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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JollyDoc" data-source="post: 4274805" data-attributes="member: 9546">NEW RECRUITSWhen the five companions emerged from the Glassworks, it was full night, which was a blessing since the darkness would obscure Ameiko’s battered condition from prying eyes.  “What will you do now?”  Wesh asked the young woman gently.“I don’t know,” she sighed.  “I suppose the Glassworks is my responsibility now, but what am I going to tell the families of all those people?  How on earth am I going to explain all this?”“We’ll help you,” Wesh replied.  “For now, obviously your going to have to temporarily close the factory.  Perhaps we can arrange for the mayor to gather together the families of the workers for a private meeting where the news can be broken as softly as possible.”“And I will make reparations to them all,” Ameiko nodded, “though I’m sure that coin will be small comfort.”“Justice might be more satisfactory,” Wesh said, an edge to his voice.  “We’re going back in tomorrow to investigate those tunnels.  When we’re done there, I think Thistletop is next on our agenda.  Nualia Tobyn has much to answer for, and as the sheriff’s duly appointed deputies, in his absence, I’d say it falls to us to make sure she does.  Gentlemen?”The others nodded silently, even Luther.  He could already feel the pain and suffering of the families of the Kaijitsu’s employees as a physical thing.  “Right then,” Wesh continued, “then we’ll meet back here in the morning.  Dexter, if you and Skud wouldn’t mind escorting Ameiko back to the inn.”“My pleasure,” the rogue smiled charmingly, then offered her his arm to lean on.___________________________________________When they reached the Rusty Dragon, Ameiko had them go round to a back door, so as not to cause alarm in the common room.  Nevertheless, Bethana Corwin, as if she’d been expecting them, bustled around a corner just as they entered the back hall.  Her hands flew to her mouth and her face drained of color as she saw her mistress’s condition.“Mistress Ameiko!” she shrieked.  “What’d that monster do to you?”“It’s okay, Bethana,” Ameiko soothed.  “It looks worse than it is, but if it’s all the same to you, I’d love a hot bath, food and a warm bed, in that order.  I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow.  See to any needs these gentlemen have as well, if you don’t mind.”The old halfling woman nodded and took Ameiko’s hand to lead her up a service stair, but then she turned quickly back, as if just remembering something.“There’s a stranger in the common room who asked after you gents,” she said to Dex and Skud.  “Sort of raggedy-looking, like a drifter or woodsman, but he didn’t strike me as sinister or nothing.  I told him I weren’t sure when you’d be back, but he said he’d wait.  I put him in your usual booth.”“Did we leave a forwarding address somewhere?”  Dex asked Skud, shaking his head.  The big half-orc gave his usual grunt.“Well,” Dex sighed, “let’s not keep our guest waiting.”At first glance, Dexter thought that Tsuto had returned from the dead to pay them a visit from beyond the grave, but when the half-elf drew back the hood of his cloak, his reddish-blonde hair quickly dispelled the illusion.  He was dressed in forest garb that covered a tanned hide chest piece, which only added to the man’s already fragrant aroma.  A gleaming sickle hung at his belt, but otherwise, he bore no weapons.“You must be Dexter and…ah…Skud, is it?”  the half-elf asked, bowing slightly.“Yes, that’s right,” Dex answered, “and you have us at a disadvantage.  I’m afraid I didn’t catch your name.”“Rico,” the traveler replied, extending his hand.  “Rico Leaflair.  I’m a friend of Shalelu’s.  She told me where to find you and whom to ask for.”“Ah, yes,” Dex nodded.  “I remember her saying something about bringing an acquaintance back with her, which begs the question…where is she?”“She got wind of Bruthazmus being sighted a few miles from here, so she sent me ahead.  I normally hail from Mosswood, and don’t usually come this far south, but I’ve been having some trouble with the local goblins myself, and when Shalelu told me what had happened here, and her other suspicions, I thought it might be in my best interest to…get involved, you might say.”“Well, we’ve already told Shalelu all there is to tell about the raid…,” Dex replied, “but there have been a few more developments since she left.  By ‘get involved,’ do you mean you’re willing to get your hands dirty?”Rico held up his heavily callused hands.  “I’m a druid, my friend.  I wouldn’t know what to do with clean hands.  Shalelu vouched for you.  If you want my help, I’m offering it…mine and Garm’s”“Garm?”  Dex asked.  A low growl sounded from under the table, and Skud took a quick step back, his hand going for his sword.  The large, shaggy form of a wolf crept quietly out of the shadows and sat at Rico’s feet, its cold eyes glimmering with a feral intelligence.“Garm, I presume?”  Dex smiled.  “Well, we’d best bring you up to par.  We’ve got an early day tomorrow.”_____________________________________________Wesh had just reached the door to his shop, and was putting the key in the lock, when a sharp hiss caused him to jerk his head towards a nearby alley.“Who’s there?”  the wizard demanded, a faint crackle of energy snapping at his fingertips.“No need for that, now,” a deep voice replied.  Then a tall, burly figure stepped out of the gloom.  When he came into the light of Wesh’s lantern, it revealed that he was a young, bald, dark-skinned man.  He was dressed in farmer’s clothes, but a metallic gleam from beneath his tunic showed that he was something more, as did the large sword strapped to his back.“Randall?”  Wesh asked, surprise in his voice.  “It is you, isn’t it?”“I’m surprised you remember,” the big man said.“How could I forget?”  Wesh laughed.  “How could anyone, for that matter?  You’ve got a lot of guts showing your face around here.  Last I heard you were persona non grata.  It’s not everyday one of the town guardsmen strikes his commanding officer and is allowed to walk free.”“That was a long time ago,” Randall said, “and I wouldn’t exactly say I was given clemency.  Barred from ever returning to the guard, forced to return to the life I swore I would never look back on, shunned by anyone I’ve ever been close to.”“So why come back now?”  Wesh asked.“Because deep inside, I’m still a soldier,” Randall snapped.  “I never stopped being one, and I still have a sense of duty.  My town’s in need, and I’m here to discharge that duty.”“I notice you waited to answer that call until after Hemlock was gone,” Wesh said wryly.Randall cleared his throat.  “Yes…well, I didn’t see any sense in causing more trouble than I already had.  I heard he’d be gone for a few days, and I also heard what you and your friends did during the raid.  Local heroes, deputies, the works.  I want in.”Wesh looked dubious.  “What’s the catch?”“No catch,” Randall said.  “I’ll do what I’m told.  I bow to your command, just let me do what I was born to do.  Let me serve.”Wesh tapped his finger against his chin for several long moments before he answered.“Well, it’s not just up to me.  I have three other deputies to answer to.  We’re meeting in the morning at the Glassworks.  Be there, and I’ll let you plead your case.  No promises, though.”A look of relief crossed Randall’s sunburned face.  “You’ve given me more than I could have imagined.  You’ve given me hope.”___________________________________________Luther entered the darkened church and made his way through the back halls to his quarters.  When he opened the door to his room, however, he nearly fainted dead-away.  A robed figure stood in the middle of the small chamber, his back turned to the door.  He turned upon hearing Luther’s sharp intake of breath, revealing a face only a mother could love.  His head was shaved except for a topknot, making his somewhat tapered ears stand out that much more.  He had a heavy brow, making his eyes seem that much more beady.  His nose was flattened, and squashed-looking, as if he’d been on the receiving end of one-too-many punches, and his lower jaw was protuberant, causing his lower incisors to show above his lips like the tusks of a boar.  Still, all of this was somewhat offset by the look of pure calm and intelligence behind his eyes.“Brother Adso?”  Luther gasped when he could find his breath to speak again.  “You seem surprised to see me,” the half-orc smiled. “Well…yes,” Luther replied, a look of puzzlement on his face.  The monk was one of the finest apprentices at Windsong Abbey, but his talents lay more to the martial rather than the diplomatic.“Don’t be,” Adso said.  “The elders at the abbey heard of the attack here…and the role you played.”  At this a slight smile lifted the corners of his mouth.  Luther frowned.“I spilled not a single drop of blood,” he said defensively.“I do not doubt you,” Adso said, placatingly, “though I’m sure your other talents were of service.  In any event, the elders sent me to escort you home, what with this area growing more dangerous by the day.”Luther entered the room, and set his gear down.  “While I appreciate the offer,” he said, “I had not planned on returning to the abbey just yet.  These people still need me, and the sheriff has asked for my assistance in these matters.”Adso considered this for a moment, and then nodded again.  “Very well.  Then I shall stay on to ensure your safety.”  His tone seemed to brook no argument.  “Perhaps you should tell me exactly what it is that you are involved in here…”________________________________________________In the pre-dawn hours of the following morning, a group of shadowy figures congregated in the courtyard of the Kaijitsu Glassworks.  “It would seem our ranks have swelled,” Wesh remarked dryly.Luther cleared his throat.“This is brother Adso, a monk from my order.  He has graciously offered to join us on our investigation.  I can vouch that he is an honorable man, and imminently trustworthy.”The expression on Skud’s face as he eyed the other half-orc seemed to say that he felt differently.  Adso returned his gaze with a cool, slightly haughty stare.  The young monk had been raised around humans all his life, and looked upon his orcish heritage as one would a birth-defect…it couldn’t be helped, but that didn’t mean it had to be a handicap.  Skud read this in the other’s eyes, knew instinctively, from years of experience, when he was being looked down upon and patronized.  A low growl began low in his throat, and Luther felt rather than saw Adso’s stance suddenly tense.  At that moment, Dexter stepped in front of his friend and gestured towards Rico.“Well, I can’t vouch for anything about our new acquaintance, except that he claims Shalelu sent him, so I suppose that’s good enough.”Rico nodded to the others.“Rest assured,” the druid said, “I have no love of goblins or their kin.  If Shalelu has put her faith in you, then that is all the assurance I need…and it seems Garm trusts you as well.”The shaggy wolf had moved to sit at Skud’s feet, and it looked up at him, mouth open and tongue lolling, its tail thumping happily on the ground.  Skud looked down, and a small smile appeared on his face.  Dex had never seen the half-orc smile unless he was killing something.  He didn’t know the big lug had it in him.  Absently, the barbarian reached down and scratched the wolf behind the ears.“Well, I can tell you for a fact that I don’t trust Randall here any further than I could throw him,” Wesh said, jerking his thumb at the big warrior behind him.  “He’s got guts, I’ll give him that, and he can swing a sword with the best of them.  He’s also a bit desperate, at this point, which means that it’s in his best interest to stay on our good side, right Randall?”The warrior nodded begrudgingly.“I’ve made some mistakes in my time,” he said, “but I’d like to think a person can change.  Sandpoint’s my home, and even if I’ve been on the wrong side of the law on occasion, a man’s home is still his castle.  I’d defend it with my life.” “Excellent!”  Wesh said, clapping his hands.  “The at least we’re all on the same side for the time being.  Now, before we attract any more attention, what say we get on about this business?”</blockquote>

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