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The stern Tian Min man looks toward your table, his face darkening, The heroes of Sandpoint... Your ill-advised actions against the goblins riled them up! You should have left them to the guard to deal with!
His sneer and complete disregard for young Mira's station is apparent as the man spews his venomous words...
Mira’s grip on her fork tightens as Lonjiku’s sharp words cut through the air. Her face flushes slightly at the man's words. She knows that Sandpoint is safer because of what they did, but to have one of the town's founding figures belittle their efforts in front of everyone feels like a blow to her pride.
"With all due respect, Lord Kaijitsu, we couldn’t just stand by and let the goblins wreak havoc. People were in danger. We acted to protect the town."
She doesn’t raise her voice, but there’s a note of defiance in her tone. She won’t let him talk down to her or her friends, no matter who he is.
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The elder Kaijutsu looks down on the young guard and scoffs, Yet you could not save those that perished as a result... Children playing at being heroes.
At that, Ameiko bursts from the kitchen, a ladle dripping thick curried stew firmly grasped in her hand, What do you want? Bothering my customers, and people who helped against the goblin raid?
Lonjiku retorts sharply in the Tian Min tongue, causing Kusano to flinch, but Ameiko remains resolute. The elder seems to issue an ultimatum, to which Ameiko responds with a rapid fire rebuttal, accentuating it with a stab at the door. Kusano turns beet red and wide-eyed at her words!
Her father, fury plain as day on his face, grabs at her hair, clearly looking to drag her from the inn, but the former adventurer slips away and brains him with her ladle, leaving the older man to stumble, thick sauce and potatoes on his face and clothes!
Lonjiku sputters a moment and narrows his eyes, You're as dead to me as your mother!
All of this happened so fast, you were barely able to get up from your chair before the man was on the floor. And then, as soon as it happened, Kaijutsu was gone, the door slamming shut.
A tense moment passes, before Ameiko sheepishly apologizes, I am so sorry, folks... Don't let my own troubles ruin the evening. A round of drinks, on the house!
As the older man shouts insults at Mira and the others, Lucien finds himself going to stand next to the young lady of the guard, he own had at the hilt of his blade, slowly drawing steel to accost this rudeness towards his new-found friends.
But then Ameiko intervenes and smacks her own father, and Lucien's hand relaxes. The scene is awkward and embarrassing for all, but the heat has not gone out of the small halfling's face as the door slams shut. He whispers loud enough for this friends to hear, but not the whole room, "That old bastard came within a second of a blade in his belly. No one talks to you like that. No one!"
He takes a deep drink, his blood still boiling, even after he sits back down.
Snag ignores the weird human yelling at them as he has had to many weird humans yelling ridiculous things in his general direction. His eyes light up at the free round of drinks though!
Mira’s heart pounds in her chest as endures Lonjiku’s words and biting remarks about the lives lost during the goblin attack, coupled with his disdain for her and her companions. But before she can respond, everything is a blur with Ameiko and Lonjiku and the situation is over.
Mira sits, still unsettled with a rapid heartrate and sweaty palms. She looks down to see her white-knuckled fist clenching the fork and finally relaxes her grip. She looks at Ameiko with a mix of admiration and sympathy, knowing that standing up to her father like that wasn’t easy.
She slowly turns her head to Lucien and whispers "Thanks, Lucien."
She wants to talk to Ameiko about what just happened, but the old fool has gotten in her head and she begins to doubt herself about whether she played too many games and could have been doing more to save more lives instead.
"Such is the way with those who attempt to help. No good deed goes unpunished."
Snag nods wisely and says, "Snag once try and clean erasers inside classroom because they very dirty...." Snag's voice trails off and he shakes his head and grimaces at the memory.
Mangrove stays quiet for the moment taking in the dynamics of the situation. He says nothing, butpulls forth a small notebook and makes a few notes before returning to his socializing.
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Ameiko picks up her ladle and flashes a smile, I'll need a well-cleaned ladle now... Jackass curry is not on the menu.
This elicits a laugh from the patrons. Ameiko bows before heading back to the kitchen with some haste, to presumably clean up before distributing drinks...
Lucien is still fuming over the boorish behavior from a supposed lord that he barely notices Ameiko's quip and departure.
... and Mira is too busy staring at the table in front of her, caught somewhere between embarrassment, frustration and anger and unsure how to deal with it. So she keeps staring down at the table.
Perception (Sense Motive).
Mangrove is so intent on making notes that he misses any potential social cues.
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Soon, the atmosphere in the Rusty Dragon is once again lively, the din of conversation rising back to a respectable level! Young Lord Foxglove makes his way down the stairs from his room, heavily leaning on a new cane.
Ah, my friends! You are here! Thank you for having this last dinner with me. I have decided that I will be returning home to Magnimar, Aldern smiles warmly at all of you, but there is a weariness upon his face.
Ameiko returns to the bar and taps a large cask. As she fills tankards, young Utami comes by and loads up a tray for the other serving girl, a girl you know as Saya. Where Utami is tom-boyish, Saya is more classically pretty and often is the one serving tables.
She comes by the table and smiles, delivering each of you a pint of spiced ale. After distributing ales to the entire common room, Ameiko comes by, Thank you all for standing up to my father, again. He can be a... handful. Today's meal is on me. And the drinks too! If any of you need rooms, or want to have a little stay-cation, your rooms will be free for a week!
She tosses you a wink and heads back toward the kitchen, Dinner will be ready shortly!
Mira bids Aldern farewell and thanks him for the hunt and feast. "If we are ever in Magnimar, maybe we'll stop by to say hello?"
She then turns to Ameiko to thank her kind words and free meal. "You're too kind, Miss Ameiko. Thank you for your hospitality and words, we are here whenever you need us."
After she departs, she looks at her five companions one-by-one around the table and gets an idea. She raises a spiced ale and says "To the Sandpoint Six."
Kusano grabs for a spiced ale to toast when Ameiko deftly replaces it with a sparkling grape juice, Not just yet, 'Sano. On your next birthday, maybe...
The young lad frowns and harumphs, but soon he cannot resist the fresh juice! To the Sandpoint Six!
Lucien is a bit disappointed that his one connection with a real nobleman is about to end before he can finesse more coins or advantage from the situation, but as Ameiko mentions free food and drinks, his mood brightens considerably.
"You let me know if you need to teach that old father of yours a lesson, Ameiko. Happy to oblige!" He puts his hand on the hilt of his blade to emphasize the point, then laughs and joins the others in their toast. "Guess the Sandpoint Six, is my new crew! Cheers!"
Snag giggles and joins in the toast. "Snag happy to be part of Sandpoint Six!"
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The next couple of days are filled with little incidents. Amele Barett comes to Mira in tears, frantic. A goblin attacked her son, and her husband flew into a rage beating the little goblin to death with a chair. The rage he showed frightened her, and led her here.
By the time you all arrive to the scene, Alergast is found bleeding standing over a mangled mess of a goblin corpse... Broken down in tears. As near as you all can glean from the incident is that the man lost himself in a haze of fury. He doesn't remember all that much, only glimpses, shards of memory...
--
The following evening, Sheriff Hemlock calls you in his office. A friend of the town, Shalelu Andosana, an elf ranger that patrols the area has returned to Sandpoint. This would not be abnormal, except she is about three weeks earlier that she would normally be expected. You find that Mayor Deverin is also in attendance, lending to the gravitas of the situation.
Apparently, Shalelu has reported some strange goblin activity lately. Multiple tribes, who normally would be fighting for territory, have actually been working together. Snag could attest to the oddity of it.
A day prior, a farmstead in the dale between the Nettlewood and Mosswood was attacked. The farmstead was burned to the ground, and though Shalelu was able to save the family, she was too late to save the farmhouse from being razed.
Belor’s told me of your work against the goblins— well done. I’ve dedicated the last several years of my life to keeping them from causing too much trouble around these parts, but they’re tenacious and fecund little runts. Like weeds that bite.
There are five major goblin tribes in the region, and, traditionally, they’re pretty good at keeping each other in line with intertribal squabbles and the like. Yet from what I’ve been able to piece together, members of all five tribes were involved in the raid on Sandpoint. A fair number of the Mosswood goblins I dealt with yesterday were already pretty beat up, and there was a lot of chatter about the ‘longshanks’ who killed so many of them. Now that I’ve met you, it seems obvious from their descriptions who they were talking about. Seems like you’ve made an impression.
In any event, the fact that the five tribes are working together disturbs me. Goblin tribes don’t get along unless they’ve got something big planned, and big plans require big bosses. I’m afraid that someone’s moved in on the goblins and organized them. And judging by these recent raids, what they’re organizing seems like bad news for all of us.
She pauses for a moment then looks at Snag, No offense intended.
When "longshanks" are mentioned, Lucien looks at his own rather stubby legs and shrugs.
The past few days have been emotionally draining for Mira and her companions. The incident with Amele Barett left a heavy mark, the sight of Alergast standing over the mangled remains of a goblin, broken down in tears, was haunting. Shalelu’s warning that goblins have begun working together meant there was something or someone is uniting them.
Mira’s brow furrows as Shalelu describes the attack on the farmstead in the dale between the Nettlewood and Mosswood. The farmhouse was lost, though the family had been saved, but the fact that such a coordinated attack occurred at all was alarming. Shalelu’s praise for their recent efforts against the goblins feels bittersweet.
Mira nods, trying to process everything. The thought that someone-some big boss-could be organizing the goblins is disturbing. A unified goblin force could spell disaster for Sandpoint.
As Shalelu finishes speaking, Mira shifts in her seat, the weight of the situation settling on her shoulders. "If these tribes are organizing under one leader... Uhm..."
She looks to her companions, hoping each of them understand the gravity of what lies ahead.
"Well, we need to figure out who’s behind it. The people of Sandpoint are counting on us."
"Sandpoint Six already on trail. Goblins had leader during attack. Took something from crypt maybe." Snag says with a nod of his head.
As Snag reminds Lucien of the grave robbery, he asks Shalelu, "Would goblins, present company excluded, typically be clever or bold enough to use a frontal attack to cover something like what Snag references? That sort of strategic move just doesn't seem to fit what you describe as typically goblin behavior. If there is a leader organizing them, any whispers of who or where?"
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Shalelu frowns, Goblins generally live short, violent lives. So, it is pretty unusual for a single goblin to achieve any real measure of notoriety, but when one does, it is well-earned. Currently, there are six goblins that enjoy the status of hero in this region:
The first is Big Gugmut, an unusually muscular and tall goblin from the Mosswood who, it is said, had a hobgoblin for a mother and a wild boar for a father.
Koruvus was a champion for the Seven Tooth tribe, as well-known for his short temper as he was for his prized possession—a magic longsword sized for a human that the goblin stubbornly kept as his own (despite the fact that it was too large for him to properly wield). Koruvus vanished several months ago after he supposedly discovered a “secret hideout” in a cave along the cliffs, but the Seven Tooth goblins remain convinced he’s out there still, a ghost or worse, waiting to murder any goblin who tries to discover his hideout.
Vorka is a notorious goblin cannibal who lives in the Brinestump marsh, a “hero” mostly to goblins other than the Licktoad tribe.
Rendwattle Gutwad is the obese chieftain of the Brinestump goblins, a corpulent monster who, it is said, never leaves his throne.
Ripnugget is the leader of the Thistletop goblins and controls what the five tribes agree is the best lair.
And then there’s Bruthazmus, an infamous bugbear ranger who lives in northern Nettlewood and often visits the five tribes to trade things he’s stolen from caravans for alcohol, news, or magic arrows.
Shalelu furrows her brow before continuing, Bruthazmus has a particular hatred for my kind and I would relish the chance to put him in the ground myself...
Any one of these heroes could be bold enough, though clever? I would hate to underestimate and dismiss them out of hand...
"I believe we should investigate each. Going from most likely to least. Since you have a 'connection' to Bruthazmus, I would suggest going to that one first. At the very least, our investigation could provoke a response that would help us ferret out who is uniting the goblins."
"Were any goblins captured in the raid the other day, or were they all killed or run off? Just wonder if they have anything to say about who put them up to this and it might narrow down the direction we take. without that lead, I would support what Anthony says"
Lucien wasn't involved in most of the first day's fighting, and doesn't know if any were taken alive. He assumes Shalelu and the Sheriff know.
Snag will wander around town when he is not on work time at the school looking for any random dangers or interesting look discarded items.
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The next day is relatively calm. As Snag wanders the town, he sees Mira about her duties taking statements from some of the townies that have needed help after the assault. After his daily prayers, Anthony emerges from the cathedral and walks through town, occasionally attempting to hide his scowl when the townsfolk stop to thank him for saving them or press gifts, fresh bread, care packages and the like into his hands. Mangrove wanders the streets, the children running up to say hi and dance around him, but parents are still wary in case the goblins return…
As the rest of you spend your day, you all decide to meet up at the Rusty Dragon to talk and clear your heads, but fate had different thoughts on the matter...
You enter the inn and tavern and immediately you are approached by a timid halfling woman, Bethana Corwin, Ameiko’s cook in the kitchen and maid for the inn. Can we speak somewhere private?
The halfling woman pulls you to the back room that Ameiko uses as an office, and the Innkeep is noticeably absent, Ameiko has gone missing. I don’t know where she went! I awoke this morn, and found that Ameiko hadn’t yet begun breakfast for the patrons…
Bethana shakes her head, This is the first time, in recent memory, that she hasn’t done so. I went to her room and knocked. No answer. Against my better judgment, I went in and it was empty, her bed still made, corners tucked like I always make them! The only sign of where she may have gone was this…
The halfling maid produces a piece of parchment that had obviously been smoothed, the telltale signs of previous crumpling evident.
Hello, sis!
I hope this letter finds you well, and with some free time on your hands,
because we’ve got something of a problem. It’s to do with father. Seems that
he might have had something to do with Sandpoint’s recent troubles with the
goblins, and I didn't want to bring the matter to the authorities because we both
know he’d just weasel his way out of it. You’ve got some pull here in town,
though. If you can meet me at the Glassworks at midnight tonight,
maybe we can figure out how to make sure he faces the punishment he
deserves. Knock twice and then three times more and then once more
at the delivery entrance and I’ll let you in.
In any case, I don't have to impress upon you the delicate nature of this
request. If news got out, you know these local rubes would assume that you
and I were in on the whole thing too, don’t you? They’ve got no honor at all
around these parts. I still don’t understand how you can stand to stay here.
Anyway, don’ t tell anyone about this. There are other complications as well,
ones I’d rather talk to you in person about tonight. Don’t be late.
-Tsuto
Lucien reads the parchment out loud and frowns. "Sounds like she went to meet this Tsuto who may be her brother? He sounds sketchy. Has she ever mentioned him or disappeared like this before?"
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Lucien whispers to the others, trying not to allow Bethana to hear. "The rumor on the street about Tsuto is that he is Ameiko's half-brother, same mother, but a different father if you follow what I mean...So this latent anger at dad, who we all remember is a giant ass, right? That anger might be pretty justified depending on how the senior Kaijitsu dealt with a bastard child. Not good I bet."
Talking louder again, he says, "The note says meet him at the Glassworks. We know anything about that place? I bet that's where she is, but why she hasn't come backis anyone's guess. Mira, you ready to go on a search and rescue mission? I bet Lord Kaijitsu who is loaded, despite being a giant ass, would like his daughter back. Maybe enough to pay us for it?"
"Snag willing to go to glassworks. Maybe get some good glasses for reading." Snag says.
"Ameiko is nice. I would never forgive myself if something happened to her that I could help prevent. Let us go see if we can offer aid".
"Well, we'll probably fail, but, at the least we can try."
"I am sure Mira would feel the same way. Let's go see the what there is to see at the Glassworks."
Assuming we know where that is, Lucien will take the others along and, from a safe distance, try to reconnoiter the exterior of the building to see if anything is visibly amiss before marching right in.
"Looks like no one's home, guess we can rule that out then..." Lucien jokes looking suspiciously at the empty business with no foot traffic in the middle of the day. "That strikes me as something wrong, what about you guys? Should we look closer?"
Assuming the others agree, Lucien will work a quick lap around the building, looking for other visible doors or means of egress, or any sign of staff or customers on the premises.
Mira grows concerned when Bethana reveals that Ameiko is missing, and a mysterious letter from her estranged half-brother, Tsuto, hints she went to the Glassworks to confront their father about his possible involvement with the recent goblin troubles?
After arriving at the Glassworks with her group and finding it a bit suspicious, she nods to Lucien. "Let's get in there to look around. Lucien, we'll follow your lead for an entrance as this appears to be something sneaky that you are good at. If you can't find an easy way in, I'll put my shoulder into a door."
"Snag walked this far." Snag says with a quizzical look at Lucien as if he doesn't understand why they wouldn't keep going.
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Lucien finishes his scouting then reports back to the others. "There's the front door you cam see and then a delivery and employ entrance around the back. Curtains are drawn on all the windows, so no seeing inside. Really no sign of anyone at all, which is odd, except for the smoke billowing from the chimney inside. I don't know much about glassmaking, but keeping that fire going has to be pretty expensive, if no one is working inside. I bet there's someone in there, but we'd have to break in to find out." He looks at Mira in her guardsman uniform. "Think you can authorize that or keep us out of trouble if a looky-loo comes by? And, if we go in, which door do you want to try?"
Mangrove scratches his wooden chin area...
"Has anyone checked the roof for access"?
"Snag think back sound like best way in. If group find danger inside, better for it to spill into back then streets." Snag says.
"Didn't think about the roof, Mangrove. Good thinking. Can you climb? It's going to be a bit of challenge to get up there, but I have a rope, if someone wants to scale up and tie it off. Otherwise, the back it is..."
:
Lucien leads the group around to the rear of the glassworks, and focus on the employee entrance. He assumes it is not trapped, but tries the door to see if it opens without effort. If not, he pulls out his set of lockpicks (well used) and tries to pop the lock.
meh....
"Oh No! Not much of a climber myself... but even if there isn't a way in up there, perhaps we could see in before we enter".
He then looks around at the others.
"Is anyone here good at climbing"?
"I can try to climb. I'll have to stow my equipment, though. Does someone have a rope? After I get up there, I can lower the rope and pull you up. Unfortunately, I'll probably be noisy while I climb."
"Snag think roof scary. Stick to back door." Snag shakes his head as he looks up and considers that the group includes a tiny goblin and a plant and thinks going up seems like a bad idea.