Zarque looks a bit sheepish, "The others are still investigating. I can confirm they were after a relic and seem to have big-time backers, though the riff-raff was perfectly happy to sell off dead bodies, so probably didn't get much of the money. So, not much discovered yet."
”Thank you Zarque,” Vhiski says, putting away his smoking paraphernalia. ”You see Dora, it’s always a trade, one for another. You get to know that, and Sandpoint can be whatever you want it to be. I’ll be looking forward to our next visit.” He then makes a dismissive gesture towards the both of you.
Dora leaves if Zarque is ready.
Next stop for her is the jail again to see Red Fist.
“I have no idea what the sheriff actually wants to know, but maybe we can find out some more about red fist based on the discussion that we just had?!“ she asks the golden Kobold.
"Perhaps. I doubt it though. They seem like small fry to me. I thjnk the best we can hope for is tye middleman that hired them. Maybe the place they meet up to get orders, but if such a place is important enough that we'd find clues there then the bad guys would be really stupid. Then again, I was always told to never rule out stupidity."
Zarque replies as they leave.
Heading back to the prison, you are led down to see Red Fist again. ”Back so soon? And here I thought you didn’t like me all that much.”
Dora starts pressing immediately when he continues to be so cocky.
“Yeah, maybe I overreacted but that’s because you were so mean to me! I mean you sent me away to a shady bar after all!! Why? Why did you send us there! You have to answer please! Why the protection ring?! Are you just a thug?“ she requests and acts as if she’s hurt so he blurts out his intentions.
Doing his best to not take the bait, Red Fist settles back against the cold stone wall. ”Just a thug? Really? I’ll have you know that back in Magnimar, we were feared and respected. Protection, smuggling, you name it. Wasn’t until someone promised us more here in Sandpoint that we moved. Here, we only have one competitor and he’s too complacent to recognize a threat when he sees it. Soon as I am out of here, you’ll see.”
Zarque just listens. Mentally sniggering at his bragging.
Dora looks at the man with admiration in her eyes.
“Oh you are so dangerous! I just want to know what you want me to do to get you out of here!? I mean will you leave town and never come back or will you really stay and try to win? Because I am honest that I like you ... and I do not want you get hurt!!“ she says and feigns innocence.
It is clear that Dora seems to be having an effect on him, as he seems to be actually considering her words. ”Look, my boys are not all in here. There’s a place we meet up at the old sewer entrance down by the river outside the gates sometimes. Go there on Starday, after sundown and wait. If you wear a red scarf around your wrist, the boys will know you’re with me. Hook up with them and they will help you get me out. After that, I think we can find a place for you at my table.”
Dora stands up and looks at Zarque.
“Okay! I … i don’t know if I have the courage to do all that but you might be worth the risk … don’t be disappointed in case nothing happens… I … I’m not cut from the same wood as you … so strong … goodbye… “ she says with a shy smile and waves goodbye.
The look of disappointment is evident on his face as you leave. When you arrive at Sheriff Hemlock’s office, he is behind his desk, grumbling about something. He looks down at Zarque and then back up at Dora. ”Ladies,” he says in a curt greeting. ”I am hoping you have some good news for me.”
On the way to the sheriff, Dora asks Zarque if they should tell the Sheriff everything or what they’re supposed to do!?
“What do you think Zarque?“
Zarque would encourage you to tell him everything.
"The rookie here did alright. Got us a way to hook up with some of his friends, though ostensibly to help them free our prisoner. Could go through with it to follow them to their hideout, but that's a high risk plan."
Dora nods at Zarque, "Ok, no idea why I trust you but you seem to have a good soul girl!" Dora says to Zarque.
~
As Zarque suggested, Dora and Zarque will fill in the sheriff about all the details of their conversations and what was requested of them.
"So putting our trust in you sheriff means that we hope that you also put your trust in us. So please consider that harsh reactions or revealing to the two criminals that we were talking to you would be really bad. So all the information you just gained, and drastic actions based on that would essentially lead to us not being trustworthy anymore in their eyes as they would know that we told you all of that. So be careful about what you do now." Dora suggest.
Sheriff Hemlock nods. ”I know that Jubrayl already knows that you talk to me. In fact, he gave you exactly what information he needed to get his way, he always does. Still, having an in with him is a good thing. He and the new blood we have in holding apparently have some disagreements that we can use to our advantage. I expect that Red Fist is setting you up somehow, but he has been here for a few days. I can’t see him getting anything out, except through one of my guards or one of you.” He pauses to let that simmer before going on. ”High risk is what you specialize in, right? Go to the meeting, see how many more you can wrangle up and even better, where they are hiding. Soon as I have that, I can run the rest out of town. I’m sure that one of them also knows about the letter you found on Red Fist and who ‘RB’ might actually be, so maybe leave a few breathing so we can get that out of someone.”
Dora thinks for a moment.
“I am sorry, but this sounds quite dangerous! I mean, I am quite capable, but we are walking into a situation where there might be a lot of opposition, and we are only two girls! And isn’t that something that can wait? I thought that you have a problem with undead and that this group that you hired is actually trying to make a difference? I think that my capability to heal might really be of service to this town, so that no more innocents die!“ she says.
”We have plenty of problems with those too. The group that went to check on it hasn’t been seen in a while, but they did have to go farther South, so it may take them a bit to return. Assuming they do.” He is grim, but you know that he is probably right. ”You are right though,” he says as if reading your thoughts. ”If it is too dangerous, we will have to have a better plan. We can’t afford losing any more helpful people. Maybe if you can find the other group, together you can help rid us of both problems.”
"Indeed. They should be handled as a group, not just by one or two of us." Zarque remarks.
Dora nods at the sheriff and Zarque.
“I think that it would make sense to go and search for the group! Potentially we can find them and aid them!“
Dora nods.
"Good, then we just wait for the others to come Sherrif so you can connect us?" she asks?
Sheriff Hemlock nods as he wavers you away. ”That would be best, I suppose.”
"Well, I think it's time you met Benny. Come on." She leads Dora out while waving at the sheriff.
Off to see Benny, a surprise awaits!
Finding Benny’s is easy, as they say in Sandpoint. All you have to do is follow the smell of fresh baked bread and you will get there. Today it seems they are having a special on hand pies as there is a line to get in when you arrive.
Dora smiles and follows.
“Of course!“
Walking into the bakery, when the finally get the chance, Zarque suddenly exclaims to the man running the shop "Benny! I bring you a tragedy! This poor soul hasn't had any of your delicious goods before. What should we do about this travesty?" she asks in mock hopelessness with a sad shake of her head.
Benny, a rather rotund Sandpoint man, looks at Zarque and then at Dora, a look of sheer concern on his face. Then his face splits into a smile and he guffaws loudly enough to startle a couple of patrons. ”Well, we can’t have that now can we?” He grabs a couple of pastries and shoves them into both Zarque’s and Dora’s hands. Then, giving Dora a once-over, he stuffs a couple more in her hands for good measure. ”You must bring more of these ‘tragedies’, Zarque. It is simply not fair to them.”
Dora just smiles shyly.
“Thanks so much. I have heard lots of good things about you!“ she says.
Benny smiles and waves and goes back to his many other customers. As he does so, a young boy, less than ten Summers, comes running up to you. ”Sheriff says to come quick, the Heroes have returned!”
After having escorted Dora back to the sheriff's so the boy could pick up the sheriff's sandwich, Zarque met back up with Quink and studied for the remainder of the day, until evening.
The next morning, the day the others go back to the mansion, Zarque collects some supplies and heads off towards the keep to do some initial cleaning and assessment.
With most of the goblin tribes in disarray after the upset at Thistletop, traveling along the road and through the forests should be a relatively easy thing. However, there are still those who feel that no traveler is safe and should pay taxes when they cross into other's territory.
It takes some time for Zarque to make her way outside of the environs of Sandpoint and back into the wilds of the Hinterlands. It is almost evening when she reaches the Brambles. As she gets close to entrances, she notices that some of the hidden ones that had been torn down by the adventurers before have been replaced, though haphazardly, as they are easily found. Zarque also notes that she may not be alone, as she has a sense that someone has been following her for a bit..
Zarque pretends not to notice her follower, curious as to what they are going to do, but she remains on guard for an ambush. She examines the brambles and selects the most noticeable entrance and closes it up behind her, hopefully to be less conspicuous than she had found it. From there she carefully makes her way through the tunnels, alert for any goblins or animals that may have returned, but also remembering that some of those thugs from Sandpoint might have arrived already, or even be her followers.
If she actually makes it through the bramble tunnels without incident, she will hide up high somewhere and watch for her followers to come through.
Zarque goes through the brambles and easily replaces it, making it look as if the opening wasn't there at all. After a few moments, she hears two voices, decidedly Goblins, arguing about which way to next, since they seem to have lost their quarry.
Zarque watches silently to see what the goblins do.
After a few minutes, the goblins split up, one going back the way they came and the other moving forward. They completely bypass the new covering that you had made. However, you hear one of them whistling as they leave, as if to get someone's attention. Not much later you hear what sounds like a strange mixture of growl and excited bark as something goes trotting past the covering. You then hear it start sniffing the air...
Does it look like they are headed for Thistletop itself, or just some other area nearby?
Zarque ponders what the goblins could be up to. It appears that they have caught the kobold's scent and are now looking for her. It is difficult to tell in these brambles whether they came from or are going to Thistletop.
Zarque frowns to herself but decides to carry on to Thistletop, blinking from tree to tree as far as she can then blinking through the air till she lands across the gap at Thistletop, keeping an eye out for other signs of activity as she goes.
Zarque makes her way to the gap between the Brambles and Thistletop. Where once there was a rope bridge, there now appears to be a single log that has been dragged and somehow placed across the steep drop to the cold waters below. There are no ropes to support it and strangely, no guards posted either. However, there do appear to be signs of travel, as several sets of tracks appear near this end of the log. Some are booted, others are clawed feet, all around Zarque's own size.
Zarque will drop the log. Whether by shoving it (strength 10, heavy load 75lbs, drag/shove several times that), or by using her destructive blast a few times. She will keep an eye out for if her actions draw attention.
Zarque moves the log until it tumbles into the waters below. At first, there seems to be no response, but after a moment, she can spot a few heads peering over the tower walls. At this distance, it is difficult to tell what they are, but the tiny arms pointing in her direction tell her that they did not take kindly to the removal of the bridge.
Zarque yells out to them, "I fought enemies in this place and claimed it as mine. I retrieved supplies and now will clean this place up. Begone from here."
It takes a few moments, but eventually a response comes. Not in Common, but in Draconic. <<"You are not here. If you take it, it's yours, if you leave, we take.">> You recognize it, even though it is yelled across the span of the crevasse, as a dialect of kobold, of those closer to Magnimar.
Zarque laughs, and responds in kind, "How this works is that I claim something and kill all those who claim it as theirs." she blinks across to stand on the other side of the gap where the log was (just in case there are traps), "And I am very powerful and able to kill many of your tribes. Run or die." She sounds as confident and carefree as she can, which is rather easy because she expects to be able to handle any resistance.
Just after she finishes talking, she smiles hungrily and blinks away beside the wall where those above can't directly see her, and she carefully examines the area for changes and traps. She stay quiet and try to cull their numbers a few at a time while minimizing being noticed, hoping that they will find individuals dead and maybe hear the occasional scream of one of them dying, but to not be seen and make them terrified of the unseen death coming for them. Also easier than killing them all in a big fight where they can gang up on her.
Zarque blinks across the chasm as if it weren’t here. This raises gasps and some murmuring from the gathered kobolds on the walls above her. She hears some movement coming from behind the closed gates, and the sound of chains rattling. She then blinks again, attempting to hide from those who would question her authority.