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Sandpoint Information and Maps.

Posted by DMFor group 0
DM
GM, 1 post
previously known as
Valandil
Sat 3 Jul 2010
at 21:52
  • msg #1

Sandpoint Information and Game Maps

Around Sandpoint
As one approaches the town of Sandpoint, the footprint of civilization upon the Lost Coast grows more clear. Farmlands in the outlying moors and river valleys grow more numerous, and the blue-green waters of the Varisian Gulf bear more and more fishing vessels upon its surface. Passage over creeks and rivers is more often accomplished by wooden bridge than ford, and the Lost Coast Road itself grows wider and better-kept. Sight of Sandpoint from either approach (south or east) is kept hidden by the large upthrust limestone pavements known as the Devil’s Platter or the arc of rocky outcroppings known as Whistler’s Tors, but as the final bend in the road is rounded, Sandpoint’s smoking chimneys and bustling streets greet the traveler with open arms and the promise of warm beds, a welcome sight indeed for those who have spent the last few days alone on the Lost Coast Road.

From the south, entrance to Sandpoint is governed by a wooden bridge, while from the north a low stone wall gives the town a bit of protection. Here, the Lost Coast Road passes through a stone gatehouse that is generally watched by one or two guards—the southern bridge is typically unattended. Aside from the occasional goblin, the citizens of Sandpoint have traditionally had little worries about invasion or banditry—the region simply isn’t populated enough to make theft a lucrative business. Hanging from a bent nail at both the gatehouse and the southern bridge is a sign and a mirror— painted on each sign is the message: “Welcome to Sandpoint! Please stop to see yourself as we see you!”



http://pathfinder.wikia.com/wiki/Sandpoint
More recently, settlers from the southern nation of Cheliax have come to Varisia. The city of Magnimar was settled by colonists dissatisfied with the strong reliance on Chelish support in Eastern Varisia, and before long the need for additional farmland grew apparent. To the south, the sloppy expanse of the Mushfens made farming difficult, so the settlers turned their eyes northward along the Lost Coast. For much of its length, the coast offered little shelter, with one exception—a perfect cove about 50 miles away. A cove overlooked by a curious stone ruin.

The foundation of a new town is not a matter to be taken lightly, nor one to be funded by one man. Four powerful families from Magnimar had designs on the region, and rather than work against each other, they consolidated their efforts and formed the Sandpoint Mercantile League. These four families, the Kaijitsus (glassmakers and jewelers), the Valdemars (shipbuilders), the Scarnettis (loggers), and the Deverins (farmers and brewers), sailed north to claim their land after securing the rights from the Charterhouse in Magnimar. Yet when they arrived, they found the place already settled by a large tribe of Varisians.

Refusing to be set back, the Sandpoint Mercantile League began a series of talks with the Varisians, promising them an important place in the new township. Unfortunately, after a week of talks that seemed to be going nowhere, an impatient man named Alamon Scarnetti took matters into his own hands. Rounding up a group of his brothers and cousins, the Scarnettis mounted a murderous raid on the Varisian camp, intent on killing them all and leaving evidence to blame local goblins for the deed. Yet the Scarnettis, too drunk and overconfident, managed to kill only five Varisians before they were themselves forced to flee, leaving behind three of their own.

The Sandpoint Mercantile League fled back to Magnimar, and
in the months to follow were embroiled in the repercussions of
Alamon’s assault. Magnimar’s Varisian Council demanded punishment for all four families, but the High Court arbitrated a peace between them, in no small thanks to the remarkable diplomatic skills of a young bard and member of one of the families accused— Almah Deverin. Not only did she manage to assuage the Varisians’ call for blood payment, she also managed to salvage the plans for Sandpoint by promising not only to incorporate the worship of Desna into the new town’s cathedral, but to pay the Varisian Council a generous share of any profits made by Sandpoint businesses over the course of the next 40 years. One year later, the Sandpoint Mercantile League began construction on several buildings with the full cooperation of the Varisian people. In the 42 years since Sandpoint’s foundation, it has flourished. Although the initial term of the compact with the Varisian Council has passed, Sandpoint’s government has elected to extend the compact another 20 years, much to the consternation of a few locals.

Today, Sandpoint is a thriving community. Many industries, including fishing, lumber, farming, hunting, brewing, tanning, shipbuilding, and Kaijitsu’s own legacy of glassmaking, have flourished, luring skilled laborers from as far as Korvosa and Riddleport to relocate here. Yet Sandpoint’s location on the Lost Coast has also recently drawn settlers of another bent. As explorers and adventurers begin to piece together the fragments of ancient Thassilon’s influence over the region so long ago, the presence of Thassilonian ruins have acted as a magnet. The Old Light is no exception, and a few of Sandpoint’s recent arrivals are more interested in this ruin than anything else. Over its four decade history, Sandpoint has been thankfully free of major disasters. Every winter brings its share of strong storms, yet the natural harbor, sandbars, and cliffs do a remarkable job of blunting the force of wind and wave, leaving the town relatively untouched. Elders in town spin yarns of a few really big storms, but apart from the town’s somewhat rocky beginning with the Varisians, only two events have really qualified as disasters: the Sandpoint Fire and Chopper. These two events, occurring in such close and recent proximity as they have, are generally lumped together as the “Late Unpleasantness,” even though the two events didn’t have any obvious links. Natives of Sandpoint are reluctant to talk about either event, preferring to look ahead to brighter times.

Sandpoint





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 town is often thought of as two districts by the locals. Uptown consists of areas 1–12. Most of these buildings are relatively new, and the streets are open and less crowded. This section of town is also physically above the rest, situated on a level bluff overlooking the southern half of town, which consists of areas 13–46. The majority of the town’s buildings can be found downtown, which grows increasingly crowded as available space is claimed by new arrivals. Downtown is built on a gentle slope that runs from a height of about 60 feet above sea level to the west down to only a few feet above the waterline to the east and south.

Sandpoint Harbor is a fairly deep natural harbor, 30 feet for most of its expanse, with sharply rising slopes near the shore. The languid waters of the Turandarok River wind down from the hinterlands, skirting Devil’s Platter to empty into the harbor—the river is often used to transport lumber harvested far upriver down to the local saw mill. South of town rises another bluff on which Sandpoint’s most affluent landowners have staked their claims.

Only a few hundred feet north of town rises an upthrust spur of rocky land topped with a few trees—this is known now as Chopper’s Isle, once the home to Sandpoint’s most notorious criminal. A remote outcropping accessible only by flight or by a skilled climber, locals now believe the isle to be haunted by Chopper’s ghost. Children often dare each other to go out to the isle’s base at low tide and touch the barren cliff face that surrounds it, but no one’s visited the top in years.

The sight that strikes all visitors to Sandpoint at first is the ruins of the Old Light. The original height of this tower is unknown, but those who have studied the ancient architecture of the crumbling remains estimate it might have stood more than 700 feet tall. Today, less than a quarter of that remains. The Old Light rises from sea level and is built into the face of a 120-foot-tall cliff, 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 of this tower once held a brilliant light, no insight to the tower’s true purpose remains.

1 Sandpoint cathedral: The center of the newly constructed temple is open to the sky. Seven standing stones surround a circular stone altar. This is noted as an old Varisian holy site. Desna was predominately worshipped here. The cathedral houses chapels to six deities: Erastil, Abadar, Shelyn, Gozreh, Sarenrae and Desna. High Priest: Abstalar Zantus

Inns & Taverns:
3 The White Deer-Newly rebuilt after the old was razed in a fire five years ago. Proprieter: Garridan Viskalai.
13 Risas Place - Local hangout  Proprieter: Risa Magravi
18 Cracktooth's Tavern- favorite of Sandpoint Theater patrons Proprieter: Jesk “Cracktooth” Berinni
33 The Hagfish: known for the large aquarium and its occupant hagfish. Also known for tavern-games and bets involving taking a drink from the Hafish's tank. Sandpoint's most popular tavern.  Proprieter: Jargie Quinn
37 The Rusty Dragon-Sandpoint's oldest inn, noted for an impressive and rusty iron dragon on the inn's roof. Also one of Sandpoint's most popular eatery and excellent meeting point for travellers due to its location.  Proprieter: Ameiko Kaijitsu
42 Fatman's Feedbag-Sandpoint's most notorious tavern.  Proprieter-Gressel Tenniwar

Mercantile & Services
4  The Way North- Maps and Seacharts
5  Jeweler- jewels and gems
9  Locksmith- Volioker Briskalberd
12 Savah's Armory- Weapons shop.
14 Rovanky Tannery- Leather and fur goods
15 Red Dog Smithy- Blacksmith
29 Grocer's Hall- Produce and farming supply
30 Vernah's Fine Clothing-  Clothing shop
31 Wheen's Wagons- wheelwright
32 Scarnetti Mill- Granary and mill
16 The Pillbug's Pantry- Herbalist
17 Bottled Solutions- Alchemical products and supplies
21 Sandpoint Savories- Bakery
22 The Curious Goblin- Bookshop
25 Sandpoint Lumber Mill
26 General Store- Sandpoint's oldest and best-stocked general store. Proprieter: Ven Vinder.
34 Valdemar Fishmarket- Fresh seafood
28 Madame Mvashti’s- Foretellings and card readings
36 Sandpoint Meat Market- Slaughterhouse and fresh meats.
35 Sandpoint Market- twice a week farmers market.
38 Goblin Squash Stables- Stables, owned by Daviren Hosk, a bitter, goblin-hating ranger.
39 Two Knight Brewery
45 Hannah- midwife
41 Sandpoint Boutique- All manner of items: clothing, weapons, toys, artwork, books, and tools from all over the world.
43 The Pixie's Kitten- Brothrel. Proprieter: Kaye Tesarani
44 The Feathered Serpent- Part museum, part shop. Rare, specialty items, including magic items and other adventuring tools. Proprieter-Vorvashali Voon
across Market Street from 39 Rauno's Bows- Bowyer, fletcher. Proprieter-Rauno and Mara

Government & Guilds
10 Sandpoint Garrison- A stone fortress serving as barracks and jailhouse.
11 Sandpoint Townhall- Mayor's Office
40 Sandpoint Mercantile League
24 Carpenter's Guild

Places of Note
2  Sandpoint Boneyard- graveyard.
6  Junker's Edge- Sandpoint dumping ground.
8  Sage- Brodert Quink
20 Sandpoint Glassworks
23 Sandpoint Theater
19 House of Blue Stones-
27 Turandarok Academy- School and orphanage
46 Sandpoint Shipyard
47 Valdemar Manor
48 Scarnetti Manor
49 Kaijitsu Manor
50 Deverin Manor - Largest manor in Sandpoint. Home of the Mayer, Kendra Deverin
The Old Light- An old, ruined tower. Standing about 170 ft. from sea-level and built into the face of a cliff (extending about 50 ft. above that). Badly weathered carvings found on the architecture suggest that the peak of the tower once held a brilliant light.
Chopper's Isle- An upthrust spur of rocky land topped with few trees. Once the home of Sandpoint's most notorious criminal. No one has visited the top in years.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:34, Fri 03 Nov 2017.
DM
GM, 2 posts
previously known as
Valandil
Sat 3 Jul 2010
at 21:56
  • msg #2

Npc's of note

Note on humans; Note; the following color scheme only applies to this post!
Cheliaxian(default), Varisian, Shoanti or Other
DEAD

Nobles
Kendra Deverin mayor (female human);
quote:
   Kendra Deverin has served as Sandpoint's mayor since her election after her brothers death, Lawmaker, judge, and general peacemaker, she has proven to be both an adept diplomat and stern hand when need be, both skills honed during her youth in Magnimar. With a personal—some say sisterly—style of governing, most of Sandpoint's citizens hold deep respect for their fiery-haired mayor.  Kendra is the niece of Lord Hobart Deverin, the head of her family in Magnimar.
   The Deverins have traditionally held the role of “leader” in Sandpoint. Old Amos Deverin served as the town’s mayor for its first 23 years, and his son Fenchus served for the next 11. Both Deverins perished to unfortunate accidents (Amos to a runaway horse on Festival street and Fenchus to a snakebite while on a boar hunt), leaving Amos’s daughter as the heir to his title and a likely candidate for mayor. Kendra Deverin  didn’t initially want the job, but after she was nominated for the role by her close friend Casp Avertin, she won the election by a landslide, something her primary opponent in the election, Titus Scarnetti, has never quite come to terms with. For some time there was talk of her and Casp becoming wife and husband, but Casp’s death at Chopper’s hands cut that short. Kendra’s recovered now from the shock, but has put aside all interest in romance for politics. She shares this manor with her younger brother’s rather large family.

       brother with a large family, sister-in-law Vana
48 Titus Scarnetti, nobleman (male human)
DEAD49/20 Lonjiku Kaijitsu, nobleman/glassmaker (male humanO)
47 Ethram Valdemar, patriarch/nobleman (male human)
46 Belven Valdemar eldest son/shipwright(male human)
40 Sir Jasper Korvaski (male human - paladin of Abadar)
        - brother of Hayliss Korvaski

Clerics/religious type
Abstalar Zantus, town priest (male human - Desna);
        - brew potion
Naffer Vosk Graveyard Caretaker-bellringer/deformed(male human - Sarenrae)killed by the dragon
19 Sabyl monk/scholar(female human), worshiper of Irori
41 Hayliss Korvaski shopkeeper(female human - cleric of Abadar)
        - Sister of Jasper Korvaski
        - does not like the Scarnetti family
45 Hannah Velerin midwife/herblist(female elf - Gozreh)
   Shooli (female orphaned shoanti, about 18) with braided gray hair and gray eyes; has a charm around her neck with a light spell on it.
       -brew potion, cleric
Scholars/Wizards/Entertainers
Veznutt Parooh mapmaker(male gnome), aged but spry
Brodert Quink sage(male human -Varisian history and engineering), cantankerous old man, balding
13 Risa Magravi Innkeeper/mystic(female humanV  mysterious, mostly blind
17 Nisk Tander alchemist(male half-elf)
22 Chask Haladan bookshop(male human) 70 years old
23 Cyrdak Drokkus actor/theater owner(male human)
    Allishanda Magnimar Diva (female human) 40 years old
27 Ilsoari Gandethus academy’s headmaster (male human)
       -Wizard
       -has detect thoughts
       -Raven, Barry- speaks elven, common

28 Niska Mvashti seer/historian (female humanV)
       -ancient and mysterious
       -was old when the town was founded 40 years ago
       -druid, cast both druid and wizard spells
       -leader of the local Varisians
       -usually talks in riddles

   Ramas Mvashti assistant/"grand"daughter (female humanV)
44 Vorvashali Voon shopkeeper(male human)exotic-looking
           (bright blue eyes, long red hair, bronze-colored skin)
       -seems a friendly sort
       -Cat named Snoopy

43 Kaye Tesarani madame(female human)
     x3 bouncers (humanS male)

Guards
Belor Hemlock, sheriff (humanS male) killed by the dragon
       - speaks goblin
Vachedi jailor(male humanS) heavily scarred brute

Innkeepers
Garridan Viskalai  (male humanS)
        -somber
         -wields spear/Klar

13 Besk, Lanalee, and Vodger (humanV), children of Risa Magravi
18 Jesk “Cracktooth” Berinni (halforc male)
33 Jargie Quinn (male human) one-legged
37 Ameiko Kaijitsu (female humanO)
     -lovely, exotic, popular
     -seemingly endless supply of eccentric hairstyles
     -speaks dwarven


  Bethana Corwin (female halfling) - a timid elderly maid
42 Gressel Tenniwar owner(male human) enormous

Merchants
5   Maver Kesk jeweler(male gnome) wild-haired,
    Pennae Kesk wife(female human) shrill
    x6 guards(human)
Gorvi "dungsweeper" business(male halforc) fat, heavily tattooed lummox
Volioker Briskalberd locksmith (male dwarf) flamboyant
12 Savah Bevaniky weaponsmith(female Cheliaxian)
      -much stronger than average
      -some experience with command
killed by the dragon
14 Larz Rovanky tanner(male human)
15 DasKorvut smith(male human) bald and powerfully muscled
     3 large red mastiffs
16 Aliver “Pillbug” Podiker herbalist(male humanC/V) short, rotund
21 Alma Avertin baker(female human)
    Arika and Aneka  bakers(female human) twin daughters
24 Aesrick Battlehorn Carpenter Guildmaster(male dwarf)
25 Banny Harker lumber mill(male human) killed by the Skinsaw Man
   Ibor Thorn mill partner(male human)
26 Ven Vinder shopkeeper(male human)
   Solsta wife (female human) makes pies
   Katrine oldest daughter(female human) killed by the Skinsaw Man
   Shayliss youngest daughter(female human)
29 Olmur Danvakus grocer guildmaster(male halfling)
30 Rynshinn PovalliBero
tailor(female half-elf) beautiful
         -prettiest girl in town
         -married Aden Bero

31 Bilivar Wheen wheelwright(male human) lanky,
   Vorah wife(female human) shrill
   2 kids
32 Courrin Whesterwill  grain miller(male human) worried/sneezing
34 Turch Sterglus retired fisherman (male human)
        Lazy eye,wild white beard, lovably crochety manner,
   five sons, fish cleaners, haulers, and cooks
36 Chod Bevuk butcher(male human) lost the little finger of his left hand
38 Daviren Hosk retired hunter(male human) hates goblins
       -hardy and hale, but past his prime
39 Gaven Deverin brewer(human male) cousin of Mayor,
across Market Street from 39 Rauno's Bows
   Rauno Bowyer (male humanV)
   Mara fletcher(female humanV)

Ziva, daughter of an important Varisian family.  She is good looking (compared to an average girl) with thick black hair and sharp blue eyes, but has no real outstanding personality.




Old Megus the Swamp Witch
Rumors of an old swamp witch (Old Megus the Swamp Witch) living in Brinestump Marsh have existed for decades—since the foundation of Sandpoint itself. During her long life, Megus only rarely left her home in the swamps. Whispers of her sinister experiments were mostly wild conjecture, based on her rare visits to Sandpoint for certain supplies she couldn’t procure from the wild. The nature of the supplies she purchased—glass flasks, strange alchemical reagents, and disturbing books delivered to Sandpoint from faraway places as strange as Nex and Irrisen—did little to soften her reputation as a fearful witch, nor did periodic glimpses of the strange ratlike creature she kept hidden in the folds of her robes.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:33, Thu 22 Mar 2018.
DM
GM, 158 posts
Thu 23 Feb 2012
at 21:19
  • msg #3

Re: Npc's of note

The pc's as the locals see them
Deianeira - Eccentric dwarven cleric
Ragnar Magnusson - Odd Ulfen kid, he's ok...but all those weapons, I hope he's not another Chopper.
Rainsong - she's a prostitute and/or criminal, isn't she?  Well she associates with them, close enough.
Rinsa/Thor - visitor/stranger
Vereld Stroth - visitor/stranger
Aden - Work in Progress
Nasmas - WiP

The Late Unpleasantness
TLU was a period of several months about 5 years ago when a serial killer (Chopper) stalked the streets of Sandpoint and the Church burned down, killing the priest and his daughter.





Rumours
• Sheriff Hemlock shares a long-running, “secret” romance
with Lady Kaye, madam of the town brothel.

• The ghost of the murderer Chopper haunts Chopper’s Isle,
just north of town.

• The White Deer Inn used to be the Black Deer Inn, but was
tastefully renamed after the fire.

• Ask Ven Vinder at the general store to see the “wine cellar”
and he’ll sell you a jug of disgusting but potent orc rotgut.

• Farmer Grump claims the Sandpoint Devil, a horselike monster
with bat wings, once flew off with one of his prized sows.

• Old Ilsoari at the museum sometimes wanders the beach at
night, looking for treasures.

• Don’t go down to the junktoss after dark: goblins steal the
trash at night.

• Cyrdak Drokkus is having a feud with Ameiko Kaijitsu, they used to be lovers.

• Solsta Vinder claims Sczarni stole her sheets last week and
two cooling pies a week before that.

• Niska Mvashti is the leader of the Sczarni.

• The new cathedral is magically protected from catching fire.

• The Deverin family was once affiliated with the Chelish
resistance, but was forced to flee to Varisia.

• Naffer Vosk, Graveyard Caretaker/bellringer, is a smuggler.





Kaijitsu Family
Lonjiku Kaijitsu - Father, glass merchant
Ameiko Kaijitsu - Daughter, innkeeper
20 years ago Lonjiku Kaijitsu's wife/Ameiko's mother had a half-elf son, neither of them are/were elven...  He forced her to give the boy to the orphanage.  5 years ago, around the time of the Late Unpleasantness, Ameiko's mother jumped off the balcony of their home and died.  During the funeral her half-brother made a scene.  Ameiko ran away and became an adventurer.



BURNT OFFERINGS GOBLIN ATTACK
-A Longshanks (medium sized humanoid - human, elf, etc..) was helping/leading(?) the goblins on the attack.
-During the attack Father Tobyn's body was stolen.



   Father Ezakien Tobyn; as a cleric of Desna in the only temple in town, he was the major religious figure in town.  He was a little intense at times.  He had an adopted daughter who was beautiful beyond words, blessed by Desna.  Tobyn was very protective of her.
   5 years ago they died when the temple burnt down during the "Troubles".  A young maid servant at the temple also disappeared that night, victim of Chopper.  Her body was never found.  Some thought Aden might be responsible, but blame was eventually placed on Chopper.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:46, Wed 09 May 2012.
Aden Bero
player, 123 posts
Wed 23 May 2012
at 21:00
  • msg #4

Re: Npc's of note

INFORMATION GATHERED BY PCs: (Will be edited and kept Up-to-date)

The Late Unpleasantness (AKA Chopper's Killing Spree 5 years ago)

When Jervis Stoot made clear his intentions to build a home on the island just north of the Old Light, locals paid him no mind. Jervis had already garnered something of a reputation for eccentricity when he began his one-man crusade to carve depictions of birds on every building in town. Stoot never made a carving without securing permission, but his incredible skill at woodcarving made it a given that, if Stoot picked your building as the site of his latest project, you seized the opportunity.

“Sporting a Stoot” soon grew to be something of a bragging point, and Jervis eventually extended his gift to include ship figureheads and carriages. Those who asked or tried to pay him for his skill were rebuffed—Stoot told them, “There ain’t no birds in that wood for me t’set free,” and went on his way, often wandering the streets for days before noticing a hidden bird in a fencepost, lintel, steeple, or doorframe, which he’d then secure permission to “release” with his trusty hatchets and carving knives.

Stoot’s excuse for wanting to move onto the isle seemed innocent enough—the place was a haven for local birdlife, and his claim of “Wantin’ ta be with th’ birds” seemed to make sense. So much so, in fact, that the guild of carpenters (with whom Stoot had maintained a friendly competition for several years) volunteered to build a staircase, free of charge, along the southern cliff face so that Stoot could come and go from his new home with ease. For 15 years, Stoot lived on the island. His trips into town grew less and less frequent, making it something of an event when he chose a building to host a new Stoot.

Sandpoint was no stranger to crime, or even to murder. Once or twice a year, passions flared, robberies went bad, jealousy grew too much to bear, or one too many drinks were drunk, and someone would end up dead. But when the bodies began to mount five years ago, the town initially had no idea how to react. Sandpoint’s sheriff at the time was a no-nonsense man named Casp Avertin, a retired city watch officer from Magnimar. Yet even he was ill-prepared for the murderer who came to be known as Chopper. Over the course of one long winter, it seemed that every other day brought a new victim to light. Each was found in the same terrible state: bodies bearing deep cuts to the neck and torso, hands and feet severed and stacked nearby, and the eyes and tongue plucked crudely from the
head and missing entirely.

Over the course of that terrible winter, Chopper claimed 25 victims. His uncanny knack at eluding traps and pursuit quickly wore on the town guard, taking particular toll on Sherrif Avertin, who increasingly took to drinking. In any event, Sherrif Avertin himself became Chopper’s last victim, slain upon catching the murderer in a narrow lane—known now as Chopper’s Alley—as he was mutilating his latest victim. Yet in the battle that followed, Avertin managed a telling blow against the killer. When the town guard found both bodies several minutes later, they were able to follow the killer’s bloody trail. A trail that led straight to the stairs of Stoot’s Rock.

At first, the town guard refused to believe the implications, and feared that Chopper had come to claim poor Jervis Stoot as his 26th victim. Yet what the guards found in the modest home atop the isle, and in the larger complex of rooms that had been carved into the bedrock below, left no room for doubt. Jervis Stoot and Chopper were the same, and the eyes and tongues of all 25 victims were found upon a horrific altar to a birdlike demon whose name none dared speak aloud. Stoot himself was found dead at the base of the altar, having plucked his own eyes and tongue loose in a final offering. The guards collapsed the entrance to the chambers, burned Stoot’s house, tore down the stairs, and did their best to forget. Stoot himself was burned on the beach in a pyre, his ashes blessed and then scattered in an attempt to stave off an unholy return of his evil spirit.

As fate would have it, the people of Sandpoint would soon have a new tragedy to bear, one that almost eclipsed Chopper’s rampage. A month after the murderer was slain, a terrible fire struck Sandpoint. The fire started in the Sandpoint Chapel and spread quickly. As the town rallied to save the church, the fire spread, consuming the North Coast Stables, the White Deer Inn, and three homes. In the end, the church burnt to the ground, leaving the town’s beloved priest Ezakien Tobyn dead.

All that remains today of the once-loved Stoot carvings are ragged scars on buildings and figureheads where owners used hatchets to remove what had become a haunting reminder of a wolf in their fold. The homes and businesses ravaged by the fire have been reconstructed, and the Sandpoint Chapel has been rebuilt as well.


Was the cause of the fire ever established?
Not really, but considering everyone who isn't a high level spellcaster uses fire for heat and light in wooden buildings, fire is a common problem.

Could the priest and his daughter have been killed before the fire?
Anything is possible, but most people believe they died in the fire.  This includes those closest to them.

*******************************

When the monkey jumps on his shoulder Vosk stays still with a faraway look in his eye, like he was remembering something.  Softly the hunchback says, "The monkey was the only member of the crew that liked me.  The rest just picked on and made fun of me.  I really liked that monkey."  In answer to the various questions;
- Father Tobyn was buried in simple clerics robe.  His belongings were divided among his friends or given to the church, per his will.  There was some debate about the portion that was left to Nualia, his daughter.  She died in the same fire, but had no will and no other family.  Eventually the town gave it to the Turandarok Academy.  "Father Tobyn willed me his Prayer book to Desna.  I think he was hoping I would convert.", Vosk says with a gentle smile.
- "There is lots you can do with a person's body. Much more than I knew before I began to train as a cleric.  But I'm more about healing and people than I am about rituals and advanced necromancy.  Perhaps one of the towns sages or wizards could be of help?"
- No he did not see the goblins dig it up, he is assuming it was them.  Confused he says, "Who else could it be?"
- Aden finds several goblin footprints around the grave and the tools look freshly (yesterday) used.  Any longshank footprints would probably be difficult to seperate from normal footprints.  However, near Nualia's headstone you find where a medium sized person had knelt for a time, and the headstone has been freshly cleared of dust.
- A detailed search has not been made of the grave or coffin, but it is open enough to clearly see that there is no body in the coffin.  "The Sheriff wanted me to wait until he could send someone to investigate before I close this grave.  Just tell me when you are done."

*****************************

   Vosk says, "Sure, you can look at it.  It's a prayer book of Desna, so I don't use it much.  Most of my prayers are to The Healing Light.  He didn't take notes in it, but he did add a few prayers to it."  When Aden gets a look at the book, it is old, but well cared for prayer book with the symbol of Desna on it.  It starts with the basic prayers and has prayers in at least 3 different writing styles in it.  The final few are Father Tobyns, with the final 2 being of interest.  The next to last seems to be a prayer to help in times of fear (probably during "The Late Unpleasantness") and the last is a prayer to guide a daughter who has strayed.

   You recall those days.  About 3 months before the fire Nualia stopped appearing in public and went into seclusion.  The official word was that she was preparing to enter an abbey.  Rumors told a different story, or rather, many different stories.  Vosk will tell you what happened, "She's dead, so there's little harm.  Just don't spread this around."  Nualia got pregnant and then had a miscarriage.  It went poorly and she slipped into a coma.  The poor girl died in the fire without ever waking up.  Vosk looks sad, "It really hurt Father Tobyn.  He loved that daughter of his and had real hopes for her future as a cleric of Desna.  When she slipped into the coma he started looking through the temples library day and night for a cure.  Then he died in the fire."

******************

Vosk
- has not seen any unusual recent visitors to the grave site.
- did see Nualias body.  It was recovered lying in the bed she had been in for a month (in a coma), in her night-clothes (what little survived the fire), burnt beyond recognition and smashed from falling debris.  He personally buried both Nualia and Father Tobyn.
- had no idea who the father of the baby was, though he suspects Nualia did tell Father Tobyn.
- remembers the names of the 2 Desna clerical midwives who helped deliver the child.  One was local and the other was from the Windsong Abbey.  The local one was killed by Chopper a few days later (buried in this Boneyard) and the other went back to Windsong Abbey (Several days journey north, ask for Sister Sarah).  Father Tobyn did not want to involve "outsiders".
- does not know what happened to the dead baby.  He does know s/he was not buried in this Boneyard.

Longshanks are what goblins call big (medium sized humanoids, elves, humans, etc...) folk.

Ragnar
   asks around and discovers that Elren was a newer member of the town guard.  A former mercenary, he had been living in the bunks at the guard house where his stuff is still in his footlocker, though no cash.  He had 1 distinguishing feature, he had horrible luck.  He would never win in any game of chance.  Last week he finally had something to brag about, he was to escort  Rynshinn Povalli, the prettiest girl in town, to the upcoming festival.  He was feeling so good he got involved in a card game.  He thought he had a winning hand (straight), but had run out of cash to bet.  His opponent had guard duty during the festival and wanted to be with his family, so he let him bet taking guard duty during the festival.  Well, Elren's luck ran true and he was beat (flush).
   Asking about the cart driver is a lesson in frustration.  You get lots of people who saw the driver.  He(she) was a elf(human, dwarf, Shoanti, Varisian) with brown(black, blond) hair.  One witness even says, "I think it was you Ragnar!"

- There were about 30-40 goblins in the raid.  Most were killed or killed themselves (to avoid capture and through sheer stupidity).  A few escaped or were captured.
- The few that were captured prove almost useless.  None of these goblins know much more than that they were given orders to kill everyone in town and burn down the place.  None of the captured goblins can even remember their longshank (medium sized nongoblin) leader’s name, though they do know he was male.  This could be a deliberate move on the part of the leader (only attack with those who don't know anything) or it could be a reflection of goblin stupidity (seriously, 1 goblin drowned himself by getting his head stuck in a rain barrel).
- This male Longshanks and some goblin commandos used the raid as a distraction to steal the body of Father Tobyn.
- The goblins were from all the tribes in the area.  This implies a powerful leader.
- How they got into town remains a mystery.  About 10 came in a smugglers wagon.  But if there were more wagons, no one can find them.  The idea is floated that they came in by boat, but there is no evidence to support it.
- Elren, the guard at the north gate, was seen closing the gate when the raid started.  His body was found in the woods outside the gate, killed by goblin dogs and small sized arrows.
- Why Father Tobyn's body remains a mystery.  After consultation with the various sages and wizards in town, it is determined that there just isn't enough information to know why for sure.  There are too many whys;
    >terrorize the town and break morale
    >some nefarious magical ritual (way too many to list)
    >personal hatred
- The Nualia/Chopper/Fire connections go nowhere.  While the stories are interesting and scandalous, there is nothing to connect them to the goblin raid beyond Father Tobyn's body.  The events are 5 years in the past.  The new Cathedral represents a new begining and most people don't want to think or talk about them, and most people don't know anything anyway.
- The goblin weapons are sold.  See the Treasure thread for details.
- The town starts a bounty on goblin ears, 10 gp per pair and 300gp for a chiefs head.

The story is pieced together.  During the goblin raid, a small force of a longshanks and 4 or more goblin commandos used ladders to come over the wall, dig up Father Tobyn and leave by killing Elren and opening the north gate.



Only 2 people want/can add anything to the Nualia story.  Aden's Aunt Hannah says, "People will not like being asked about this.  They want to move on with their lives.  I will tell you this, I saw Hagar (the local desna midwife killed by Chopper) the day after and she was quite shaken.  I think there was something very wrong about the situation, but she wouldn't tell me.  Now give your aunt a hug before I go shopping."
    Then you visit Madame Mivasthi and Ramas.  Mivasthi is her usual enigmatic self, so Ramas will translate, "Since Aroden died without warning, prohecy has been iffy.  The old stories are full of heroes being "The Chosen Ones" and going on to do great deeds.  Well now there are no Chosen Ones, we make our own fate.  Don't be fooled, Grandma can see the future...sometimes, but it's indistinct and fuzzy.  Like the fire that killed Father Tobyn and Nualia, she did not forsee that, though she did have dark forebodings about that poor girl.  Grandma thought Father Tobyn was a good man, but he smothered her just a little.  Maybe a bit overly protective.  It was on the day Nualia went into her coma that Grandma began having these visions of a darkness."  Aden will get a copy of her visions;

I tell you this true, a shadow of the past is reaching out to embrace the Now and To Come.  You have yet, a little while before it notices you.  Stand together, or fall apart.
Anger drowns out what should be feared.  Beyond hunger, a shadow of a larger hunger.  An elf with a curse can point the way.

This message was last edited by the player at 18:20, Thu 24 May 2012.
DM
GM, 350 posts
Thu 12 Jul 2012
at 23:06
  • msg #5

Re: Npc's of note

Here is the map to the top floor.  There is also a basement used for storage, but nobody has been down there.
ooc: Some information about the Glassworks can be found in Sandpoit Info
   The process of glassmaking is as much an art as it is a craft, and one that the Kaijitsu family has held pride in for several generations. After the family was exiled from Tian Xia and made the perilous journey over the crown of the world, they finally settled in Magnimar, where the family trade played a key role in their acceptance into society.
   When the Sandpoint Mercantile League was established, the Kaijitsus were there, and not long after Sandpoint was founded, they began construction of what would become one of the town’s most unique and profitable businesses—the Sandpoint Glassworks.
   The three main components of glass are all found in abundance locally: sand, seaweed, and salt-resistant plants (the ashes of which form an important reagent in the process), and lime extracted from stone quarried from the cliffs of Devil’s Platter and the Ashen Rise. All that remained was the technical proficiency to work these components into glass.




A1.
 Display Room: This room contains a shop where customers
 can browse the various glassware produced here. Bottles,
 windowpanes, and glasswork art are the primary contents.
 A2.
 Storeroom: Finished glassware products are stored here.
 A3.
 Cleaning Closet: Cleaning supplies and tools like brooms
 are kept here.
 A4.
 Storeroom: Tools, clothing for servants, firewood, and
 other miscellaneous supplies are kept here.
 A5.
 Servant’s Quarters: Lonjiku’s staff of skilled laborers lives on
 site; the eight workers sleep here. The beds are all in various
 states of disarray and blood is spattered over the walls and
 sheets. No bodies are apparent—and a body count accounts for all the workers.
 A6.
 Dining Room: The staff used this room to relax, eat, and
 play cards in their off hours. The room is a wreck—when
 Tsuto’s goblins came through here, they made a mess of it.
 A7.
 Washroom: Contains several washtubs for bathing and
 laundry; the small room nearby is a toilet.
 A8.
 Kitchen: This is where the staff prepared their meals; the
 goblins tore this place apart looking for food, and the room
 is in disarray as a result.
 A9.
 Pantry: This room is a mess; barrels and sacks of grain
 and crates of dried fish and venison have been completely
 demolished, and most of the food is missing. A broken
 dogslicer lies near the northern corner, discarded by one of
 the goblins who ruined it trying to get at the food.
 A10.
 Storeroom: This room contains several mounds of firewood
 for the kitchen stove.
 A11.
 Meeting Room: The staff meets here to discuss work
 schedules or large projects.
 A12.
 Reception: Customers seeking custom glass jobs or
 looking for business opportunities to export glass meet with
 a representative here to arrange business.
 A13.
 Office: A smaller office for more private meetings with
 important customers.
 A14.
 Files: Several cabinets and shelves containing files and
 contracts with dozens of exporters and businesses from
 Magnimar, Korvosa, and other local towns fill this room.
 A15.
 Preparation: The primary agents for glassmaking (sand, soda
 ash, and lime) are prepared here for use in area A17.
 A16.
 Loading Room: A wheelbarrow sits against a wall here, and
 shelves on the walls contain additional reagents to create
 different colors of glass (manganese for clear glass, cobalt
 for blue, and tin for white glass; untreated glass is green,
 while too much of any reagent makes black glass). A safe
 on the floor hangs open after Tsuto used his father’s key to
 open it and stole the gold and silver used to make red and
 yellow glass.
 A17.
 Glassworking Room: A long furnace burns along the
 southeast wall of this equally long room. Marble tables
 sit throughout the chamber, used to work raw glass into
 usable shapes, with nearby wooden tables cluttered with
 various tools of the trade. The building’s furnace rumbles
 loudly, causing any Listen checks made in this room to
 take a –4 penalty. The main furnace burns at the northeast
 end, a large chamber that utilizes alchemically treated
 wood that burns with a hot blue light. The workers use
 this room to melt glass.  As the furnace’s stone pipes run to the
 southwest, they reach smaller and progressively cooler
 furnaces used to keep glassworking projects at the
 proper temperature; glass shatters if it’s allowed to cool
 too quickly.
 A18.
 Stairs: This flight of stairs leads down to the beach below.
 A19.
 Underground Storage: Crates and barrels. Used to store
 sand and other raw materials. Two wheelbarrows sit against
 the wall. Just east of the stairs up to area A18, a brick wall has
 been dismantled to reveal an older passageway leading south.
 A20.
 Storage: This room is used to store glassware, windows, and
 other finished goods.
 A21.
 Storage: The door to this room is locked. Although used as
 a secondary storage room.
 A22.
 Secret Office: Once used by smugglers to track their illicit
 businesses, this room has served Tsuto Kaijitsu for the past few
 days as a place to orchestrate his actions in Sandpoint. After
 murdering his father and imprisoning his sister, Tsuto drank
 himself to sleep in this room.
    This room is also dusty, but it has a cot/bedroll, table, covered bucket and a chair.  All look recently used.  There are a couple of open wine bottles on the floor and the smell of alcohol in the air.  In the To 1 side is a neatly packed mw backpack containing; halfelf sized clothes, 20 regular arrows, 6 pouches of gold dust ( 50 gp each with a symbol on them, the owners mark) and 8 pouches of silver dust(5gp each with a symbol on them, the owners mark), the mark matches the signet ring.  These bags were obviously stolen from the Glassworks.  On the table is an ink vial and a journal.
 A23.
    The room is dusty and empty, except for the pile of stuff over near a 5'wide x 7'high tunnel.  The door from it to the hallway is rusty, like it had stood for years before being recently opened.  It doesn't take a tracker to tell that several bipeds have just recently used the tunnel and room after many years of neglect.  Most of the pile is dirty goblin rags (what passes for bedrolls and clothes and such), trash (what passes for treasure/tools among goblins) and some disgusting looking food of indeterminate origin.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:40, Sun 16 July 2017.
DM
GM, 465 posts
Sat 22 Sep 2012
at 13:26
  • msg #6

Re: Npc's of note


   This sidhedron star, is a symbol from the Thassilon empire.  The Thassilon empire was ruled by wizards and that symbol represented their 7 schools of magic.  This empire is the one that created most of the wonders in the area, huge monuments to an empires power, magic and glory.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:57, Sun 16 July 2017.
DM
GM, 576 posts
Sun 9 Dec 2012
at 19:54
  • msg #7

Re: Npc's of note

   Thistletop itself is a curiously round island about 60 feet off shore, connected to the mainland by a rope bridge.  It has a stockade on top and chambers beneath.  It is on the coast, a few hours away, through the Nettlewood.  The stockade and chambers were made by a cult of some sort many years ago that has since died out.  Then the goblins moved in.



Thistletop: Ground Level 1

C5 = Goblin Dog kennel
C19= Throne Room

Thistletop: Level 2

D4/5= humans rooms
D12= Chapel
D13= Goblin "Art"
D14= War room
D15= Research room

Thistletop: Level 3

This is a Thallasion complex from 1000's of years ago.


Tsuto's Journal
   The small, leather-bound booklet contains two dozen parchment pages, most of which are filled with maps of Sandpoint or erotic drawings of a beautiful woman.  The maps each depict different attack plans. The first set shows the attack plans for a group of forty or so goblins— one of these battle maps is circled, and you recognize it as the attack the goblins made on Sandpoint during the festival. Of more pressing concern are the next several pages, which illustrate an assault on Sandpoint by a force of what appears to be several hundred goblins. None of these are circled, and while many are scratched out as if they’ve been rejected, the implications are ominous, someone is planning on attacking Sandpoint in force.  One of the last pages of the book depicts the beautiful woman with demonic hands, bat wings, horns, a forked tail, and fangs.  Three short passages in the notebook are of particular interest.
After the circled battle map
   "The raid went about as planned.  Few Thistletop goblins perished, and we were able to secure Tobyn's casket with ease while the rubes were distracted by the rest.  I can't wait until the real raid.  This town deserves a burning, that's for sure."

After the last of the second batch of maps

  "Ripnugget seems to favor the overwhelming land approach, but I don't think it's the best plan.  We should get the quasit's aid.  Send her freaks up from below via the smugging tunnel in the Glassworks, and then invade from the river and from the Glassworks in smaller but more forward strikes.  The rest, except Bruthazmus agree, and I'm pretty sure the bugbear's just being contrary to annoy me.  My Love's too distracted with the lower chambers to make a decision.  Says that once Malfeshnekor's released and under her command, we won't need to worry about being subtle.  I hope she's right."

Before the last illustration of the woman (with the demonic features)
  "My love seems bent on going through with it - nothing I can say convinces her of her beauty.  She remains obsessed with removing what she calls her "celestial taint" and replacing it with her Mother's grace.  Burning her father's remains at the Thistletop shrine seems to have started the transformation, but I can't say her new hand is pleasing to me.  Hopefully when she offers Sandpoint to Lamashhtu's fire's, her body won't be as hideous.  Maybe I'll luck out.  Succubus are demons too, aren't they?"



  In the begining, the group came together to defend Sandpoint from a goblin raid, becoming local heroes.  After a hunt and other incidents, the group found the Glassworks infested with goblins committing atrocities.  There they rescued Amieko (a local noble) and captured Tsuto, her brother and the mastermind behind the previous raid.  The raid was only a cover for the theft of a body.  Finally, delving into long forgotten catacombs from an age long ago, the group encountered horrid Sinspawn, a mutant goblin "hero" and their leader, the Quasit Queen.
   The Quasit Queen was in league with Nualia, a woman of celestial descent (asamir) who is wanting to sacrifice the town to Lamashhtu (an evil "Mother of Monsters" Goddess) to finally rid herself of her celestial "taint" and become fiendish.  She apparently burnt down the temple, killing her adopted father, 5 years ago before becoming the Quasit Queen's apprentice.  Now she has organized the local goblins into a force that threatens Sandpoint.  Her base is at Thistletop.  Worse, she is trying to release  a powerful evil, "Malfeshnekor".

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  With a couple more days, Tsuto finally succumbs to the magic and reveals what little you don't know.
 - Nualia has hired a couple of mercenaries Orik (male, human "fighter") and Lyrie (female, human "wizard").
 - The important goblins are Ripnugget(Chief) and Gogmurt(Druid).
 - Bruthazmus(a bugbear) was Nualia's bodyguard, but after she rededicated the chapel to Lamashtu she got 3 evil, flying dog-like creatures as guards.
 - He doesn’t know much about the creature she calls “Malfeshnekor,” only that it’s some monster that she believes is imprisoned somewhere below Thistletop and that releasing and recruiting it will make their coming raid on Sandpoint a guaranteed success.
 - He can draw a crude map. (I will post later)
 - He confirms that Nualia plans to offer Sandpoint as a burning sacrifice to Lamashtu in return for a transformation from the angelic to demonic, a ritual she’s already begun by burning Father Tobyn’s remains.

  Shalelu finally returns after 2 days and the heros are summoned to consult with the council.  She can tell you the goblins are really getting excited and are prepared for war.  All they are waiting is the signal from Nualia, who they regard as a messenger from their evil Goddess.  Shalelu says, "Kill her and this alliance will collapse.  The goblins have worked themselves into a frenzy and without direction they will turn on each other.  I can create some distractions in the forest and draw off the outer patrols, this should allow you to get to Thistletop unmolested.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:21, Sun 16 July 2017.
DM
GM, 882 posts
Sun 13 Apr 2014
at 14:09
  • msg #8

Murder in Sandpoint clues



The Misgivings is the home of Aldern Foxglove, the noble you rescued from the goblins.
-Foxglove Manor is 80 years old, and has been the seat of the Foxglove family the whole time. Some sort of tragedy struck the family a few decades ago, and no one’s lived there since. Common rumor holds that the place is haunted.
- Foxglove Manor is known as the “Misgivings” by some locals, particularly the Varisians. It certainly has a bad reputation, sightings of strange lights in the attic windows, muffled sounds of screaming from above and below, and even rumors of a huge bat-winged devil living in caves below the manor are but a few of the tales told about the place. The Foxglove family lived there as recently as two decades ago, but then a fire burned down the servant’s building, Cyralie Foxglove was found dead, burnt and dashed on the rocks below the cliffs behind the house and Traver Foxglove was found in his bedroom, dead by his own hand. The children, including young Aldern Foxglove, were sent away to be raised in Korvosa by distant relations.
  - Aldern Foxglove recently returned to live in the manor, but he had a hell of a time hiring locals to aid him in the reconstruction and repair of the old building. Until Aldern moved back in, the place was cared for by a man named Rogors Craesby who came in three days a week from Sandpoint to air the place out, check for squatters, and make minor repairs.
  - Foxglove Manor was built by Vorel Foxglove(80 years ago), a merchant prince from Magnimar. He and his family lived there for 20 years before the entire family perished from disease. The surviving Foxgloves of Magnimar shunned the place for 40 years, until Traver Foxglove moved back in.

  Aldern Foxglove;
  -15 years ago, his father killed his mother in the house, and then committed suicide, leaving behind Aldern and his older sisters.  They were sent to live in Korvosa with relatives.  About a year ago, Aldern returned to Magnimar a rich, popular and successful merchant.  He reestablished his claim to the mansion and started the rebuilding process.  In the spring (about 8 months ago), Aldern met and married a beautiful Varisian girl named Iesha after a hasty (1 week) courtship.  This to the dismay of several of Magnimar’s daughters.  There were rumors of jealousy and paranoia, but nothing specific.  She is (supposedly) away visiting friends in distant Absalom (some say she left him).  Work on restoring the manor has come to a break while he awaited more funds to pay for the final stages of the restoration.


Vorel’s entire portrait, frame and all, erupts into a sudden explosion of fungus and tumorous growth.
Kasanda and Lorey slump into misshapen tumor-ridden corpses.

Traver grows pale as a long cut opens in his throat and blood washes down over his chest.
Cyralie blackens and chars, and her arms, legs, and back twist as if broken in dozens of places.
Aldern’s flesh darkens with rot, his hair falls out, and he deforms into a ghoul-like monster.
Both Sendeli and Zeeva’s portraits frost over but otherwise remain unchanged.



The Misgivings; Attic


The Misgivings; 2nd Floor


The Misgivings; Ground Floor


The Misgivings; Basement


The Misgivings; Cavern





Notes;
Bloodstained scrap of parchment with Aden's name written in blood on the outside of the folded parchment;
quote:
“We have spoken of this before, my master. Now it begins. Join the Pack and it will end.”

Note on conmen:
quote:
Messrs. Mortwell, Hask, and Tabe
   A deal has come about that I need capital in. It involves property and gold, and though I am not at liberty to tell you the exact details, it will make us all rich. Come to Bradley’s Barn on Cougar Creek tonight. We can meet there to discuss our futures.
   Your Lordship

- both in same handwriting



Rynshinn's House
The same/or a very similar undead climbed onto her roof, broke in through an attic window (not very professionally - ie; did not use disable device), snuck into her bedroom and stood over her while she slept.



Sandpoint Lumber Mill: The most recent murders took
place here—the bodies are still present, and little has been done
with the crime scene itself. Sheriff Hemlock suggests that this
be the first place you investigate, since he would like to clean
the mill up right away and get the bodies buried.  The victims are
one of the mill’s operators Banny Harker and his girlfriend and
daughter of a local shopkeeper, Katrine Vinder.

- Harker’s body has been horribly desecrated just like the 3 conmen. The poor man has been affixed to the wall by several hooks normally used to hang machinery. The body is mutilated, the face carved away and lower jaw missing entirely. His bare chest is defaced as well, bearing a strange rune in the shape of a seven-pointed star(the Sihedron Rune).  Like the deeper slashes on the body, these smaller gashes almost seem to have been made by a claw—a five-fingered, human-hand-sized claw. The rotten scent seems stronger near these wounds. The body is only recognizable as Harker’s by a faded tattoo of a raven across his lower abdomen. With his missing face and jaw, his body is in no shape to function for a speak with dead spell.
- Katrine's mangled, ruined remains lie on the mill’s lower floor amid heaps of bloodstained firewood. The log splitter itself is powered by a waterwheel and consists of a chute in the floor with rotating saw blades that cut logs as they are fed in. It is obvious, after a brief examination, that the cruel mechanical effectiveness of the log splitter had obliterated any clues and eliminated speak with dead as an option.
- A handaxe is embedded in the floor near the log splitter, as if it had been dropped there. The handle is covered with bloody finger-marks (left by Katrine), and a close examination of the head reveals two things of note. First, smears of what look like rotten flesh and fragments of bone are caked on its blade, and second, the rotten meat stink is strong on it.  It sickens those who sniff it for several (1d6+4) minutes. Arus can identify the lingering stink of corruption as beyond that which a dead body can normally produce—the axe was likely used within the last 24 hours against some form of corporeal undead.
- The office isn't ransacked, so robbery wasn't a motive.

Likely scenario;
   A humanoid(undead of some type) stacked out the mill in the swamp.  Comes across and out of the river, climbs in the upper floor, ritually mutilates then kills Banny Harker.  The body is out of sight of the door, so when Katrine arrives, she does not see anything and enters the mill.  She manages to grab the axe and defend herself but ends up in the log splitter (falls, pushed?).  But why and how does the first set of murders fit in?




The Marsh
    The killer did not use the river bank between the Mill and Tannery.  There is a pretty good embankment (10'-15' high) between the river and the town and it shows no evidence of having been climbed.
   Rovanky Tannery Situated at the edge of town, Larz Rovanky runs Sandpoint’s tannery with ruthless efficiency. He expects perfection from his workers and his products, and as a result often works long hours on his own during the stretches when he’s temporarily fired the help. His leather and fur goods are of high quality, enough so that locals generally don’t mind the extra wait for custom orders while Larz fusses with getting things perfect. 

   An investigation of the marsh on the other side of the river reveals a relatively dry spot that bears a number of barefooted human tracks and a lingering stink of rotten flesh. Tracking reveals that the tracks lead from and into the river, but never away from the site. The spot is hidden by several low banks of nettles, but offers a perfect view of the mill to anyone hidden here.




Ibor Thorn: Sheriff Hemlock has interrogated Ibor, the man who
discovered the bodies, and doesn’t suspect the frightened miller
knows much more.
Ibor Thorn is a young man, handsome if a bit narrow- faced.  He and Thorn ran the mill which is owned by the Scarnettis.  Ibor is still in shock at having discovered the bodies after he arrived at work this morning.  He seems to be in a state of shock over the events of the last few hours.
- Harker had frequent midnight trysts with Katrine, but although Ven’s a possessive father, Ibor doesn’t think he’s capable of doing what was done to Harker.
-  He admits that Harker had been “cooking the books” for some time. Ibor’s quick to point out that he never took part in the scams, but does admit that Harker might have stashed away quite a lot of money by skimming from the top of sales and business over the past several years.
- The Scarnettis, the noble family that owns the lumber mill, have a reputation for being ruthless—there are rumors that they’re responsible for burning several competing lumber mills in the region, and Ibor wouldn’t put it above the Scarnettis to hire someone to kill Harker if they found out he’d been embezzling money.




Ven Vinder: This merchant is sheriff Hemlock’s only suspect,
although the sheriff is fairly certain that Ven is innocent and that
the murders were committed by someone else.

-  Ven Vinder was the first person Sheriff Hemlock visited after learning of the murders, but after he informed Ven of his daughter’s death at the mill, the man flew into a rage. Sheriff Hemlock took him into custody and let him cool off in a cell, but even though Ven fought like a devil, Hemlock’s sure that his rage is born from the death of his beloved daughter and not from guilt at being caught. He’s prepared to release Ven after you speak with him.
- Ven’s wife corroborates his alibi that he was at home all evening during both sets of murders.
- he doesn't have a clue about who would have murdered his daughter or Banny Harker.
- He knew they were seeing each other/he doesn't know that KV and BH were intimate.
- He knows nothing about the con men and has never met them.
- he didn't know about BH embezzlement.
- he has a passing knowledge about magic (as much as any businessman), but none about runes.





The First Murders: Three con men from the town of Galduria
were found murdered in an abandoned barn south of town a few
days ago—their bodyguard survived the assault but has gone
insane and is being kept at a nearby sanatorium.

- two days ago, a patrol of guards along the Lost Coast Road were assaulted by a deranged man near an abandoned barn south of town along the banks of Cougar Creek.  The barn is a good spot for covert meetings and such, so the only witness was the insane man and perhaps some wild animals.  The man was obviously sick and insane, his flesh fevered, eyes wild, mouth frothing, and clothes caked with blood. The guards subdued him, but when they checked inside the barn they discovered the mutilated bodies of three men. Although all three bodies were far too disfigured to identify, one of them carried a piece of parchment;
quote:
Messrs. Mortwell, Hask, and Tabe
   A deal has come about that I need capital in. It involves property and gold, and though I am not at liberty to tell you the exact details, it will make us all rich. Come to Bradley’s Barn on Cougar Creek tonight. We can meet there to discuss our futures.
   Your Lordship

  The note and their clothes identifies the bodies as Tarch Mortwell, Lener Hask, and Gedwin Tabe, three notorious con men and swindlers known well to Sheriff Hemlock as local troublemakers. He personally forbade the three men from operating their con games and barely legal operations in Sandpoint, and wasn’t particularly surprised at the time to find them murdered—it was only a matter of time before they tried to swindle someone worse than them, after all. But in light of the mill murders and the fact that Mortwell, Hask, and Tabe all bore the same seven-pointed marking on their chests that Harker did, Hemlock is convinced there is something worse than revenge afoot. The bodies of all three men lie in state in a cool basement room below the Sandpoint Garrison.
  The bodies have been horribly beaten, slashed(sharp bladed dagger-sized weapon) and desecrated. Their chests are defaced with a strange rune in the shape of a seven-pointed star. This Sihedron Rune is an antiquated glyph that symbolizes arcane magic once practiced in ancient Thassilon.  Although decay has set in, Arus (using heal) can still find the presence of several additional wounds. Unlike the deeper slashes on the body, these smaller gashes almost seem to have been made by a claw—a five-fingered, human-hand-sized claw.  Their faces have been so mauled that the Speak with Dead spell would be useless.
   The insane man has been identified as one Grayst Sevilla, a local Varisian thug.  Apparently he had been hired by the 3 conmen as muscle.  He’s been given over to the care of Erin Habe, caretaker of the Saintly Haven of Respite.



The Rune: There is a star carved on Harker’s chest.  Certainly it has
significance to the killer, but Hemlock’s at a loss as to what
it means.



Witness
The Bodyguard
- The insane man has been identified as one Grayst Sevilla, a local Varisian thug.  Apparently he had been hired by the 3 conmen as muscle.  He’s been given over to the care of Erin Habe, caretaker of the Saintly Haven of Respite.

Rynshinn's Dog

Various wild animals around the marsh or Sandpoint



Vereld




Ragnar Magnusson





Aden Bero
 




Arus Firebrand
 




Nasmas
 

This message was last edited by the GM at 00:38, Mon 17 July 2017.
DM
GM, 2423 posts
Sun 30 Jul 2017
at 18:19
  • msg #9

Stone giants

  Stone giants are large humanoids with dark gray, leathery skin, who grow to about 12 feet in height. They tend to be both impassive and aloof, preferring to live in solitude in hills, caves, and mountains. Because of their skin color they tend to blend in among their stony surroundings—all the easier from them to crush unwary travelers with giant thrown boulders. Stone giants worship the god Minderhal, and revere their tribal elders. They believe themselves to be the purest species of giant, from whom all other giants descend.
  Oral tradition tells the tale of the stone giants as the first of giant tribes, living in verdant glacial valleys teeming with wildlife and game. Not surprisingly, this idyllic situation was not to last: the stone giants were seduced by evil gods, their union resulting in the birth of fire giants and frost giants. The cloud giants and storm giants were elevated by benevolent gods to combat the evil giants, and thus the giant tribes were forever fractured.
  The earliest recorded history of the stone giant tribes is from their "alliance" with the Thassilonian empire, from whom the stone giants learned rune magic, iron, and advanced weaponry. This arrangement was not without cost: the Thassilonians used their rune magic to create rune giants, magically augmented giants who subsequently enslaved the various giant tribes. Driven by their corrupted masters, the stone giants created massive monuments and cities throughout ancient Varisia, many of which still can be found throughout current the current day Inner Sea region.
  After the Earthfall, the Thassilonian empire was destroyed and the stone giants were free. They retreated into seclusion.  Stone giant society is generally like their pre-Thassilonian ways: living in caves, hunting large prey, finding balance and harmony with the stone around them, and treating their elders with great reverence.
  Stone giant clans are organized as as a zygarchy, ruled by the eldest couple in the tribe. This couple doesn't have a particular title, and their immediate and extended family gains no special benefit from their relationship. The ruling position is seldom sought after or seen as desirable, as the many responsibilities of the role are seen to greatly outweigh its benefits. The eldest couple is chosen for the role as their age is thought to bestow upon them the patience and wisdom needed to deal with family squabbles, ownership claims, and inter-clan relations.
  Stone giants are long lived, many reaching ages of up to 800 years old, and some elders living as long as 1,000 years. The proper age of an elder is at least 600 years old. Juveniles become adults at age 90 (for women) and 120 (for men).
  Stone giants have a great variety of gods and goddesses that they worship, including Erastil, Fandarra, and Minderhal.  In addition to the more typical gods, stone giants also believe strongly in ancestral ghosts, represented by The Ancestors, Father, Mother, and the Spirits of the Earth. Stone giants use divine magic to commune with these spirits. Stone giant communities keep shrines to these spirits in their halls, painted and lit with candles, and piled up with offers of bone marrow, amber, and burnt fur.
  Elder magic is the most common among the stone giants. This magic is centered around divination and transmutation of stone and earth, and is passed down from elder to elder. It rarely happens that a sorcerer manifests among the stone giants, but always obviously so: these young giants are easily spotted by their oddly colored skin, the crystalline formations growing on their skin, or short stature. Sorcerers are simultaneously revered and shunned, held on the same level as a druid or shaman. Wizards simply do not appear in stone giant society, a gross reminder of the indignity suffered upon the giants by ancient Thassilon.
  Stone giants favor the following animals:
- Dire bears: Bears play the same role to stone giants that dogs play in human society. The are frequently used to assist in the giants in hunting game, where their keen nose, natural intelligence, and size provide distinct advantage. An oral legend of the stone giants attributes both races as children of the goddess Fandarra, the result of a union with Estig the Hunter. Some stone giant tribes have one or many "Bear Fathers", or hunters with extraordinary skills at handling bears.
- Dire wolves: Much rarer than dire bears, and frequently found in the company of stone giant bards, dire wolves—called "dog-giants" by the stone giants—are held as living embodiments of natural wisdom, and their winsome howls are songs of ancient lore.
- Mammoths: In ancient times the temples of Minderhal were the home to hundreds of giant mammoths, fearsome beasts trained for mounted combat. The use of these magnificent creatures has sharply declined since then, but modern stone giants from the Storval Plateau are known to seek and train them as mounts.
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