Lord Titus Scarnetti NPC's page

...back it will save time and you need all the help you can get.

"Well... a fair point. But if I know the Constable, he will argue hard for however many men he can get, regardless of the information he has available. The real question is, will Magnimar's Lord Mayor or the Ushers actually listen? And will this information actually sway them?"

"For all I know, the constable may already be on the way back here aboard Lord Valdemar's ship... uh, whatever it was called. So a man on horseback could accomplish nothing. I could send a message by carrier pigeon to my aunt in Magnimar. She might be able to help sway the council, or if the Constable has already left, she could arrange something independently."

He turns to the politicians.

You should send word to Magnimar.

"You will recall we sent Constable Hemlock to Magnimar already, just a few days ago. Hopefully his reinforcements will arrive soon."

Not long after the mayor arrives, Lord Scarnetti arrives with some bodyguards.

"A terrible business, this," he says, shaking his head. "And Lonjiku's wife's little bastard was to blame, eh? Everyone knew he was trouble."

He looks over the group.

"I know you didn't care for Lord Kaijitsu. Few people did. But you avenged his death, so I imagine any enmity his spirit might have had for you is now satisfied. You restored his honor by slaying his murderer."

He looks at Ameiko.

"You also saved his daughter, and for that I am sure he would be grateful. The Kaijitsus were never a fertile line, and she is the last of his bloodline. She must be protected at all costs. Though it is not official yet, she is now the Lady Kaijitsu, and should be addressed as Your Ladyship. I hope that soon she will be well enough to take her father's seat on the council."

He looks back at the group. "Good work, all of you."

"If Desna isn't going to keep goblins from walking through her forest, then we need to consider the safety of the town first!"

Lord Scarnetti pounds the table.

"Desna can hardly expect us to bare our throats to the goblins for the sake of her trees!"

"They came through the wood?" Lord Scarnetti harrumphs.

"I have often said that the trees close to the wall should be cut down. To provide an enemy with cover so close to the wall basically makes the wall nearly worthless. We should begin cutting down those trees at once."

"But the problem, Lord Kaijitsu, is that the alarm was not raised. The goblins were already in the town before the militia could be raised!"

"How did this happen? How were the goblins able to penetrate the town defenses so easily?"

"For the record, I approve of Mister Goodbarrel's idea of searching the town for goblins that could be hiding here."

"And while I respect the council's wish to keep everything under the control of the council as a whole, I certainly intend to expand my own household guard. As is my right."

"I have often said that we need more troops anyway. Having only enough men to defend the town is short-sighted. We may need to respond to this raid, and how can we do that when we don't have even enough men to guard the town?"

"I expect mercenaries may be the answer. The militia are not real troops anyway; if you hand a carpenter a spear that does not make him a soldier. Better to have professionals do this sort of work."

"In fact, I would be willing to finance such a force from my own reserves if the town's funds are not up to the task. This would spare the city coffers any needless expense."

Lord Scarnetti looks at the group.

"You lot have the look of mercenaries. Or at least, you are certainly competent. If that's the sort of work you'd like, I'd be happy to hire you right now. Or perhaps put you on some sort of retainer."

Lord Scarnetti shrugs. "Perhaps. This could be a play against any of us here, or all of us. Or it could be a plot to harm Magnimar through us. If the latter is the case, the timber industry is best target, since Magnimar is a sea power and cutting off their supply of timber huts their navy."

"In any case we should be more concerned about protecting these interests from attack than we have been."

"Or perhaps someone who would benefit from a Sandpoint in turmoil? It is highly uncomfortable to think about, but still worth considering."

"The heart of Sandpoint's economy is business, particularly our exports to Magnimar. Sandpoint's entire existence is based on providing certain commodities to Magnimar. And always, in business, you have rivals."

"If our supply of timber were threatened, not only would our own shipbuilding suffer, but so would that of Magnimar. The lumber interests in Nybor would be quite happy to see our lumber supply dwindle. They could sell more of theirs and charge more for it."

"Mercenary, eh?" Lord Scarnetti smiles.

"I don't mind paying for that. No, not at all. We've always been too soft on these goblins in my book. Hiring some mercenaries may be just what we need."

Lord Scarnetti gives the party a shallow bow.

"Pleasure, I'm sure."

With a grand sweep of his cape Lord Scarnetti sits in the chair at the far end of the table from the mayor.

"So what's the urgency with this meeting, anyway? Surely the horse is out of the barn, so there's no need to discuss how securely we're going to lock the barn door now."

Yet another noble strides in, followed by several footmen.

"What's got old Kaijitsu in such a tizzy? My friend, there's practically steam coming out of your ears!"