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Sekell takes a moment to catch his breathe from the brief but energetic chase. He then pulls out some rope and ties up the little goblin.
With that done he looks around at the others. "I'd say it would be best if we continued our interrogation of this goblin back at the manor instead of out here in the middle of town. I believe we've made a large enough scene as it is." He will say, looking from the party to the crowd of people likely gathering around them to see what the commotion is about.
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"Yikes!" Toban does his best trying not to get run over by the horse. Perhaps this shortcut was not such a good idea after all!
Toban eventually catches up with the others.
On the way back Toban says "Hey Sekell! Great to see you. Wow! You sure can move fast!"
Toban watches the sneaky goblin closely.
The Pathfinder follow Sekell's sage advice and bring the captive goblin back to their residence inside Heidmarch Manor.
Along with the items that belong to you, in the the goblin's knapsack is a wayfinder - the Society's symbol of membership, and a string of beads with three exotic looking beads strung on it. They are fiery red and look hand-carved. Tied to her belt is what appears to be a highly polished goblin skull - maybe a whelp or small child size. She also has a curative potion, MW studded leather, MW dogslicer, MW thieves' tools, and a bag of dried meat (which you suspect is horse) from a place called Mariska Knackery.
The captive looks at you with wide, mournful eyes and appears not to be able to understand your questions. She tilts her head to the side and narrows her eyes when you speak to her, but doesn't seem to comprehend.
When you take a break from questioning, Ekkie pulls out the goblin skull and begins chittering at it in her own tongue.
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Narissiel places the equipment well away from the goblin.
She says something aloud in a foreign language, hoping that at least one other person in the room understands her.
Then she faces the goblin with a gentle smile. "Why are you here?" she asks again. "If you answer honestly I'll give you a bite of your tasty horse meat."
As Narissiel tempts the gobliness with food, a string of saliva involuntarily runs from her foul mouth. She leans towards the elf eagerly anticipating the morsel, but then catches herself at the last moment, and jerks backwards, eyes not looking at the meat...except she steals little glances that direction every few seconds.
"Ekkie not talk. Pharg will protect me. I am poisonous. If you eat me, you die. Pharg said."
When Narissiel takes the skull away from Ekkie, the little goblin starts wailing as if she were on fire. Her cries are incessant, as she hops around, pointing at the skull. "Pharg! Ekkie's cage-brother! Ekkie want him back! Give Pharg back to Ekkie! Give now!"
No amount of soothing or threatening will calm her. She will not speak another word except similar cries until the skull is back in her safekeeping. Even if she is given back the skull, she narrows her eyes with great suspicion at Narissiel every time she speaks, sometimes growling gutturally in the back of her throat.
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Jastrokan laughs when Ekkie talks to Pharg and worries over being eaten in goblin.
When Ekkie starts to wail and cry, Jastrokan feels bad for her. He picks up the goblin skull and hands it to Ekkie.
Jastrokan smiles.
Jastrokan picks up the Wayfinder. He shows it to Ekkie.
Jastrokan opens the wayfinder and looks inside.
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Toban watches the goblin attentively.
When Narissiel points out the goblin can understand them, Toban nods.
He smiles as his little brother talks to the goblin, but doesn't understand a word being spoken. What he does understand... is HUNGER!
"Horse meat? Ha! I can cook up something much tastier for you..." Toban suggests. "You chat for a while and I'll get started..."
Toban heads to the kitchen and begins to cook some tasty food, all the while listening to the conversation, and watching Ekkie's body language.
Ekkie snarls at Rosie when she asks about stealing stuff.
Jastrokan gives the wailing goblin back her skull, and she hugs it muttering to herself in Goblin, and slowly soothing. She nods to Jastrokan, seemingly thanking him for returning her cage-brother.
Ekkie says: "Good little gnome. Give Pharg back to Ekkie. Pharg is Ekkie's cage-brother. They are always together."
When asked about the wayfinder, Ekkie only shrugs. "Ekkie not take from person. Just find. It has mark of longshanks tribe on it. They told Ekkie to take things with that mark. Ekkie take shiny beads too. Ekkie and Pharg like shiny."
Ekkie is very impressed when Jastrokan makes the wayfinder and the beads glow. She claps gleefully, and smiles, for the first time, at Jastrokan. She continues to scowl at Narissiel and shield Pharg from her every chance she gets.
The wayfinder is magical, in typical Pathfinder wayfinder sort of ways. It has the name Joadric Heimurl engraved inside the lid. The necklace turns out to be a necklace of fireballs (type 1) with all three fireballs still attached.
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Toban listens with interest as he sifts through the cupboards. He pulls out a chopping board, knife, and bowls, and then pulls out a variety of fruits from his wicker basket. He chops up everything and makes a lovely fruit salad, drizzled with a bit of honey. Then he dishes it out into bowls and serves it to everyone.
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Rosie crosses her arms and sticks her tongue out at Jastrokan. She does not punch Ekkie.
"Well, if she doesn't answer your questions I'll use her as a punching bag!"
Rosie eats the fruit salad with a big smile. Because everything seems to be taking so much longer than normal, Rosie starts to make fresh orange juice for everyone, by squeezing out some oranges she found in Toban's wicker basket. She makes it for everyone except Ekkie.
Ekkie growls at Rosie also, as she threatens her. But she smiles at Jastrokan toothily. "Nice gnome! The Nightsoil Marauders sent Ekkie looking for your tribes mark. Even in the swamp, Pharg and Ekkie heard of the Maruaders -- a gang of goblins in the longshanks city. When Murg tried to bite Ekkie's ear off - again! - Ekkie left the swamp and came to the city to join up. Ekkie met some other goblins outside the city and they sneaked Ekkie inside. They took Ekkie through the smelly tunnels and make Ekkie wait outside their lair. An important-looking goblin with a big, dangly hat came out and stared at Ekkie. He said his name was Versevosh. Ekkie thought he was boss, but he said that the big boss is much scarier than him. Versevosh said rude things about Ekkie and Ekkie's tribe and said Ekkie had to prove herself if Ekkie wanted to join the gang. He said Ekkie would have to steal shiny things from tribe of longshanks in the city. He showed me drawings of what to look for."
"Other goblins showed me way through the smelly tunnels to the horse-killing place. Pharg likes that place 'cause they have cut up horses there and you can see their insides and Ekkie got lots of dead horse to eat. The goblins said to steal from the big house then go back to the horse-killing place, then they ran off. It was almost sunrise Ekkie could hear longshanks so she hid. Later Ekkie sneaked up to the big house and and took some shiny things from small house, but then you caught Ekkie."
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Jastrokan smiles at Ekkie. "Thanks! Here! Have some fruit salad and some orange juice."
He looks at the others. "We should go to the Knackery. We need to find these Nightsoil Marauders and make sure they don't harass the Pathfinders anymore!"
Jastrokan nods. "I think we give Ekkie back her treasure and I will give her some gold. Then we will all go to the knackery. Only Ekkie will go inside, though. She can convince the goblins to take her to the lair of the Nightsoil Marauders, and we can follow them in secret!"
Jastrokan smiles proudly. "It probably won't work, because plans always get messed up. But, I think we should try it!"
He looks at Ekkie. "What do you say, Ekkie? Want to help me trick those mean goblins? I'll give you four gold. And maybe even get my 'tribe' to take you on as a student! You can be my apprentice!"
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Rosie crosses her arms. Clearly she does NOT think we should give Ekkie such a good deal! Ekkie should be a prisoner!
Hmmm...
She thinks about this plan... She does really like surprises and tricking people...
"Well, alright. But no funny business, Ekkie! If you try to trick us or backstab us I will make sure you get hurt before the rest of those goblins!"
Ekkie considers and seems to whisper to her skull-brother unintelligblly, alternating between speaking and listening. Finally she says, "Pharg says Ekkie should take you to the horse-killing place. Ekkie will show you entrance to smelly-tunnels and lead your tribe to the Marauders lair, but then Pharg says you must let Ekkie go. Ekkie wants to go back to swamp and not be in longshanks city anymore."
She greedily eats and drinks the food and beams at Jastrokan just as much as she sends looks of great loathing at Rosie and Narissiel.
Gathering Ekkie up, you are about to leave the grounds of the lodge at Heidmarch Manor when the rich voice of Venture Captain Heidmarch calls out to you. "Where do you think you are going with that...thing?" she points accusingly at Ekkie. "You can't just walk around the streets of Magnimar with a goblin in tow! You'll attract all kinds of negative attention. Cover it up or something!"
She listens while you explain about the Nightsoil Marauders, and agrees with your instincts to put a stop to their mischief. "Find out why they are targeting the Pathfinders, and put a stop to it." she says firmly.
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"Hmmm... The goblins that live in the sewers usually only live in small groups. How big of a tribe do you think the Nightsoil's are, Ekkie? I wonder why they're so big..."
Jastrokanget a blanket from his bedroom and puts it on Ekkie. "This is your disguise, okay? Stay underneath so nobody attacks us on the way."
Jastrokan smiles.
He walks beside Ekkie on the way to the knackery. His colourful songbird flies beside him.
The Mariska Knackery is found in the Lowercleft district of Magnimar. With Ekkie's help you find it without incident. The knackery stands at the northern end of the district. Nearby, a recently burned out shed stands next to the main building, it's blackened timbers still slightly smouldering.
The operator of the rendering site is a middle-aged man of Varisian descent. He has a greying walrus mustache and is a portly fellow who speaks with a thick Varisian accent.
"That!" yells Ekkie excitedly, pointing at the man, whose name turns out to be Tersus Mariska. "That is the long-shanks horse killer!" Drool drips down her chin, and she tries slinking away towards a pile of freshly cut meat, reaching out stealthily to grab as much as possible.
"Da? Vat is it?" says the butcher, quite unfriendly when approached.
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Jastrokan smiles up at the butcher. "Hi there! I'm Jastrokan! I have it on good authority that goblins have been using your knackery to access the sewers! We're here to put a stop to it." He smiles very widely. "May we come in and use the entrance to track down the goblins?"
The mustached man scowls at the gnomes. But when Jastrokan says he can stop goblins, the man visibly sighs and relents, opening the door. "That thing not can come in, da?" he demands pointing a callused finger at Ekkie, despite her disguise, what she is becomes obvious when she starts moaning for the horse-meat.
His eyes travel to the shed first and he sighs again. "Vhat can I do, eh? Those litte wermin haf got me right vhere dey vant me! At first, I try to lock and, how you say?, bar de doors to stop dem, but de stealing, it only get worse. If there is ANY vay in, de vill find it! Den de big creepy von, at least foot taller dan me, come von night. It put de fear of de gots right into me, dis I can tell you. Lurking dere in de shadows vith its snuffling breath and twitchy ears. It say it knows vhere my family live, and say it'd know if I try to go to city vatch. Then they burnt my shed to make dere point. So I haf to go along vith dem, leaving de best slab of meats for dem, and ignoing de scurry of little feet I hear down in de cellar at night. If I don't, they burn my home and murder my family!"
The shaken man is wracked with sobs, frustrated and tired from the situation he finds himself in. He gladly shows you the sewer drain at the back of the property which is used by the goblins on a regular basis.
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Rosie whimpers and cuddles her bunny. She follows the others to the sewer. While they talk she gives Ekkie a suspicious glare. Then she hops into the sewers and whimpers again.
After the man has gone, Rosie puts her rabbit in her bag, jumps from foot to foot and punches the air. "Let's get those goblins! They won't know what hit 'em!"
She pulls out a torch and lights it. Then she looks into the unknown.
The sewers are expectedly smelly, dank, and dark. But they are also a confusing maze of main tunnels, side passages, ventilation shafts, and other means of egress.
The walking is confusing at first, and it is difficult to follow.
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Toban tugs at his moustache. "What else can you tell us about 'the big one?' Snuffling breath, twitchy ears, tall... Anything else?"
Before heading into the sewers, Toban activates his wayfinder. He looks his companions up and down as he taps his lip, POP! POP! POP! Eventually he stops in front of his brother.
"Jastrokan, where's your weapon? Come on, you need to be ready for a fight now. Pull it out."
When Jastrokan pulls out his weapon Toban smiles. "Yes, yes. Very nice."
Toban prays to Shelyn and touches Jastrokan's weapon. The weapon starts to glow.
Toban helps look for signs of the goblins.
Mariska only says the goblin who visited him was bigger than man-size, carried a long pole-arm and was very fierce. It was a female, he was almost sure...
Down in the sewers, Toban illuminates the way with an arcane cantrip, and Narissiel makes quick work of tracking goblins back to a side tunnel off one of the main branches of the underground sewer system.
As you approach, you can hear the sound of high-pitched voices and laughter coming from around the corner that leads to the lair.