---

---

Amele Barett opened the door and gave a grateful smile once she saw who it was on the step.  "Cato!"  She said warmly. "Alergast said you might stop by.  I want to thank you so much for taking the time to talk to Aeren about his nightmares.  They've been getting worse."  Her face crumpled a little and her eyes gleamed with as-yet-unshed tears.  "I just wish so much that he'd never seen what he saw during the Festival.  It's affected him so much."

Amele suddenly slapped her forehead.  "But what am I doing?  Come in, come in!"  She opened the door wider and gestured the wizard into the house's tiny foyer, closing the door after him and heading into the kitchen.  "Can I offer you some tea or biscuits?  Aeren's room is right there on the left," she pointed, "I think he'll be excited to talk to you."  She smiled.  "You're one of his heroes."

---

---

Cato returned Amele's smile as she opened the door.  "Of course, Mrs. Barett.  What Alergast said you were going through sounded awful.  Not all the damage caused by something like what happened at the Festival is in burnt buildings, looted stores, and injuries.  Some of it lingers on for years afterwards."  Cato's smile faltered as he remembered his own dark memories.  "But sometimes talking about it, and coming to terms with what's happened can help.  I can't promise anything, but maybe talking with Aeren can help."

Cato's grin returned at Amele's insistence.  "Thank you, ma'am.  I'd love a cup of tea and some biscuits.  I haven't really had time for lunch, yet.  Would you mind if I introduced myself to Aeren while the tea is brewing?"

Cato blushed.  "I don't think I'm a hero, just someone who did the right thing when it was needed.  But maybe it will be enough to help Aeren."

Cato gave a slight bow to Amele and walked towards Aeren's room.  He gave a set of hard knocks on the door.  "Hero of Sandpoint reporting.  Is there a Master Barett about?"

---

---

"Come in."  A small voice answered Cato's query.  As the wizard opened the door, a largish but friendly dog came bounding over to check him out.  Once the dog had tested Cato's scent and apparently decided that he was not a threat, it went back and jumped on the bed to curl up with young Aeren Barett.

Aeren was not in a very good state.  Cato could see from the rings under his eyes that he had not been sleeping and from the redness in them he could tell that the boy had been crying some as well.  Aeren clutched a toy wooden sword and shield close as he looked at Cato with an expression of some excitement and, strangely, hope.

"Mister Crispin!"  Aeren's voice was raspy.  "Did my parents ask you to help?"  He gestured towards his closet with his toy sword.  "Are you here to help me?  We have to kill the goblin in my closet.  You, me, and Petal I mean.  It's him or us!"

---

---

Cato observed the scene in front of him and felt immensely sorry for the boy.  He held out his hand and calmly let the dog sample his scent, giving the dog a scratch on the head before it went back to the bed.

Cato wasn't sure where to start.  He had to hold back an impulse to laugh at Aeren's sword and his insistence a goblin was hiding in the closet.  The last thing the boy needed was one more adult dismissing his fears.  After all, the boy had just seen these same goblins terrorizing his town, had probably seen people attacked and maybe even killed right in front of him.  The thing to do was probably show him that he was safe in his own house.

"Yes, Aeren.  I talked with Alergast and came here to help you.  It's a big responsibility that you've taken, staying up to guard the house at night, and now I'm here to help you so you can finally relax."

Cato decided to make this flashy.  He first used a little prestidigitation to call glowing light to his hands.  Then, in a deep voice, he intoned "Armus" and cast Mage Armor on the boy.  The glow from his hands flowed over Aeren's clothes and shield.  Cato nodded.  "There you go.  You'll be protected if the goblin manages to get past me."

Cato surveyed the room, and took a few steps toward the closet.  He turned back towards the boy.  "Okay, ready?  I'm going to open the closet, while you and Petal guard my back in case the goblin tries to circle around me."

After a nod from Aeren, Cato took a final step, and flung the closet door open.  Once he convinced the boy he was safe in his room, maybe he'd be able to talk about what Aeren saw at the Swallowtail Festival.

---

---

Aeren looked terrified.  "What about you, Mister Crispin?  Don't YOU need protection?"  The boy cowered on the bed in real fear as he put the covers up to right below his eyes and observed the closet with trepidation.

Petal looked on with interest as Cato moved to the door of the closet.  The wizard tugged on the door, but it was stuck.  He looked down to see that Aeren had wedged a small piece of board into the closet door.  As he bent down to remove the object, he noticed some mud on the edge of the closet floorboard.

Strange, in a house as well kept as Amele Barett's.

Cato stood and opened the now-unblocked door to find . . . nothing.  Nothing save for neatly-stacked boys' clothes on well-made pine shelves and a couple of furs covering the floor.  The closet, to all appearances, was 100% completely goblin-free.

---

---

Cato made a careful inspection of the closet, still hoping he could assuage the child's fears before talking with him.  "How many times have you seen the goblin in here, Aeren?"  Cato picked up some of the boy's clothes, thumbing through shirts and pants before replacing them neatly on the shelves.

"Has Petal seen the goblin, too?"  Cato bent down and inspected the mud on the floorboard, pulling off a small bit and rolling it in his fingers.  He didn't really know too much about dirt, or tracking, or anything of that sort.  And boys being boys...well, the dirt could just as well be from Petal or Aeren.  Maybe Amele hadn't cleaned the room in a few days with everything else going on in town.

"I'm not sure where else a goblin could be hiding in here."  Finally, Cato bent down and picked up the rugs, looking underneath them at the floor of the closet.

---

---

"Four times, I think.  It seems to try and come out every night, Mister Crispin," Aeren responded in a small voice, but one that seemed to be gaining strength and courage from the fact that the wizard was taking him seriously.  "Petal sees him too; that's why she barks so much.  He leaves when she barks; it's like he's scared of her."

Cato didn't find anything unusual on the shelves.  As he replaced the clothes, he looked down at the furs on the floor.  He made a show of picking up the first . . . nothing.  He set it back down neatly and then made a show of picking up the second.

Hmmm.  That was odd.

As soon as Cato picked up the second rug Petal began to growl.  There was a hole in the corner of the closet.  Not a huge hole, but certainly one big enough for a small creature to use.  It was hard to say but it looked as if it might have been forcibly enlarged.  There was mud around the hole; to Cato's untrained eye it looked like the same mud as that he'd found on the closet floorboard but of course he could not be sure.

Petal continued to growl in the back of her throat as she snarled at the dark, dirty opening.

---

---

Cato took a few steps back from the closet, leaving the small hole exposed.  "I think you might be right, Aeren.  Maybe I need some protection, too."  Cato quickly cast his own protection spell, his mage armor springing to life around his form as well.

"I've heard goblins are afraid of dogs, and they certainly didn't seem to like the dogs they encountered at the Festival.  It's a good thing you have Petal here.  Let's see how much the goblin likes having a dog invade his little hiding place."

Cato started casting, calling forth another Celestial Dog to serve him.

"Aeren, if you want to stay in the room, you need to do exactly as I say.  For now, keep quiet on your bed, and I'll try and deal with whatever's in your closet."

OOC:
If there's actually a goblin, we probably need to drop into combat rounds.
Cato's going to summon the dog right in front of the closet, and on Cato's turn, it's going to jump down the hole and attack any goblin it sees.  Celestial dogs have darkvision, low-light vision and scent, so it should be able to function well.

Active Effects: Mage Armor.  (AC: 16)

---

---

"Okay, Mister Crispin."  Aeren huddled behind his shield on the bed, wielding his wooden sword, and looked on in awe as Cato summoned a magical dog to do his bidding.  The glowing, summoned canine immediately leapt through the hole in the floor and soon after they could hear the sound of yapping, growling, and the frightened whine of whatever it was the summoned dog was fighting below the house.


OOC:  Cato, I'm assuming you're using your arcane focus to cast the Mage Armor on yourself?

Although you can't see what's going on, there's definitely something down there, and whatever it was was incredibly surprised when your celestial dog came in after it. :)  Roll for initiative, Mister Crispin.

---

---

A wicked grin spread across Cato's face as he heard the signs of the struggle between his summoned dog and what he presumed to be a goblin hiding inside the hole in the closet.  "The goblin certainly does NOT like dogs, Master Aeren.  It's a good thing you had Petal to keep the beast in his lair.  That was certainly good thinking on your part.  Now hopefully the goblin will want to see what's been bothering it, and we can put an end to this menace once and for all.  Aeren, you're not afraid if you need to cover your eyes.  Seeing this sort of thing at close range can be unpleasant.  You're brave enough to have spent the night in this room with that goblin hiding in the closet."

Cato's grin faltered a little as he considered his next action.  Hopefully the goblin would be injured, but there wouldn't be much space to work with in the cramped room.  Thinking quickly, Cato grabbed a few small pieces of furniture and made a barricade a few feet in front of the closet, taking cover behind a chest and preparing to target the goblin when it appeared with an acidic attack.

OOC:
Yes, used arcane bond to cast Mage Armor.
21:32, Today: Cato Crispin rolled 9 using 1d20+6. Initiative.

If needed:
21:39, Today: Cato Crispin rolled 4 using 1d6. Acid Damage.
21:39, Today: Cato Crispin rolled 18 using 1d20+2. Ranged Touch.

---

---

The yelping and sounds of fighting from below stopped.  For a moment, there was silence.  Perhaps a small whisper of movement.  Then, suddenly, the seemingly-uninjured goblin burst from the hole in a frenzy.  As soon as he showed himself Cato cast a spell, covering the creature in acid.  This only served to enrage the goblin and direct his attention towards the wizard.

The goblin leapt towards Cato, swinging his makeshift dagger but missing.  Seizing the initiative, the goblin pressed his attack, continuing to swing at the wizard but with similarly-ineffectual results; he screamed in surprise as his dagger bounced off of Cato's magical armor.

Petal, finally able to confront the hated humanoid that had haunted her house, darted in and savaged the goblin's unprotected flank with a nasty bite.  The goblin yelled in pain, but the craziness in its eyes only increased.

OOC:
I'm treating Cato's Acid Dart spell as an action he readied to cast as soon as the goblin emerged from the hole.  It's now Cato's turn.

10:37, Today: The Raconteur, for the NPC Petal, rolled 3 using 1d4+1. Bite Damage to Goblin.
10:36, Today: The Raconteur, for the NPC Petal, rolled 18 using 1d20+2. Bite Attack on Goblin.
10:36, Today: The Raconteur, for the NPC Goblin, rolled 12 using 1d20+3. Dagger Attack on Cato.
10:35, Today: The Raconteur, for the NPC Petal, rolled 9 using 1d20+1. Petal Initiative.
10:34, Today: The Raconteur, for the NPC Goblin, rolled 17 using 1d20+3. Goblin Initiative.
10:33, Today: The Raconteur, for the NPC Goblin, rolled 9 using 1d20+3. Dagger Attack on Cato.

---

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This message was last edited by the GM at 17:44, Thu 24 Oct 2013.

Despite knowing the goblin was in the closet and seeing how goblins fought in the attack during the Festival, Cato was still caught unaware by the savagery of the goblin attack.  As the goblin's knife attacks deflected off his magical armor, Cato was glad he had gone to such lengths to protect himself, as well as Aeren.  Cato risked a quick glance back towards the boy, hoping he remained cowering on the bed.  The goblin should continue to focus its attention on Cato, and perhaps on Petal as well.  Well, that was just as well for Cato.

"Hey, ugly!  What's the matter, can't even hit a defenseless wizard?  Or is that acid blurring your vision?  Maybe another hit will help you out."

Cato flung another dart of acid at the goblin.  Cato risked a step backwards, keeping himself between Aeren and the goblin.  He was going to run out of room soon.

OOC:
15:20, Today: Cato Crispin rolled 3 using 1d6. Acid Dart Damage.
15:20, Today: Cato Crispin rolled 20 using 1d20+2. Ranged Touch.

---

---

The goblin snarled as Cato began to cast his spell, swinging and missing with his improvised dagger as the intricate movements required by the invocation briefly created an opening in the wizard's defenses.  As the creature followed through, Cato's acid dart hit it full in the face.

The goblin screamed in pain and shook its head to clear away some of the acid, in the process spying the hated dog that had kept it penned underground without food for so long.  Growling low in its throat, the goblin stabbed towards Petal, but missed as the surprisingly agile dog darted out of the way.

Unfortunately, while Petal managed to avoid the dagger's blow her snapping return bite failed to find its mark.  Still, the goblin looked as if it might be beginning to panic . . .


OOC:

15:46, Today: The Raconteur, for the NPC Goblin, rolled 4 using 1d20+3. Dagger Attack on Petal.
15:45, Today: The Raconteur, for the NPC Goblin, rolled 14 using 1d20+3. Attack of Opportunity on Cato.
15:49, Today: The Raconteur, for the NPC Petal, rolled 9 using 1d20+2. Bite Attack on Goblin.

Guess the time spent down in the cramped space under the house really took a toll on this guy, lol.

---

---

Cato gasped as the goblin's knife hit his arcane wards.  He was somewhat emboldened by the lack of success the goblin had in hitting him so far, but it would only take one or two solid hits to bring the wizard to his knees.  Still, the goblin seemed to be getting desperate and panicking, which bode well for Cato, Petal, and young Aeren.

Cato involuntarily took another step from the canine and the goblin, the back of his calves bumping into the boy's bed in the confines of the room.  He frowned.  No more space to be found here.  He focused this time when using his acid dart, splitting his mind so that part of it remained focused on calling forth the attack, and part of it remained focused on the combat playing out in front of him so as to avoid leaving an opening for the harried goblin to attack him.  He flung out another acid dart, aiming for a spot on the goblin's chest that one of Brodert's books claimed offered an easy route to the heart.

OOC:
21:31, Today: Cato Crispin rolled 4 using 1d6. Acid Damage.
Using Sandpoint Scholar to increase damage to 5.
21:30, Today: Cato Crispin rolled 20 using 1d20+2. Ranged Touch.
21:30, Today: Cato Crispin rolled 19 using 1d20+9. Concentration Check vs DC 17.

---

---

As Cato began to cast his spell, the goblin made a threatening move with his dagger, but this time Cato's casting left no opening.  As the goblin started to decide that escaping from the room and the acid-throwing, seemingly-invulnerable mage might be the smartest idea, Cato's acid dart hit him again.

The goblin's system just could not handle all the burning, caustic liquid; he collapsed in a heap and lay motionless.

For a moment, silence reigned, feeling strange and almost eldritch after the quick violence of the combat.  Aeren stared at the goblin with wide eyes, then slowly moved his gaze over to Cato.  He seemed unable to speak.

At that moment Amele Barett burst in the door.  "What's going on, I heard a . . .," she stopped and shrieked as she saw the dead, acid-covered goblin lying on the floor, her panicked eyes flying to Aeren and then Cato.

---

---

Cato was still on edge, his body filled with adrenalin thanks to the short fight with the goblin.  He jumped and spun around to face the door when Amele burst into the room.  His hands half jerked up into the beginning of a conjurer's pose, but dropped back to his sides when his brain caught up to what he was seeing.

"Amele, sorry for the mess and the noise."

Cato looked back at the crumpled body on the floor.  He quickly went to the closet and grabbed on of the muddy furs off the bottom, covering the burned body with it.

"I'm sorry to have to do this in your house, but I wasn't sure if there was time to get everyone out.  This little beast was hiding under the floor in Aeren's closet.  It's why, I think, Petal's been barking every night.  Dogs and goblins don't get along very well.  In fact, Petal's probably the reason the goblin stayed in the closet instead of sneaking out to..."

Cato scratched the dog behind the ears.  Petal was still staring at the crumpled form of the goblin, occasionally letting out a low growl.

"Anyway, make sure to give her some nice meals.  She deserves it."

He gave Petal a final pat on the head, and walked over to the bed.  "Aeren, you've been very brave these last few nights.  Are you going to be okay if I take this goblin and take my leave?  I can stay if you'd like, or come back tomorrow if you need to talk about anything else."

Cato stood up, waiting for a response from Aeren and Amele.

---

---

Amele looked at Cato with amazement, then down at the tea and biscuits which she had incredibly not dropped upon observing the shocking scene in her son's bedroom.

Aeren suddenly found his voice and burst into an excited monologue.  "Mom!  It was amazing!  I was here and Mr. Cato cast, like, an armored ward spell on me!  Then he went in the closet and then he sent a ghost dog down into the hole and then the goblin came bursting out of the hole and attacked Mr. Cato and he couldn't hit him because of the magic armor that he'd cast on himself too and then Petal went crazy and started biting the goblin and the goblin couldn't decide WHO to attack and Mr. Cato was casting spells and burning the goblin with some sort of liquid and then it was dead and I TOLD you there was a goblin in my closet!!!!!"  Aeren looked at his mother with the self-satisfaction of a young child justified in the face of adult skepticism.

Amele gave Cato one of the most grateful smiles he'd ever seen, carefully handed him the saucer of tea and the plate of biscuits, then rushed to Aeren and enveloped him in a huge hug.

"MOM!!!"  Aeren protested as she snuggled him in what he felt was a most un-heroic fashion right in front of Mr. Cato the goblin-killing wizard.  Aeren wondered if he had what it took to be a wizard like Mr. Cato; he thought that Mr. Cato might be the most awesome person he'd ever known.  And he'd killed a goblin right in Aeren's own room!  His friends would be SO jealous!

Amele smiled at Cato from where Aeren struggled to disengage himself from her unwanted maternal affection.  "You have no need to apologize, Cato.  Who knows WHAT might have happened if you hadn't stopped by and found that . . . monster?!?"  She looked with distaste and the blood (or was it acid?) seeping out from under the muddy rug.  "You are welcome in our house ANY time.  Just wait until I tell Alergast!"  She decided to give Cato a friendly warning.  "I'll caution you now, he'll probably ply you with alcohol for the foreseeable future," she smiled again, "it's his way of saying he likes you."

Amele looked at the goblin again.  "I would actually be SO pleased if you would take that away."  She sighed.  "This is going to take FOREVER to clean."  She suddenly teared up, quickly closed the distance between them and gave Cato a quick, fierce hug, causing him to spill some of his tea in the process.  "Thank you, Cato," she whispered, stepping back and wiping her eyes.  "Thank you for saving my son.  No, thank you for saving my FAMILY."

She looked down at the heretofore-ignored Petal.  "And you too, Petal."  She knelt down and gathered the heroic canine into her arms.  "You are such a good dog, aren't you?"

---

---

Cato released a breath as Aeren started his explanation.  Suddenly finding himself holding tea and biscuits, he couldn't help but smile as Amele gave the struggling boy a hug.  He also couldn't help himself from quickly taking a bite of the biscuit and a sip of tea.  He had forgotten how hungry he was, but with the end of the brief battle, his stomach's wishes made themselves quite well known.

Cato quickly finished his biscuit and took another sip of the tea as Amele addressed him again.  He chuckled at her warning.  "I'll try to remember that.  I'm sure Kellan will be more than willing to help if Alergast wants to ply me with alcohol."

Cato blushed as Amele gave him a quick hug as well.  "I'm glad to be of help.  I just hope this town has seen the last of its goblin problem."

He set the tea and empty plate down on Aeren's nightstand, then bent down, careful to keep the dead goblin wrapped in the quite-soiled rug as he hefted them both up.  Transferring the bundle to his left shoulder, he chanted and waved his free hand, using a simple spell to clean up the area where the goblin had fallen.  He smiled again at Amele.  "That at least should help with the cleaning."  He winked at Aeren.  "Maybe I can show you how to work that spell, if you have time to learn."

Balancing the goblin on his shoulder, Cato gave a final goodbye and left the Barett home.  He glanced at the dead goblin on his shoulder and stood for a few moments before setting out to dispose of the corpse.