At Garen's challenge, the sheriff scowls, crossing his arms. "Frankly, I don't see how any of us can do much at this point. Father Zantus has been informed of the developments, but we don't know who in town is aiding the goblins, and we don't have the numbers to raid one of their settlements, not even with you six." Sheriff Hemlock sighs, and his face softens. "Look, I want to track down these maniacs just as badly as you do. In a perfect world, I'd be out there, taking the fight to them now. But at the moment, there's no course of action that won't do more harm than good, so the best thing we can do is nothing and hope things work out."
Erridon hears the words, and the tired resignation in the sheriff's voice. He understands the frustration of wanting to do something but being constrained by responsibilities. "We'll do our part Sheriff."
"But, let's get Tot over to the Dragon so Ameiko can assure her that her absence hasn't cost her a job!"
Tot blushes at Ari's teasing, but the small, sincere smile and whispered thanks she gives him when the others aren't looking tell of her gratitude. That she still holds his hand speaks further to it.
"To the Dragon!"
Tot shakes her head when Garen asks if anyone wants to join him in searching the graveyard for clues.
"I-I need to get back to the Rusty Dragon and Ameiko. She's probably wondering where I am," she explains in a soft voice.
"I might join you, Master Garen, at least until we get to the church. Joining you in the graveyard seems risky, though. People know me here, if there's one place I'd have been visiting if I went there... It would be Father Tobyn's crypt. Our only advantage right now seems to be the fact that whoever did this doesn't know we know there was more behind the goblin attack. Of course, your presence there might place them on guard as well, but I think it's easier to explain of your set on going." Zorlen says as he ponders their options, and nods to the group heading for the Dragon. "Shouldn't be too difficult to convince people that you're just visiting a friend's grave."
"I'll check the graveyard, sure."
Tot nods, grateful that she wasn't getting dragged along on another errand. She walks beside Ari, still holding his hand, as they head back to the Rusty Dragon.
When Tot finally returns to the Rusty Dragon, she goes to find Ameiko to see what needs to be done to prepare for the dinner rush that would be coming as people arrived in town or came in after a long day's work. As she helps Ameiko in the kitchen, Tot works up the courage to ask one of the questions that'd been bothering her.
"M-m-miss A-ameiko? W-why did you hire me," she blurts out when she finally does get past the mental and emotional block.
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Isidiana seems frozen for a moment as the party... splits.
A lot of stories go very badly this way... She thinks then takes a breath "Be careful Garen, Grod, and Zoren if there are signs of more trouble please come get us. I'll hit the Dragon as I suspect I'm good at that morale social stuff... folks LOVE a bard... sometimes we're so popular we get chased out of towns, mostly by angry fathers and husbands... odd that."
So she gets to the Dragon and sees Tot rush right to the kitchen...
Maybe I'll have her story substitute face 'the fires of hell to fight the great beast' , sounds more exciting than 'went to the oven to make yeast rise'
As for herself, the gnome starts chatting up folks, asking if they have a preference for this or that song, and in so doing tries to gather a bit of information from locals that might be of use to the investigation.
Well, she learns some folks favorite songs, of course, and Ole Cole shows her the gout on his foot which kind of kills her appetite.
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Erridon sits at a table considering ordering an ale, then some food. After a moment though he changes his mind. He stops by Izzy before leaving. "I'm heading home for a few minutes. If Tot comes out let her know I'll be back."
He runs home to tell his parents about his day, letting them know that Zorlen is back and that they'd had to fight 'a couple of goblins'. "A couple of us got minor wounds, but they were easy to heal. I met a girl tiefling. She's kind of cute, in a tiefling way. She goes by the name 'Tot'. If you happen to meet her don't ask her any questions about herself. She's shy and doesn't like attention. I think something bad happened to her though. She got upset the couple of times when I asked questions before I understood."
"Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I'm going to be at the Rusty Dragon for a while, with Zorlen and my new friends." Once he's told them he heads back.
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"Zorlen, when we get there ask the priest what he knows about the situation if you would? I wish I had a tracker but that ranger didn't seem keen on sharing her time. Grod, can you track? If neither of us can I think I may go try to find me someone who can or at least get me a hunting dog. Probably check the stable but graveyard first." Garen says as they walk.
"Of course, Garen, I will, and will let you know if it's anything important. Let's be off then, shall we?"
As they walk towards the new cathedral, Zorlen can't help but be awed at its appearance, a stark contrast to the smaller church that stood there before. When they arrive, he gives a curt nod to Garen and Grod and steps inside.
Before setting out to look for father Zantus, Zorlen takes a moment to appreciate the beauty of the new church, and refocuses his arcane energy for the day.
1st (3+2/day)- Bonus: Enlarge Person (DC 16)x2; Ear-Piercing Scream (DC 16); Grease (DC 16); Mage Armor (DC 16);
0th (at will)- Acid Splash (DC 15); Detect Magic (DC 15); Message (DC 15);
When he finishes his meditation, he again finds himself unconsciously holding on to his hidden holy symbol. Shaking his head, he sets out to look for Father Zantus.
"Hello, Father Zantus. I, huh... My name is Zorlen, and it's good to finally meet you. And I must say, the cathedral is amazingly beautiful. Nothing like the old church." Zorlen smiles as he says his words, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes - there's a sadness and longing in them for a brief moment, before he focuses on what brought him here. "I wanted to talk to you about a specific topic. One that should be kept private, I think. Is there somewhere we can talk quietly?"
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Isidiana decides to entertain the crowd at the Rusty Dragon, and begins to tell a story to do so.
"Once upon a time, I think it was a year ago, a warrior longed to defeat a dragon and gain fame thereby. Not just any dragon would do, but when he heard of a HUGE dragon said to be the size of a hillside, he knew his moment had come," Izzy D makes little clopping sounds with hands on her knees to mimic a horses canter, "And out he rode. Seeking the lair of the monster!"
"After many miles journey into increasingly mountainous terrain," The spread her hands wide to pantomime the distance "He spotted what appeared to be a great cave, dark, and stench filled. Dismounting from his horse, he walked to it, drew his blade, and called out:
'Come out, Dragon, and fight me!'
But there was no response!"
The gnome gives an exaggerated shrug and goes on "Well, this frustrated the warrior, how could he become a knight without killing a dragon? So even louder he called out into the stinking cave:
'Come out! We shall battle to the death!'
But once more, the only answer was silence and stench!" The bard scratches her chin as if she too were perplexed by this story's lack of a response.
Then she resumes "Well, the want to be knight just lost his patience entirely, and yelled insults into the befouled cave at the very top of his lungs:
'Worm, you're a coward! And unless you fight me, I will let the world know of it!'"
Isidiana let a look of surprise fill her features, "And this time, THIS time, there was a response. A great booming booming voice called out from somewhere above and yet not too far:
'Alright, Alright, I shall fight you. Just... Why do you have to scream up my arse?'"
She then makes a fart sound with her armpit and bows!
Erridon is just rounding the corner returning to the Rusty Dragon when he hears a roar from the building. He almost breaks into a run before he hears that the roar is laughter. Something really funny must have happened, just what the town needs....
Entering the Inn he spots Izzy, up and performing, and understands what he heard. "I'm sorry I missed that one Izzy! Maybe later?"
"Sure, Ari. What'd you learn?" She inquires and takes a break to get a drink for them both.
Erridon requests some water to help him catch his breath and not have a dry throat. "Hmm.... Um..... Yeah. Learn? Well, I guess two things. It's just a quick jog to my folks house when I want to get back here. And.... If I talk quick and leave the same, those same parents don't have much of a chance to stop me with questions or requests for tasks that I'd normally do." He sips at his water and focuses on his breathing. He'd had to learn to do that when he learned his spell casting. The sing-song cadence of the words required a steady cadence, or beat, almost like music.
He wasn't a Bard, but.... "Hey Izzy? What cantrips can you cast? My casting seems to be similar to a Bard. You're a Bard aren't you? I mean as well as a great entertainer!?!" He hopes that his too obvious intended flattery isn't actually insulting. "To not be rude, the cantrips that I've figured out are Dancing Lights, Daze, Detect Magic, and Mage Hand. I used to have fun with Mage Hand, but once I got serious with my casting I stopped the pranks."
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"Remember, family means telling someone to go to hell, while worrying if they'll arrive there safely or not." She grins.
When the subject turns to bardic magic, she gets curious, "Oh those are nice. My magics are minor, though yes, one day the world will know me as Isidiana the Grate, for I shall have songs that cut so well as to mince cheese... and hearts. As for those cantrips, a few tunes of lesser power include sensing magic, mending small damaged things, a few bits of prestidigitation, and of course, I'm never without a musical instrument unless I want to be." A sigh "if only I were a gnome, I could do even more then."
Ari chokes off a laugh at Izzy's description of 'family'. His family life was good, except for not having any siblings. Some thought that an 'only child' meant privileged, and he understood. But siblings meant in home friends. And sometimes he wished for such....
"If only you...." He looks hard at the little woman. "Aren't you a gnome? I mean.... Please don't take my ignorance for rudeness! But.... ??"
"Of course I am, and like many a gnome I enjoy playing with the taller folk," she gives a WIDE grin, "Just saying I have some magics that are from my heritage rather than my profession."
"Zorlen, when we get there ask the priest what he knows about the situation if you would? I wish I had a tracker but that ranger didn't seem keen on sharing her time. Grod, can you track? If neither of us can I think I may go try to find me someone who can or at least get me a hunting dog. Probably check the stable but graveyard first." Garen says as they walk.
"There are better trackers, but I know how, yes. I'm sure our new elven acquaintance is better. Getting a dog to help is never a bad idea, in my experience." he says, thinking back to the stocky badger-hunter he'd had as a child. Sweetest dog ever, but man did she hate badgers. And turtles, oddly.
Ari returns Izzy's grin with a shake of his head. "And of course you always play to win. Makes sense, and I'll keep it in mind for the future."
"Do you suppose Tot will be joining us? Or is she stuck in back cooking now?" He sips on the water, thinking about how much his life has changed this day.
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"if you enjoy the play period, you never completely lose," She says sagely, then adds "But that's easy to say, I still sulk if I really wanted something and don't get it. Ah well, goal to strive for. As for Tot?" The gnome sighs "I don't know. I think she wants a haven, a place to hide and sees kitchens as one place to do it, but you can't hide from the world- it's all around you, all the time. And if you try to hide from EVERYTHING too long, Everything becomes scary. You know her better than I, and I'm glad she's made friends, but it seems to me Tot needs coaxing a lot. We need to find out what motivates her so she can learn to motivate herself. She deserves to be part of this world as much as any of us eh?"
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Ari requests some stew and bread and considers asking for something other than water. Not really a heavy drinker though he just refills the glass.
He gives a low chuckle at Izzy's words about Tot. "I don't say that I really know much about Tot. I'd like to know her better..... And I think you're right. Something bad happened to her and I think she fears her past catching up and finding her. She needs a haven, and she needs friends that she can accept and trust. I'm trying to get there. Maybe working here for a while will help. I've told me parents about her. They absolutely don't have any issues with non-human races so I hope that will help if I can ever get her to meet them. Maybe I'll bring them here for dinner?"
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"Let's take a look Grod. If we have no luck or maybe especially if we do we can go see the stable master in town and see if he has any dogs or knows of someone who does. Surely folks out in the wilds like this go hunting." Garen will stride on out into the graveyard looking for areas that have been disturbed in order to begin a search.
Perception +6
Grod nods, then begins methodically sweeping the area.
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Ameiko raises an eyebrow. "And why shouldn't I have hired you? You're an excellent cook, and you kept up well with the demands of the crowd yesterday."
The crowd roars in laughter at Izzy's vulgar joke. As Ari strikes up a conversation with you, they return to their own conversations.
"Thank you, Zorlen," Father Zantus says in response to your initial compliment. As you ask about a private matter, his face turns solemn. "I suspect I already know what you wish to talk about. Follow me." He leads you through the cathedral to his personal chambers.
As you reach the stone Boneyard where priests and their families are buried, you see that the door is ajar, and there are footprints going back and forth between the entrance and the town wall to the northeast; presumably the graverobbers came through the forest on the other side of the wall and climbed it to get in and out of Sandpoint. Garen notices that while most of the footprints are goblin-sized, one is bigger. Once this is pointed out, Grod confirms that there were six goblins and one larger humanoid (he can't tell the exact species, but it's probably a human, an elf, a half-elf, or a half-orc), and their footsteps were heavier coming out of the Boneyard than they were going into it. There are also ladder marks at the point in the wall where the footprints end, indicating that a ladder was used to assist in the climb. You remember Shalelu's suspicions of a traitor within Sandpoint, and this seems to be more evidence supporting that theory.
"I--I j-just--" Tot stammers before shaking her head and trying to articulate the complex knot of emotions she feels. "Most wouldn't keep me around," she says after a moment. "An-and when you wanted me to go with Lord Foxglove, I--I th-thought you m-m-might--" That you might not want me around either.
The young tiefling puts her back to a wall and slides down it and hides her face behind her hands.
"Why did you send me out on that ride with Lord Foxglove? A mousy, devil-tainted swordswoman is hardly anyone worth knowing." Despite her attempt to hide it, a note of bitter sullenness slips into her tone, and she winces at she sounds even to herself.
"Sorry," she mutters in apology as she looks up at Ameiko. "It's--it's not easy to trust people. I shouldn't be speaking to you like that."
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** spoiler omitted **
"We saw your self-esteem problem from the get-go," Ameiko replies, "and we thought that making you accept Lord Foxglove's reward would help you accept that you deserve it for your heroics at the festival. If you saw that people actually care about you for who you are and what you've done instead of what you look like or who your ancestors are, it could help you accept yourself. Shelyn knows, Tsuto would have killed to have the chance you have..."
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”Well, Grod, I think it may be time for that dog. Maybe take him on the north side of the wall and see if we can get a trail. We’ll need to check the whole perimeter actually. You counted six giblins here and there were by far more than that in town. How did they get in? What do you think, dig first or walk the perimeter?”
"We saw your self-esteem problem from the get-go," Ameiko replies, "and we thought that making you accept Lord Foxglove's reward would help you accept that you deserve it for your heroics at the festival. If you saw that people actually care about you for who you are and what you've done instead of what you look like or who your ancestors are, it could help you accept yourself. Shelyn knows, Tsuto would have killed to have the chance you have..."
Tot winces as she hears Ameiko mutters under her breath. The tiefling isn't sure she was supposed to hear it, but it still stings to be thought of as ungrateful.
"I-I-I-I'm s-s-sorry! I-I-I d-d-didn't m-mean to s-sound ung-g-grateful," she blurts out as she looks up at Ameiko, worried that her candor has somehow upset her employer. After a moment, she calms and looks away as she grabs her arms. "I--I don't know know how to trust people or how to have them trust me. I don't even know how to tell I'm friends with or who are friends with me. It seems so easy, but it's not. I just seem to keep jumping at shadows, and I keep messing up." Her vision blurs as tears begin to stream down her cheeks. "I-I don't know who Tsuto is, but if they want this chance that I have, then--" she shakes her head, trying to banish the thought. "I'm so scared I'm going to mess everything up again. I just--I just want a place I can call home. I'm tried of being alone, and I just want someplace I can call home," she sobs.
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He gives a low chuckle at Izzy's words about Tot. "I don't say that I really know much about Tot. I'd like to know her better..... And I think you're right. Something bad happened to her and I think she fears her past catching up and finding her. She needs a haven, and she needs friends that she can accept and trust. I'm trying to get there. Maybe working here for a while will help. I've told me parents about her. They absolutely don't have any issues with non-human races so I hope that will help if I can ever get her to meet them. Maybe I'll bring them here for dinner?"
"You don't want to overwhelm her, so best not to 'spring them' on her, but I think the idea of her cooking for them among others might work. I can see you're very kind to Tot, so I guess your folks raised you right" easy going about it. "Now if only I could feel a bit more useful myself. I'm not learning as much from the locals as I hoped and I worry about the others."
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Ari listens carefully to Izzy's words. He did want Tot to be able to relax a bit more around him. Trust him. He wasn't sure why it was so important, but it was. "That makes sense. I can invite them to meet the whole group. But not tonight. Tonight is for us. Our.... victory, such as it was, over the invading goblins."
"So what is it you want to be learning 'from the locals'? You realize that I am a local. I know a little about the town, it's history and people...."
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"Well, mostly if they've seen anything unusual, strange people heading towards grave yards, neighbors acting oddly holding dark rituals.. little clues." She says cheerily enough
”Well, Grod, I think it may be time for that dog. Maybe take him on the north side of the wall and see if we can get a trail. We’ll need to check the whole perimeter actually. You counted six giblins here and there were by far more than that in town. How did they get in? What do you think, dig first or walk the perimeter?”
"Let's go ahead and check the perimeter first."
"Hmm. Maybe we should have gotten that dog."
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Ari starts to chuckle as he hears Izzy's question, but then gets serious. "Well, for strangers in the graveyard.... I'd recommend asking Naffer Vosk. He's the gravedigger, and he sort of keeps a watch against young boys pranking the graves. I never did that, but this is a small town so there are plenty of stupid kids."
"As to locals doing dark rituals? Most of the people here fear magic, cause they don't understand it. They won't say anything if to the practitioner if they spot it. But you can bet there'll be mention of it in gossip. Anybody that witnessed our battle will spread word of any spells that they saw, if there was a visible affect. The Mage Armor Zorlen cast on me probable wouldn't be noticed.... But there were a couple things cast that might have."
"That's local silliness though and not an answer. If I were interested in locals involved in dark rituals...." He glances around and lowers his voice so others can't hear, "I'd be looking at the Scarnettis. But I don't know how I'd even begin. It's all rumor of course, but I heard mention that they were into various crimes and dark works. I try to avoid that gossip mostly though, cause I don't want to risk getting involved! That would be more dangerous that running out and attacking a goblin tribe by myself! And my family could get hurt too."
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"Erridon, you're really GOOD at this!" She's impressed, "you should be an investigator or a questioner or something. Which should I start with first?"
** spoiler omitted **
[b]"I can struggle with that sometimes myself,"[b] Ameiko admits, [b]"but I've learned over time how to find friends who are trustworthy. I want to be your friend. Your fellow heroes want to be your friends, Erridon especially. We can help you learn. And... I'm sorry for comparing you to my brother like that."[b]
Garen is quite confident that the graveyard is the only place where goblins went over the walls or up the cliffs, as the only other traces of goblin he can find around the perimeter are the rotting corpses of those goblins that jumped off the cliff fleeing the militia, which still leaves unanswered the question of how they got in.
It takes a few minutes for Tot to regain any semblance of composure. She looks up at Ameiko, sniffling as she scrubs the tears from one of her eyes with the heel of her hand. The tavern owner had told her exactly what she'd hoped to hear, yet Tot still feels scared, especially when she considers what Ameiko said about Erridon. She feels her heart racing and her chest feels tight when she considers what that might mean.
"A-ari's a kind person," Tot says, sounding even to herself like she's trying to convince herself of that. She goes quiet for a moment, wiping away the last few tears as the odd sniffle comes.
"C-can you teach me," she asks Ameiko after a moment. "H-how to find trustworthy friends?"
Ari chuckles at Izzy's little joke. Or was it a joke? "I keep getting in trouble for asking too many questions. I just want to know.... everything it seems like."
"Maybe start with questioning Vosk. That's a lot safer than the second option. But tonight, maybe we should celebrate."
"Thank you, Father." Zorlen bows his head slightly as he lets the man lead him to his personal chambers. "As you probably guessed, I wanted to talk about what happened at the cemetery. The sheriff has just told me, and..." Zorlen looks away for a moment. "I... I owe alot to Father Tobyn. The idea that his and his daughter's remains were taken is bad enough, but I'm worried whoever did it means to use them in some sort of dark ritual or the like. Right now, I don't think there's much I can do, but I figured I'd ar least try and understand what they might be planning to do. Erridon suggested I might some material for such a research here at the cathedral, and I was hoping you'd know where to look if so. My hope is that by learning what they might be planning, I might more easily stop it."
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Just before walking the perimeter, Garen steps into the temple to tell Zorlen where he is headed and invites him to join the search.
After finishing the walk of the perimeter...
"Ok, Grod, let's go tell the Sheriff what we found and see who he recommends getting some hunting dogs from. Do you think he would mind letting us question the guards from the festival? I can't help but think they must have seen something even if it seemed minor at the time. What do you think?" Garen asks.
"I don't know what his answer will be, but it's worth asking. As is, unless the goblins were dropped in by birds or brought a boat no one saw, I can't see how they got in."
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"Yes, Bethana and I can help you with that," Ameiko replies. "The first rule of finding who is trustworthy is to look for people who do helpful things without expectation of reward, especially if they don't draw attention to what they're doing."
"Yes, we do have some books on warning signs of dark rituals that could be helpful." Father Zantus takes Zorlen to a chest which he unlocks, revealing a small listing of books. "Let us search and find our answers."
Ari chuckles at Izzy's little joke. Or was it a joke? "I keep getting in trouble for asking too many questions. I just want to know.... everything it seems like."
"Maybe start with questioning Vosk. That's a lot safer than the second option. But tonight, maybe we should celebrate."
"Well, all right, since you're bending my arm," She motions for another round for her and Ari
Ari smiles and replies to Izzy, "Any arm bending needed for sure, as long as you don't accuse me of trying to get you drunk and taking advantage. That could cause real trouble with me and Tot."
He raises the drink when it comes, "To future adventures and plentiful rewards, hopefully without too great of risk!"
Tot nods before standing up. That could very well describe Ari, she realizes.
"Wh-what about s-secrets," she asks. "I--I have some things I don't want to talk about. Some because they are painful. Others because they--they're dangerous to know."