as is the nature of anxiety and mystery. Though her sleep is torturous she somehow awakens fully refreshed.
Joining the others, Dusk realises she cannot truly answer the Sheriff's questions.
"I am Dusk Bloom. I cannot say where I hail from as I do not truly remember the day before yesterday, or a town beyond this. Somehow I am cast adrift, from time...and myself. I am sorry Sheriff, I do not intend obfuscation, so none is made." Dusk looks to her new companions, hoping none of them at least find her lack of clarity disconcerting. Realising some show of loyalty might close matters Dusk grips her glaive and shakes it.
"My blade is yours, your town mine to defend." The wan girl's eyes search the Sheriff's. "That will have to be enough." Somehow her statement still comes out as almost a question.
Legonor nodded to everyone as he was introduced. He kept an eye on them all, curious about anyone else who had been a part of the fighting. From the sounds of things though they would be getting to know each other better tomorrow. So he simply acknowledged anyone who greeted him but kept mostly to himself and turned in early. Upon rising and meeting up with Sheriff Hemlock Legonor eagerly agrees to accompany the party to the cemetery to investigate. Rapier sheathed at his side, bow stave strapped to his back and spear in hand he listened and observed as people introduced themselves a bit.
He looks over the half-orc with an especially keen interest as the man mentions that he is a tracker and hunter. Once several others spoke he added his own name to the conversation, “Legonor Tiriande of Crying Leaf. I am a hunter and occasional guide who travels Varisia looking for rare sights. I came to the area chasing rumors of the Sandpoint Devil. But my talent with a bow seems best put to uses other than hunting what is likely an old wives’ tales at the moment.”
"Brommyl Ironbeard of Clan Ironbeard," the solitary dwarf chimed in. "Like Dusk, I'm not entirely sure why I'm here, to be honest. It's something to do with my tattoos, but considering I don't even know where they came from, I don't have much to go on. For now, I'll assist as best as I am able."'
Nerak looks over at Legonor after he identified himself as a hunter. Puny thing, isn't he? Wonder how well he can fight... The half-orc grins at the elf. "Hunter, are ye? How many of the sneaky lil bastards did y' fell last night? Freaky little things, but sure couldn't stand up to much of a hit."
"Estria. I'm a scholar from Taldor, here to study the history and ruins of the area."
"A scholar, right. Not surprised that you're staying with Brodert and his niece, then."
"Nerak Gajutar is m'name, Sheriff. Tracker and hunter, looking to spread my name a little and make a livin', and otherwise just keepin' my head down."
"Nothing wrong with makin' a living."
"My name is Rikkuro, though you can call me Rick. I am a student of the esoteric arts of the Ki. A monk, if you prefer. I came to Sandpoint in search of my family."
"A monk, eh? Have you been to see Sabyl Sorn yet, at the House of Blue Stones? She's the only outspoken worshiper of Irori in town. And if you need help finding your family, you might ask Mayor Deverin--she knows everyone here."
"My name is Kpu'Unde, and I am glad to have lent a helping hand, but I require no thanks. I was simply doing what I was raised to do." said the tall Mwangi man with a nod of his head.
"And where was it you were raised, if I might ask?"
"I am Dusk Bloom. I cannot say where I hail from as I do not truly remember the day before yesterday, or a town beyond this. Somehow I am cast adrift, from time...and myself. I am sorry Sheriff, I do not intend obfuscation, so none is made." Dusk looks to her new companions, hoping none of them at least find her lack of clarity disconcerting. Realising some show of loyalty might close matters Dusk grips her glaive and shakes it.
"My blade is yours, your town mine to defend." The wan girl's eyes search the Sheriff's. "That will have to be enough." Somehow her statement still comes out as almost a question.
The sheriff eyes the young woman for a long moment. He does seem a little troubled by Dusk Bloom's admission that she doesn't know where she's from, but to her last statement he finally replies, "Aye, it'll be enough for now."
“Legonor Tiriande of Crying Leaf. I am a hunter and occasional guide who travels Varisia looking for rare sights. I came to the area chasing rumors of the Sandpoint Devil. But my talent with a bow seems best put to uses other than hunting what is likely an old wives’ tales at the moment.”
"Ah, the Sandpoint Devil--who knows what to make of the tales about that creature. I've never seen any sign of such a beast, myself--seems more likely that folk think they see what they haven't, encouraged by all the stories they've heard. If there really is a Sandpoint Devil, I'd say the Devil's Platter is where you want to be searching. But we have real concerns to deal with right here."
"Brommyl Ironbeard of Clan Ironbeard," the solitary dwarf chimed in. "Like Dusk, I'm not entirely sure why I'm here, to be honest. It's something to do with my tattoos, but considering I don't even know where they came from, I don't have much to go on. For now, I'll assist as best as I am able."'
Hemlock eyes Brommyl's tattoos for a moment, then shrugs.
"Well, I am glad that you're here, all of you. Now, here we are," Hemlock says. In the last minute or two you have been making your way between gravestones in the Boneyard, and now you are standing in front of the mausoleum which houses the remains of Sandpoint's former caretakers, priests, and acolytes who served at the Cathedral. The stone building is about 20 feet square, and it stands close to the wall of the Boneyard. The stone door hangs slightly ajar, and the ground in front of the tomb is churned up by a lot of foot traffic.
All but Brommyl and Dusk Bloom are able to pick out that most of the footprints match those of the flytraps, but some belong to a humanoid creature larger than the flytraps. Legonor and Nerak both inspect more closely and are able to confirm that four flytraps and one Medium humanoid climbed the Boneyard wall, then approached and entered the mausoleum.
Hemlock sighs and says, "Alright, let's see what they were up to here." He grabs the stone door and it easily swings all the way open. At that moment, two humanoid skeletons lurch out of the tomb!
Rick takes a step back and swiftly evokes his signature ki blasts.
In a quick flurry, Rick blasts both skeletons into nothing more than fragments of bone and dust. Sheriff Hemlock turns and looks at Rick in surprise. "Amazing. Well, let's look inside."
You enter and see several sarcophagi lining the walls of the tomb. In one corner of the room there is also a plain robe lying on the floor, discarded by whoever had worn it. One sarcophagus, that which looks least touched by age among its fellows, lies open. Where the bones of Ezakien Tobyn should lie, there is nothing.
Estria paused slightly, lowering the bottle she'd been reaching out for. "Well, that was easy." she said, deciding to avoid tempting fate by keeping watch for any other threats. "Um... did the missing guy have any enemies?" she asked. That was usually a good first place to start investigating.
"Aw hell" Nerak grunts with annoyance as the skeletons come shuffling out. Before he can react, though, Rick makes quick work of both of them. "Well alright then. Good shots." He looks at Rick with a bit more respect than he had before.
Since foes were about, Nerak went ahead and shifted into his larger form, and drew out his greataxe. He stepped into the tomb, ducking just a little to do so, and the small space made him seem even more massive. "Any more of ya, then?" he says, looking around eagerly for any sign of more undead.
Rick turns a bit red. "Eh, thank you. I wasn't expecting ... mmmh..." He follows Hemlock inside and has a look around.
You all are confident there are no more undead in the tomb. As Rick begins divining the area, he notices a very faint magical aura on the robe in the corner.
However, he is unable to definitively identify the particular type of magic involved.
Rick also notices a faint magical aura emanating from each sarcophagus in the tomb, except for this one which no longer holds any remains.
Rick has trouble with one, but the other four he successfully identifies as belonging to the Life sphere, so it's fair to assume all the auras on the sarcophagi are the same.
"I can sense some magic here" Rick warns. "Here in the sarcophagi. Probably a blessing to protect the dead, but I'm not sure, and I think I wouldn't like to check." He points at the robe. "There also."
"Um... did the missing guy have any enemies?" she asked. That was usually a good first place to start investigating.
"Enemies of Father Tobyn? No, the whole town loved the man," Hemlock replies. "A terrible accident, his death was. He died in the fire when the old chapel burned down, and his young ward, too."
Nerak, satisfied that there are no other foes to smash, allows his form to slip back to normal size. He then continues to shrink, once more taking on the hairy form of a small dog. He starts sniffing around the tomb, seeing if anything else of interest is revealed through his Scent.
Dog-Nerak smells dust and death, but nothing of interest.
"Well, it's clear now that someone working with those creatures was here and stole the remains of Father Tobyn. Might even be that the whole raid was a ruse undertaken to allow this theft to succeed. But like I said, I don't know of anyone who bore ill will toward Ezakien. I can't imagine what anyone would want with his bones," Hemlock says.
"Well, I'd better go inform Father Zantus and Mayor Deverin about this. I'll put this robe in the guardhouse as evidence, not that it tells us anything....I hope that you all will stay with us in Sandpoint for a while. Until we know more about what's going on around here, I worry for the safety of the town. Please don't tell anyone about Father Tobyn's stolen remains, though. People were scared enough by the raid last night, I don't want them starting to invent all kinds of crazy stories about this and working themselves into a panic."
Hemlock walks with you out of the Boneyard, then takes his leave, setting off for the Cathedral.
"My family comes from the M'wangi expanse."
Kpu'Unde focuses his senses on the magical auras in the area, hoping for a better understanding.
"Hm. So, do we wanna look into those creatures that attacked the festival?" Estria inquired. "Last thing we want is for them to come back."
"Be sure you put those robes to examination, Sir. The magic aura might tell us something about them."
Nodding as Estria speaks, Rick agrees. "That should be something, yes. These creatures might have been used for ill purposes, but we need to be sure there's no plan to keep on assaulting the village."
Dusk also looks at Rick with a new measure of respect, and no small amount of caution. She enters the tomb as if looking at an art gallery or museum, noting the construction and touching the walls here and there.
"Nice. A bit cosy, and dark. But nice. And, now unoccupied."
She listens carefully to Father Zantus.
"Was his ward buried here too? Where are his remains?"
She listens carefully to Father Zantus.
"Was his ward buried here too? Where are his remains?"
"Oh, it was a she--Nualia, her name was. A stone was placed for her in the Boneyard, but not here in this mausoleum, seeing as she wasn't truly an acolyte in service at the Cathedral. As I recall, though, there weren't actually any remains to bury--her body was totally consumed in the fire."
Hemlock continues, "I really should get going, to let Father Zantus know that we have made the tomb safe, and to appraise Mayor Deverin of what we have learned. But if you want to go see Nualia's grave stone, I'm sure Naffer Vosk will be happy to show you. He's usually around somewhere, tending the grounds...ah! There he is. Naffer!"
Some distance away a man is hunched over pulling weeds. As Hemlock waves him over he stands up and begins making his way over to you. You see that his form was not hunched just from bending to pull at weeds--it is clear he actually suffers from some physical deformity which is also the reason for his odd, lurching gait.
"May the Dawnflower's light shine upon you," he says as he gets closer. You see a holy symbol of Sarenrae clipped to his belt. "Can I help you in some way?"
"Good morning!" Estria said, smiling at Naffer. "We were hoping to visit Nualia's grave this morning and pay our respects."
"Nualia Tobyn? No one has asked after her in years...terrible tragedy that was. None of you were around to see her, of course, but she was a beautiful young girl. We don't know where she came from before she landed on the doorstep of the old Chapel in a basket, but it was clear she carried celestial blood in her veins. A blessing from the goodly deities, she was. Ezakien took her in as his own child. We all expected she would go on to serve in a good convent somewhere--maybe the Windsong Abbey. But, alas, it was not to be."
As he brings you to Nualia's grave, Naffer continues speaking as more memories come to mind. "We couldn't even find her body to bury after the fire died down, so we simply marked a place for her here. I'm afraid her final weeks weren't the happiest of times, either...she was pregnant by a young man in town, you know, and then the baby did not survive its birth." Naffer sighs. "Poor thing."
Before you stands a modest grave stone. Etched upon its face is the following: Nualia Tobyn, blessed of Abadar, Desna, Erastil, Gozreh, Sarenrae, and Shelyn: May she rest in peace.
The six deities listed are those honored in the Sandpoint Cathedral.
Estria thinks it very unlikely that a human body, even its bones, would be totally consumed in a building fire. It is, perhaps, not totally inconceivable. But she would definitely be inclined to expect some other explanation to be the truth.
That being said, Naffer gives absolutely no impression of duplicitousness. He believes what he is saying.
Estria shrugged slightly. "It would be weird for a human body to vanish, but the celestial-touched are a little... different. There might have been something especially receptive to fire about her body." Unusual, but not quite unheard of - and the fact that she hadn't shown up afterwards suggested she was, in fact, gone.
Dusk wonders whether her own appearance could be due to divine heritage, and makes a mental note to pursue this train of thought at a later date. She listens to the story of Nualia's death.
"Many thanks Naffer, may the light of Sarenrae bathe us all. Might I ask who was the father of her child?"
"I wonder if it was she I saw before." says Kpu'Unde to no one in particular.
Dog-Nerak follows along with the group to the gravesite, letting out a little doggie-snort at the idea that they didn't find the body. When they get to the grave, he sniffs around a little, trying to see if anybody had been here recently.
"Many thanks Naffer, may the light of Sarenrae bathe us all. Might I ask who was the father of her child?"
"Delek was his name. Bit of a rough young man, as I recall. He left town long before the baby came to term, and I haven't heard tell of him ever since."
"I wonder if it was she I saw before." says Kpu'Unde to no one in particular.
"Saw? You haven't been in Sandpoint before, have you? This all occurred about five years ago."
Dog-Nerak follows along with the group to the gravesite, letting out a little doggie-snort at the idea that they didn't find the body. When they get to the grave, he sniffs around a little, trying to see if anybody had been here recently.
There is no lingering scent here other than that of the grass and occasional flower that grows here in the Boneyard--but Nerak's eye picks up on bent blades of grass here and there leading him to the conclusion that the same Medium humanoid that went to Tobyn's tomb also came here, apart from the other creatures, and stood here for a time. The positioning suggests that the humanoid was gazing upon Nualia's grave stone, much as you all are doing now.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Once you finish your conversation with Naffer, you make your way north to the Boneyard's gate, which puts you very close to the town's north gate. The gate is open and the two guards wave as you pass through. You begin making your way along the Lost Coast Road, toward Tickwood Forest.
The sun is bright, the air temperature is cool but not cold, and your walk continues without hindrance. After about two hours , you reach the northern edge of Tickwood. This forest of pines, firs, and redwoods is well known to be the home of wild boars, deer, firepelt cougars, and the rare giant ticks for which the wood is named. Though less widely known, local rumor also holds that this forest hides somewhere within it the lair of a creature known as the Tickwood Hag--that same creature whose symbol Estria and Dusk Bloom recognized last night on the clothing of one of the gremlins.
Once they are well on their way, Nerak's dog-form melts away, and the half-orc once again walks on two feet. "Bah, bloody idiots. Burned up in a fire? Bloody unlikely. No body means no death, most times. There's more t' that story, I bet."
He looks pensive for a minute before continuing. "There's a connection there somehow, anyway, between the tomb robbing and Nualia. Same person what stole the bones also came to pay a visit to the grave. Ballsy thing to do, spending time to stare at a tombstone in the middle of that sort of operation."
Estria's ears perked up slightly as Nerak spoke. "Well, if there is more to it, perhaps we'll figure it out along the way. For now, I don't suppose you can guide us through these woods? I'm not so bad in the wildnerness myself, but I'd rather an expert lead the way."
Nerak nods in agreement. "Aye, I can do that." He looks at his companions with a slight frown, then says "Keep yer eyes open, and let's try to be quiet. Don't want to alert anyone to our presence if we can help it." He melts back down into his dog-form, and begins sniffing his way through the woods.