CLOSED Pathfinder: Rise of the Runelords, Burnt Offerings

Mandraiv tells you that Thistletop is about 4 or 5 miles away. It is a round island off the coast. If you follow the trade route east for a few miles until you hit the crossing at the Thistle River, then it lies immediately north of there. You would have to pass through the Nettlewood, though, and the whole area is considered off-limits because of goblins and the like.
 

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Meeting with Mayor Deverin

Your morning meeting starts promptly at 10am. The old retainer leads you into the same room you first met the mayor in just a few days ago, although now the mood feels much darker, and eyes of the mayor are a lot heavier.

Thank you all for coming. I am sorry to drag you back so soon after the horrors of yesterday. I trust that, like me, you find it difficult to sleep last night?

She sighs heavily, walking to the window to take in the view out to sea.

Hemlock should be back in two or three days at most ... we hope ... but until then I would really appreciate your continued presence. I have organised for you all to be paid ten gold pieces a day until Sheriff Hemlock returns, that day inclusive of course. You will be issued with cloaks that signal you as part of the guard, and I would appreciate if you could maintain visibility.

The news got out, of course. It had too. There were families to be notified, and the grief has hit the town hard. I have ordered the corpses of the goblins to be raised on pillars along the town wall. The people need something to take their anger out on, and I would rather it was not each other.


She turns now to face you all.

There are five pouches with the first three days pay in it for each of you. I have backdated it to yesterday. I would appreciate if you could go to the Glassworks first, see that the guards there are relieved of their duties. They have been on guard all night, and we are short of numbers. I will have a second guard relieve you in a few hours, and then you can just patrol the town, if you would.

When you ask about the availability of Shalelu Andosana (the elven ranger), Mayor Deverin tells you that she is due back that evening, and she will send her round to The White Deer after her debrief to talk with you.

(OOC: If you wish to raise any other points with the mayor, or reveal anything from Tsuto's journal to her, please make a relevant post. I will shortly add a post about your return to the Glassworks to relieve the guards there)

-----

As you leave the room, the old man walks over the a highly polished desk and picks up, one by one, a carefully folded blue cloak with a money pouch atop. One by one he hands these to you all.

The cloaks are soft, mid-blue, with a white trim at the bottom. Each money pouch bulges with thirty gold coins. A veritable fortune for most of you!
 

Mandraiv suggests that we head over to the Glassworks to relieve the guards. Then, once our replacements arrive, we delve into the tunnels for a few hours to scout around.
 

"That is most generous of you, Mayor," says Danth. "I am most willing to help. It seems likely, though, that these goblins came up from the tunnels beneath the glasswork. We, " the young priest waves his hand at his four companions,"would like to investigate those tunnels. When it is most convenient, of course."
 

As typical with Jokad he sits silently eyes searching, ears open to every word. This day he watches the mayor intently. There is trouble behind his eyes.

Somewhere near the end of the meeting as mayor asks us to relieve the guards at the Glassworks, Jokad suddenly interupts...

"Mayor... tell me of the men who died?"

The question is odd and ill-timed. The Mayor is taken aback, a little unsure how to respond. Her brows furrow and she looks at the barbarian more closely. The rest of you are a little uneasy, aghast at you new friend's lack of couth.

If she is hoping for a reason, none is offered and after a few seconds she sighs and decides to play along.

"Gandalson was old Lonjiku's fireman. He picked out the right woods and fidgeted and fussed to keep the temperatures just right. He had a home just across the bridge with his wife and two boys. Fine family."

"Murtin, was a glassblower I think. Quiet. Kind....."


She continues on like this for few minutes. Recalling something about each man. As she says this she continues to watch Jokad closely but the barbarian remains stone faced but attentive.

When she finishes Jokad simply says, "Thank you."

Everyone is confused but it seemed harmless, if odd.


OOC: hewligan I hope you will forgive me for hijacking your NPC. I think you'll see what I'm up to in a minute.

Eventually she finishes with offerings of pay and official cloaks. Jokad nods thankfully and walks out with the others accepting the coin and cloak from her assistant.

As you don your new cloaks and step outside, Jokad hesitates. He stands tall and sets his jaw.

"Hold friends. I'll be back in a moment."

He turns on his heel and heads back inside. Danth and Mandraiv exchange worried looks and consider following. There is something odd about the Shoanti today. Before you think he has bounded up the stairs back toward the meeting room.

for hewligan [sblock] Jokad ascends the stairs in his usual two-at-a-time nearly scaring the wits out of her poor assistant.

"Mayor," he calls, "may I have a word with you?"

Again she seems thrown off but to her credit continues to induge the Shoanti. At her word he approaches.

As he does he pulls the bag of coins from his pouch.

"This town has been kind to me. You have given me food and shelter."

"Everyone in a tribe has a job. They all depend on each other to survive. The goatherd is no less important than the hunter."

"I am honored you have chosen me one of your hunters."

"I require no payment for my services (he hands her the bag). If you would spend this, offer it to the widows and families who will face a hard winter."


He smiles as he looks her dead in the eye, "Tribes look after their own."

He bows then leaves; bounding down the stairs as quickly as he ascended.[/sblock]

Within a minute or so Jokad bounds down the stairs and back out onto the sunlit street. He seems to be a bit more at peace with himself. He stands tall and follows the rest of you toward the glassworks.
 

Jovik sat stoically during the meeting aside from a small twinkle in his eye when the mayor mentioned the money and the cloaks.

As he leaves the room, Jovik takes the cloak with a laugh and the purse quickly disappears.

"Won't Hemlock love to see me walking around in one of his cloaks" laughs Jovik once outside, trying the cloak on.

"I'll meet you fellows at the Glassworks. I have an errand to run." says Jovik as he saunters, if not swaggers down the street in his cloak.

[sblock=For Hewligan]
Jovik will take a detour to the Glassworks to stop by his house. He'll show up in his cloak to aggravate his brothers (and to impress his father) if they aren't out on the boat. But he's there to let his mother know he's alright and he'll sheepishly give her 15 gold, to compensate for his not being there to fish for the family. After that he'll try to escape his mothers embrace and head to the Glassworks [/sblock]
 

The Horror Continues. Oh, The Horror!!!

There is no crowd at the door to the Glassworks, no gawpers this time, no gossips or wags. Just silence, and the strange stillness of death. More strangely, perhaps, there is no guard at the door.

When you enter you find the scene much as you left it. All bodies have been removed, and the furnace no longer sends its sweltering heat through the room, but there are enough reminders of the horrors that met you here to keep you all deep in your own thoughts.

But the place appears deserted. There is a strange sense to the dormant building that makes the hairs prick up on the back of your necks.

And then you realise ... there are no guards in here either.

A quick search of the upstairs floor reveals nothing, reveals nobody. You head downstairs.

OOC: Second follow on post will be up shortly. Also, to answer frostrune, I have no problem with NPC hijack of the nature you did - this is PbF, and it would move too slowly if we all waited for each other to fill in gaps. Please feel free to do minor hijack as long as it is in character and incidental (nothing that reduces my ability to decide actions/outcomes). I liked the way the two of you developed Jokad and Jovik in your posts.
 

The Cellar Search

Your explorations lead you downstairs into the dark of the cellar where only a day before you witnessed a horrible suicide. You can hear the distant drip, drip, drip of water on stone. You move slowly, deliberately, weapons drawn and nerves on edge as the adrenalin flows through you.

At the door where to the tunnels you see that the wooden frame has been shattered from its hinges. The door lies in shards across the floor. You shine your faint light into the small room and long tunnels that wind beyond, but see nothing, except ...

You hear a noise, from one of the rooms in the cellar. The room that Ameiko was being held in. You hear it again, a sniffling. You look quizzically, nervously at one another, before moving towards it. You hear the sniffling again, an almost human sob. And then there is a sudden noise like the thing has heard you, as if it has drawn in upon itself, and falls silent.

A few tense moments pass, when you hear a broken, shaking voice whisper from behind the door.

"p .. p .. please .. please .. please .. p .. p .. please"

There is a person in there.
 

Jokad looks to his companions to see if they too heard the voice. He specifically looks down at Mal trusting the dog's superior senses.

His knuckles whiten on the haft of his axe as he creep down the hall toward the final room.

Move Silently 17, http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1459133/

OOC: Is door to the room where Tsuto died open or closed? If open, he will pause at that door to peek in before continuing on. Jokad is observing Mal to see if the dog smells, hears, or generally detects something.

The creepiness of this place continues.... :eek:
 

Mandraiv nods to Jokad in affirmation that he, too, heard the voice. He then steps up and peers inside the room from which the sobs issue.
 

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