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While Etienne, Talam and Coppertop are discussing the map a elven female walks down the passageway towards you all. You recognize her from before, its Shalelu, the elven ranger who helps with Sandpoints goblin problems. She meets up with you and says Greetings, seems I missed all the fun! We got a goblin named Skillata in custody up top, she been very helpful and told us you where you were. She keeps talking about a halfling hero named Talam, seems you have an admirer young one! Well anyway, what have you found out?
Talacyst helps Blackleaf stand up and peers into the room, he sees that Vraelyn and Tsuto have traded shots and are both swaying from their wounds, Tsuto looks like he is about to drop at any moment. Blackleaf finally gets all the dirt from his eyes and sees what Talacyst is seeing....
This puts everyone at 2nd level so go ahead and adjust your sheets! We will keep going from where we are at now....
Blackleaf sees the man fighting Vraelyn. With a scream he hurls himself at the man,ax held high
Vraelyn staggers back, looking even paler thanks to her wound. Exaling angrily through her teeth she shakes her head a little at Tsuto, obviously annoyed and upset that it has come to this and fires another arrow.
Etienne smiles at Shalelu's remark.
She keeps talking about a halfling hero named Talam, seems you have an admirer young one![/b]
The young halfings face turns beet-red. Not knowing how to react to the statement.
"W...would one of you take a look at this", Talam asks stumbling over his words. "I found in one of the past rooms. I make any sense of it, the names sounds familiar though" He holds the paper up to Coppertop and Etienne.
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Tsuto drops as another arrow hits him in the chest sending him to the ground in a heap. Blackleaf pulls out the arrows and discards them to the side then picks up the dead body and heads out the door to the cave in where he and Talacyst push it through to the others. They follow with Vraelyn on their heels to join the others. Talam is showing everyone what he found, Shelelu suggests they get out of this dark closed in space and go a top to figure out what the heck is going on here. She leads the way out, Etienne shoulders the dead body and you all leave the area. Once upstairs you see city guards throwing dead goblins into the fire to be rid of there foulness from their town. You reach outside to a large crowd of towns folk who raise up a cheer as they see Ameiko exit the building and once again praise your group for their heroics. Shelelu leads the way to the Sheriff's office which is a short trip, once there she asks to see the letter that Talam has in his posession. Etienne drops the body on the floor of the sheriff's office and steps out side the doorway for a moment to get some fresh air away from the evil man he had to carry but within hearing range of whats going on inside. She also asks Vraelyn to search Tsuto to see if he has anything of important on him.....
The young halfings face turns beet-red. Not knowing how to react to the statement.
"W...would one of you take a look at this", Talam asks stumbling over his words. "I found in one of the past rooms. I make any sense of it, the names sounds familiar though" He holds the paper up to Coppertop and Etienne.
"Let's see that thing then."
Vraelyn holds the nasty wound in her side as she walks silently with the others. Not once making a pained sound or asking for it to be healed. Holding out her free arm as she walks Lightning settles on it and she smiles, if only briefly.
At the instruction to search Tsuto she lets the storm roc find somewhere new to perch himself and gets to work looking over the body.
Talacyst seems torn between examining the new letter and Tsuto, but after seeing the man's bloody state he moves to squint at Talam's letter.
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Talam shows everyone the note, it reads, "The raid went about as planned. Few Thistletop goblins perished, and we were able to secure Tobyn's casket with ease while the rubes were distracted by the rest. I can't wait until the real raid. This town deserves a burning, that's for sure."
Vraelyn doesn't find much on Tsuto except for a small, leather bound booklet. It appears to be his journal. glancing through it, it contains about two dozen parchment pages, most filled with maps of Sandpoint or erotic pictures of some female. The maps depict different attack plans on Sandpoint, one you recognize from your recent past and it is also circled, showing an attack on Sandpoint by about thirty goblins. As you all skim through more pages you see attack plans that make you very nervous, more than 200 goblins assulting Sandpoint! None of these later maps are circled. After these sets of maps you see an entry,
"Ripnugget seems to favor the overwhelming land approach, but I don’t think it’s the best plan.
We should get the quasit’s aid. Send her freaks up from below via the smuggling tunnel in my father’s Glassworks, and then invade from the river and from the Glassworks in smaller but more focused strikes. The rest except Bruthazmus agree, and I’m pretty sure the bugbear’s just being contrary to annoy me. My love’s too distracted with the lower chambers to make a decision. Says that once Malfeshnekor’s released and under her command, we won’t need to worry about being subtle. I hope she’s right."
On the last page of the journal you see another erotic picture of the same female throughout the booklet only this time she has demonic hands, bat wings, horns, a forked tail and fangs. Before the last illustration of the female there is another note saying...
"My love seems bent on going through with it—nothing I can say convinces her of her beauty.
She remains obsessed with removing what she calls her ‘celestial taint’ and replacing it with her
Mother’s grace. Burning her father’s remains at the Thistletop shrine seems to have started the transformation, but I can’t say her new hand is pleasing to me.
Hopefully when she offers Sandpoint to Lamashtu’s fires, her new body won’t be as hideous. Maybe I’ll luck out. Succubi are demons too, aren’t they?
After all has been read, everyone in the room is very quiet for a few moments before someone speaks up......
Talacyst remains silent for a minute more, his mind racing over these new names and phrases.
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Ameiko breaks the silence, We got to do something, Sandpoint can't handle over two hundred goblins......poor Tobyn.... her words just trail off as she has no idea what to do. Shalelu speaks up, The only thing I can think of is to go to Thistletop and take out that bugbear leader and fast. If he is dead then maybe the goblin's will skatter with no leader to prod them on.... she trails off too, not really sure what this all means.
Ameiko breaks the silence, We got to do something, Sandpoint can't handle over two hundred goblins......poor Tobyn.... her words just trail off as she has no idea what to do. Shalelu speaks up, The only thing I can think of is to go to Thistletop and take out that bugbear leader and fast. If he is dead then maybe the goblin's will skatter with no leader to prod them on.... she trails off too, not really sure what this all means.
Talam looks at the others, being the newest person in town. "So where is this Thisletop place you're talking about, Mrs. Ameiko", a puzzled look on his face
Coppertop breaks his long silence to correct Talam. “Uh, that’s Ms. Ameiko,” says Coppertop with a shy smile. Coppertop then explains to the group that even though he is from Sandpoint he doesn’t recognize anything from the note.
Coppertop uses his divine magic to heal any who are wounded.
Vraelyn thanks Coppertop for healing her wound with a small weak smile before falling silent once more, appearing to be in deep thought over something. Even Lightning returning to her and sitting himself on her shoulder doesn't seem to lift her from her contemplative state.
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Shalelu turns and smiles at Talam and says, Thistletop is located east of here up the coast in the Nettlewood Forest. Its a curiously round island about 60 feet off shore which is connected by a rope bridge. It is the home of the Thistletop goblins. Ripnugget is the current leader of the Thistletop tribe and Bruthazmus is a infamous bugbear ranger who lives in the Nettlewoods and seems to be in control of the Thistletop goblins. And Coppertop might not remember Father Tobyn who was killed in a fire in his church with his daughter some five years ago. The new cathedral is built on the remains of the old chapel Father Tobyn looked after. She pauses to let all the information sink in to everyone.
Vraelyn looks up at the other elven woman's words. "His daughter?" She questions sure she's missing something vital she inwardly curses for not listening to town gossip over the years. "Wait.." She flips through Tsuto's diary again.
"Was his daughter Nualia? Of celestial blood?"
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Vraelyn looks up at the other elven woman's words. "His daughter?" She questions sure she's missing something vital she inwardly curses for not listening to town gossip over the years. "Wait.." She flips through Tsuto's diary again.
"Was his daughter Nualia? Of celestial blood?"
Shalelu answers Vraelyn, His daughter was Nualia and she died with him in the fire as far as I know!
"No, she did not" Vraelyn replies simply, passing the open diary over, one of the sketches showing on the open page. "She plans to use her father's bones in a ritual to make herself more demonic"
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"No, she did not" Vraelyn replies simply, passing the open diary over, one of the sketches showing on the open page. "She plans to use her father's bones in a ritual to make herself more demonic"
Shalelu reponds with a look of disbelief on her face, That does look like her all right its hard to tell with what she has done to herself but I do believe you are right!
Etienne's attention is captured by the mention of the word "demonic." He moves to look at the picture. "This is an image most foul! It is a debasement of the human form married with the most evil of creatures!" He exclaims. "Give it here so we can burn it!" Etienne demands. "Surely, this is the evil that I sensed below!"
"We can burn it once we have dealt with the source" Vraelyn replies plainly "We need to make sure we keep it in case there are further clues to be gained from it that will help us purge the evil taint"
Talacyst thinks of his own weakened body, and can understand why someone might try to use any means necessary to recover their bodies. He keeps quiet however, seeing how much the topic upset Etienne.
"I'm afraid I don't know anything of these areas... can any of us find the way around the surrounding areas?"
When Shalelu speaks of Father Tobyn Coppertop’s demeanor changes radically. One moment he is smiling shyly at Ameiko, the next moment his face is a mixture of horror and pain. “Father Toby?” he gasps. “I didn’t make the connection,” he says in pained voice. Coppertop tenses involuntarily as a wave of suppressed emotion sweeps over him. The church fire and the Chopper are forever linked in his mind. The pain of losing his father is suddenly as fresh as the day it happened. Coppertop quickly regains his composure. However, anyone taking a close look at him notices that his breath is coming in short little gasps and his teeth are clenched tightly. He stares straight ahead as he fights desperately to keep the tears from his eyes.
Etienne regards the youth, "Coppertop, who is Father Toby?"
Coppertop knows from experience that if he speaks while his emotions are so raw the only sound that will escape is a sob. Instead of answering he just shrugs and nods toward Vraelyn and Shalelu.
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Shalelu turns to Etienne upon hearing his question and seeing that Coppertop is not going to answer she answers, Ezakein Tobyn was Sandpoints previous religious leader who was killed in a fire of his chapel he looked after. He raised Nualia as his own and it was thought that she had died in the fire. It is rumored that she was pregnant by a young Varisian named Delek Viskanta. It is said he left town so after finding out she was with child. No one really knows what happened though but her and her father.
As the moments pass Coppertop is able to regain his composure. The amount of devastating news that he has been hearing is hard for him to come to terms with. It seems his hometown has its fair share of skeletons in the closet. Or is that demons in the basement? He begins to blurt out ideas of what should be done in a fast and furious manner. Each course of action seems to be mutually exclusive of the last one. After a moment he realizes that he has been talking nonstop for what seems to him a very long time. He abruptly stops in mid sentence and says, “Sorry. I just…never mind.” He looks at the floor in embarrassed silence.
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Time passes as everyone ponders what the best course of action is for Sandpoint's safety. Ameiko speaks up after awhile, Well it seems to me there are two choices, you can go to Thistletop and try and eliminate the threat to Sandpoint or you could head back under the Glassworks and find the tunnel that leads to the evil Etienne and the journel speak of. You have a better chance of succeeding by staying together and tackling each one, we don't know their time table and it might be delayed by not hearing from Tsuto. My vote would be for you to go and take on the evil below Sandpoint first till the Sheriff gets back to watch over Sandpoint then you can infiltrate Thistletop and take out that bugbear! That's what I think anyways, what do you all think?? She finishes off her speech hoping to help Sandpoint anyway she can.
...we don't know their time table and it might be delayed by not hearing from Tsuto.
After Ameiko finishes the halfling looks around the room and speaks. "I agree with what Ameiko says", Talam takes a long breath and continues.
"But, we can also go with the assumation that their time table has moved up from not hearing from your brother. At this very moment goblins, by the hundreds may be preparing to march on Sandpoint", he sighs and places a hand on his sickle.
"Either way a decision must be made and soon! Either way we must stand together. Splitting or force will only make us weaker." He looks toward Ameiko and than Coppertop, "I, for one, think the goblins may be a bigger threat."
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The group is silent again, everyone thinking on what to do next. Shalelu clears her throat, an idea coming to her she decides to voice. I think we should send a runner to the sheriff in Magnimar and update him on the events that have taken place while he has been getting more help for us, hopefully. I can leave right now and make a run up to Thistletop and scout around to see whats going on and how long we have, I can move faster alone. Your group can then stay here and check out the evil below and see if what Etienne sensed was just Tsuto or something else...... She lets her sentence trail off as she looks at each person, waiting to see what each thinks of her plan.
The group is silent again, everyone thinking on what to do next. Shalelu clears her throat, an idea coming to her she decides to voice. I think we should send a runner to the sheriff in Magnimar and update him on the events that have taken place while he has been getting more help for us, hopefully. I can leave right now and make a run up to Thistletop and scout around to see whats going on and how long we have, I can move faster alone. Your group can then stay here and check out the evil below and see if what Etienne sensed was just Tsuto or something else...... She lets her sentence trail off as she looks at each person, waiting to see what each thinks of her plan.
"Sounds like a plan. If you see that the goblins are preparing to come down soon though make sure to get a hold of us", Talam smiles and looks at the others
Black leaf had been silent for the walk though the town and much of the talking. It seems to me this, foulness beneath your town needs rooted out and dealt with. He pauses and glances around the room. While this bugbear needs killed and I long to bath my ax in his blood, without knowing what lays in the heart of your town , deep in its dark places we can't afford to delay, yet evil within is more deadly then without.
saying his peace Blackleaf settles down to hear what others say, and looks around for something to quench is thirst.
"Shalelu has a point, friends. For now I suggest we prepare for our foray below." Etienne pulls out a small scroll and signs his name. He passes it around, "May I request that those willing to combat the evil below to scribe their name on this scroll so that I may properly invoke Iomedae's blessing."
"Shalelu has a point, friends. For now I suggest we prepare for our foray below." Etienne pulls out a small scroll and signs his name. He passes it around, "May I request that those willing to combat the evil below to scribe their name on this scroll so that I may properly invoke Iomedae's blessing."
"Got a quill", the halfling maraches up perpared to sign.
Etienne hands Talam a dagger. "I used blood for ink. Don't worry, Iomedae favors the brave."
Etienne hands Talam a dagger. "I used blood for ink. Don't worry, Iomedae favors the brave."
Talam raises an eyebrow at hearing have to sign his name in blood. "Alright", he takes the dagger, "if you say it's ok."
"That's a brave fellow." Says Etienne.
Etienne then turns to his other companions, "It is written that the we must not be afraid to shed our blood if it will mean stopping evil and protect our family and friends. Sandpoint has been my home this past few weeks, I will not falter in her defense. In Iomecae's name, let it be so."
Coppertop grimly pricks his finger and signs his name in blood. Such a thing would never have crossed his mind in the past but his trust in Etienne Nevar overcomes his queasiness.
Coppertop is firmly behind the plan to attack the cancer that is poisoning Sandpoint from within. However, he is not sure where the entrance to the evil underground might be. His young mind is fairly sure that the entrance is somewhere in the glass factory but the exact location is unknown to him. Because he would like to rest and regain his ability to cast his spent spells he suggest that the group camp in the glass factory as close to the “assault point” as possible. “That way we can protect Sandpoint from unexpected attack!” he says with grim enthusiasm.
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With most of the group having decided on her plan, Shalelu smiles and says, Good, I will leave right now first stopping at the sheriff's office to get someone to make a run to Magnimar to inform the sheriff! I will be back as soon as I can. She departs leaving the group to decide if they want to follow Copperpot's suggestion?
"Coppertop, that is a great suggestion."
Vraelyn observes the scroll Etienne is passing around but does not sign it. "I will help but I fail to see how adding my name to a list will accomplish anything" She remarks a little flatly.