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Filona asks Aliver if she can start her training tomorrow. She remembers to be caught in mischief a few times and looks to relax from her act with the man.
She goes to the Rusty Dragon Inn and asks some beer, knowing that a single mug will keep her smaller than average stomach and brain occupied for the rest of the day. As the man goes in she is startled and inadvertently casts Prestidigitation leaving her hair up, as if she had been electrocuted. She recovers from the jump scare embarrassed knowing the spell will wear out over time, so she doesn't try to fix her hair, although this will mean having a funny hair for about an hour. Other than that, she doesn't react to the newcomer in any way.
Having made her first delivery of the day, Ileana moves towards making her second, taking the bread first to the local restaurants - other than The Rusty Dragon, and then to the Jailhouse... finally taking what remains to the Rusty Dragon, given that that was where she was already going.
As she arrives, she passes off the basket of fresh-baked bread from her cart, but then leaves it parked in the front of the building. She goes inside to have a late lunch, and frowns at the old man yelling across the building.
A quiet settles over the bar - it seems the locals know not to engage with this man. He stalks farther into the tavern, clearly looking for someone or something, until his eyes fall on your group. It takes him a moment to recognize you as the group that aided in the goblin attack, but as soon as he does, he turns his attention fully toward you.
"Oh, it's you - you think you're some kind of heroes, don't you? You endangered our townsfolk, that's what you did! With your antics against the goblins - you should have left the defense of the city to trained professionals like the city guard and the sheriff!"
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Filona, finding the man's actions extremely funny, holds back her laughter and thinks of pranking the man. We are trained professionals, she says in a louder than necessary voice, though she didn't sound angry. Her lie is not meant to convince anyone, but to confuse the man enough for him to soothe his temper.
Rigel looked up at the Tien man confusedly as he stalked over to their table and started barking at them. Keeping his demeanor calm, though the color spreading through his cheeks betrayed his anger, he rose to his feet and faced the man directly, though he made sure to leave several feet between them so as not to incite more hostility. "I believe you're mistaken, sir. The actions of these brave ladies put out several fires that would have claimed places of business and allowed for many of the townsfolk to escape immediate danger by these heroines fending off a couple groups of the goblins. Please calm down."
He didn't know what to think about Filona's comment. Leona had seemed to be capable enough and was a stated guard, and the gnome woman had used her magic to devastating effect on the goblins...maybe she was a trained professional.
When the man began to reprimand the group Leona starts to stand but when Rigel speaks in a much calmer tone than her axe would she let him handle it. She relaxes in her seat as the two men speak. Being yelled out by for something stupid wasn't new to her and she'd learned to mostly ignore it.
She would go back to her meal for now but kept her weapon close by.
Ileana seems ready to say something witty, snippy, and scathing in anger, but comes up short, brow furrowing as she looks to the gnome. By the time she's recovered, Rigel has begun to speak upon their behalf, his words serve to ease her, even if they don't affect the man. In the end, she doesn't even rise from her seat.
"Trained Professional Baker, perhaps." she says with a small grin. "We didn't use any city resources in the encounters and utilized our own abilities to ensure the safety of others. That doesn't make us heroes. That makes us people. Those who use their abilities and means to enable and brighten the lives of others is exactly what we need more of. Not sure that really needs to be described as heroes, though."
Lonjiku steps closer to Rigel and lowers his voice, but it sounds just a menacing.
"I don't need people like you telling me what happened in my town."
At that moment, Ameiko emerges from the kitchen, dripping soup ladle in hand.
"What is going on here?" she shouts, before seeing the man and slipping easily into a language you don't understand, speaking directly to him.
Rigel resisted the urge to ball his hands into fists, the man's words confusing him as much as it angered him. The priest had no idea how anyone could look upon the actions of him and his female companions in a negative light, but the older Tien man seemed to have it in his mind that they had done wrong. The cleric started to open his mouth, unsure of where it could go, when Ameiko came out of the back and started speaking to the man in what Rigel assumed was their native language.
The young man took the opportunity to disengage, stepping away from the gentleman and standing next to the table he was sharing with Leona, Filona, & Ileana. He looked at the others, eyebrows up, clearly at a loss for what was going on.
The argument seems to escalate, and you see Ameiko shout something, pointing at the door. The man, enraged, shouts back at her before moving toward her, trying to grab for her hair.
Ameiko steps lightly and swiftly out of his reach and then smacks him over the head with her ladle, spattering fish guts and potatoes all over his hair and outfit. The man's rage turns to shock and he sputters for a moment before speaking to Ameiko in a sharp but quiet voice. With that, he turns to walk out of the tavern.
While the two fuss and argue, Ileana explains quietly to those not privy to the gossip of the town, bringing them into the loop. "That's Longiku, Ameiko's dad. He runs the glassworks, and comes from really old money, so he feels like he's important and entitled. Ameiko ran off to be an adventurer when she was younger, and when she came back she built all of this. So I think he has a vested interest in blaming adventurers for ruining everything. All this new money, her being free of him..." she shakes her head slowly. "There's a lot more, but it'd be weird to talk about all of it. Just know that his wife died around the same time all the other bad stuff was happening, and..." she pauses entirely, as if suddenly remembering something, her voice no longer hushed. "Father Tobyn had a daughter." she hushes back down before continuing, "Do you think she was buried with the Father? It wouldn't make sense to have a vault with one body in it... that would explain them raising two skeletons rather than one from the robes. It would distract from the fact they'd taken two bodies to anyone in the know about that..."
It is at this point that the quiet argument results in a mighty thwapping, drawing Ileana from her conspiratorial gossiping, "Heeeey..." she calls as she looks in that direction, but just sees an old man wearing his soup leaving the building. She purses her lips for a moment, as the two separate, then huffs.
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Filona listens to Ileana's storytelling. That's amazing that you know all of this Ileana, she comments truthfully. She never cared much for gossip, so she actually thought this was carefully acquired knowledge.
She then seems completely confused about the abrupt change of subject. She takes a moment to sink it in, then says I don't think that's how it works. The skeletons come from the actual robe, not from a nearby corpse.
She makes an effort to remember the night before. There were 4 graves in that vault, I remember. I don't know if they were occupied, but under your reasoning, the daughter would be there too.
Rigel listened to Ileana tell the backstory of the Kaijitsu family in Sandpoint, though he kept his eyes on the arguing Ameiko and Longiku, ready to step in if needed. His assistance turned out to be unnecessary as the mistress of the Rusty Dragon ably escaped her father's grasp and retaliated with the soup ladle. The priest watched in concern as the older man left, though after his exit he pretended like nothing had happened. He could imagine Ameiko was embarrassed enough without being the subject of stares.
The cleric listened to the other two women discuss Father Tobyn's daughter and the possibility of more than one set of remains being spirited away, but was too ignorant of the subject of necromancy to be much help. As the conversation continued, he changed the subject, "Ileana...you seem to know a decent amount about Sandpoint. What about this nobleman we're meeting soon?"
"Well.. that's sort of the point I'm trying to make. How many sets of bones were taken, and how many were left?" Ileana asks, keeping her voice low, "If they took two sets and left two sets, it wouldn't be as surprising... but no one seemed to know about Nualia being there, when we asked.." she continued, trailing off as she took a drink and listened to Rigel speak for a moment.
Leona watches the argument between the two, not even attempting to hide her glare. She would have stepped in when the man tried to touch Ameiko but the adventurer dealt with it in a much more reasonable manner than Leona would have so she decided not to intervene. Her eyes never leave Longiku until he is well out the door. She would never admit it but his words towards them had stung. She was used to being called an outsider, us being in his town but it never felt any better.
"I'm not sure I understand." She replies Ileana in a normal speaking voice. "They left the robe so we know they were summoned not reanimated, right?" She wasn't entirely sure how the item worked still. "If you think they took both of them we could always double check."
Those at the Rusty Dragon settle back into their conversations relatively quickly, and Ameiko heads back to the kitchen to finish preparing dinner.
"Hmmm, a noble from Magnimar, probably. The Foxgloves are out that way. I think they've got a nearby 'summer manor,' though... I'm not even sure where I've heard that. It might have just been someone passing through the bakery after a long trip, or I overheard a caravan." Ileana responds as she gives a small shrug. "Nothing really noteworthy about him, I suppose."
Eloen arrives just before dinner, having doffed her armor for the evening - no longer on guard duty - and instead switching to a very elven gown. She perks up - her ears even lift slightly - when she spots some of the folk whom she saw during the recent turmoil, but she quickly composes herself and moves to take a seat next to Ileana.
Rigel listened to Ileana's answer about the young nobleman, shrugging with an offered smile. "That's more than I knew about him...I guess baking has its perks. Everyone has to eat, yeah?" The young priest managed to not wince at the bad joke, taking a sip of his drink to cover up his embarrassment.
The cleric's eyes drifted to the front door of the Rusty Dragon in time to catch the fourth woman, the elven archer, drift into the Inn, looking rather fetching in a gown as opposed to her combat gear. The young man gulped, managing to clear his mind by the time Eloen made it to sit by Ileana's side. "Looks like you're just in time to meet with Foxglove. You missed the fireworks with Ameiko's father. And Father Tobyn apparently had a daughter...maybe her bones are missing, too?" Rigel looked to Ileana and the other two for confirmation that he wasn't speaking incorrectly.
Ileana gives a small smile that is somewhat bereft of mirth at the attempt at humor. "Well, mostly. I've been having difficulty getting the goblins to eat... or trust me at all." she says, offering a tiny shrug. She didn't seem to even notice Eloen until she was taking a seat. "That's all pretty much accurate." she adds, nodding. She was still dressed in her armor, and carrying her scimitar, as she had been for as long as Eloen had known her... short of when she was much younger and didn't have them, and extreme extenuating circumstances.
Eloen gently leans slightly forward in her seat. She inclines her head to Ileana, and says, "I hope I'm not overdressed. I am not expecting trouble here... though I suppose given recent events that may be too much to wish for."
She turns her attention to Rigel and furrows her brow slightly, then says, "I did not recall Father Tobyn having a daughter. In fact I don't believe that he was married."
She sighs at the news of Ameiko's father. "Lonjiku is... incendiary. Unfortunately because of his wealth and influence, he is often able to push the boundaries of proper behavior further than is appropriate."
"Over, under, what's the difference." Ileana says with a smile to the guardswoman.
"A child of the temple." Ileana explains. "Adopted like I was... but I don't really know the circumstances of her adoption. Probably longer ago than me."
Leona continues to enjoy the food, becoming more relaxed as the day goes on without another incident. She gives Eloen a sidelong glance when she joins them in such a strange outfit but doesn't say anything of it. "If Foxglove is a noble he's likely just looking for some hired muscle. Or publicity. If some people really are grateful we helped then it would make him look good to have us on his payroll." Having mostly cleaned her plate by now she was vaguely paying attention to the conversations going on around her.
"And you don't have to be married to have a child either." She adds to Ileana's explanation.
Rigel realized just what a newcomer he was as the others talked of Lonjiku and his status. He hadn't even really known that Ameiko's father was living here in town, let alone that he was a man of import. He'd have to learn to keep his ears open more and his mouth open less.
The priest understood Eloen's thinking regarding the dress. If one couldn't walk around town without expecting attack, it was a pretty dire situation. And surely events like the goblin attack were the exception around here. He agreed with Leona's wisdom regarding Foxglove's motives, though he winced at her comment about children and marriage, hoping no offense would be taken.
At Filona's question, Rigel had no answer to give, but looked to the other three women, curious about the mystery daughter of the late priest whose tomb had been ransacked.
"I don't actually know anything about that." Ileana says with a shrug. "I only know vague things... people don't talk about back then all that much, so it's more 'Overheard my sisters talk about it' or 'Overheard low conversations in the book store.' and their ilk." she adds, her shrug exaggerating slightly.
"I can ask around at the cathedral. Before the cathedral was built there was a smaller shrine, it was destroyed in a fire - which is what prompted making the cathedral in the first place - and the priestly community was smaller. Just Father Tobyn for the most part, really, but occasionally the church would offer aid or shelter to wayward people. Maybe Father Tobyn took in an orphan or the like - there wasn't an orphanage in town back then," says Eloen quietly.
"You could perhaps ask the mayor, too. Those years were times of great distress, anyone who lived through them here in Sandpoint is sure to remember it."
"Perhaps Father Zantus can shed some light on the situation. Surely he has some knowledge of his predecessor." Rigel made a note to visit with the man in the morning, if no one else volunteered. He wasn't sure the mystery daughter was relevant to the situation, but perhaps it could shed some light on possible motives and the like.
In the meantime, the priest tried to get a better understanding of his fellow dinner guests. He had been taught that judging a person on first glance was wrong, so instead of going in the bent his parents had surely been speaking of, he had become a shrewd judge of character, instead. At least in his own mind.
The afternoon stretches into evening, and before long, you see the door to the Rusty Dragon swing open again, and Aldern Foxglove enters the tavern.
"Greetings, friends!" he shouts, coming over to the table and shaking each of your hands in turn - and pausing a moment longer when he shakes Eloen's hand than the others. "So glad you were able to meet me!"
He waves over a server to order a round of drinks and sits down at the table with you.
"This place has the best food in town - it's not even close! Ameiko does some fine work back there, I can tell you that. Anyways, let's get down to business - cut to the chase, as they say. I will be returning to Magnimar in a few days time, but before I do, I've been planning a boar hunt in the nearby Tickwood Forest. I'm looking forward to it, but it would make me even happier if you would join me! It's quite fun, I can assure you, and you were all so impressive during the goblin raid that I'm sure you'll be excellent companions! So, what do you say?"
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Filona, who had to this point been excited about this Foxglove dinner, suddenly feels underwhelmed by the invitation. She had expected him to tell interesting stories or show wonders of the world. Instead, he wanted to kill helpless animals.
The gnome feels an immense sense of boredom, and sits back hoping an urgent matter would call the man.
Rigel gave the nobleman a polite smile as he sauntered in, offering his hand with a firm shake as greetings were made. He noticed the extra attention for Eloen, but made no mention of it for the elven woman's sake. The priest did gratefully accept the drink, sipping at it as Foxglove made his invitation.
While the event itself didn't hold much interest to Rigel, hunting hadn't been one of his fortes, he did want to explore the area around Sandpoint and soak in the sights, and a trip to the Tickwood was as good as any other. If the ladies decided to join, it probably would be quite safe, as well. He imagined game hunts like these typically were boring affairs that resulted in no actual game being killed as the inexperienced hunters trampled around.
"I could never turn down great company like this. I'll be happy to join you." The cleric was still on the fence about the young nobleman. He seemed nice enough, however. The priest was referring to the other companions, of course.
With the man bouncing in so ostentatiously Leona gave him the same suspicious look that she gave to most people to be honest. She weakly returned his handshake, eyeing him the entire time.
When he starts talking about the hunt Leona immediately loses interest. His proposal reeked of a political popularity move rather than genuine interest in them. "I've never hunted...boar. I don't think I'm properly equip to stalk an animal and I don't have a bow." She wasn't declining his offer, since worst case she might get some free meat if the hunt went well, but she was worried she would make it much harder.
Ileana's grip is firm, but not particularly strong as she returns the handshake, feeling a little... off-put by him shaking their hands.
Ileana furrows her brow at the man. They'd all been invited... to go hunting with him? That was so very, very strange. He didn't even know she was a hunter and tracker... or did he..? Was he just inviting them because they could fight? Was there something else he was worried about besides the boar, or did he just realistically want the group to go hunt a large, dangerous creature with him?
"I'm... a... somewhat capable tracker. Not good by any means, but I've spent a lot of time with hunters out of the white deer lodge in the last couple of years. What did you plan to do with the hide and the meat once you were finished? You could likely get parts worked into something special, host a feast, or even sell the meat to one of the local taverns, I would think."
Rigel looked curiously at his female companions at the table, puzzled by the lukewarm response to the nobleman's offer. The idea of 'hunting' was likely just an excuse to have an outing with them. By the way Foxglove's gaze kept lingering on Eloen, it was possibly a pretense for more. The man was as likely to hunt and kill a boar as he was to act inconspicuous and not call attention to himself. Still, rather than facing the possibility of the meeting coming apart, the priest offered an alternative.
"I've been meaning to go out into the Tickwood and other surrounding areas, anyway. This part of Varisia is pretty sparsely populated, but it supposedly holds tons of ruins of the civilization that ruled before Starfall. And if not, the journey itself is of course half the fun. Perhaps we can set aside the boar spears and just have an outing?"
I don't think I'm properly equip to stalk an animal and I don't have a bow.
"Oh, don't worry about that! I can supply you with anything you need - I've already secured horses for all of us as well!"
What did you plan to do with the hide and the meat once you were finished?
"Well, it's all for sport in my opinion, but do whatever you'd like once we finish our task!"
Perhaps we can set aside the boar spears and just have an outing?
"You're quite right about the journey being the most important part, but why miss out on the fun of a bit of hunting as well?! Don't worry, trained goblin killers like you won't have any trouble!"
Eloen finally speaks up softly and says with her slightly-elvish accented Taldane, "In elven lands we value and cherish all the animals of the woods, and while some folk do hunt for sport, it is always for food or hide, never simply for amusement. Sometimes when we ride it is to test our own mettle, to enjoy the speed of coursing over the land or finding a hidden place never seen before. Perhaps if we are to hunt, we could hunt something to help the community - one of the faceless stalkers of the southern swamps, for instance, or maybe the dire rats that sometimes make nests in the forests to the east? Something to help protect this town after the sad events of the Swallowtail Festival."
"I'll eat it." Leona 'offered' after Eloen's speech about hunting for reasons instead of sport. "I'm not big on hunting but a meal is a meal. I don't think he's looking to put himself in danger, just offering to let us join what he already has planned." Leona was now fairly sure this was just Foxglove trying to make himself look good. Maybe it was from genuine gratitude but the reaction of the first man was more like what she was used to.
Regardless of his reasons Leona had no problem using him to bankroll some fresh food. "I'm free for a hunt then."
Ileana gives the small gnome a wave as she leaves. The little gnome was so strange! "We could bring some to Ameiko and to the White Deer, maybe make it a contest, if we do go for the boar. And... boars are every bit as invasive and dangerous as dire rats, and probably much more edible." she continues the discussion, "I don't know anything about faceless stalkers, though. What are those?"
"Small, shapeshifting monstrosities. Every now and again one comes out of the swamps to the south of here, though I think we haven't seen one in... several years," replies Eloen.
"I would not be averse to a hunt for a fine feast."
Sensing the way the mood of the group is going, Aldern quickly changes his tactics.
"A feast it is, then! I'm sure Ameiko will turn the spoils of our hunt into something fantastic! I'll go speak with her, but let's meet at the stables at sunrise tomorrow and we can head out!"
With that, he stands and goes to speak with Ameiko, leaving before anyone else can turn down his offer.
"Tomorrow?" Ileana asks of the others, nose crinkled. "I have to get all of the baking prep done first thing in the morning, and usually I let my family know at least a week in advance of any hunting trips I plan to go on so they can work around me..." Ileana shares, shaking her head. "I'll see if I can get off, but that's a bit quick for me."
The cleric listened to Eloen describe what a faceless stalker was, fascinated at the knowledge level at the table. It was clear that the young man was not nearly as worldly as he would like to think.
Rigel was quite pleased that at least most of his companions had decided to join, and more pleased still to think that if they somehow did manage to bring down any game, it would be Ameiko that would turn the meat into a scrumptious meal. The woman had many fine qualities, but the seasoning and recipes she had brought from Tian Xia and modified in her adventuring days turned food into a delight.
The priest turned his attention to Ileana, listening to her plight with sympathy. The sense of duty and obligation was admirable...but judging by the woman's character, she didn't ask for such accommodations from her family lightly. Still, that was her business, not his. "I won't speak for Foxglove, but I would be glad if you could join us." He smiled at the woman, then turned quickly to Eloen and Leona before they might take offense. "And of course I am excited that you have agreed." His eyes drifted to Filona, a feeling of obligation coming over him. "Sure you won't change your mind? He might fall off his horse and make a scene..." The priest chuckled, taking a sip of his drink.
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Filona hears Rigel's invitation as she left the inn. She smashed the exit door with all the might she could muster, which given her diminutive strength was barely enough to make the heavy door gently close shut.
This is all I needed, on top of everything, she thought, a man who, as usual, has no clue about what the problem is.
Leona stayed quiet until Foxglove had left the building. She shrugged at Rigel's comment before responding. "I have a feeling his lionizing is more for his benefit than ours. But there's no reason we can't benefit from a little glory-seeking." She began to pack up her things and clean her table. "A boar shouldn't be much of a fight and if he's covering our costs it's mostly a win win. I guess I'll see the lot of you tomorrow then." Unless stopped she would head home for the night.
"I guess that's my cue to leave as well." Ileana says as Leona stands up. "Busy day tomorrow, so I'll have to turn in extra early to get all the prep work done... See you tomorrow... if my family can spare me." the young woman says, as she starts stacking plates at the table, making it easier for the server to collect. "Have a good night, guys." she adds, as she heads for the door as well, intending to do the same as Leona.