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As the early morning sunlight spills over Sandpoint, a variety of adventurers make their way from their homes and workplaces to the Rusty Dragon – an inn and tavern run by the beautiful and skilled Ameiko Kaijitsu. Across the town rumors are spreading of a renewed goblin menace, unlike any that has been seen for the past four years, and of adventurers needed to combat this vile scourge.
For the past few weeks, Tai has found himself restless, on edge. It is as though his divine patroness demands something of him, though she has yet to fully reveal her purpose. Living mostly alone at the Kaijitsu Manor does not help with the restlessness. The servants are his only company there, ever since Tai’s half-brother Tsuto killed his father, Lonjiku, four years before. Ameiko, Lonjiku’s eldest child and now nominal head of the family, favors living in her inn, the Rusty Dragon, over anything resembling her old home.
This morning, however, Tai feels a sense of renewed purpose – something tells him that he will find the focus that he needs this very morning. Sure enough, after he finishes his morning dedications to the Empress of Heaven, he finds one of the two remaining servants of Kaijitsu Manor, Velarie Neserin, cleaning the hallway outside his room.
”Ah, Master Tai.” She says brightly. ”Good morning to you, and I hope your sleep was untroubled.” After some polite exchanges, she pauses in her work, frowning slightly.
”You know, I’ve heard tell that Sheriff Hemlock has reopened the bounty on goblin ears yesterday. Something about needing adventurers to hunt down the goblins down in Brinestump Marsh.” Velarie shudders, grimacing. ”Foul creatures, we’d be well rid of them.”
This, the young paladin recognizes, must be the reason Shizuru had been increasing his restlessness over these past few weeks. Before he volunteers for that duty, though, he should go inquire with his sister for permission to do so – to do otherwise would shame both himself and his sister.
Ol’ Pike, for his part, is glad to finally be back in Sandpoint. The last trip he took had taken the caravan down to Korvosa, where the new monarch was shaking things up – albeit very slowly, as social change in that law-bound city is wont to do.
He busily helps the caravan unpack its wares, as the various traders move about to bring their goods to the market, and Sandru Vhiski, the caravan owner, looks to him. ”Pike, could I ask you to bring the horses to the stables? I’ll make sure your breakfast is on me at the Dragon?” He grins disarmingly.
As Pike brings the horses to the Goblin Squash Stables on Market Street, he is greeted by Daviren Hosk, the one-eyed proprietor of the stables. ”Ho there, Pike. Sandru’s brought you back then, has he?” The other man seems unusually cheerful – normally he’s a dour, unsociable sort whose collection of named goblin ears is the talk of the town.
”You’re just in, so you probably haven’t heard, but the Sheriff’s renewed the bounty on goblin ears!” He grins viciously, before frowning. ”There’ve been a few merchant groups and travelers gone missing on the Lost Coast Road south of Sandpoint. You didn’t have any trouble, did you?”
Whatever the answer, Pike’s stomach grumbles – the promised breakfast is calling to him.
Samton Verro wakes up at his desk, sunlight streaming in through the windows of the Way North, his nominal workplace. Apparently, he’d forgotten to actually get up and go to bed earlier in the evening, and now his body ached all over thanks to the awkward sleeping position.
Sam has just enough time to go through his daily morning practices, including studying spells from his spellbook, before his teacher, Veznutt Parooh, enters the little study they use to produce “old” maps. ”Good morning to you, lad.” He says, hesitation in his voice.
”I’ve, er, heard of a likely business opportunity for you, Sam.” The gnome says, walking closer to the taller man’s side. ”I’d do it myself, but I’m no longer so young as I used to be, and the excitement of that sort of thing is best left to the youth, you see…”
He hesitates. ”Well, there’s a bounty on goblin ears again, and on the head of the goblin chief in Brinestump Marsh. You know that place hasn’t had good maps produced in centuries, if ever! So, since there are adventurers going to hunt down the goblins there, I figured you might want to go and do some hunting and mapping yourself. You don’t have to, of course, if you don’t want to.”
However, one thing becomes swiftly clear in Samton’s mind – Shalelu absolutely loathes goblins, and anyone who hunted them might become more worthy of her respect than otherwise.
Veznutt glances at him, a wry grin spreading on his face. ”If you’re interested, you may want to check with Miss Kaijitsu – she’s an old hand at adventuring, and I’m sure she’d have some insightful information for you. You’ll want to attach yourself to others, though – don’t, I repeat, do not go into the Swamp alone.”
Lor-Sinn is in the middle of her morning prayers to Old Dead-Eye when her ecclesiastical superior, Yannah Aurlaveu, approaches, joining her in kneeling before their god’s shrine in Sandpoint Cathedral. The two are joined by a few others, who pay their respects to Erastil, and Yannah spends long minutes telling the assembled congregants an old fable of Erastil. Many of the congregants are noticeably wary of Lor-Sinn, but they are willing to tolerate her presence for the duration of their prayer. Such was not always the case, but she’s pushed hard and long enough that they let her pray with them now.
After she has finished, Yannah turns to Lor-Sinn and beckons her to follow. The two clergy retreat to a small alcove before she speaks. ”Lor-Sinn. You are a champion of our god and a truly excellent shot, as last month’s Festival more than proved.” She refers to Archerfeast, one of Erastil’s sacred days, when Lor-Sinn had proven her prowess with the bow beyond doubt.
”There is trouble, however, that may grow to threaten Sandpoint. The goblins in Brinestump Marsh have been increasingly bold of late, and Sheriff Hemlock has put a bounty on them. While you know there is always a need for extra funds to put to charitable purposes, more important is the fact that these creatures threaten Sandpoint, possibly to the point that they may come and attack us, as they did on the day of the dedication of this very Cathedral.” Yannah grimaces. ”You must go and hunt down these vile creatures. I would recommend looking in on Shalelu – she might be in the Rusty Dragon. She knows more about goblins than anyone.”
Kurai, nocturnal as he is, arrives in the Rusty Dragon just in time for most people’s breakfast. The Dragon is relatively empty this morning, with only a few guests. Among them are Ameiko, the proprietor of the inn, Shalelu, his old mentor, and a few others that Kurai only recognizes by sight.
”Good morning, Kurai!” Ameiko greets him with a dazzling smile. ”What would you like today?”
Shalelu flicks her ears in a gesture that Kurai recognizes as similar to a human rolling their eyes. ”What he always asks for, I expect.” She turns to face the wayang more fully. ”Have you heard, Kurai? The Licktoads are being troublesome.”
Kurai knows that the Licktoads are a tribe of goblins in Brinestump Marsh, to the south of Sandpoint.
Kurai seats himself nearby to his mentor, and she sips her beverage, offering him a faint smile. “I rather thought you might like to go hunting for old Chief Gutwad.”