Halvor comes downstairs a little after dawn, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Damn, he was sore! The half-elf had been much smaller, but had packed quite a punch. "I think I might accompany you, though I'm thinking I can't afford anything better than what I have right now." The big man shrugs, digging into breakfast with fervor.
Sunday, 9 Rova 4707
Everyone feels much better after a good night's rest. The morning sun streams through the open windows, as does a pleasantly cool breeze. It's the first day that feels like autumn. As you all trickle down to the barroom, Bethana brings over a plate of apple pastries that are still warm from the oven, some bread and cheese, and mugs of coffee. Lynnda and Krissina join the rest
Ameiko herself walks into the barroom from the kitchen. She looks better than she had when you rescued her from the Glassworks, but she still has a haggard look about her. She walks over to your table.
"Morning. I didn't sleep well last night. I kept thinking of that last conversation I had with my father. You were there-- he was standing right there." She gestures toward the door. "He was deliberatly speaking in a language that most people around here don't understand, so you probably don't know what he was talking about. He announced that he was selling the family estate here in Sandpoint, and ordered me to join him in moving to Magnimar permanently. When I refused, he called me several names, then said I was dead to him." She chuckles mirthlessly and continues, "I guess I get the last laugh there. He was my father, and I loved him... but I sure didn't like him very much! No one deserves what Tsuto did to him."
She pauses and shakes her head in regret. Snapping herself out of the dark reverie, she continues, "Anyway, what I wanted to mention is that his announced move to Magnimar was very sudden-- he hadn't ever mentioned that intention before. Honestly, I think he liked being a big fish in a small pond, and I didn't think a permanent move to Magnimar would have been good for him. That kind of underscores my suspicion that Tsuto had blackmailed him into letting his goblins use his smuggling tunnels, and after the attack, he decided that he had to make himself scarce before it came to light."
At about that moment, the doors to the street open and in walks a tall woman with a mass of slightly unkempt golden hair, with tall and sharply-pointed ears that stick through it. Gazing across the room with whiteless azure eyes the color of the midsummer sky, she spots Ameiko and strides over to her. "Ameiko, I'm so glad to know you're okay!" The two women embrace. "I'm so glad to see you too!" reples the innkeeper.
Ameiko turns to you all and introduces you. "Friends, this is Shalelu. Belor and I told you about her last night. Shalelu, you know Krissina, and I think you know Halvor. These are Cerin, Kyrian, and Lynnda. They've done a great deal to help defend the town against the goblin attack and its aftermath."
Kyrian listens to Ameiko talk about her late father as begins to reflect a little on his own past. Closing his eyes for a moment, he shudders and shakes it off. Seeing the blonde woman walk in and embrace Ameiko, his eye perks up in curiosity of who it is. Once hearing her name, he stands up in following Cerin and puts his hand forth to greet her. "Kyrian. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm willing to say that you wouldn't mind having a quick morning meal as we discuss over things. You know of our plight, correct?"
Halvor nods in greeting to Ameiko, thinking the woman likely wanted to be alone. To his surprise, the lovely yet haggard proprietor of the Rusty Dragon makes her way over, telling them of her last minutes with her father and his likely motivations. As he digests this information, his attention is drawn to the newcomer.
Halvor knows a bit about Shalelu, although doesn't know her very well. If you weren't a goblin or some other rural pest, she likely didn't consider you worth her notice. Still, he stands with the others, offering his hand to the much smaller elven woman.
"We're talking about the goblin attack and what's next. Maybe you can offer some guidance, Shalelu?"
Uh-oh. THAT'S this 'Shalelu' person? I need to play this cool...
Lynnda smiles, and shakes the elven woman's hand. "Good morning! My name is Lynnda, and it's nice to meet you."
The sorceress' cat, perched on her shoulder, cocks its head sideways at Shalelu and gives her an almost quizzical look.
Shalelu greets you all warmly and accepts your offer of joining you all for breakfast. Ameiko calls out, "Bethana! Please bring out another plate of your delicious apple tarts, and another mug of coffee!" The halfling arrives in just a moment and serves Shalelu, and then Ameiko asks her to draw a hot bath and fix up Room 6 for their guest.
Shalelu addresses your questions about goblins. "Well, I've been hunting goblins, brigands, and other pests in the woods around here for years, and I haven't seen goblin activity like this in a very long time. I know goblins pretty well. Let me tell you some fun facts about goblins...
"1. Goblins hate horses. Most goblins are accomplished riders of animals, but that does not extend to horses. They actually pretty much equally hate and fear horses. They even have gone so far as to build a kind of polearm to kill horses at a distance that they call a 'horsechopper.
"2. Goblins hate dogs even more. While they keep and sometimes ride disgusting rat-like creatures called 'goblin dogs,' and will ride wolves or worgs if they can get them, their fear and hatred of horses is doubled when it comes to dogs. That's why they call their flimsy shortswords 'dogslicers.' The feeling is mutual-- all dogs instinctively hate the little buggers. If your dog is barking at the woodpile for no apparent reason, there just might be a goblin hiding in it!
"3. Goblins raid garbage dumps. Wherever there's trash from civilized people, you can bet goblins are nearly. They're kind of like rats in that regard. They are weirdly adept at crafting weapons, armor, and tools from the cast-off trash of civilization and are fond of killing people with the things they've thrown out.
"4. Goblins love to sing. And their songs are disturbingly catchy, but the lyrics are almost always about killing, looting, and burning... and not necessarily in that order.
"5. Goblins are sneaky. An angry or excited goblin is a noisy, chattery, toothy menace, but it can drop into an unsettling silence in a heartbeat. Between that and their size, they are uncanily good at hiding in unexpected places, like rain barrels, wood piles, under chicken coops, or even in lit ovens!
"6. Goblins are categorically insane. The fact that a goblin might think a lit oven is a good place to hide indicates one thing about them that's not to their advantage: they have a fundamental inability to think through the consequences of their actions. They seem incapable of forethought, are terrible at planning, and are very easily distractable. It's not uncommon for a goblin to break off a fight to pick up shiny objects, laugh at a fallen comrade, or eat a tasty-looking morsel.
"7. Goblins are voracious eaters. Given enough supplies, a goblin will eat a dozen full meals a day. They rarely have those kinds of supplies, which is why they go raiding so often.
"8. Goblins are fascinated with fire. Setting things on fire is the most popular of goblin entertainment-- especially if that thing is alive and will run around while burning for a while. Goblins tend not to live in places that are dry or too flammable-- those that try tend to burn themselves to death.
"9. Goblins are viscious pranksters. Goblins sure like jokes, but they tend to be cruel, destructive, deadly, or a combination of all three. Never turn your back on a goblin-- their creativity in cruelty seems to know no bounds.
"10. Goblins are illiterate, because they believe that writing steals your soul. Seriously-- goblins believe that writing things down steals the words out of your head and you can't get them back. The closest thing they have to a written language is elaborate and distrubing artwork, which tends to decorate all of the walls of their lairs."
Kyrian listens to Shalelu as she lists a few things about goblins, and begins to feel a little impatient. "Well it's lovely to know some more things about the little vermin that we've already gathered. No offense ma'am, but I believe that we'd be more inclined on hearing about what you said a moment ago. You haven't seen activity like this in a long time? What kind of activity are you speaking about? Cause we have a slight insight as to what's going on behind their master's curtains, but have no idea as to what's actually going on outside the curtains." he says as he takes a drink from his mug.
Krissina sits and listens, none the wiser.
Halvor listens politely to Shalelu as she speaks. He nods at appropriate junctures, doing his best to encourage the woman to continue, all the while wanting to get to the meat of the matter.
He nods at Kyrian's words. "Agreed. Knowing more of the puzzle pieces might better prepare us for what lies ahead."
The ranger fixes her disconcerting eyes on Kyrian, and asks, "What do you mean, you have insight about what's happening behind the curtains with regard to the goblins?"
At that question, Sheriff Hemlock walks in the door to the barroom. "Shalelu! Welcome back to town! One of the watchmen told me that you'd arrived, and we're all very glad to see you!" The elf rises and shakes the sheriff's hand warmly. Hemlock then looks at the rest of you and says, "Shalelu and I meet whenever she's in town. She..." The ranger interrupts, "I think it's important to let the Sheriff know about what's going on in the lands around the town that aren't immediately obvious from patrols on the main roads and trails. I have several... contacts in the forests and moors, and they keep an eye on their own areas for me." She turns to the sheriff, "and what I've learned is disturbing. Sheriff, I think we should talk immediately."
As Shalely seems about to bid you all 'good day,' the Sheriff jumps in. "Actually, these folks have been instrumental in repelling the Swallowtail raid, and the they have also brought some other developments to light. Shall we all head back to my office to discuss this?"
Ameiko bids you good day as you finish up your breakfase. As the seven of you walk across town to the Garrison, you notice a group of five kids following you a few yards behind you. They all look to be about eitght or nine years old. One boy is wearing an iron pot on his head, holding the lid with his left hand and brandishing a barbeque skewer in his right. Next to him is a much smaller boy with a green napkin tied around his neck like a very short cape, holding a garden sickle. Beside him is a girl wearing a dishtowel on her head, carrying a very large, gray, and annoyed-looking cat in her arms. And following them are a brown-haired girl in a red tunic carrying an axe handle in one hand, next to a boy with a toy bow-and-arrow. The boy in front announces, "We're the Sandpoint Heroes! Let's go hunt some goblins!" and the rest respond, "Yeah!" and they all run off toward Junk Beach.
At the Garrison, you all walk in unchallenged. The Shoanti jailor Vachedi is standing behind a desk in the main entry room. He glares at Halvor as you enter, but doesn't say anything. Hemlock shows you all to a conference room, which is larger than his office, but still isn't quite big enough to accommodate all of you comfortably.
Belor looks at Shalelu, and begins, "I'm sure you heard about what happened here two days ago. Have you seen anything unusual in the forests that may have led to this?" The ranger looks at the Sheriff, and then at the rest of you, turns back to the sheriff and raises an eyebrow. The sheriff replies, "These people have been instrumental in fighting the goblins in the fight. They're kind of... unofficial city watch." The elf curls her lip in a smirk to that description.
"Well," she begins, "The goblins have been a minor thorn in our side for years now, but they haven't been nearly the nuisance they could have been. As you know, Sheriff, there are five goblin tribes that live nearby. They spend most of their time foraging for food or fighting goblins from a different tribe. Fortunately for us, the goblin problem so far has been a minor one: whenever one of the tribes gets too big, the others gang up on it to cut it back down."
Halvor smiles as they pass the little troop of 'heroes', even giving a little wave to his likeness. The large fighter returns the jailor's glare as he walks past, almost bumping into the wall since he won't avert his gaze until he gets to a point of intersection.
Once inside the conference room, the fighter relaxes, leaning against a wall as he soaks up the information being relayed.
|
As he catches sight of their fans, Cerin gives a grin and a salute. The grey cat's expression makes him quickly glance at Shadow while stifling a guffaw at the close resemblance to the way the cat has looked at others on more than one occasion.
When they reach the Sheriff's office, he tries to overcome Shalelu's uncertainty about the group. "We have learned a fair bit about what has been going on ourselves. I think your information could be extremely useful in getting a clear picture of the whole situation, and we might be able to fill in a few gaps for you as well!" he states with a dazzling smile, his eyes flashing briefly.
Kyrian chuckles as they walk past the children imitating the group known as "The Sandpoint Heroes". Looking at Krissina, he jokes a little. "You think your little miniature should learn mini me in check back there? You never know, that bow could make him quite the ladies man..." He chuckles a little more as he begins to think to himself. "Never thought I'd have little kids calling me a hero... Can't imagine what'll happen to the kids when we split. Once I finish this, I'm gonna have to leave cause so far this place is a bust for finding her..."
After arriving to the garrison, he gives the jailer an insightful little wink, obviously in reference to the last time they had met and continues on. Hearing the sheriff make a comment about the unofficial watch, he cracks a smile. "Only difference is we're only getting paid in food and lodging..." Listening to what Shalelu has to say gets him back into what he wanted to know in the first place. "One thing I'd like to know before we fill in the gaps, mainly cause this is a huge curiosity in my head. You say that if one tribe gets too big, the others bring it back down. Makes a lot of sense, it's a hell of a lot more straight forward than the politics of us civilized folk for sure. But what if one tribe gets backed with some sort of force. Let's say a crazed cult leading woman who's got nothing but loose rats in her head shows a few fancy magic tricks. What then? The rest of the tribes gonna still try and cut it down, or they gonna do something completely different?"
Krissina's face turns bright red as she notices the child impersonating her. "Hero of Sandpoint" isn't a moniker she'll get used to any time soon.
She remains quiet as the others talk, though listens intently.
Shalelu listens to Kyrian's comments with grave interest, nodding. "A cult leader? That meshes with what I've been seeing out there. Let me give you a little background first. As I mentioned, there are five goblin tribes in this area, and they're usually at each others' throats-- competing for the same resources, mainly. Of course, they each have their specialization.
"The closest tribe to Sandpoint are the Birdcrunchers. They lair in some shallow caves along the western edge of the Devil's Plateau. Of the local tribes, they're the least aggressive by far, and mostly just keep to themselves.
"To the south of town are the Licktoads, who live in the Brinestump Marsh. Unlike most goblins, they don't keep goblin dogs or ride animals, but they are surprisingly good swimmers. They occasionally swim into the Gulf to harrass fishermen working the estuary, but are generally more concerned about fighting off the other swamp creatures that share their habitat.
"East of town are the Seven Tooth Goblins who live in Shank's Wood. Normally, if you catch a goblin in town, it's most likely to be one of those because they have quite a trade in scavenging Sandpoint's junkyard to make weapons and armor." She looks at Hemlock, adding, "And I've asked you time and again to have your junkman stop dumping the town's trash over the cliff onto Junk Beach! That just attracts goblins-- and rats, and reefclaws, and swamp barracudas, and poisonous snakes for that matter!"
She continues, "Anyway, the largest tribe is to the east in Mosswood. The Mosswood Goblins probably number over a hundred, but their number is a problem for them: there are divided loyalties and factions within the tribe that cause constant squabbling that prevent them from being too dangerous.
"And finally, there are the Thistletop goblins who live just off shore from Nettlewood atop a huge, round boulder. They are probably the second-largest tribe, and they certainly have the most defensible lair. I know local fishermen tend to avoid that cove, as the goblins often take pot-shots at passing boats."
She continues, "So, enought background. I've spent the last several years of my life trying to keep the local goblins from causing too much trouble around here. Unfortunately, they'r tenacious and fecund little creeps... like weeds that bite. Every time I cut some down, more spring up somewhere else. Like I said, the tribes usually make my job easier by keeping each other in check with intertribal fighting and the like. But this seems to have changed.
"From what I've been able to piece together, members of all five tribes were involved in the raid on Sandpoint the day before yesterday. When I went through Mosswood last night, I dealt with some surprisingly bold goblins, but many of them had been already beaten up pretty badly-- and it looked like the work of soldiers rather than other goblins. Ther was a whole lot of chatter about the 'longshanks' that killed so many of them... and now that I've met you five, it seems that you were the ones they were talking about! I think you've made an impression!
"In any event, the fact that the five tribes have somehow put aside their differences and are working together greatly disturbs me. Goblin tribes don't get along unless they have something big planned, and big plans require a leader that's distinctly non-goblin. And if you have proof that there's a cult leader that's organizing them, this really spells bad news for all of us!"
At that point, the Sheriff asks you to show Shalelu the journal you recovered from Tsuto. You hand it to her, and she reads it carefully. While she reads, Hemlock adds, "Tsuto came to a few hours after you dropped him off. I had Vachedi interrogate him, but he didn't tell us anything we didn't already know. I've sent word to the Justice Court in Magnimar that we have a dangerous prisoner in custody who's guilty of murder and conspiring with monsters. They'll send up a prisoner wagon with some guards in a few days. When they arrive, I'll need to send that journal with them. If you want to copy anything out of it, now would be the time-- I'll have to hang onto the original from now on."
Kyrian takes in everything that Shalelu says, as things between the tribes begin to make sense to him. "Okay... So all five tribes together, that'd put a force of what... two, maybe three hundred goblins that could all attack from everywhere at once? Yea, I don't think that's gonna go very well. Any ideas on how we can stop this before it happens? You know the area better than us. Tsuto was talking about Thistletop, so would you reckon that's the better place to go or should we hit another tribe first?"
|
|
Cerin frowns. "I'm still worried about the assault on the town. The journal mentioned areas below the Glassworks and that the proposed plan of attack was through the tunnels under there. It won't do much good to scout out Thistletop if the goblins are all here! I think we should at least take a look to see if we can cut off that point of assault before we head off to their assumed base."
He cocks an eyebrow at Shalelu (and the Sheriff) questioningly, looking for their view of his plan.
Halvor absorbs as much of the information as he can, remaining quiet throughout Shalelu's dialogue. When finished, he hears Kyrian's and Cerin's proposed plans. "It makes sense to check out the possible threat here, just from a logistics standpoint."
Shalelu looks up from the journal with a very worried expression on her face. "This certainly explains it! It fits-- the journal explicitly mentions Thistletop goblins, and Ripnugget by name-- he's the chieftain of the Thistletop tribe. This cultist must be leading the goblins from there. The journal also mentions Bruthazmus... and if he's involved, this is more bad news. Burthazmus is a bugbear brute who's been living around here for about as long as I have. He tends to stay with a goblin tribe for a few months until he wears out his welcome, then he heads over to another. The goblins simultaneously love, hate, and fear him. He hates elves, and wears a necklace made of elf and half-elf ears. He and I have tangled a few times... he's stronger than I am, but I'm faster; so far neither of us has been able to gain the upper hand when we cross blades. I've vowed that the next time we clash, only one of us will leave the battlefield... and I plan to be the one. I have not heard the name 'Malfeshnekor,' nor have I ever heard about a quasit in these parts. Of course, I'm not much of an expert on demons.
"Speaking of Bruthazmus, I should probably mention a few other individual goblins of note, in case your paths ever cross. Big Gugmurt is an unusually tall and strong goblin of the Mosswood tribe. He boasts that his mother was a hobgoblin and his father was a boar-- and that's not a picture I want to think too hard about. My experiece is that he's more prone to direct violence than other goblins, and he has a terrible temper. He also can speak Taldane perfectly well, but feigns ignorance to let humans underestimate him. Koruvus was the best fighter of the Seven Tooth tribe, and he was known for his prized possession: a Chelish magic sword sized for a human... despite that it was too big for him to weild properly. The stories go that he said that he found a "secret hideout" in a cave along the cliffs and told the tribe about it, but never told them exactly where it was. He also never returned to the tribe after he went back to loot it. And Vorka is a goblin cannibal witch that lives in the Brinestump Marsh. All of the other goblins both despise her and are terrified of her-- but that does NOT make her an ally of civilized people. The only flesh she enjoys eating more than other goblins is human."
Hemlock jumps in. "Thanks for the background, Shalelu. I would agree that Tsuto's journal shows that the leader of this new goblin menace is a cultist of the Demon Queen, and that she's currently working with the Thistletop Goblins."
To address Cerin's question, he adds, "I'm inclined to agree. I had no idea that those tunnels were down there-- although I'm sure our Sczarni friend Vishki does! I brought Mayor Deverin up to speed on that, and I have assigned three guards to duty rotation in the tunnel entrance. I also asked Voon over at the Feathered Serpent to find me some kind of magical alarm that the guards down there could trigger if something scary creeps out of the tunnels. I was hoping that you five would be willing to check out those tunnels a little more carefully, as well. Most of my guards seemed more than a little wary of poking around down there." He opens a desk drawer and brings out a leather purse, which he sets on the desktop. It makes a clinking sound. "If you agree, I can offer you this to cover any expenses you may have before you go spelunking."
In response to Kyrian's question about numbers, Shalelu responds, "Three hundred goblins is a pretty good estimate of the total numbers of the five tribes combined. An attack on the town by a combined and organized force of that size would be devastating. As for how to stop it? Well, like I said, organizing a large force of goblins requires a distinctly non-goblin leader." Shalelu picks up Tsuto's journal and points to the erotic drawing of Tsuto's 'love' as a succubus. "I think if we remove her from this leadership position, the goblin alliance will simply fall apart. Any servant of the Mother of Monsters is an enemy to all civilized people, and if she's transforming herself into a demon, that's simply terrifying! Anyone have any idea who this might be? The notes seems to say that she has some kind of quarrel with Sandpoint as a whole."
"I'm sure we'll be happy to scour the tunnels for you, Sheriff. Whatever a quasit is, we certainly don't want it popping out on the folk of Sandpoint one day." Halvor smiles grimly. A plan of action always put him in a good mood. Planning itself just gave him a headache, usually.
He shrugs at Shalelu's question about the wannabe-demon, having no ideas about the woman's identity. Judging by Tsuto's pictures of her, she was a looker, so he could see where a man would go crazy over her. He presses off the wall, getting ready to leave, should they be done here. With the added coin, he could afford an armor upgrade, and he was eager to get outfitted to begin dealing with the next phase of this menace.
Quasits:
Lynnda had been sitting quietly listening to the conversation, cradling her cat in her arms, absently stroking it. The cat's loud purr fills the room.
Lynnda nods at Halvor's assertion. "I'm in. We'll root out whatever creeps might be down there, demons or not!"
I can't believe I'm thinking this, but I'm almost enjoying working on this side of the law!
|
|
"I'm afraid that the leader is a former resident of Sandpoint. Nualia, the daughter of Father Tobyn; perhaps you knew her? It seems that she has gone completely insane. She sees her divine heritage as a curse and is turning to demons to gain power to take revenge on those she feels have wronged her." Cerin replies.
Turning to Halvor, he adopts an almost lecturing tone. "A quasit is a minor demon, possibly a familiar to an evil spellcaster. While small and weak, they can be very dangerous as they can fly, turn invisible and often have other magical tricks. We should definitely prepare before we meet one of them!"
Kyrian chuckles at Cerin's comment about Nulia. "I think insane is an understatement with that woman if you ask me. But yea, we're gonna need something if that little flying rat can turn invisible. Cause if we find it, it's gonna be a pain in our sides by the time we get to it. Shalelu, I've got a question for you. Would you be inclined on helping us out here? You don't have to join us in the tunnels, as I'm sure rats and snakes really aren't much of a concern for you. But would you be able to scope out Thistletop, get an idea as to what's going on, and then we can meet you in a few days?"
"Nualia must be pretty far gone if she's working with Goblins, I can understand a vendetta against the town but what she's doing... it's just..." Krissina shudders slightly.
Shalelu's expression becomes somewhat shocked. "Nualia? Oh, I remember her. Very pretty girl, with silver hair... not silver as in gray, but silver as in glitters like actual spun silver? I can't recall ever really talking with her much, but I always though she had a sad air about her. I thought she died in the fire along with her father, the priest."
Hemlock responds, "I'd have to agree-- Tsuto's 'love' and the leader of this group must be Nualia Tobyn, who didn't really die in the fire. The journal talks about taking her father's corpse from the Boneyard-- and someone had done so. It has to be her! She always seemed like such a nice girl... quiet, and yes, sad. But I never thought she'd be worshiping demons and conspiring with goblins! I remember her father telling me that he had high hopes for her to become a priestess of Desna, and he'd planned to take her up to Windosong Abbey for training when she became of age."
"I guess her father got part of his wish-- she's a priestess, alright!"
Shalelu says that she has no more questions and nothing more to report. She also says that she plans to head back to the Rusty Dragon for a meal and a nap. After that, she will head up to Nettlewood to see what the Thistletop Goblins were up to, and would check back in within the next day or two.
The sheriff thanks you all for your assistance defending the town against this new threat. He pushes the purse of gold toward you and adds, "Buy whatever you think you need for your excursion into the tunnels, and keep the rest. You all have been a great help so far!"
"We appreciate your confidence in us, Sheriff. I hope we are up to this challenge." He nods a farewell to Shalelu, having no questions for her. Like most men of his type, he was a creature of action and was eager to be off.
|
|
"Thank you, we will put this to good use, Sheriff!"
Before Shalelu leaves, Cerin motions her aside. "I wanted to ask you about this." he asks, holding up the masterwork dogslicer. "I haven't seen this kind of craftsmanship from goblins before. Have you?" When she finishes looking it over, he looks up into her eyes and says "Be careful out there. We'll see you soon."
"Now," he states, rubbing his hands together as he joins his companions."Where shall we head first? I would like to visit the armorer and the leatherworker, as well as your friend Hanna, of course. Does anyone have any other places they need to visit? Which would be the closest?"
"I would like to visit the armorer, as well. With this addition of gold, I just might have enough for a suit of chain mail!" The excitement in the young man's voice is evident. Such an investment in armor had been far beyond him such a short time ago, and from his humble upbringing, even what he currently wore was quite wealthy.
"I don't think I really need anything."mentions Krissina as they depart the Sherrif's office.
Unless anyone makes another suggestion, Halvor makes his way to Savah's armory. Upon entering, he sees the huge woman at work, her muscles bulging and glistening beneath a fine sheen of sweat as she work upon her latest work.
"Hello, ma'am. Was wondering if you have a suit of chain mail for sale that might fit my frame?"
"Well, I'll come with you and have a look i suppose."
As you file out of the Sheriff's office, Cerin shows Shalelu the surprisingly well-crafted goblin sword and tells her where he'd found it. She takes the diminuitive blade and examines its constuction and balance. "Hmm... Yes, most certainly of goblin manufacture. It's rare to see one so well-crafted. This one looks like it's made of steel-- I'd say it started out as an old human-made broadsword. As I mentioned, most goblins are lazy and easily distractable. But, there are a small number of goblins that are able to focus their attention on things they enjoy.. sometimes to the extent that they wouldn't notice if their own head caught fire. The Licktoad goblins have one such individual that I know of: an alchemist called Mogmurch; and another is the weaponsmith of the Mosswood tribe: a particularly burly goblin called Borga Gutpunch." She hands back the blade. "It wouldn't surprise me if this was Borga's work."
Shalelu then bids you 'good day,' and turns right down Main Street. At Halvor's suggestion that you check out the armory, Lynnda suggests that you first go to the jeweler's to sell the earrings and pouches of gold and silver filings. You walk down Tower Street past the Town Hall, then turn left on Shell Street, passing the armory on your right. Smoke billows from a chimney, and you hear a loud rhythmic clanging of steel on steel coming from the back of the building. After a few minutes, you come to the sturdy wooden cottage with a diamond-shaped placard hanging above the door: "Kesk's Fine Jewelery."
Walking past the two heavily-armored Shoanti guards flanking the front door, you enter a small showroom full of glass cases. An older gentleman with wild white hair walks into the room from the back, a jeweler's loupe hung around his neck. He introduces himself as Maver Kesk, proprietor. Examining Tsuto's earrings, he offers 25 ducats. When shown the gold and silver filings, he measures them all on a balance, and offers you a total of 340 ducats for all of it. You conclude that this is a fair price, and accept the payment.
After your visit with Kesk, you head back down Shell Street to armory. The sign on the door says, "Open," so you walk in. A young man sits behind the counter, and bids you good morning. In the front room, several suits of armor stand on mannequins. Shields and weapons of various sorts decorate the walls: swords, polearms, crossbows, maces, and a few more exotic items. A wicked-looking spiked chain hangs from pegs above the doorway to a back room. Two strange-looking spears with wide heads and shafts carved with Shoanti runes are crossed below a wood-and-leather heavy shield decorated with a Shoanti quah symbol. And a pair of short wooden rods, each about the length of a hatchet handle, are connected by about three inches of chain.
Mounted on a stand on the counter is a fine-looking exotic weapon: a repeating crossbow with an ivory-inlaid stock made of darkwood. The name "Vansaya" is etched into the ivory in gilded letters. In the glass case below the repeating crossbow are some special items: a dozen metal star-shaped objects all carved with Tien characters; a gleaming metal buckler adorned with a stylized double-headed eagle; a gleaming silver dagger that seems to glow with blue light; and a set of leather bracers etched with the holy symbol of Erastil.
After a moment, the young man's expression changes, and he stammers, "Hey! You're the Heroes of Goblin Day! Wait a minute, Savah wants to meet you!" He runs through the back door, and the clanging sound ceases. A large, burly, and sweaty woman of Garundi descent walks into the room, wearing a leather apron. With a broad smile, she says, "Welcome to my amrory! What can we do for you today?"
At Halvor's request for a suit of chainmail, she points to one of the armor-clad mannequins. "That one I made on spec three weeks ago. It's made of forged steel. Normally, I wouldn't let that suit go for less than 175 ducats, but seeing as you're the Heroes of Goblin Day, you can have it for 150! But if you want to see something more special..." She leads you into the back room, which is also full of more wepons and armor. She points to another mannequin wearing a chain shirt, but this one is made of gleaming silvery metal. "I bought that suit from an elven adventurer two years ago. It's clearly of Kyonin manufacture, and it's lighter than any chain armor I've ever seen-- it's actual mithiril!"
She goes on to describe her wares. Currently for sale are at least one of any Simple or Martial weapon and any armor from the Core Rulebook. She has the following other special items for sale at standard prices.
Halvor looks at the mithril shirt dubiously. "I'm afraid that is likely out of my price range. I will take the suit of chain, however. It looks very well made!" He goes to pay her, then halts a moment, looking up at her. "Would you happen to repurchase used armor? My scale has served me well, but I can't very well wear both."
Savah expertly helps Halvor out of his scale mail and then examines it with a critical eye. "Hmm. Seems well-used, but also well-maintained. I can take this in trade for part of the cost of the chainmail. That would bring the price down to... 125."
|
|
Cerin strolls around the shop examining the wares as Halvor is fitted with his new armor. He points out a chain shirt to Krissina. "That looks like it might fit you." he observes.
When Savah comes back, he smiles and pulls out the Dogslicer. "Would you possibly be interested in a real rarity? I took this from the goblin chief after the attack, it's quite something, don't you think? Excellent craftsmanship considering its origins, and you are not likely to see its match any time soon!"
After they make a deal for the weapon, he looks over a couple of shields and asks, "Do you have much for sale for someone of my size? I am hoping that you either would carry or know where I might find a suit of wooden armor. You see, because of my heritage and my relationship with Gozreh, I have a bit of trouble wearing a large amount of metal. Big build-up of electrical energy, quite uncomfortable..."
The big man smiles in almost childish pleasure. "You've got yourself a deal!" He digs out the coins requested, handing them to the large woman, or her clerk if she indicates. He then starts the time consuming process of putting his armor on while his companions conduct their business.
Savah concludes the transaction with Halvor, and her clerk assists the large man with fitting his new suit of chainmail.
Cerin shows her the masterwork goblin weapon, and she seems very interested. "Well, that's something I've never seen before! A goblin-built weapon that wasn't a cobbled-together piece of $#!t!"
In response to Cerin's question about wooden armor, she replies, "Well, I don't have anything made of wood, but I do understand your concerns what with the Wind and the Waves and metal armor. We might need to make some alterations, but I think I have something you might be interested in..."
She opens a trunk and inside is a strange-looking cuirass and greaves. It's comprised of many narrow, rectangular tiles of ram's horn, each drilled through with holes, and tied together with sinew cords. It appears to be sized for a human boy. "I took this in trade a few years ago from a caravan that had come over the Crown of the World, all the way from Tian Xia! It had been made for the son of the leader of the expedition, but he outgrew it. I think that with some slight modifications, it would fit you pretty well! It's called lamellar armor, and I've been told it's almost as common as chainmail in that part of the world. You don't see it over here, though. I'll trade you for that dogslicer."
Lynnda picks up a finely-crafted light crossbow, with a decoratively-carved stock and etching on the prod, trigger, and lever. She blanches slightly when she sees the pricetag, and puts the weapon back on the rack.
As Cerin examines the Tien armor, Savah adds, "If that's not what you're looking for in armor, I'm afraid that I don't have much else to offer you. I work in metal, and the only leather armors I have are items I've taken in trade. You might want to see what the Rovanky Brothers have over at their tannery."