Liseth's demeanor had about it a feeling of forced calm as the group moved slowly down the passage.  Her panic and fear was kept just barely under control, wound up like a spring in the trembling form that followed closely behind Kellan.  But she knew that they couldn't leave until they had found Ms Kaijitsu.

Full of apprehension, she watched as Pisca and Cato opened the first of the doors.  They must not have seen anything right away, though, becuase then they started moving to the next door in line.  Then Kellan went to investigate the first one more closely, but Liseth was sure that he would have trouble without any light to see by.

She looked down at her still glowing focus, then back to where Kellan was prodding inside of the room, "Kellan, let me see your weapon for a moment.  I think that I can help."

Waiting first for Kellan to show her his poleaxe, Liseth then placed a hand on the blade and whispered a short prayer.  The light in her focus faded, then reappeared on the blade of Kellan's long weapon.  It now glowed brightly with a white light.

"So that you don't have to prod for them in the darkness."  She smiled weakly at the larger man before he turned back to his search of the supposedly goblin-free storage room.

Then she returned to her nervous watching.

Cast Light on Kellan's poleaxe (20 Minutes).

Cato watched tensely as Kellan prodded the first few barrels.  He kept his quarterstaff at the ready, though it seemed like a laughable threat in the face of their condition.

"Yes, one room down.  Let's check the other rooms.  Hopefully Ameiko is in here safe somewhere.  Or else...wherever Tsuto and the goblins went.  We could rest up and investigate further.  There must be some sort of exit here that can lead them back...well, probably outside of town, at least.  I'm sure someone would have reported goblins coming to the Glassworks.  This isn't exactly in an inconspicuous place in town."

"There's only one place these tunnels could let out to, Cato," Pisca said as she waited for the door to be opened.  "The beach.  Unless the tunnels go on much further than they look from here.  There's nowhere else to go.  Unless," she added, "you have a really, really, really long tunnel."

"And gobbies are known to scavenge the garbage down below Junker's Edge north of here.  The real question is, who dug these tunnels?  And why do they look like they're sealed up and then broken down again?"

---

Another Stealth and Perception, please.

Active Effects: Message 20m (On Cato and Kellan), Bless 2m, Dancing Lights 1m

HP 1/18
AC15
Archaeologist's Luck 1/7

---

---

Kellan and Cato warily explored the storage room, taking particular care to look behind (or in) the barrels, but they found nothing aside from masterfully-crafted pieces of glass.  It looked like this room was exactly what it seemed; no goblins could possibly be lying in wait unless they were invisible or decidedly un-goblin in shape or size.

At Pisca's prodding, the group filed out of the room and traveled down to the door on the corner, preparing to encounter what might be yet another dangerous repository of sandblown artworks.  The door itself seemed unexceptional and almost an exact copy of the door into the storage room.

Cato nodded at Kellan and his newly-glowing sword as he moved to open the door.  The scholar gripped his staff tightly, prepared for anything, as he placed a hand on the handle and slowly turned . . .

. . . but nothing happened.  The door was locked.  Cato silently raised his eyebrows and looked at the rest of the group, but most especially Pisca.  It looked like Aldern Foxglove's gift was going to come in especially handy today.

---

---

This message was last edited by the GM at 01:03, Thu 16 Jan 2014.

"Someone ... is inside this room," the gnome declared, forgetting for the moment her Whisper Magic.  With a vigor renewed by her excitement, a vigor that shoved aside all pain and fatigue, Pisca brought out the prized gift from Aldern Foxglove and began working on the lock.

---

Disable Device, please.  Taking 20 should only take 2 minutes for a 26.

Active Effects: Message 20m (On Cato and Kellan), Bless 2m, Dancing Lights 1m

HP 1/18
AC15
Archaeologist's Luck 1/7

---

---

Pisca worked with a will on the lock, and her tenacity soon paid off with the satisfying "click" of success.  She stepped back and Cato once again moved to the fore, this time turning the handle without issue and opening the door to reveal a surprisingly well-appointed ten-by-ten room.  The rough stone walls were hung with artwork and the cot in the far-right corner was draped with silk sheets and furs.  A well-made wooden desk stood in the far-left corner of the room, while a similar-looking table with the remnants of some already-eaten meal stood in the near-left corner.  A sturdy, well-stocked bookcase stood along the rightmost wall at the foot of the bed.

On a fine-looking chair at the desk sat Ameiko Kaijitsu, a book in her hand and a look of shock on her face.  She appeared none the worse for wear, other than being attached to a fine-looking chain by a metal cuff affixed to her right ankle.  The chain ran back to an eyelet where the middle of the back wall met the floor; it allowed her the run of the room, but looked to be not quite long enough to let her to reach the door.

Ameiko closed her book with a snap.  "Ah."  She said, with the characteristic eloquence of someone who has been caught completely off their guard.  "Cato?  PISCA?!?  Thank Desna you're here!  But . . . but how did you get here?"  A thought occurred to her.  "Have you seen my brother?  He has a whole troop of goblins with him!  You must go before he finds you!"  The woman looked somewhat frantic.  "You are all in danger!  I'm afraid of what he might do!"


W = Wall      dd = rock debris (difficult terrain)
s = Staircase  D = Door
A = Ameiko

---

---

This message was last edited by the GM at 06:48, Thu 16 Jan 2014.

As the group filed into the room Kellan allows himself a brief moment of satisfaction. Ameiko was alive and well, and while he dreaded telling her of her fathers fate, he let this little victory salve his mind and bolster his heart for the moment.

Shuffling over he gave a brief wave and a weary smile to the girl from the doorway before turning and beginning to keep watch down both avenues of the hallway. "Hey Ameiko" he managed with a few coughs. He would let the others fill her in on what had happened with Tsuto. It didn't seem right telling her about how they had fought. Perhaps Liseth would be a more sensitive news bearer.

The respite was dearly appreciated and the guardsman used the time to catch his breath and take stock of his wounds while he kept watch.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:19, Thu 16 Jan 2014.

"Ameiko!"  The gnome unwisely made to rush the Tian proprietress of the Rusty Dragon to wrap her waist in gnomish arms of both relief and delight.  That was a mistake.

"Ow.  Owowowowow."  Shooting pains leapt upon Pisca from all directions.  A second ambush, this time from her wounds.  The gnome slowed her pace to a limping shuffle, pausing only to pull up the lower hem of her leather vest and show her belly where the fresh, blood-crusted cut from a dogslicer marred her pure white skin.

"Um ... yes.  We've seen your brother.  And his goblin minions.  I think we've driven them off.  For now.  Bethana noticed you were gone and found Tsuto's note.  She was worried, so we came to find you."

"Sit."  Pisca eased the Tian woman into the chair she had just risen from, and then sat herself gingerly onto the floor next to Ameiko's ankle.  "I ... I think I'll sit too."  The relief at having found Ameiko both alive and well drained away much of the gnome's sustaining resolve.  Things were more difficult now.  More painful and limpy in a staggering around sort of way.  But things still had to be done none the less.  Seated on the floor next to Ameiko's ankle, Pisca turned and twisted the restraining metal cuff in search of a way to remove it.

"By the by," the gnome said, her voice distant and casual in tone.  There seemed, for all the world, little more meaning behind the words than the idle conversation that commonly bubbled up from the depths of one's concentration upon a task, "you haven't, perchance, seen your father lately, Ameiko?" Pisca asked.  "Have you?"

---

Examine the cuff securing Ameiko's ankle, and use Disable Device if possible to remove it.

Active Effects: Message 20m (On Cato and Kellan), Bless 2m, Dancing Lights 1m

HP 1/18
AC15
Archaeologist's Luck 1/7
This message was last edited by the player at 18:27, Thu 16 Jan 2014.

Cato stared in amazement at Ameiko from the open door.  In all honesty, the wizard hadn't really believed that Ameiko might still be alive.  The abattoir upstairs had convinced Cato that only death followed in the wake of the goblins.  How Tsuto could ally with such creatures was beyond the wizard.  Cato hoped some of the man's hatred toward Sandpoint had been vented in the terrible display that had been made of his father, but given his actions against them, Cato felt that probably wasn't the case.

Now, though, someone had to tell Ameiko what had happened.  At least her brother was still alive.

"Ameiko, you needn't worry about your brother or the goblins right now.  We've already met them.  There's a few less goblins left to menace Sandpoint, and your brother is alive.  Though probably not very happy with any of us.  We should probably get back to the safety of town.  Who knows if they might decide to bring back reinforcements.  We're certainly in no condition for another fight right now."

Cato watched Pisca work on the cuff for a few moments.  "Do you know if there's anything Tsuto might have left down here?  There's another room we haven't checked yet."

We found her!  When Pisca shouted Ms Kaijitsu's name and rushed into the next room, Liseth found herself filled with a sudden surge of energy that banished all of her uncertainty and anxiety.  She hurried forward with Kellan and limped past him into the room when he turned around to stand guard.

"Ms Kaijitsu!  I'm so glad that you're okay!"  Liseth had to stop herself from moving forward to try and hug the captive woman; not only would the arrow make things awkward and probably painful, but she didn't want to smear blood all over Ms Kaijitsu.  In fact, Liseth didn't realize before just how pale her skin was from the recent bout of blood loss and stress.  And Pisca even had a cut on her in addition to the bloody welt on her head.  Some heroic rescuers they all must look like.

"We were so worried when Ms Corwin told us what happened and then when we found out that your brother was working with the goblins we feared that anything could have happened!"  Then just like that all of Liseth's energy was gone.  She sagged on her feet and took a few clumsy steps towards the cot before she sat gratefully upon it.  The girl let Cato explain how they chased off Tsuto and the goblins while she gathered herself for a few moments.

Liseth watched as Pisca started working on Ms Kaijitsu's shackle, but suddenly shushed the gnome when she brought up Lord Kaijitsu, "Pisca, this isn't a good time for that.  We can talk about everything that's happened once we're all out of here safely."

---

---

"Pisca!"  Ameiko spread her arms with a smile, then paled as she noticed her rescuers' injuries.  "Oh!"  She said, putting a hand to her mouth, once again flummoxed.  "Did . . . you've already confronted Tsuto?  And his goblins?"  A mix of emotions passed over the woman's face:  concern, anger, sadness, shame, regret.  She rose from her chair, kneeling next to Pisca, lightly touching her wounded stomach.  "I'm so glad you're okay!  And I am SO sorry you had to go through that."  She hung her head as tears welled in her eyes.  "Tsuto has so much for which he must answer."

She sat back down in order to allow the gnome to inspect the cuff and chain that bound her to the wall.  "Bethana."  Ameiko said with a small smile, seizing on Pisca's mention of the comforting and familiar name.  "Yes, she has always been a good friend.  I have no doubt she was worried sick about me.  I'm glad she was able to set you on the right path."

As Pisca finished speaking and started working on freeing the captive woman, Ameiko shook her head.  "No, I haven't seen my father since our confrontation at the Dragon."  Her hand again flew to her mouth as her eyebrows shot skyward.  "But we must warn him about Tsuto.  He and my brother have always been at each other's throats; I fear what Tsuto might do now that he seems to have completely given in to his darker impulses."

Ameiko nodded as Cato confirmed that her rescuers had already defeated her brother and his minions.  "Still alive.  Well, that's something."  Her face crumpled slightly.  "Although given his actions lately I've come to wonder if he isn't courting death for its own sake."

The innkeeper shook her head again at Cato's question.  "I really haven't seen any more of this place than this room."  She gestured around her well-appointed holding cell.  "I met Tsuto here yesterday at midnight.  At that point I had no idea of his plans or how far he had fallen into his particular . . . well, madness, I suppose."

Her mouth twisted.  "When I arrived all seemed well.  He invited me in and we shared a glass of wine upstairs.  There were no signs of goblins."  She shrugged.  "He was trying to convince me of father's evil, and how Sandpoint itself was corrupt and had to be cleansed.  He was quite . . . animated about it."

"Of course, I was having none of it.  I actually got up to storm out and head back to the inn, but I immediately collapsed, and woke up here, with this."  She shook the chain, then nodded at the cot where Liseth sat.  "He came in later and told me that he was sorry to have drugged me, but he knew me well enough to know that I wouldn't see the 'righteousness' of his plan.  That I was the only person in Sandpoint he loved, and he couldn't allow me to be a casualty of what was to come."  She sighed sadly.  "It was . . . sweet, in a crazy sort of way.  He was so . . . earnest.  Yet his plans were so horrible!  Our father also has much to answer for."

She looked around at the group.  "I know this won't mean much to you, but he was such a sweet boy.  I visited him as often as I could, and wrote him constantly.  Bethana," Ameiko nodded at Liseth, "would be our go-between and arrange our meetings.  I could SEE the rejection and the hurt and the bitterness gradually taking hold of him, but there was nothing I could do."  Her eyes pleaded for understanding.  "What else could I have done?"

"I loved him.  I still love him.  But he has fallen into darkness.  The sadness of it rends my heart."  She fought back the tears again.  "Why is it that the punishment for sin so rarely falls on the head of the sinner?"

While Ameiko spoke, Pisca had been working diligently on the clasp of the cuff that bound her to the wall.  It was a difficult design, but with Aldern Foxglove's incredibly-useful gift and the gnome's own hard-won talents, she knew that defeating the mechanism was only a matter of time.  And then it was done.  Ameiko's final question was punctuated with the "clang" of her cuff falling to the ground.  She was free.

Ameiko leaned down and gratefully rubbed the reddened skin that had chafed under the shackle's metal grip.  "Thank you, Pisca," she smiled.  "I think Liseth is right.  The sooner we return to Sandpoint proper the sooner we put ourselves beyond Tsuto's reach.  At least for now."

---

---

This message was last edited by the player at 08:58, Fri 17 Jan 2014.

"Oh, I think the punishment has probably fallen on the right head," muttered the gnome as she continued her work on the locked cuff.  But, Ameiko didn't know.  And Lysa was right.  Now was probably not the right time to bring it up.  If they told her, she'd probably want to go upstairs and see it for herself.  But, then again ... is there ever a good time to learn this sort of thing?

Aha!  A triumphant grin spread across the gnome's face as the cuff fell away at last.  She gave a stern look and shook an admonishing finger at the restraining hardware, but the cuff and chain seemed little chastened from having performed the functions expected of them.

"Did Tsuto give any detail ... ow ... as to the manner of the cleansing that he'd planned for Sandpoint?" Pisca asked as she climbed painfully to her feet.  "You said something about horrible plans.  In what way were they horrible?"

As she made her enquiries, the curious gnome followed the chain back to the place at which it was secured.  If there was one thing out of place in this room it was this chain and cuff.  Why would such a thing be in a reasonably well appointed room like this?  Or, why would Lonjiku Kaijitsu have a room below his Glassworks designed, from all appearance, to house captives in reasonable comfort?

"Regardless of the reason," Pisca said, oblivious to the fact that the others might not be blessed with the ability to read her mind and through such divine power know of the reason of which she spoke, "I think I'd like to follow these tunnels out to where they let out.  I'm still thinking that it's the beach."

"You're in the tunnels, or rooms, or whatever below the Glassworks, Ameiko," Pisca added, with the realization that she might not know where she was.  "Did you know that your father had these rooms and corridors down here?"

"At any rate," the gnome left the curious cuff and chain behind and made something of a slow and painful way to the door, intent, from all appearances, on following the tunnels as she'd stated, "I think we need to find Shalelu.  Those were Thistletop goblins.  They're famed for their hideout.  I'm almost certain that's where Tsuto is headed, and I'm betting that Shalelu knows where it's at."

---

OoC Question:  How is this chain and cuff secured to the wall?  Does it appear to have been recently installed?  Or does it appear to have been here for a while?

Active Effects: Message 20m (On Cato and Kellan), Bless 2m, Dancing Lights 1m

HP 1/18
AC15
Archaeologist's Luck 1/7

If there was one thing Kellan was good at, it was standing in places keeping an eye on things for long periods of time. He was practically in his element. While he kept watch and recovered he thought about how he would report this to Alergast or the Sheriff, and how the town would react to such a brutal murder of a high status citizen.

The glassworks brought in a lot of coin for Sandpoint and without the expertise and reputation of Lonjiku it might suffer. While he had not known the man closely and he had something of a severe reputation he had been a part of Sandpoint, part of Kellan's home and this weighed on the boy.

It seemed they had just washed the blood off the streets from the last attack and now this.

A frown fueled by anxious worrying formed on Liseth's face when Ms Kaijitsu said that she hadn't seen her father since the other day.  It was obvious that, even after everything which had happened between them, she still cared for her father.  Liseth dreaded having to tell Ms Kaijitsu what Tsuto had done to their father.  And how he had allowed the goblins to murder all of the workers in the Glassworks.

Liseth forced herself off of the cot when Pisca finished removing the shackle from Ms Kaijitsu's leg; it was time to go.  But first she tried her best to reassure the older woman.  As much as Liseth's own wounds might sting and throb with pain, she knew better than most how easily they could be healed.  Ms Kaijitsu's family had fallen apart; her brother was helping goblins kill people, had killed their father, and even abducted her and held her prisoner.  That kind of pain wasn't so easy to recover from.

"Don't worry Ms Kaijitsu, we'll stop any plans that he might have to hurt more people."  Liseth took one of Ms Kaijitsu's hands and held it with both her her own, "I'm sure Tsuto will realize that what he's doing is wrong.  He has to."  Her side suddenly ached where he had kicked her earlier; while she was trying to convince Tsuto of just that.  "He's your brother; he has to know that you love him.  And that he's only hurting you by doing these things."

The short acolyte released one of her hands from Ms Kaijitsu's own and turned to stop Pisca's wandering off again, "Wait Pisca, we don't need to explore these passages ourselves.  We need to get Ms Kaijitsu out first, and then tell the Mayor and Mr Barret what we found.  I'm sure that Mr Barret can come down here with more guards and find out where these tunnels lead."  Liseth suddenly hoped that the Sheriff would be back soon with those extra guards he was seeking in the city.

"And we need to tend to our wounds before we do anything else."  Her tone was surprisingly firm, "You can barely walk Pisca; if you have a concussion it could be very serious."

Cato's expression turned serious as he pondered some of the conversation with Ameiko.  He didn't think Tsuto would leave Sandpoint in peace.  It seemed the man remained deadly earnest, and he was probably running back to Thistletop to lick his wounds and gather more goblin cohorts before getting whatever justice he thought he deserved.

"Ameiko, do you think there's any way to reason with Tsuto now?  I know Liseth tried her best during our encounter with you, and you as well.  I fear what he's done so far, and what he still might do."

Even more, Cato worried about what else an entire tribe of goblins could do to Sandpoint, let alone multiple tribes.  Was Tsuto the only one controlling the goblins?  He seemed to be a competent fighter, but competent enough to command the respect of multiple tribes of goblins?  Shalelu was a competent fighter herself, but there was a bugbear out there amongst the goblins who was supposed to be her equal, and he hadn't been able to command more than one tribe.

But starting with Thistletop would be good.  Putting the goblins on the defensive would, at the very least, cause whoever was in charge of these attacks to rethink their strategy, maybe delay further attacks on Sandpoint.  Unless it was all for some kind of revenge, like this.  Maybe attacks from Sandpoint would only inflame them more.  Still, they couldn't just sit here, waiting for something to go wrong.  There was too much town to protect, and too many ways for goblins to sneak in and wreck havoc.

Cato nodded in response to Pisca's last comment.  "I agree, Pisca.  I think we should talk with Shalelu about Thistletop.  It's time to take the fight to the goblins."

---

---

Ameiko shook her head at Pisca.  “Detail?  No.  But I was able to piece together the broad outlines of a plan.  Tsuto is apparently working for someone who has managed to bring all five goblin tribes together.  A woman.  And he is,” she sighed, “quite smitten with her.  In fact, I’m very inclined to blame his recent actions on her bad influence.  She’s let him think that she loves him, and if Tsuto is anything he is starved for love.  But in my opinion she’s just using him, along with everyone else who might be working for her, goblins included.  She’s the one who has fanned the flames of Tsuto’s resentment and rage into the wildfire you experienced firsthand earlier.”

“As far as the actual plan goes, I believe they are organizing the five tribes for a big assault on Sandpoint.  I think,” her voice caught, “they plan to burn it to the ground.”  While she spoke, Pisca followed the chain to where it was affixed to the eyelet in the back of the room.  The eyelet looked relatively new; Pisca could see chips of paint and dust under the area where it had been pounded into the wall.

“I hope you’re right, Liseth,” the innkeeper said sadly.  “I hope you can keep Tsuto from hurting anyone else.  And yes, Cato, I want to believe that he can realize what he is doing is wrong.  Of course, I’m not sure that the middle of a fight is the best place to try and convince him.  But if someone sits down and just TALKS to him, he might come around.  I thought I might be getting through to him when we talked earlier.  He seemed to be hesitant and conflicted; even reluctant.  Maybe if I’d had a little more time with him . . . I think I might be the only one who could get through to him.  To counteract the pernicious influence of that goblin-loving witch with whom he’s consorting.”  Ameiko’s mouth twisted sourly.

“And I did know about these rooms, Pisca; it’s the basement.”  Ameiko gave the gnome an amused grin.  “This is my father’s study.  He will stay at the Glassworks for days when he is working on a big project; this is where he sleeps and plans when such a project is underway.  Or when he can’t stand being in the house anymore.”  Ameiko moved towards the doorway.  “There’s a storeroom right next door,” she said, gesturing to her left, “and . . . ah.”

Ameiko stood dumbstruck, staring at the corridor that stretched out straight in front of her.  She reached out an arm, pointing at it.  “THAT, however, is new.  That used to be a wall!  I guess they . . . broke it down?”  She waved her hand at the debris.  “I didn’t even know there was anything back there!  My goodness . . . .”  Her voice trailed off, as if she were deep in thought, then looked around at the group.  “What do you want to do?”

---

---

It wasn't hard to piece together what had happened.  Tsuto and his Thistletop goblins had broken in here through the tunnels.  They'd surprised Lord Kaijitsu and secured him in his own study with a chain that they'd brought for that very purpose.  With forward planning like that, they must have intended to stay for a few days.  They must have needed Lord Kaijitsu's cooperation for something.  The Glassworks must have been important to their plans in some way.  Maybe they had intended to launch their attack from here.  It would be ideal in a way.  They could sneak a small army in through the tunnels.  From here, the gobbies could easily spread out to all parts of town.  With a coordinated feint from outside the walls they could draw all of Sandpoint's forces outward.  Then ...

Something happened then.  Someone had decided that they no longer needed Lord Kaijitsu.  Maybe Lord Kaijitsu refused to cooperate in some way.  Maybe it was something that had happened at the meeting between Ameiko and Tsuto.  It must have happened at about the same time.  Lord Kaijitsu was taken out of the cuff and dragged upstairs to his fate.  A drugged and unconscious Ameiko was replaced in the cuff.  There was an orgy of violence and death, probably beginning in the early hours of the morning.

"Huh?  What?  Do?"  Pisca rose from her thoughts to find herself standing just outside the breech into the corridor.  "We need to go down this tunnel, Lysa," the gnome complained.  "It's part of their plan.  It's not far to the where it lets out.  It can't be.  I felt the breeze.  There must be a door real close nearby.  The gobbies are gone.  They must be.  I'm pretty sure it's safe."

"Stomper can protect us."  With those words, the gnome spoke a few words of power, shaping them with a series of graceful hand movements, and then touched the Sandpoint guardsman.  A white light transferred from gnome to human, melting many of his injuries away.

"Come on.  We have to."  Pisca pointed to the badge affixed on her headscarf at her left temple.  "It's our duty."  Then she send her gnome-shaped light ahead, drew her bow and entered the tunnel.

"Ameiko," asked Pisca over her shoulder, "Tsuto didn't, perchance say anything about Father Tobayn, did he?  Or, maybe, Lamashtu?"

---

Cast CLW on Kellan for 10hp. (Last one.  No more here.)

04:42, Today: Pisca Neep Freemish rolled 10 using 1d8+2. CLW.

Active Effects: Message 20m (On Cato and Kellan), Bless 2m, Dancing Lights 1m

HP 1/18
AC15
Archaeologist's Luck 1/7

Kellan felt the wonderful effects of the healing magic spread throughout his body like liquid warmth. Closing his eyes as the spell took hold, knitting his flesh and soothing battered muscle, he felt immensely better once the energy had worked it's way through his system. Letting out a relieved sound he turned to the Gnome.

"Thanks for that Pisca, I'll go see what waits for us behind those doors...with luck we may have a clear path straight to the beach"

With that he plodded forward, opening one of the doors to the south cautiously, his weapon ready should any more horrors await them.

"Ooh..."  Liseth whined when Pisca insisted on following the tunnels out.  She wanted nothing more right now than to just be quit of the glassworks.  Her wounds hurt a lot more than she was letting on and Liseth was not accustomed to suffering such injury in the first place.  She felt woozy from blood loss and really just wanted to find a place to lie down.  And there was an arrow sticking out of her that she could do without.

It didn't help that Kellan agreed with Pisca right away and started towards the goblins' tunnels.  But wait...did Pisca just use healing magic of her own on Kellan?

"I didn't know that you could use healing magic Pisca."  Liseth was temporarily distracted by this turn of events, "Did Desna give that to you?"  Pisca did speak about how she favored Desna, but maybe she learned to do that someplace else entirely?  Of course, Pisca must be just as exhausted as Liseth by now; otherwise she should heal herself too.

Liseth sighed, "At least let me bandage your injuries before we go into those tunnels.  Pisca, you have blood in your hair."  She rummaged in her knapsack again to retrieve another set of bandages and her herbal poultice, "I'm most concerned about your head injury.  Now take off your bandana please, so that I can get a good look at it and bandage it up."  The acolyte was steadfast in this; she wasn't going to let Pisca or anyone else go exploring those tunnels while the gnome was still bleeding from her wounds.

Of course, all of the movement jostled the long shaft sticking out from the girl's shoulder; eliciting a gasp as a spike of pain shot through her.  Liseth gritted her teeth while she worked on Pisca, and tears began to well up in her eyes.  When she had finished she clutched the shaft pathetically.  "Could someone at least help me break the shaft off before we go deeper?  To keep it from wiggling around so much when I try to move..."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:41, Sun 19 Jan 2014.

Cato sighed in relief as Pisca's healing magic restored Kellan to...well, not to full health, but at least to some measure of hardiness.  Cato was more than happy to have Kellan take the lead in exploring unopened doors.  Before that, however, someone must attend to Liseth.

"Liseth, I'm willing to help you with this arrow, though I'm afraid I don't know much about tending to battlefield injuries.  Can you talk me through what we need to do to stabilize this arrow wound?  I don't want to make things worse.  Do we just need to cut or break this shaft?"

Cato gingerly touched the protruding arrow, seeing if it was possible to adjust it without causing more pain to the young woman.

---

---

Cato was clearly out of his element when it came to healing.  “I think I can be of help here, scholar.”  Ameiko politely moved the wizard aside as she knelt to help Liseth with the arrow in her shoulder.  “Did I ever tell you I have an adventuring background myself?  Oh yes,” she said, looking at Liseth and motioning at her healing satchel.  “Do you mind, dear?”

Without waiting for a response, Ameiko quickly searched through the bag, making surprised and satisfied noises as she found various items and substances.  “Where did you get THIS?" She asked, holding up a jar of greenish paste.  "This is incredible!  Oh, and this is just the thing.”  She nodded as she sat Liseth down in a chair and laid her chosen items out on the table.  “I think we’ll be able to do you up just fine, sweetie.  Yes, just fine.”  She patted the acolyte comfortingly on her non-injured shoulder.  “Fortunately, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to employ battlefield medicine.”

The innkeeper was too busy working on Liseth to focus on Pisca, but she answered her question anyway.  “Father Tobayn, you say?  No.  Nor Lamashtu either.  Ready, Liseth?  Here, bite on this.”  She placed a clean, wadded-up cloth in the young acolyte’s mouth.  “This will hurt a great deal, but only for a second.”

She laid a hand tenderly on Liseth’s forehead as the young woman obediently chomped down on the cloth.  “My conversation with Tsuto was more . . . personal.”  She looked at Liseth questioningly and received a nod in return.  Suddenly she pushed the arrow all the way through the shoulder.  As the acolyte screamed into the gag, Ameiko cut the arrow cleanly with her knife and pulled both parts out of the girl’s shoulder.  “There, there,” she said comfortingly, but Liseth could only respond with another muffled scream as her impromptu battlefield medic poured alcohol on her wounds to disinfect them.  "I know."  Ameiko then rubbed the greenish paste from Liseth’s medical kit over those wounds, finally placing a sterile bandage over them and wrapping them up with a long strip of silk torn from the bedsheets.

Ameiko sat back and gave the sniffling Liseth an encouraging grin.  “I think that’s going to be a lot better, sweetheart.  But we should really get you to Father Zantus sooner rather than later.”  She winked at the girl.  “Or Kerr, if you prefer.  I hear he’s . . . good with his hands.”  If she was trying to keep a saucy grin off her face, she was unsuccessful.

The innkeeper finally turned towards Pisca.  “We didn’t really discuss the events of the Swallowtail Festival or, um . . . religion.”  She gave Pisca a perplexed look.  “If you don’t mind my asking, how do you believe Lamashtu is involved?  I know my brother, and he is for certain no religious zealot.  And I have trouble imagining that he would take up the worship of Lamashtu, of all deities.  Isn’t she the goddess of deformity and monstrosity?”  She laughed ruefully.  “There is simply no way.  Tsuto places too much value on his pretty face and that muscular body.”

OOC:  Liseth recovers four hit points from Ameiko’s treatment of her wounds.  -1 use from Liseth’s Masterwork Healing Kit.

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This message was last edited by the player at 06:53, Sun 19 Jan 2014.

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Meanwhile, the newly-rejuvenated Kellan was picking his way across the rubble towards the doors further down the hallway.  As he came to the closest door, he warily opened it, weapon as at the ready as it could be when held in only one hand.

As the guardsman opened the door, he discovered another ten-foot by ten-foot room, almost the mirror of the one that had held Ameiko, in design if not in décor.  This room was not nearly as well-appointed or well-kept as the innkeeper’s makeshift prison.  Although it was similarly furnished, with a cot, a table, a couple of chairs, and what looked to have been a fine writing desk, complete with inkwell, quills, and drawers, the room smelled musty and the furnishings seemed older and less well-maintained.

But this room had clearly seen recent use.  A rucksack nestled at the foot of the bed.   Several empty bottles lay in one corner, and two half-empty ones sat unfinished, one on the table and one on the desk.  The sheets on the bed were unkempt and tossed aside.  A lantern on the writing desk still burned brightly, filling the room with its flickering illumination.

The room smelled strongly of alcohol, perhaps unsurprising given the immense amount of the substance that had apparently been consumed in the small chamber.  As Kellan looked more closely, he could see the broken shards of a bottle that looked to have been hurled against the wall across from the writing desk with some force.  A small amount of liquid still pooled under the shards of shattered glass strewn about the floor.

All in all, Kellan got the impression that this room had been lived in for at least a few days, and had been hurriedly abandoned by its former occupant.

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Kellan took another look down both segments of the hallway before making his way cautiously into the room. He reflected briefly on just how many of his duties to Sandpoint were in some way connected to alcohol. While he certainly enjoyed a malty beer out of a freshly opened cask himself, and the Taldan Fire Brandy was sure to be put to good use soon, drunkenness and the chaos that followed in its wake had formed the cornerstone of his guard duties.

When he was satisfied that no lingering goblins were waiting in ambush he began to process of searching the room, starting with the promising looking rucksack near the bed. He hazarded that perhaps Tsuto had made this his den for his duration in the Glassworks and he hoped that the bastard had left clues behind as to what he intended next. He had to admit that Pisca had been doing remarkably well at deciphering the half elf's intentions thus far.

Setting the room up like a little grid he went from section to section, knocking on walls and nudging furniture much in the way he had been taught to search prisoners or shake down suspected smugglers.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:11, Sun 19 Jan 2014.

The gnome was surprisingly obedient, and halted just outside the dim spill of light that fell from the main corridor of the Glassworks basement into the rough and intrusive tunnel.  As Kellan began opening the remaining doors and Ameiko prepared for the removal of the goblin arrow from Liseth's shoulder, Pisca quietly seated herself next to the blond acolyte, and, as instructed, removed her headscarf.  After fluffing out her hair, and combing it into some semblance of order with her fingers, Pisca folded her headscarf into a neat triangle.  She unpinned her badge of office and placed both into her pouch.  All of this was done with occasional glances over her shoulder.  She watched Liseth's face at each step of Ameiko's preparations.  And, when the moment came, Pisca winced in sympathetic pain, but said, "I knew that was coming."

"Could be Desna who gave me the magic," Pisca said in reply to Lysa's earlier question.  "It would be nice to think so.  It would be nicer still if it came with butterflies, don't you think?  But really, any magic that I do just ... sort of comes as I make it up.  Airy fairy big and scary.  I just think it up and it happens.  Gnomes are magical creatures, did you know?  Shaped and descended from a magic plane of wonders."  Pisca drew in a deep breath and puffed it out in a sigh.  She hooked an arm around Liseth's calf and hugged it to her.

"You're really very brave, you know, Lysa.  To have an arrow driven all the way through your shoulder."

The gnome leaned into the warmth of the human girl's leg, and her eyes drifted shut as she spoke on.  "Desna was cast to earth by Lamashtu, Ameiko.  Lamashtu is Desna's arch nemesis.  The evil goddess of monsters killed Desna's beloved mentor, Curchanus.  Terribly wounded, Desna was found by a blind gnomish child, and the child nursed Desna back to health.  In thanks, Desna transformed the gnome into a beautiful, immortal swallowtail butterfly so that she could explore the wonders of the world for all eternity."

"You're warm, Lysa."

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Active Effects: Message 20m (On Cato and Kellan), Bless 2m, Dancing Lights 1m

HP 1/18
AC15
Archaeologist's Luck 1/7

Cato sighed in relief when Ameiko volunteered to help Liseth. One thing the Hell Knights hasn't bothered to teach the young wizard was even the barest rudiments of battlefield medicine. Any formation was expected to have a dedicated healer, even if just someone as experienced with a healers kit as Ameiko, while the arcanists were expected to spend their time honing their own unique skills. Well, if Ameiko was taking care of Liseth and Liseth taking care of Pisca, Cato might as well do what he could to help Kellan.

Cato followed Kellan down the hallway and entered Tsuto's room, looking for anything that could shed light onto the plans for the upcoming goblin invasion or the identity of the person behind everything.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:48, Mon 20 Jan 2014.