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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JollyDoc" data-source="post: 4265801" data-attributes="member: 9546">Sheriff Hemlock received the news of the grave robbery with grim resignation, while Father Zantus was apoplectic.  How could so much have gone wrong so quickly?  The sheriff thanked the four young men for their assistance, but asked them to keep the matter quiet for the time being, not wanting to further distress the townsfolk until he’d done further investigating.  He promised to contact them if he had new information.Despite the events of the previous evening and their general grey mood, the group met Lord Foxglove the next morning as planned.  The nobleman had three manservants with him, and had purchased a fine riding horse for each of his guests.  The Tickwood was not far, only a few miles north of the upthrust limestone escarpment known as the Devil’s Platter, but it would have taken hours to reach on foot.  Despite its ominous name, Lord Foxglove assured them that the Tickwood was actually a relatively safe woodland, one well known to be the home of wild boar, deer and perhaps one or two firepelt cougars.  No goblin tribes were known to dwell within its boundaries.The ride was a pleasant and uneventful one, and Aldern was a charming conversationalist, well-read and with a seemingly endless cache of stories about the high life in Magnimar.  Overall, however, he was far more interested in his saviors, wondering who they really were, where were they from, how long had they been fighting goblins and did they have other harrowing tales of their adventures.  He was particularly taken with Skud, especially when the big half-orc told of his childhood in stark, simple terms.“That’s positively awful!” the nobleman exclaimed.  From that point on, even throughout the hunt, which was, in Luther’s mind at least, wonderfully unadventurous, with several large boar bagged, Aldern continued to bombard Skud with questions, at times seeming almost desperate to learn how to be a ‘hero.’  By the time they returned to Sandpoint in the late afternoon, delivering the bulk of the meet to Father Zantus for distribution to the poor as promised, Skud had become noticeably irritated by the nobleman’s endless barrage, and Dex though it a good time to say their goodbyes before his friend’s short temper got the better of him._________________________________________________The following day, all four of the men received a summons by one of Hemlock’s deputies, asking them to join him at the town hall, explaining that he had news that might interest them.  As Luther walked the short distance from the cathedral, he passed Amele Barett’s home and saw that her sister had arrived, and the family’s belongings were being loaded onto a large wagon.  To his dismay, Shayliss Vinder was standing out front speaking with the woman.  When she saw Luther, her eyes narrowed, and she bent to whisper conspiratorially in the older lady’s ear.  As he passed, Amele’s sister spat on the ground in front of him, and shot him a cold glare.“Too bad you heroes weren’t a bit more thorough in your ‘heroing,’” she sneered.Luther blanched, but said nothing.  He lowered his head and kept walking.  Apparently, Shayliss was not a girl whose advances were to be spurned lightly.When he reached the town hall, he was escorted to a comfortable office on the second floor where his friends were waiting, along with Sheriff Hemlock, the mayor, Kendra Deverin, and an elven woman dressed as a forester that Luther had never seen before.“I’d like to introduce you all to Shalelu Andosana,” Hemlock began, “an…unofficial member of Sandpoint’s town guard.  Shalelu, here are the town’s newest crop of heroes.”  He grinned as he said this, and the elf smirked faintly.“Shalelu has been a thorn in the side of the local goblin tribes for years,” Hemlock continued, “and few in the region know more about them than she.  She has informed me that Sandpoint hasn’t been the only place in the region that’s had goblin troubles.  There has been an alarming increase in goblin-related raids along the Lost Coast Road, particularly in the dale between Nettlewood and Mosswood.  Only a day ago, a farm south of Mosswood was burnt to the ground by a group of goblins.  Thankfully, Shalelu was nearby, and while the farm couldn’t be saved, she did rescue the family and drove off the goblins.  The family is staying at a nearby farm for now, but the goblin problem is obviously not going away.  Shalelu?”The elf woman leaned casually against a desk, arms folded.“Belor’s told me of your work against the goblins,” she said in a voice deeper than her slim form implied.  “Well done.  I’ve dedicated the last several years of my life to keeping them from causing too much trouble around these parts, but they’re tenacious and fecund little runts.  Like weeds that bite.  Anyway, there’re five major goblin tribes in the region, and, traditionally they’re pretty good at keeping each other in line with intertribal squabbles and the like.  Yet from what I’ve been able to piece together, members of all five tribes were involved in the raid on Sandpoint.  A fair amount of the Mosswood tribe goblins I dealt with yesterday were already pretty beat up, and there was a lot of chatter about the ‘longshanks’ who killed so many of them.  Now that I’ve met you, it seems obvious from their descriptions who they were talking about.  Seems like you’ve made an impression.  In any event, the fact that the five tribes are working together disturbs me.  Goblin tribes don’t get along unless they’ve got something big planned, and big plans require big bosses.  I’m afraid that someone’s moved in on the goblins and organized them.  And judging by these recent raids, what they’re organizing seems like bad news for all of us.”When she’d finished, Hemlock spoke again.  “I’m taking a few of my men south to Magnimar to see about securing additional soldiers to station at Sandpoint for a few weeks, at least until the extent of the goblin threat can be determined.  While I’m away, I’ve asked Shalelu to sniff around Shank’s Wood, Devil’s Platter and other places where the tribes live to see if she can discover anything else about what’s going on.  I would also like to ask the four of you for a favor.  I’d like to make you special deputies for the duration of the crisis, and I would ask you to maintain a public presence in town over the next few days.  The locals seem to have taken to you, and seeing you around town will do a lot for keeping worries down over the next few days.  What say you?”The foursome looked at each other for a few moments.“I can’t speak for all,” Wesh spoke first, “after all, we only met a few days past, and under…unusual circumstances, but Sandpoint is my home, and I would do anything to protect her.  I’m in.”Dexter looked to Skud, a silent question in his eyes.  The half-orc shrugged.“What’s the pay?” the archer asked, turning to Hemlock.“Standard,” the sheriff replied, “plus certain fringe benefits that go along with being part of local law-enforcement.”Dexter nodded thoughtfully at this.  “We’re in too,” he said.  “The caravan work’s been a good gig, but it’s feast or famine sometimes, and if there’s more trouble on the roads coming, that means fewer trains traveling, which means fewer paydays for us.  Steady work suits us fine.”Luther remained silent a bit longer.“I was sent here by my order to assist Father Zantus,” he said at length.  “Now I feel compelled to stay to ease some of the suffering these past few days have wrought.  I’m no warrior, but if my presence gives some small measure of comfort to those without hope, then I am morally bound to serve.  I accept.”Hemlock beamed, and with mayor Deverin as a witness, he swore his four new deputies in.  “Congratulations,” Shalelu said, offering her hand.  “I would ask you to join me later for dinner at the Rusty Dragon.  I’d like to hear more about the raid, and I think I may have some more information you might be interested in.”______________________________________________Later that evening, after they had told the toned down version of the raid to Shalelu, she nodded appreciatively.  “It would seem you gave a good accounting of yourselves,” she said, “just as Belor indicated.  Since he trusts you enough to have deputized you, then I suppose you should be brought up to speed on the local goblin tribes.  As I mentioned earlier, there are five major groups in the region.  The closest to Sandpoint are the Birdcrunchers.  They live in caves along the western edge of Devil’s Platter, although traditionally, they have always been the least aggressive of the five.  To the south are the Licktoads of the Brinestump Marsh, pests that are excellent swimmers.  East are the Seven Tooths of Shank’s Wood, a tribe that’s secured a place for itself by raiding Sandpoint’s junkyard and rebuilding stolen refuse into armor and weapons.  Further east are the Mosswood goblins, likely the largest tribe, but one traditionally held back by feuding families within their own ranks.  Finally, there are the Thistletop goblins, who live on the Nettlewood coast atop a small island that some say holds a passing resemblance to a decapitated head.”“As you may know,” she continued after taking a long pull from her tankard, “goblins generally live short, violent lives.  It’s unusual for a single goblin to achieve any real measure of notoriety, but when one does, it’s well-earned.  Currently, five goblins enjoy the status of ‘hero.’  Big Gugmut is an unusually muscular and tall goblin from Mosswoods who, it’s said, had a hobgoblin for a mother and a wild boar for a father.  Koruvus was a champion of the Seven Tooth tribe, who was as well known for his short temper as he was for his prized possession, a magic longsword.  He vanished several months ago after he supposedly discovered a ‘secret hideout’ in a cave along the cliffs, but the Seven Tooth goblins remain convinced that he’s out there still, a ghost or worse, waiting to murder any goblin who tries to discover his hideout.  Vorka is a notorious goblin cannibal who lives in the Brinestump marsh, a ‘hero’ mostly to goblins other than the Licktoad tribe.  Ripnugget is the current leader of the Thistletop goblins and controls what the five tribes agree is the best lair.  And then there’s Bruthazmus, an infamous bugbear ranger who lives in northern Nettlewood and often visits the five tribes to trade things he’s stolen from caravans for alcohol, news or magic arrows.  He has a particular hatred of elves, and we have fought on several occasions.  So far, neither of us has managed to get the upper hand, but I swear to you, I won’t be the first to fall!  In any event, that should let you know what you might be up against.”She rose to go, extending her hand as she did.  She paused for a moment as she started to leave.“You know,” she said thoughtfully, “I might just have someone I want to introduce you to next time I’m in town.”</blockquote>

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