"You said it was his 'mistriss' that sent the goblins to cause chaos, but what was his roll in all of this? What was he going to get out of burning the town?"
"Also, what did he want from you?"
"What he was getting I have no idea. The way he was talking about her, I assume he was hoping to impress her. As for what he wanted of me, he wanted me to join him. He spoke of father's evil and that he knew father killed mother. Then he would go off on a rant about how know one in the town respected us and they all deserved to die. It was somewhere around there I said he had gone crazy and we needed to go the sheriff. Shortly thereafter, the beating began. To be honest, I did not expect trouble. If I had, I would have gone armed and given a better account of myself. Darn goblins." She says downing a big drink.
Try living with them. And the priests were mostly all crazies with a few exceptions.
"Could you tell us more about this mistress? Weapons, armor, holy symbols, magical displays, fondness for torture and other quirks? That sort of thing?"
With Tsuto and the goblin locked up and Ameiko headingd back to the Rusty dragon with the others, Lavanor returns to the glassworks to make sure no other goblins are using the tunnel while the group figures out what is going on. He stands at the top of the stairs with his bow, listening for any noise downstairs.
"I never saw this mistress. He just kept going on about her beauty and power. That she had been spurned by the town and for that the town would burn, just like the church." Ameiko answers.
Lavanor finds no trace of additional goblins in the upper part of the goblins. When he checks the basement, particularly the tunnel, he hears some sort of high pitched scream. It could possibly be a goblin but it does not sound like one.
Runt sticks a finger in her hear and digs some itchy ear wax out.
Beauty and power? The former is overrated and the latter is typically abused. Stupid woman.
"Hmph"
"Hmm..."
Isabella thinks for a moment, then says, "Referencing an event like that means that this mistress is familiar with the town. 'Spurned' implies that maybe she used to live here, or she came here once and was treated badly. We're looking for... a local? An expatriate?"
"Well, there can't be all THAT many stuck up beautiful nasty woomen that used to be in town. We just ask around. Or we could just go through the tunnel and see if we run into her."
You can tell what Runt's preference is with a sense motive roll of 2. Tunnel!
Everyone arrives at the garrison and heads on down to the jail. Vachedi is in the outer room and greets everyone as cordially as usual which is to say he grunts when you walk in the room.
Trunt finds Tsuto's jail cell and takes a look at him. He focuses his innate magic at the man to Charm him.
Staring into the darkness of the tunnel, Lavanor considers his options. "If that's another victim, I need to save them. Imagine what everyone would think of me then. That would make me an even bigger hero. Or it could be a trap and I'd be dead or need the others to come save me. Then I'd be a weakling that can't handle himself. What to do. Well, it's too dark for me to see but the goblins could see me. If I light a torch, then I can't sneak in to avoid an ambush. It's too dangerous. I need to get help," he says as he slowly backs away from the tunnel.
Once back upstairs, he goes out to the street. "I need help! Someone come quick!" he yells.
Lavanor shows the person his "badge". "Thank you for responding. I'm with the guard and need to watch this building but I need assistance. I need you to find the other guards and have them meet me here. Last I knew they were at the Rusty Dragon. If they are no longer there then check the garrison. Please hurry."
Not wanting to leave the tunnel unguarded, Lavanor returns to the top of the stairs with bow ready, hoping that his companions come soon.
Tsuto casts his spell but he can't tell if it was effective or not. Elsewhere, a local runs up to Lavanor. The fellow is obviously older than Lavanor but seems relatively fit. "I'll do what I can. I'll send someone over to the garrison as well so you don't have to wait for me to hustle to both."
Trunt walks up to Tsuto and gives him a nudge, a slap if necessary, to wake him. ”You’re in some bit trouble Tsuto. All those dead at the glassworks. The goblins in town the other day. And your mistress plans more I’m sure. Work with me and I’m sure I can make things easier for you. I want to help you.”
"Who are you working for?"
"Where does that tunnel lead?"
"When do you expect more to come through the tunnel?"
"Why did you do this?"
"Did you pay the guards on the day of the attack by the temple?"
"Good friend, believe me when I tell you I cannot say whom it is I work for. She is my love and she has forbidden it... The tunnel, it is an old smuggling tunnel my father used to use. It comes out below the cliffs on the north side of town. There is a temple to lamashtu there. My mistress reopened it... I was supposed to report back and then future actions would be determined. Oh no, my journal, I left it in my room. Can you get it for me?... My lady wished to have the bones of old Father Tobyn, so we attacked... The guards? No, my father arranged that."
"Of course Tsuto, I wouldn't want you to break your word. Perhaps you could just describe her for me so that if I meet her, I can talk with her and explain your situation. Of course, your father was involved, did you have him killed? Such a nasty business, but sometimes these things happen.
Is she expecting to talk with you soon? I'm not sure I can get you out quickly. Sure I can get your Journal, where exactly is it? Have you already handed over the old Father's bones? If not, I can make sure she gets them."
"Have him killed? Of course not. I killed the old badger and good riddance. I did leave my sister down there. That witch wouldn't listen to reason. I should have killed her when I had the chance but she's my little sister you know. The journal I left it in my room. If they have not cleaned it out yet, you'll find it in there. As for the bones, yeah we managed to get them out the same night. I sent four goblin runners and one of their rangers to make sure the bones made it."
You suspect he has purposefully avoided your coaxing on a description of his mistress. As for the journal, anything that was in the room that looked important was removed. Since the group seems to be operating out of the Rusty Dragon and did the initial interrogation there, I would assume the journal is among the items there.
Trunt turns back to the others and says, "OK guys, looks like this is about what we can get from him. Doesn't seem to want to give up any details on this Mistress. Someone get that Journal out and bring it with us. We should probably get back to the Glassworks to see how things are going there."
"About time. We have goblins to punish. Let's go."
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@Trunt: Yes, you believe he is on the level.
This small, leather-bound booklet contains two dozen parchment pages, most of which Tsuto has filled with maps of Sandpoint or erotic drawings of an exotic young woman (DC 15 Knowledge [local] check those growing up here get +5, those arriving after the unpleasantness get no bonus). The maps each depict different attack plans. The first set shows the attack plans for a group of thirty goblins—one of these battle maps is circled, and you recognize it as the attack the goblins made on Sandpoint earlier. Of more pressing concern are the next several pages, which illustrate an assault on Sandpoint by a force of what appears to be two hundred goblins. None of these are circled, and while many are scratched out as if they’ve been rejected, the implications are ominous.
The last page of the book depicts the young woman with demonic hands, bat wings, horns, a forked tail, and fangs.
Of particular note
After the circled battle map:
The raid went about as planned. Few Thistletop goblins perished, and we were able to secure Tobyn’s casket with ease while the rubes were distracted by the rest. I can’t wait until the real raid. This town deserves a burning, that’s for sure.
After the last of the second batch of maps:
Ripnugget seems to favor the overwhelming land approach, but I don’t think it’s the best plan. We should get the quasit’s aid. Send her freaks up from below via the smuggling tunnel in my father’s Glassworks, and then invade from the river and from the Glassworks in smaller but more focused strikes. The rest except Bruthazmus agree, and I’m pretty sure the bugbear’s just being contrary to annoy me. My love’s too distracted with the lower chambers to make a decision. Says that once Malfeshnekor’s released and under her command, we won’t need to worry about being subtle. I hope she’s right.
Before the last illustration depicting Nualia as a succubus:
My love seems bent on going through with it—nothing I can say convinces her of her beauty. She remains obsessed with removing what she calls her ‘celestial taint’ and replacing it with her Mother’s grace. Burning her father’s remains at the Thistletop shrine seems to have started the transformation, but I can’t say her new hand is pleasing to me. Hopefully when she offers Sandpoint to Lamashtu’s fires, her new body won’t be as hideous. Maybe I’ll luck out. Succubi are demons too, aren’t they?
"Nualia..." mouths Isabella quietly as she looks over the journal.
"Could it be... ?"
Wackos. Why is it that Lamashtuan's are 90% wackos? If it wren't for the chance of ridding the world of a few gobs, I'd probably find a new home, far, far away from any of the nutjobs. Well, that and the new friends. Never had a friend before.
"You know, if we are dealing with a succubus, we are probably waaaay over our heads here. I don't know a lot about these things, but from what I've heard they are more dangerous than your run of the mill quasit."
Camil considers the journal, thinking about what he knows of any of the names mentioned.
I agree Runt, we're definitely in over our heads. But there is also no one else to help. This looks bad though. Who knew that the old priest had a child?!? "
I feel like we should leave Tsuto for the Sheriff when he returns, but we should probably find a way to collapse the smuggler's tunnel?
"He didn't have a child..." says Isabella to Camil. "He adopted a daughter. Like... like me."
She quietly says, "Nualia was an aasimar... touched by the celestial, as I am. She was adopted by Father Tobyn, who brought her up in the church here in Sandpoint. Uh, before it burned down in the Late Unpleasantness, that is."
With a sigh she continues, "Nualia and I took... different paths. I think it was harder for her. People kept expecting great things from her - that she would one day be an amazing miracle-worker, or healer, or holy warrior. That because she was orphaned she had a 'tragic past' and because Father Tobyn was giving her a strict upbringing in the Church that she would have 'strong discipline' and that due to her aasimar lineage she would have 'divine providence'."
"It's a lot to bear. People want hope when times are hard, and they see people like us... like me... as a symbol of divinity. The idea that heaven impinges a little bit upon Golarion. So they get these... ideas... that maybe somehow you can make things better for them, that perhaps you can get the gods to hear them or that you secretly have the power to fix everything but you're really silently watching and judging everyone. And when you can't, and don't, they sometimes become embittered, they think you're holding out, or telling them that they aren't good enough, or that you're really mean-spirited and you unfairly inherited this touch of the divine but you refuse to use it for good."
"I was lucky... I guess? I married a man who loved me very much and we tried to have a life of our own. We had a farm, we were going to have children... then everything fell apart. I was brought to Sandpoint after I survived the, um, the... massacre..."
She pauses to compose herself for a few moments.
"... Maybe it's because I lost everything, I was so badly hurt. Maybe it's because I didn't grow up here as an orphan. But people didn't treat me like they did Nualia. To Sandpoint, Nualia was supposed to be their local inspiration. She was a divine calling who was going to grow up to be someone great. Everyone placed these demands and burdens on her. And she resented it. She didn't get to have a life of her own. Father Tobyn thought he might make her into a priestess or a crusader. Eventually I became both but it was because of what happened to me, not because of some 'innate divine calling.' Nualia... everyone thought she died in the fire along with Father Tobyn, when the church burned down."
"If she's alive... if this journal is true, she ran away and... she's done something, she's turned into something. Something else. She took her suffering and let it define her in a bad way."
Runt, who usually wallows in her own self pity when she isn't lashing out is drawn out a bit by the story.
"What happened to your farm. Goblin raid?"
She tries to be tactful by saying 'farm' instead of 'family'.
"Yes," says Isabella softly. "I lived, but..." she trails off, placing one hand uncomfortably over her stomach and looking away.
"I moved to Sandpoint after losing everything."
Zandril looks over the journal. He asks Tsuto (or has Trunt ask him), "When is the next attack on Sandpoint coming? Where is the staging area for the attack. Who is Ripnugget? Who and where is the quasit?"
The journal which was with the other stuff is at the Rusty Dragon. Therefore, the conversation is at the Rusty Dragon. When you head back to the jail to question Tsuto further you find he has hung himself and unlike Epstein it seems quite apparent he killed himself. The goblin on the other hand, hoping to be helpful and not eaten for dinner, which is what humans do to goblins, he pipes up. "Ripnugget great chief on Thistletop." He has no idea when the next attack is coming nor what a quasit is.
"Where are they?" he asks himself as he continues to listen from the top of the stairs. Every few minutes he steps outside to glance down the street before returning to his post.
Trunt gazes at the body of Tsuto in disgust then glances at the goblin, but dismisses him. "I doubt we will get much more out of him that we already have. Lets get back to Lavanor and decide what to do from there."
Trunt heads off back to the glassworks with out even talking to the Goblin.
Walking with Trunt, The goblin did give us some good information at least. I think we need to find someone to help us collapse this tunnel though.
As the pair begin to leave the jail a man rushes in, "Your friend needs assistance at the Glassworks."
Meanwhile, a second fellow arrives at the Rusty Dragon to notify anyone who remained there talking with Ameiko.
"Enough playing with the goblin. Let's go!"
Runt rushes out of the jail and heads over to the Glassworks, though with her short legs she is easily overtaken.
Zandril thanks the man and heads to the Glassworks. When he finds Lavanor, "Are you ok, did you send for help?"
Lavanor turns quickly towards the door when he hears it open, hoping it's his companions and not an adversary. He's relieved when he sees who it is.
"Yes, I heard a high-pitched scream of some sort but couldn't tell what it was from. Unfortunately, the tunnel is too dark for me to see without a light source, which would make me an easy target if it was more goblins, so I didn't want to go alone. Now that you are here, we need to see what is in the tunnel," he says as he starts down the stairs.
Runt peers down the corridor but she is no more able to see anything than Lavanor.
"Well, I can cast a light spell. Not all that bright though and it will light us up pretty good. Or we can send in someone sneaky with good vision to scout."
Runt looks pointedly at Trunt.
"Or we could get close and I could summon a dog as close to the sound as I can and see what happens."
"I'll take a look," volunteers Isabella after rushing to the glassworks. "I have good night vision."
Lavanor looks at the aasimar. "I appreciate the offer but I don't like the possibility of you getting attacked while alone in the tunnel. I think if we all go in together, we have strength in numbers. If there are goblins hiding in there and they run away when they see us coming, that's fine," he says as he puts his bow away and draws his sword.
"You want to create us some light?" he asks Runt.
Camil reaches into his pouch, withdrawing his ioun torch and setting it to float near his head. This work Lavanor?
"I'll help too."
Run also casts a light spell on a coin and tosses it ahead of her. She will continue to do that as they move along. Pick it up, toss it forward. No point in trying for stealth anyway.
The group heads down the tunnel. It extends some 800' you believe in a north easterly direction into the darkness before it splits. The tunnel to the left turns more north with the original continuing on to the north east.
Runt tries to sense if there is any air movement coming from or going to one of the passages.
Zandril checks the ground for tracks or any evidence of traffic.
Runt does not detect any air movement from either side. Zandril however, sees several fresh tracks heading north-east. Most of the tracks are small. There are a few tracks going north but they are old and fading.
"Well, I don't sense any air movement down here. I suspect there is a closed door a the other end."
Unwrapping his bladed scarf, Camil looks nervously at his companions while they search for clues. "Great now we're underground with a bunch of who knows whats...."