Search Posts
"Who was murdered? And where? Why do you think we had something to do with it?" Is Shal eating breakfast with us? If not, does she already know of this?
Yod, you keep the amulet and I'll take the cloak. Sari gets the other cloak. Adjust your sheets people! "Do we need to make a return trip to Thistletop? We never explored the doors out of that last room and we never found a way down to the beach."
"Half-orc tour guide...somehow, I don't think Kendra is gonna go for it. They want to keep tourism on the rise not scare everyone off." I'll take the charm if no one else does. Yod has the least Save skills of anyone however.
"I guess we'll wait and see what happens, but I won't stand by to see Lyrie tortured and I'm not convinced the evidence against her warrants hanging." Cha shrugs and smiles. "And, if it comes to a vote, mine will be for anyone but Titus." Let's go have a look at the Old Light.
"Well that makes this situation even more challenging. I'm thoroughly against what Larson and Titus have in mind and I have no problem openly admitting that to them, Kendra or the townspeople, but at the same time I have nothing to lose in this. Kendra, on the other hand, has it all to lose. Anything we do publicly in Lyrie's defense will look bad on Kendra. Suggestions?"
"Has he...talked with or met Lyrie yet? I hear he is skilled in interrogation techniques."
"Just dropped in for a visit. We had dinner with King Titus the Great last night at his house...well at least in his mind. He had an interesting visitor, a Hellknight, Larson Kimble, a friend of yours I guess?"
First to see the Mayor or Sheriff. Then to the light.
"Larsen to be sure. Be careful. Don't let him see you. He looks very dangerous."
"I get the impression Titus wants the Mayor to let Larsen torture Lyrie. I don't agree with that at all." Cha frowns dissaprovingly at the legions of hell remark. "Very unnatural." "What else do we know about this Order? Sounds like they support the law when it's convenient for them and fits their needs and desires. I get the feeling they have ulterior motives here and it may not be in the best interest of the town." To Ameiko, "Do you know where he's staying? Or if he traveled here alone?" To Yod, "What are your plans for the evening? Maybe you could go take a look around?"
"That fellow is trouble for sure. I'd like to know more about him and his business here. Let's see what Ameiko can tell us about this Order. Tomorrow we should question the Mayor. I'm not particularly found of Lyrie, but if her intention is to turn Larson loose on her...we'll see about that." If we've got time to kill, I'll take Ishah to the Old Light tomorrow and get Quink to give us a tour. I'd like to get my bearings on where the beach/cave is in relation to the Light. I also want to see for myself that it's inaccessible from above. From there, I want to restock my Healer's Kit, change out my coins for gems and figure out the next move. At this point I agree that all roads seem to lead to Magnimar.
"Distasteful? I'd say the family of the poor fellow we found half eaten by goblins in the floor of his house would choose other words to describe his murder. And that scene was not nearly as horrific as the Glassworks." "The girl in custody was a pawn, nothing more. Not innocent, but not the leader. The leader is dead. Have we gotten them all? Probably not. But we have rooted out all of the key people."
Cha tries not gag on his wine at the excruciation remark. "Excruciation? Sounds like a fancy word for torture. I doubt very seriously that will be necessary. You say you give the Law weight...as in you weigh their requests for help and determine if you need to assist or not? I'm still a little confused on what it is you do or what the Order does."
Cha raises his glass to the toasts but only sips the wine. "Thank you very much. I think the term 'hero' is being tossed around a bit much, however. I don't feel very heroic, just tired. We've lost more than a couple of friends in the last few days. One more toast...to those who have given their lives protecting the town." I'll give everyone a chance to drink to this new toast before moving on. "Mr. Kimble, what brings you to Sandpoint and where did it bring you from? No doubt news of the troubles this little town has had recently has spread at least to Magnimar, maybe beyond?"
We rise and shake hands. "Paralictor? Order of the Nail? I'm sorry. This doesn't mean much to me." I look to my companions for clarification.
I guess the wild man and the dog will have their baths as well before the party. What's the general rule of thumb on weapons? It might be that we should polish up our favorite and at least wear it to the door, where we'll take it off and hang it on a peg or something inside the house. Let's spend a little time talking with Ameiko about the Scarnetti's. Maybe she can give us some background info.
That leaves us 3504gp which we'll transfer into gems and split evenly. Where do we go from here? Do we still need to make a visit to the family offering the reward for info on the tunnels below? Did we take care of that already.
Everyone feel free to chime in. I'd love an armor, shield or weapon upgrade, but it's not in our inventory and not in the town as best I can tell.
I'm all for having a toast to our departed comrade. I'm also all about selling and spending on something useful before we set out. A fighter eh...made me look. Pretty cool. I have trouble keeping up with one class.
First order of business for Cha/Ishah will be making sure there are no wounded to tend to anywhere. Then we'll check in with our innkeep to make sure there's nothing to be done there. Once any emergencies are behind us, we'll proceed to price/unload some of the stuff.
I'll make the rolls for Guard later when I'm at the house.
"Well for my part, I'll not recommend the gallows. I think you've been pretty truthful with us about your involvement. What to do with you however. We're at war and you fought on the side of the enemy. I don't think we can just let you leave. What would you have us do?"
"I don't think Nualia would have let you deliver any information about the Malfeshnekor to the Pathfinders. She was planning on freeing the beast, becoming its mate and completing her transformation into an alu-fiend. His announcement to the world was to come in the form of a suprise." Again, I pause to see her reaction. "A statue you say...what a big statue that would be. Have you been in the tunnels here?"
"Yes, Tsuto is dead. He didn't give us much choice. So, he was protecting her? That makes sense." "What sense did you make of Thistletop? What of the malfeshnekor she couldn't find?"
The red man turns redder. "Orik's not on trial here! He made sufficient amends in the battle with Nualia. If not for him, that might have gone much worse. Peaceful dealings with monsters!" I step forward, towering over her with my finger in her face.
"The same tribe that attacked this town and killed innocent citizens. And yes, I say demons...how do you think Nualia got that black claw of hers? Did you think Erylium was the good fairy? So, then are you just the innocent Pathfinder, looking for answers...I hear there's a chapter-house in Magnimar. Maybe we could escort you there? I'm sure they'd be happy to meet you." I let that soak in a second before continuing... "In the meantime, my name is Cha tuk. I imagine that on our recommendation, you'll sit in a cell here for the rest of your life or you'll swing from the gallows ere the end of tomorrow. I want to know about Nualia, Jagen, Thistletop, Magnimar, the Wanton of Nature's Pagan Forms and everything else of interest. It's your fate. Leave nothing out."
"Nothing wrong?" I laugh. "I do believe you tried to kill me and set my dog on fire. She didn't really appreciate that. Also, I'd be willing to bet that most of the townsolk around here would consider consorting with demons a bit on the wrong side. More likely you were in it for the power you thought you might wield if you could unlock some of the ancient secrets? The truth...I grow weary of the lies."
"Maybe you're right...maybe there's nothing we can do for you. But maybe we can...only way you're ever going to find out is to give us some information. Nualia's dead and so are most of the humans and goblins she worked with. What do you have to lose? Start from the beginning please."
"if it wasn't for me, you'd be dead. Try to be a little bit thankful. It could be beneficial to your future. What was Nualia looking for in the old writings?"
"Lyrie, let's hear about Nualia. How did you meet her and what was she working on?"
"I don't like leaving the runewell operational, but I doubt we have the means to destroy it. What about this Wanton of Nature's Pagan Forms? I don't think I'm going to like it whatever it is. Lewd distortions of nature...disgusting misrepresentations of animals or something? A trip to Magnimar may be in order."
"Too many good men have died these past few days. We need to find an answer to this. I think this is bigger than Nualia. She was studying the old runes and books when we found her, far from the battle. She's connected, but it's hard to believe she's pulling these strings and not even curious to see the outcome. It might be time to talk to the prisoner?"
I'll drop the horse off at the stables on the way to the Dragon. On the way I'll take the time to move in close and cast Speak With Animals. I'll stick with simple things like, What's your name, I'm Cha, You'll be safe here, I'll be back, Do I stink as bad as Sari makes out... I'll pay the man for boarding for a month and let him know that if I don't return to donate (insert horse's name here) to the Church. "He's had a rough time. We found him with a group of goblins. I expect he'll receive much better care here..." I give him a look to imply I expect a good answer. Once I'm assured he will, I'll give the man a tip to match the boarding fee then head to the Rusty Dragon. I'll unload everything I don't need, keeping any books, drawings, idols or unrecognizable things we picked up that might be a clue for Brodert or the Father.
"Not all are safe. Eberk didn't make it...he died at Nualia's hand..." "It looks like you've had plenty of trouble yourselves though. Let's gather for another meeting so we can fill each other in on recent events and plan our next move. Brodert should be there as well. We'll drop our stuff off at the Dragon and meet you back at your office in an hour."
"A traitor to her kind. She was helping Nualia...Nualia is dead now though. What have we missed?"
"I don't like the idea of leaving the bodies of men lying in the hot sun amongst this filth, but we have our hands full. Let's get back to town."
|