"Don't worry about it, Sis," Nicat replies kindly, "Ekan's right, it took the whole team to take care of these awful things. Of course, it took me to put the quasiwhatsit to sleep..."
As they leave the catacombs, Nicat is happy to be leaving this bloody place, but glad they've defeated some real evil - and hoping to come back and finish the job.
When the party walks into the Rusty Dragon, the first thing they notice is Ameiko sitting on the bar, playing her samisen. Most of the other patrons here are chatting away merrily... Ameiko, on the other hand, appears to be quite distracted by something.
"Hey Ameiko!" Nicat calls out brightly, a spring in his stride despite the horrid things they've just seen. Walking up to her he says, "How are things? Your playing is lovely as always, but your heart doesn't seem in it. Something wrong?"
As he awaits her answer, he waves at one of the busy servers and makes a drinking gesture, then hold his hands far apart: Big drink! is clearly the message here.
Conner finds an empty table and falls into a chair, waving at a barmaid that he needs something to drink.
"It's good to be under a familiar and welcoming roof again," Ekan takes a seat and asks for some tea.
Strong tea.
Eostre follows Nicat over to Ameiko, letting him do the talking.
Ameiko looks up from her samisen when Nicat calls out. "Huh? Oh..."
She puts her samisen on the bar and scratches her head. "It's nothing, really... just having a busy day."
Bethana, Ameiko's elderly halfling waitress, takes Conner's and Ekan's orders and hustles off to the kitchen, reappearing with two mugs of ale for Conner.
"Here you go, dearie. You look like you had a rough day." She nods at Conner before turning to Ekan. "Your tea is brewing now, sir."
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"Define "busy," please. We just uncovered a hidden ruin beneath the town, were begged for help by the ghost of the local serial killer and slew a demon over 10,000 years old, our frame of reference is somewhat skewed." Eostre replies in a quiet tone.
"Thank you, Ameiko," Ekan says, even as he nods slowly at Eostre's words.
Ameiko arches an eyebrow in surprise. "Really? Okay, now I *have* to hear this."
She leans forward with interest. She appears to have been cheered up, at least a little.
Eostre leans on her glaive.
"Well, after talking with Brodert Quink, we decided to investigate Chopper's Isle and found a trapdoor in Chopper's old house. Going down we found a shrine to some bird-man-thing. A priest would likely know what deity or demon it was. But I digress. Beyond the shrine we found a stairwell with the Sihedron star on each step. The Thassilonian ruin beneath was haunted by Chopper's ghost, who said "help me," implicating that he may not have been in control of his body or something when he committed his killing spree. The presence of a quasit demon that could speak fluent Thassilonian and several aberrant monsters corroborates that hypothesis. If you want a more florid version, I'm sure Nicat can provide it, though he's incapable of pronouncing the names of a demon. I'm going to have to go back to Brodert and inform him of what we've found. He'll want to see it for herself. And we'll likely need to get that priest from the Cathedral to exorcise Chopper's ghost or lay his body to rest for something. The damn spirit was CRYING when we left."
Conner gratefully nods, a mug in each hand and drinking from each alternately.
"And thank goodness someone as educated as Eostre was there, or I'd still be asking myself over and over again 'what just happened?'" Ekan says, only half joking about it, he takes a sip of his tea and savors the strength of it. The flavor helps him center again.
Nicat is about to jump in and interrupt Eostre's account of things when she suggests me might be able to provide a more "florid" version of he story. "Florid?" he says, a puzzled look on his face. "There weren't any flowers anywhere near the place! But I can tell you the place was dark and gloomy and scary and full of monsters! But we took care of 'em - Conner grew huge and killed some, and Ekan punched and kicked a bunch, and Eostre waved around her glaive like she was signalling for help from someone far away! Then Sylvia patched us all up and here we are!"
Giving Ameiko a serious look, he changes the subject, "You sure there's nothing wrong? If you're really just having a busy day, why were you sitting here playing music? Seems a busy day would make that hard to do."
Eostre facepalms. Again.
Ameiko listens to Eostre's tale and Nicat's more colourful account. Her expression changes to one of discomfort.
"Wow..." Is all she can say as she gets back to work. "Come on--you look like you could use a drink." She pulls out a pair of bar stools and sets her samisen behind the bar.
"You sure there's nothing wrong? If you're really just having a busy day, why were you sitting here playing music? Seems a busy day would make that hard to do."
"I'm entertaining the patrons, on top of bringing them their food. AND I have to do all the cleaning and dishes almost by myself." Ameiko shrugs. "I'd say that counts as having a busy day."
Ekan tilts his head. It's clear to him something IS bothering her, but pushing would be rude, and likely just get her to dig her heels in, instead he says, "Well, I'm glad to hear you're fine. But if you ever do wish to talk or vent about anything, feel free. You lend an ear to so many others, it would only be fair to return the favor."
"Damn straight, Ekan. I mean, you put up with my drunken rambling the other day. Least we can do is be there for you. You're one of the first damn friends I have!" Eostre adds, clapping Ameiko on the back.
Ameiko sighs as Eostre claps her on the back. "I appreciate it, guys, but... really, it's just some family troubles. It's fine--it'll all work out."
"Anyway, who's the new guy?" She asks, looking over at Conner. "With Fulko off doing who knows what with the garrison, I was wondering who'd fill in for your 'big burly warrior' position."
Sylvia takes a seat at the bar, looking down. She appears to be rather... out of it.
"Is your father being an ass again? I oughta turn him into a toad or something, see how he likes that after a few hours...if I COULD turn someone into a toad to begin with. I'm a long way from baleful polymorphs. As for Conner, we picked him up over at the White Deer. Apparently that noble who's sweet on Sylvia was hiring help to restore his old manor. He offered to tag along when we investigated Chopper's Isle. Not really sure why he's decided to stick around."
"Is your father being an ass again? I oughta turn him into a toad or something, see how he likes that after a few hours...if I COULD turn someone into a toad to begin with. I'm a long way from baleful polymorphs."
Ameiko flinches. Sounds like someone struck a nerve.
"Eostre, as much as I... appreciate the thought," She sighs, scratching her head. "I really don't think that's necessary."
"Believe me, I know better than anyone how much of an ass he can be. He's controlling, demanding, almost always grumpy and only got worse when Mom passed away." She folds her arms. "He's also never missed a day of work, never missed a payment on the house, never had any outstanding debts, and anything he owed he made sure he repaid." She leans against the bar. "I never went hungry under his roof, though sometimes he did to make sure I didn't."
"I'll be the first to admit he's an a@+*$&!. But he's still my family. Let's leave it at that, alright?"
Eostre blanches a bit at Ameiko's words, and bites her lip.
"That...that's honorable. Providing for your family at the expense of yourself. That's what any dwarf would expect of their parents. My own dad's like that. I'm sorry, Ameiko. Talking crap about your family when I don't know them makes ME the ass."
Ameiko just waves off Eostre's apology. "Don't worry about it; it's nothing, really."
Nicat is about to insist that Ameiko tell them what's wrong, but Ekan's thoughtful response actually seems to penetrate Nicat's small, ever-so-slightly thick head, and he pauses. He lets Eostre and Ekan reassure Ameiko that they're there if she needs any of them, keeping his mouth uncharacteristically shut.
When she asks about Conner, however, he can't help himself, "Oh, you mean Clanker? Hell of a fighter, especially when he's ten feet tall! But let me tell you, you can hear him coming a mile away! I'm known for my low profile and stealthy ways, so it takes a bit of getting used to, but he's a good man in a fight, eh?"
Nicat admires Eostre's skill at insulting their hostess' father, hiding his mischievous grin in his glass of stout, lest he make things worse. He's content to while away the evening - he's sure Eostre has some plan for something they should do next, or research next, or something.
Conner scoffs before draining a mug. "I want them to hear me coming, it's the only way to make it challenging."
"I was grateful for you taking the frontline, those creatures are not easy foes," Ekan admits with another sip.
The evening passes in a blur of merriment...
-----------
The next morning is heralded by a light fog and cloudy skies.
Eostre, having kept her drinking light the night before, wakes up at the crack of dawn. She gets herself clean and dressed and then goes to round up the others. The fact that she was awake before NICAT is surprising. She can barely contain her excitement!
Conner drags himself out of bed, groaning as several joints pop. He runs a hand through his hair, making it slightly less messy, and starts getting dressed.
Nicat crawls out of bed lethargic and slightly grumpy, having spent a few ill-advised hours last night trying to figure out a way to see Shayliss without waking up her father. Eostre's excitement about their plans for the day irritate him excessively in his current mood, but a few large mugs of tea and a hot breakfast brighten his world-view considerably.
"Right," he says, "off to see the smart man and the holy man, eh? Ready when you all are."
"Wow, that has to be the first time I've seen you in a bad mood, Nicat," says Eostre in between devouring a plate of six eggs and gulping down an entire pint of coffee.
Once the party has had a chance to get some breakfast (and curiously, Ameiko was late in making it), it's time for the trip to Brodert Quink's home.
The streets of Sandpoint are especially foggy around the waterfront today. Brodert's home is, surprisingly, not completely shrouded in fog. One of Brodert's cats (the golden-furred one) is snoozing on the windowsill.
His mood much improved relative to the start of his day, Nicat walks softly up to the snoozing cat and scratches her head, then turns and gives a couple of sharp raps on Quink's door.
"Got your wizardly questions all lined up, sis?" he asks Eostre as he waits for the door to open.
"Wait, you're related?"
Eostre facepalms once more.
"Argh, no! I've only known Nicat for about a few days. I'm from Riddleport. I've never been to Sandpoint in my life. He's just being a dunderhead again."
"Yeah, Conner, we're not related by blood," Nicat concurs, "but we've both noticed we have a lot in common, so I've been calling her 'Sis'. She even teases me like a brother - can you believe she called me a 'dumbhead'? The whole thing's kind of nice, eh?"
He turns and gives Quink's door a kick, looking about as if he expects the scholar to appear from anywhere.
Nicat's kick to the door draws a string of flustered gibberish from inside. "One minute please! One minute!"
Soon enough, a frazzled Brodert Quink appears at the door, his glasses askew and his clothes wrinkled and messy. "Er-- *ahem* yes, sorry to keep you waiting--fell asleep at my desk and--er, may I help you?"
"Brodert, we found the runewell!"
Brodert goes quiet.
"...you're pulling my leg." He says once the shock wears off. "Where is it? Where is it?! Good heavens above, woman, tell me!"
He's giving Nicat a run for his money in terms of excitability now.
"On Chopper's Isle!" Nicat replies, Quink's contagious excitement adding to the halfling's natural tendency toward such a state. "Where I sometimes played as a kid! It was under the Chopper's house, through a trap door! We saw the Chopper's ghost and a Sipedrical star...or something like that...and demon things - Eostre talked to a demon - it was called a whatzit demon, she said - before I put it to sleep...though maybe it got bored talking to her and fell asleep..."
He shakes his head and comes to the belated realization that he might be rambling a bit, then says, "Anyway, we want to lay the spirit to rest, and finish exploring the place. It's actually pretty awful down there."
"Thank you for the synopsis, Nicat."
Eostre rolls her eyes at bit at Nicat's undermining of her dramatic revelation, but continues.
"To fill in the gaps in his hasty story, it appears your hypothesis that the runewell's presence beneath Jervis Stoot's home was partially responsible for him becoming a serial murderer has some accuracy. We found a quasit demon guarding the well, and it spoke fluent Thassilonian. It also was able to conjure monsters by bleeding into the well. We plan on getting a priest from the cathedral to exorcise Chopper's lingering shade, as while it did manifest in the ruins, it begged us for help instead of attacking us. With the ghost gone we could begin a true archaeological survey of the island!"
She turns back to Nicat.
"Nicat, show him the ranseur you found."
"The ranwhatnow?" Nicat asks, leaning on the unusually long pole-arm he's carrying. "Oh, the spear thingy! This!" He holds out the weapon, grasping it by the ivory haft and showing Quink the elaborate carvings of seven-pointed stars that run along it.
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Brodert's eyes widen behind his glasses when Nicat holds out the ranseur for him to examine.
"Oh... good heavens." He takes the ranseur and holds it in his hands. The weapon trembles in his grip from his awe.
"Do you know what this is?! It's--well, it's not the genuine article, but it's--it's--EEEEEE!" The old man squeals with delight. "It's a replica of the Runelord Alaznist's signature weapon! I can't believe this--and you found this under Chopper's Isle, you say?" Now the old sage is REALLY bouncing about with the energy of a much younger man.
Eostre facepalms.
"Alaznist! That was who the statue was of! I can't believe I forgot that! It's basic Thassilonian history. I'm such an idiot!"
She sighs in exasperation.
"At any rate, yes, the tunnels are under Chopper's Isle."
"Who are we talking about again?"
"That statue Nicat pulled that ranseur off of. It was a statue of Alaznist, one of Thassilon's last Runelords. If it's the ghost's identity you're curious about, a local like Nicat or Ekan could probably explain it better than me."
"Or our good sage could, he is the expert... " A very excitable expert Ekan considers
Brodert nods. "Runelord Alaznist was none other than the Runelord of Wrath--she wasn't as powerful as the best of them, but she came quite close. She was powerful enough to have her own share in the Thassilonian Empire, at the very least."
"And I'd love to explain more, but... oh my oh my oh my! I need to get my things together! I need to make sure the cats are fed, I need my notes, my quill, my--oh, heavens, this is going to take me a while." He goes back to his desk and starts fumbling with some papers. "Er, is there anything else?"
Eostre plants her glaive and gives Brodert a hard look.
"Steel yourself for danger. We'll forge ahead and try to make it safe for you, but we can't make any guarantees. Also, as I said, we're going to go to the cathedral and get a priest to help exorcise that ghost. Even if it's harmless, its moaning would be distracting while studying the place."