Rise of the Runelords [IC]

[rockdeworld]

Aldern is excited to have the group join him, but understands their need to rest after the goblin attack. He explains that he's leaving in 5 days, and is willing to set aside any time before then for the hunt, but at the latest it should be on the 4th day. He asks that the adventurers simply let Ameiko know the day before, and she'll pass the word on to him.

---

The next day, Ameiko directs Tymir to Savah's Armory as the best place to buy or sell weapons. It turns out the shop is quite close to the cathedral, and that he passed it on the way to the inn the day before.

Savah's shop sells all manner of weapons and armor, including several masterwork items and exotic weapons like a spiked chain, a dozen masterwork shuriken, and a +1 repeating crossbow with a darkwood and ivory stock that bears the name "Vansaya" standing prominently on a shelf behind Savah's counter.

"Welcome!" Savah greets him, then her eyes open in recognition. "Why, you're one of the men that fought off the goblins yesterday! You saved my life, and a bunch of other people too! We owe you so much. Anything you want, I'll give you 20% off!"

When Tymir asks about selling the arrows, she looks at them.

"Well, these goblins arrows aren't worth much, but I'll keep to my offer of 20%. 73 arrows would normally be worth about 3 and a half gold, but I'll make it 4.5."

---

Meanwhile, Domenico goes looking for Jasper Korvaski at the Sandpoint Mercantile League across the street from the Rusty Dragon. But Jasper is too busy running the league to meet with him when he visits, so he continues onto his next errand.

As he walks through the streets, he gets the impression of more eyes on him than usual. He notices a few young women giggling as he walks by, their eyes on him. When he catches their gaze, they blush and look away.

Vernah's Fine Clothing sits behind the Rusty Dragon, where Rynshinn Povalli, the owner, inspects Domenico's damaged suit.

"It's been through a lot, but I think we can fix it." She declares. "Normally it'd be a 15 gold job, but considering the fact that you saved the town yesterday, I think we owe you that. Come back in 2 days and we'll have this outfit as good as new."

Afterwards, she also gives him directions to Bottled Solutions (whether he needs them or not). It's a few streets over, she says, and he can get the potions identified there.

Nisk Tander is happy to help "one of Sandpoint's heroes," and identifies the potions free of charge. It turns out one is a potion of Cure Light Wounds, while the other is Cure Moderate Wounds.

After that, he completes his shopping without incident, save for getting 20% off his purchases at Savah's Armory just as Tymir did.

---



"The freshest, clearest water around?" Ameiko asks Chirk with a grin. "Well, I can offer you some fine water here, but if you want the best stuff in town, you'll have to go to The Hagfish. Jargie Quinn's the owner there, and he's got a tank full of the clearest, tastiest water I've ever seen. Calls it 'Norah's Tank.' Go down there and tell him you want a drink from Norah's Tank, and he might be willing to share some with you."

She gives him directions - down the street, last pier on the left. Chirk gets the strong impression that Ameiko's hiding something from him, and notices the few people around the tavern keyed into Ameiko's explanation and smirking. But those who catch his glance try to confirm Ameiko's story - some obviously lying when they laugh out loud - but all at least assuring him that it's safe.

---



"Going exploring?" Ameiko asks Kahto. "Well, there's certainly a few sites worth seeing. I'm a bit busy to act as tour guide myself, but I can at least give you a good map. 10 gold, and it's got labels for all the important places around here - interested?"

[Smileybastard]

Kahto

"Going exploring?" Ameiko asks Kahto. "Well, there's certainly a few sites worth seeing. I'm a bit busy to act as tour guide myself, but I can at least give you a good map. 10 gold, and it's got labels for all the important places around here - interested?"

Kahto smiles in response. "Thank you, but prefer to just explore."

[Xhosant]

Chirk couldn't miss that there was a catch, but he didn't hit the road for a life of certainty. Deciding to bite, he follows the directions.

[rockdeworld]

"Suit yourself." Ameiko tells Kahto. "If you get lost, just head to the beach and follow it left - it'll eventually bring you back within sight of the Rusty Dragon."

While exploring, Kahto finds many things in Sandpoint, mostly buildings.

Most of the buildings in Sandpoint are made of wood, with stone foundations and wood shingle roofs. The majority are single-story structures, with a few noted exceptions. The northern district is on higher ground than the southern district, and the new cathedral sits on a bluff overlooking downtown. The majority oft he town's buildings can be found downtown, and it's quite crowded. Downtown is built on a gentle slope that runs from a height of about 6o feet above sea level to the west, down to only a few feet above the waterline to the east and south.

A modest-sized natural harbor lies South of the Rusty Dragon. It's 30 feet deep for most of its expanse, with sharply rising slopes near the shore. The languid waters of a river from the North-east wind down from the hinterlands, emptying into the harbor. South of town rises another bluff, on which Kahto can see some rather large buildings.

The sight that proves most striking at first is a ruined tower on the western waterfront. It looks as though it might have once exctended to unknown height, but not much of it remains. The tower rises from sea level and is built into the face of a 120-foot-tall cliff, with the tower extending another 50 feet above that level to culminate in ragged ruins. The remaining shell is yet another reminder that neither the Chelaxians nor the Varisians are the first settlers of this land, yet apart from a few badly weathered carvings signifying that the peak ofthis tower once held a brilliant light, no insight into the tower's true purpose remains.

---

Chirk finds The Hagfish without trouble, and first notices that it's built over the water, standing on wooden supports and surrounded by bridges to allow access to every side of the building. The sign over the door welcomes him, and inside he finds the place filled with fishermen, and smelling strongly of fish itself.

As soon as he enters, a cheer goes up, and he realizes he is one being cheered for. Men smile at him from their tables, and those who recognize him tell the others at their tables, who then turn and fill in others, so that the whole tavern is soon filled with people talking about him, grinning at him, and welcoming him to join them at their tables. Among the din, Chirk hears the words "goblins" and "hero" being passed around.

A gregarious one-legged man approaches Chirk while wiping his hands off with a towel.

"Welcome to The Haggerfish!" He says. "I'm Jargie Quinn, manager of this fine establishment. And from what I hear, you're one of the heroes that saved us from that goblin attack yesterday. Well mister, it'd be my pleasure to serve you anything you need. I can guarantee we have the best seafood in the city, and I'd venture to guess that if I didn't have my larders full already, any one of these men would be willing to go out and catch a meal for you."

When Chirk mentions Norah's tank, Jargie's smile turns to a grin, and laugher goes through the tavern, followed by more cheers.

"A drink from Norah's tank? Well, you're certainly welcome to try it, but the question is whether you can handle it."

He gestures Chirk to follow him, and leads him to his bar. Behind the bar, there's a large glass aquarium. It holds some underwater environment pieces and is currently occupied by a fairly repellant eel. The water itself appears horrifically thick and slimy. Hanging from a nail next to the tank is a leather pouch bulging with coins, and the ceiling beam above the bar is unique in that it's covered with names.

"This here is Norah, my Varisian hagfish and owner of the tavern. It's a silver for a tankard of water from her tank, and if you can drink it down you get all the money in that sack." He gestures to the leather pouch, then up at the ceiling beam Chirk noticed before. "Plus, I'll put your name on the ceiling beam. Only 28 names up there, and I've been in business 10 years. Still up for it?"

[Xhosant]

Chirk eyes the tank with disgust. A right insult this was, fouling up water for a dare. He felt as a dwarf would to see a cask of fine ale used as a relief pot, and then a dare.

Still, not much worse than the swamp's everyday drink. "Fill me up", he said with 10 silver in hand and a grim determination in his eyes.

[rockdeworld]

Another cheer goes up for Chirk's reply. Jargie takes his silver, fills a tankard, and passes it over to him.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Chirk needs to make 3 DC 18 Fortitude saves (one for the first taste, one for drinking it down, and one to keep it there once he's finished)

[Xhosant]

Not breaking eye contact, Chirk takes the tankard, throws his head back, and empties it into his sizeable, frogy mouth.

Spoiler: Here goes nothing!

Show

(1d20+2)[3]
(1d20+2)[22]
(1d20+2)[14]

...and promptly spits it out the moment the water touches his tongue. An expression of shock and disgust adorns his face.

[Faolan7]

Spoiler: OOC:

Show

Sorry for being so far behind, I went on a trip. So that's 328g and 5s for the arrows?

Tymir examines the crossbow and asks, "What's the story behind this?"

[rockdeworld]

Fortunately for his bar, Jargie is prepared with a bucket. Unable to stand the drink, Chirk becomes sickened for one minute.

"Well yer a brave man, I'll give ya that." Jargie tells him. "And brave men are always welcome in my tavern."

"Hear hear!" Another patron cries.

"What's your name, stranger?" Jargie asks.

---

Tymir notices the word "Vansaya" written on the stock of the crossbow.

"Oh, I've had that crossbow for about a year now. Bought it from an adventurer on the way to Riddleport, and its price and complexity have kept it in the shop. I'm not sure what the name means, but I suppose it was important to somebody."

[Xhosant]

Still woozy, he motions for a moment before answering. Mustering what constitution (and dignity) he has left, he replies:

"My name is Chirk, the deadshot, and I'm in search of the town's best water."

[Faolan7]

"Interesting. I'd love to try to find the meaning, but I wouldn't be able to take it off your hands. I'll have to come by another time. Thank you for your service." With that, he bows to Savah and leaves the shop.

[rockdeworld]

"To Chirk, the deadshot!" A man cries, holding his mug in the air. The other patrons respond in kind, and then return to talking like they were before Chirk entered.

"Well," Jargie continues, his grin returning, "I daresay you found the town's best water. But joking aside, have some of this." He pours a cup of water for Chirk and passes it to him. The water's fine, but not exceptional.

"Whoever told ya to try Norah's tank was pulling your leg. A hagfish's tank-water ain't good for anyone. Now us being on the coast, you'll find some good, clean water here. I'd reckon either Father Zantus or Hannah Velerin could produce purer water with their healin' magic, but they're always usin' it to take care of the sick. You could try askin' them, but I dunno what it'll get ya. But I got to get back to my other guests. Call me when ya need something."

---

As Tymir leaves the shop, he spies a trio of girls chatting to each other close by. They're mostly speaking too quietly and quickly to hear, but the words "Domenico" and "available" float over to him.

[Xhosant]

Grateful for the pallete-cleanser, Chirk gulps the water down. That much was obvious from the get-go, but I got curious enough to try, anyway. But the experience was worth the taste, as was the tip! And... be sure I'll be back one day, and an extra name will be placed on the roof for it.

Hints of the taste, and worse yet, the texture, still lingering on his tongue, Chirk went to follow his next lead.

[Faolan7]

Tymir grins childishly, and looks around for anywhere to hide nearby the girls. If there's a spot, he'll hide and eavesdrop, otherwise he'll just walk away.

Spoiler: Checks

Show

Not sure exactly what I need, but this should suffice.
Sneak: (1d20+8)[20]
Perception (For listening?): (1d20+5)[12]
Perception (For finding a spot?): (1d20+5)[19]

[Smileybastard]

Kahto

After a long day of exploring the town, he returns to the Rusty Dragon.

[rockdeworld]

Chirk makes his way to Hannah's shop without incident by following Jargie's directions. The shop stands out by a sign with a red cross carved into it. When Chrik arrives, it's surrounded by people waiting to be helped. More are inside. Some are obviously wounded, others apparently only feeling unwell.

Several people are moving about, some distributing water, others attempting to care for the injured. One woman moves from person to person, casting healing spells on each. When one of the others calls her name, Chirk confirms that this is Hannah.

---

It'd be a stealth check for Tymir to hide, perception to hear their voices.

Tymir finds a good spot to hide, and does so without the girls noticing. However, even though he strains his ears, he can't quite make out what they're saying. Eventually, their topic of conversation changes and their voices get louder. They start talking about work around the house and odd jobs they have to do, but none of yesterday's party is mentioned again.

[Xhosant]

Chirk approaches the woman.

"Excuse me, miss... Hannah? I believe you could use help here?"

[rockdeworld]

Hannah finishes casting for her current patient, then turns around. She's a middle-aged woman with brown hair and modest dress, and looks a bit worn out at the moment. Her eyes widen for a second when she sees Chirk.

"Oh! Oh, yes! I have so many patients right now, I'll take all the help I can get. Are you volunteering? Can you use healing magic? No? Well, you can help pass out water and make people comfortable. If you talk to John over there, he'll tell you what to do."

She motions to a man carrying a tray of cups of water around and handing them to the injured. He's happy to talk to a volunteer, and explains what Chirk can do to help out. On the subject of pure drinking water, he says that he thinks he's seen Hannah casting a water spell today, but only in emergencies, when they needed pure water. However, they have had breaks, and if Chirk helps out for the rest of the day, John'll help convince Hannah to cast a water spell for him.

[Xhosant]

Chirk nods in agreement. Just as he'd hoped, he might be able to get enough weight off the woman's hands that she can afford to expend some power for him, even at a later date.

His short figure makes the task troublesome at times, but he nonetheless works his best.

[rockdeworld]

At the end of the day, John talks to Hannah, and she casts a spell for Chirk filling up a barrel of water.

"Have as much as you want." She says. "Thanks for helping us out today. You made our work a lot easier. And I heard you were one of the heroes that fought off the goblins in the town square yesterday. You're really a good person."

She gives him a pitcher to carry the water, and invites him to come back any time.

---

In the evening, Sheriff Baylor Hemlock shows up at the Rusty Dragon looking for the adventurers, and he speaks to those who show up.



"First of all, thank you all for your help in the goblin assault yesterday. The casualties would have been much worse if you hadn't stopped the goblins from attacking people. We all owe you a debt of gratitude.

"Second, the reason I'm coming to you is to ask your help with another problem. Earlier today, Father Zantus noticed the stone door to the previous priest's burial vault was hanging open. He told me the vault is used to
house the remains of previous caretakers, priests, and acolytes who served at the Cathedral, and that it was closed before the festival. Now it's our custom in Sandpoint not to mess around with boneyards, so Father Zantus and I think some of the goblins got into it during the attack yesterday. There's probably one or two left in there, trapped I'd guess, and given the way you outfitted yourselves yesterday, I think you're well-equipped to handle them without trouble.

"I've asked Father Zantus to wait until my return. Will you go with me?"

[Xhosant]

Chirk eagerly tastes the water, and it is indeed the cleanest, purest he's ever had. Not a hint of container residue, or soil, or anything. Clear water.

It's also somewhat tasteless. Of course, water is 'tasteless' in the strict sense, but less pure waters he's tasted before had merits, along with their demerits, over this texture.

Frankly, that's something he'll have to think about.

---

Chirk is eager to follow. After all, he never liked unfinished business, and this was part of the cleanup they started not long ago. "Lead the way!", he states enthusiastically.

[Faolan7]

Tymir looks up from his food, "'Course. When are we leaving? Also, it was nothing. I'm glad I was able to help out."

[Sileniy]

At the Rusty Dragon, before Hemlock arrives:

"I had the potions identified," he said, "it seems they are both curative potions." He held up one of them, the darker of the two. "This one is the stronger of the two, and worth a fair bit - I think I could get one, probably close to two hundred for it - but we should hold on to it until after the hunt. If one of us gets gored all the coins in the world won't do us any good, after all."


After hearing Hemlock's request:

Absolutely, Sheriff. All to happy to help. Hopefully it will just be some stragglers.

[rockdeworld]

Baylor Hemlock looks relieved.



"Thank you. If it's alright with you, we'll head out now. Nothing good can come from letting goblins loose in the boneyard."

Once everyone is ready, the group leaves together. On the way, Baylor tries to make conversation.

"Thanks again for your help yesterday. That goblin attack took us all by surprise, and you protected the people in the square long enough for us to mobilize the Sandpoint Watch and fight off the goblins. I know a lot of people in this town are grateful to you for that, whether they show it or not. But what are you going to do now?"

[Faolan7]

With a grin, Tymir shouts, "Adventure! And maybe some gold along the way, but mostly adventure."

[rockdeworld]

Baylor smiles.



"Aye, I know how you feel. There's a lot to see in the world, even here in Sandpoint. But the world's full of dangers too. Have you thought about taking along some allies? The way I see it, having people to watch your back means you don't have to do it yourself, and that's worth a good bit in this world."

[Smileybastard]

Kahto

Kahto strokes Nakka's fur. "I would be happy to help." I wonder if there is more afoot than a goblin raid and if that why Lyrune has brought me here.

[rockdeworld]

Within a few minutes, the group arrives at the boneyard. Set in the shadow of the Sandpoint Cathedral and accessible via a gate to the north or from several doors leading into the cathedral itself, this expansive cemetery overlooks the river on the eastern edge of town, and is well maintained. Stone vaults stand near the cemetery's edges or at its center, while dozens of humble plots, each marked with a simple gravestone, sit amid trees and shrubberies.

The vault in question is a 20-foot square stone structure that stands near the wall. The stone door does indeed hang ajar. The ground around the place is churned up as well - thanks to their good perception, the group notices that many of the footprints are goblin prints, but some of them appear to have been left by a larger humanoid.



"So, how do you want to go about this?" Baylor asks.

[Smileybastard]

Kahto

Kahto looks around the area and at the tracks, looking for any details of the intruders, specifically the larger one.

Spoiler: Crunch

Show

Survival (Tracking) (1d20+6)[13]
Perception (1d20+7)[11]

[Faolan7]

"I can sneak in and see how many are in there," Tymir pulls out his trophy and says with a grin, "I am the best hider, after all."