Conner looks around for that tooth he knocked out, it would make a good necklace.
Conner finds the barghest tooth he sliced out. It's still dripping with blood.
Having run across a number of hidden secrets in this place, Nicat carefully searches the barghest's chamber. "Hey, look! Two secret doors! Let's see what's inside!"
He abandons his careful search and throws open the southwestern door.
The secret door slides into the floor to reveal a pair of racks, containing thirty burning candles each. The candles give off a violet flame, and don't seem to be melting as they burn.
"Huh," Nicat says, a touch of disappointment in his voice, "candles." He studies them a moment, waggling his fingers a bit to sense the magic that must surely be present in them, then says, "Well, that's pretty neat. Hey, Eostre, listen! These are called eternal candles - they're magic! They burn on and on, but with no heat - even in a little closet like this!"
He turns away, no longer interested, and opens the other secret door.
Eostre marches into the room behind Nicat and Evelyn.
"That's TWO times my telekinetic fist has won the day! We better take the barghest's head to return to Sandpoint as a trophy..."
When Nicat describes the eternal candles, Eostre grins.
"Those will be handy for late-night study!"
Conner scoops up the tooth and tucks it in his belt. "Keep a few, but candles like that would be worth something."
"Especially to someone who does a lot of reading, like Brodert!" Eostre says.
"I can scarcely believe it. Naught but a week ago, I was a scared student running for my life, and now I'm an honest-to-gods hero! We all are!"
The second secret door Nicat opens contains a single silver coffer, sitting on a pedestal in a thick layer of dust.
"So, um, all you heroes?" Nicat says, a little hesitant to disturb whatever lies under all that dust. "Care to take a look at this?"
He scans it for the presence of magic and waits to see what the others have to say.
"This may not surprise you much," Nicat observes, "but there's something magical inside this little chest."
"Are you scared there's a trap in it or it's cursed or something?" Eostre asks.
"I'm not scared!" Nicat replies, getting his hackles up slightly. To demonstrate his fearlessness, he stops scanning for magic and attempts to open the coffer.
The coffer opens easily, revealing a bed of white sand. Nestled in the middle of the sand is a silver ring with a seven-pointed star engraved on the band.
"See? Nothing to worry about!" Nicat says, lifting the engraved ring from the sand. As he slips it on he says, "It's a magic ring of...magic. And look, it's got a zihegron on it, sis!"
Ekan has been quiet for the most part, grateful for Evelyn's healing, and while he is well, he will be glad to change out of his bloody garments.
"Unless there is something else?"
"Sihedron!" Eostre snaps as she snatches the ring from Nicat's hand. "Gimme that!"
She holds the ring up and stares at it with glowing green eyes, attempts to identify the ring's power.
Evelyn takes a peek at the ring, but she's completely clueless about what it does and decides to stay quiet.
"Let's load up the candles and get going, I don't know about the rest of you but I've smelled goblin enough for a while."
Once Eostre has pointed out a peculiar little rune inside the ring, Nicat slaps his forehead and says, "Oh, of course, it's a ring of force shield!"
With that question resolved, Nicat says, "Hey, let's head back to town, eh?"
At last, it is time to leave the ancient halls of Thistletop behind and return to proper civilization. With triumphant smiles, heavy packs and dripping armour & weapons, and bearing the heads of both a demon from the outer planes and the madwoman who supposedly served him, the party makes its way back to the surface and back through the cramped goblin tunnels.
The defiled corpse of the elf that marked the entrance to goblin territory has been buried, and a pale white rock rests at the head of the mound of earth where it's been laid to rest.
The sun shines brightly in the sky as the party approaches the outskirts of Sandpoint. People are busily hurrying about on errands and hauling goods to and fro... one wonders how they'll react to learning of your victories.
As the party approaches the town proper, the first thing the townsfolk see is the massive golden helmet being hauled into town. Dozens of people drop what they're doing and stare in awe as the Heroes of Sandpoint return, bearing riches and victory in equal measure.
"Is that--?"
"--that can't be a real helmet, can it?--"
"--merciful Desna! What-what sort of head is THAT?! It looks utterly demonic!--"
"--Hooray for the heroes! HOORAY!"
The townspeople start cheering for you, thronging around the party with gratitude and joy in their eyes.
Conner looks a little uncomfortable with all the attention, and tries to get someone to settle down and listen. "The mayor, we need to speak to the mayor please. If you could...?"
Conner manages to get someone to calm down enough to lead the team to the town hall with their prizes in tow.
The town hall's entrance is considerably quieter than the din outside, and Mayor Deverin herself is waiting with a look of relief on her face.
"You have returned... and to exultant cheers, no less. Your mission was a success, yes?"
"It certainly was," Evelyn responds to the mayor.
Evelyn then quickly starts giving a summary of everything that's transpired, doing so before Nicat can tell his own version or Eostre starts and takes ten times as long as needed by adding unnecessary details.
Ekan was glad the elf's body was treated with respect and buried.
The reaction of the town's folk startles him and he inclines his head in modest nods over and over again so one might thing his head was in danger of falling off.
He's grateful when they get to see the mayor..
"yes," then actually smiles a bit as Evelyn preempts Nicat and Eostre with a straight forward and less...gilded history of their adventure.
Eostre rolls her eyes as Evelyn nabs the spotlight with her explanation, but smiles.
"Evelyn has the right of it, Lady Mayor, it's over: Nualia Tobyn and the barghest Malfeshnekor are dead, and the goblins of Thistletop broken and scattered. Sandpoint is safe once more!"
Then her countenance falls somewhat.
"Of course, there's still the question of Nualia's remaining conspirators, namely Tsuto Kaijitsu. He's been captured, and now I presume he'll have to answer to you and Sheriff Hemlock."
As Nicat and the others return to Sandpoint, his mind is filled with alternating visions, each more thrilling than the last, of the hero's welcome he'll get from Shay and his triumphant procession through town.
Yes, Shay, it's true, it wasn't easy. Yes, 'heroic' is a fine word to describe it. What's that? Yes, 'epic' would be fitting as well. We fought terrible creatures, I slew many monsters, from hundreds of goblins to the fearsome blargpest. Why, Shay, what's happened to your dress? Kiss you? Of course, that would be...
Please, people, please! Quiet down, I can hardly hear the acclaim over all this applause! It's true, I, a sheriff's deputy, have returned triumphant. Oh, don't be silly, we have a perfectly...adequate sheriff as it is. But he's no hero you say? Well, I can hardly deny the truth of that, and I did rout the goblins and slay the pragzest - of course, my deputies helped some.
So caught up is he in these visions that he misses Evelyn's account of their adventure, ending up looking around in confusion for a moment. He takes in the gathering crowd and their excitement, decides it's close enough to his visions for the moment, and decides to say nothing - for once.
Eostre looks at Nicat and gives a polite nod.
Mayor Deverin listens attentively to Evelyn's account of things, before nodding in satisfaction. "My word, the lot of you went above and beyond the call of duty for this. Bringing down a fanatical priestess, her followers, and the demon beast she called... you've proven yourselves to be true heroes by now."
"Of course, there's still the question of Nualia's remaining conspirators, namely Tsuto Kaijitsu. He's been captured, and now I presume he'll have to answer to you and Sheriff Hemlock."
Mayor Deverin's face turns grim. "Indeed. Once Magnimar's forces arrive, Tsuto and his little girlfriend are bound to never see the light of day again for everything they've done--arson, conspiracy and multiple accounts of murder will see to that."
"He's been quite silent about the matter, however..." The mayor frowns. "...part of me feels he's up to something."
"If he is, I'll have a chat with him, Tsuto and I have an understanding."
Eostre's eyes widen at Conner's words.
"You better NOT be thinking what I think you're thinking!" she says, jabbing a finger at him.
Evelyn yawns, placing her hand over her mouth as she does.
"I'd like to get some more rest after all this, but shall we first try to sell the loot we gathered?"
Mayor Deverin leans away from Conner for a moment. "Interrogate him if you wish, but I will not allow torture of any sort to happen on my watch--and I'm certain Sheriff Hemlock would staunchly agree."
"I'd like to get some more rest after all this, but shall we first try to sell the loot we gathered?"
"I imagine we'll be more than happy to buy anything the Heroes of Sandpoint have to sell."
With that, she nods briefly to you and turns to leave, the adulation of the crowd outside filling in where she left off.
This is not the last of the adventures the party will face... but for now, a hero's welcome is long overdue.
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Eostre smiles again and looks to the growing crowd and waves to them, feeling at home for the first time since leaving Riddleport. As they return to town, she looks again at the sign she saw entering the town less than a week ago. "Please stop to see yourself as we see you," it says, and a mirror hangs above it. The face looking back at her is grimy and tired, but it's the face of a hero...and it's hers.
The weeks begin to pass in a blur as Sandpoint settles into a familiar routine. Business continues as usual--with one key difference. Now, everyone in town regards the party as the heroes their town needs.
-----------------
Your request to begin an archaeological dig has taken you to Sandpoint's Town Hall, where Mayor Deverin sits and listens with interest. "So, what was it you wanted to dig up, again?"
-----------------
One day, as you walk through the streets of Sandpoint, you come across a group of children playing in the square. Such a sight is not uncommon, but their game certainly is so.
Five of them are squaring off against another group of five children--and curiously, the first group is dressed much like the party is. One of them, a little girl, is swaddled in a fluffy, mud-stained blue bathrobe and swinging around a big stick, with a splotch of black makeup underneath one eye. Another, a young boy, is walking around with a wooden sword and lugging around what looks like a cabinet door, gripping it by the handle. Another boy is toting around a slingshot and is going barefoot. The third boy in the group has adopted an exaggeratedly stoic look, and has his hands bunched up into fists. The last one, another girl, is wearing a white mop-head on her head as an improvised wig, dressed in a red sundress and wearing boots that are several sizes too big for her.
The other group appears to be dressed up as a bunch of goblins, and the two groups are play-fighting.
-----------------
You remember that old Ven Vinder said that the two of you would have words, once you came back from Thistletop. Words about Shayliss. The thought is somewhat daunting at first, but compared to the horrors you've seen and conquered, it feels decidedly trivial.
It might be a good idea to visit the Vinder home...
-----------------
A quick trip to Sandpoint's jail seems to be in order. Tsuto and his little girlfriend could perhaps stand to have the fear of the gods put into them, before Magnimar's justice system takes them both.
The guards immediately salute you as you approach the garrison.
-----------------
The cathedral of Desna is seeing a rise in people coming to Mass lately. Though part of it stems from faith and routine, there are several people attending who you feel are only here to get a glimpse of one of the heroes who saved their town.
Conner nods to the guards on his way in. Not too long ago, he was one of them. But the past is the past, let it be. Walking in, he makes a point of making as much noise as possible. Clanking armor, clomping steps, making sure Tsuto knows who's coming. Grabbing a chair, he sets it in front of the cell and sits down. "Hello Tsuto. Comfortable? Did you miss me?"
Tsuto looks considerably more disheveled and filthy than when you last saw him. He's not dressed in his old finery any longer--the dirt-stained grey rags he's dressed in seem ill-suited to him. Good.
The half-elf glowers at you as you sit in front of his cell. "...what do YOU want?"
"Dear dear, Tsuto. Patricide does not seem to be agreeing with you in the long run. Do you remember our last little chat, when I explained that prison can be much worse? That offer still stands. But you're a smart guy, you don't want to rot in that cell with some of your bits missing, that would be awful. So, I'd like us to talk about everything you heard during your time as a murderous traitor. Just don't lie to me Tsuto, I hate being lied to. But you wouldn't lie to me, would you? Seeing as how we're such good friends."
Nicat's first days back in town are blissful indeed, as he's praised - finally - by his parents for all that he's accomplished, and lauded by the good people of Sandpoint wherever he goes. He manages to sneak away with Shay once or twice, though she's a bit puzzled by the fact that they're sneaking when they seem to have her father's blessing - but therein lies the rub.
No longer distracted by giant crabs and talking monstrosities trying to kill him, and only occasionally able to distract himself with daydreams of himself as sheriff of Sandpoint, Nicat spends a good deal of his time thinking about the last conversation with Vin Vender before he and his friends set off for Thistletop. Never one to face reality, or really even take much notice of it, he finds himself in the unfamiliar position of preparing for a serious conversation about a serious subject.
One ominously blustery day, when he thinks Shay won't be at the store, Nicat goes to speak to Vender. Walking into the tidy shop, he checks to be sure no customers are present, then clears his throat to get the irascible man's attention. "Um," he begins eloquently, all his prepared words vanishing from his mind, "Hi there. I'm back. Like you said I would be. And you said we would have words. So, I'm here. To have words."
He gulps loudly, wondering if somehow he could take back his words, slip unnoticed out the door and go fight a snarglefest - That's what it was called, right? - single-handed rather than having this conversation with Vender. As he waits for the man to reply, he hears a noise from the back of the shop and freezes, thinking, Was that Shay? Is she here? Oh, gods, is she listening?
-----------------
One day, as you walk through the streets of Sandpoint, you come across a group of children playing in the square. Such a sight is not uncommon, but their game certainly is so.
Five of them are squaring off against another group of five children--and curiously, the first group is dressed much like the party is. One of them, a little girl, is swaddled in a fluffy, mud-stained blue bathrobe and swinging around a big stick, with a splotch of black makeup underneath one eye. Another, a young boy, is walking around with a wooden sword and lugging around what looks like a cabinet door, gripping it by the handle. Another boy is toting around a slingshot and is going barefoot. The third boy in the group has adopted an exaggeratedly stoic look, and has his hands bunched up into fists. The last one, another girl, is wearing a white mop-head on her head as an improvised wig, dressed in a red sundress and wearing boots that are several sizes too big for her.
The other group appears to be dressed up as a bunch of goblins, and the two groups are play-fighting.
-----------------
He pauses and watches them curious, particularly at the boy he suspects is playing his part.
Imitation is the soul of flattery they say, so he's not offended. Ekan watches them play for another ten minutes, observing.
"Having fun?" He finally asks
Tsuto snorts. "If you had the balls to do that, you'd have done it back at Thistletop."
"But fine. Out with it."
As you open the door to the Vinder home, the sight of the heavily-built and brawny shopkeeper greets you. He's sitting on the steps leading up to the second floor of the home... and a very sharp woodcutting axe is sitting in his lap. He runs a polishing cloth along the axe's head with a smooth and deliberate motion.
"So you are." He stands up and casually rests the axe on his shoulder before looking behind you.
"Oh, Shayliss. Welcome home." He twirls the axe on his shoulder. "Don't mind us. Your boyfriend and I are going out back for a chat."
You hear an embarrassed sigh come from Shayliss as she merely nods.
"Well, come on son. Daylight's burning." The big man nods at you and starts walking deeper into the house.
--------------
The children playing pause at the sound of your voice, and they all go quiet. The stoic-looking boy in particular completely drops his demeanour, his fists now clenched and trembling with barely-contained excitement.
"...um... uh..." Mini-Eostre starts before timidly nodding. "...y-yes, Mister Hero Sir!"
Amusement fills his eyes, but he doesn't let it spread to his face less he damage the pride, "That's wonderful. When I first came upon you, I thought I was looking in the mirror."