---

---

Morning broke to the sound of birds chirping and the feel of a light breeze gently fluttering through the party’s campsite.  A few high clouds meandered through the sky as the first rays of sunlight peeked their way over the horizon.  Kerr reluctantly cracked his eyes open and began to stretch, almost immediately coming to the realization that Liseth was curled up with both arms wrapped around him.

He was glad no one else was awake to see him blush.

“Um, Liseth?”  He said hesitantly, prodding her.  “Time to wake up.”

Once the two acolytes had extricated themselves from one other, Shalelu busied herself with rousting the rest her exhausted charges, none of whom felt that their resting time had been nearly long enough.  But there were things to do, and this of all mornings was not one for sleeping in.

After a quick, cold breakfast the group speedily broke camp and readied their horses for the long ride back to Sandpoint.  Even despite Father Gabriel’s healing, everyone in the party could feel the soreness and ache that came from prolonged physical exertion in a high-stress environment.  Fortunately the horses had to do most of the work, and they were well-rested, eager to use up some of the energy they’d stored during their time in Shalelu’s care.

As with two days prior, the elf did not lead them along the main roads, but neither did she take them back through the Barrows where Kerr had almost permanently joined the resident undead host.  Rather, she used secondary paths, byways, and other routes--possibly known only to her--to skirt the major thoroughfares without actually traveling upon them.

After hours of traveling with only a couple of short breaks, Shalelu called a halt, turning her steed around to face those of her companions.  “We’re approaching Sandpoint,” she said.  “There’s been some goblin activity on the main roads but we were in too much of a hurry for me to get much of a sense of why.”  She leaned forward in her saddle.  “So we need to make a decision.  How do we wish to approach the town?”

---

---

Pisca, in response to the question from the elven ranger, cast her senses on the breeze.  "You'd think we'd hear lots of screaming from here.  Clash of blades.  Smell smoke.  See smoke maybe," said the gnome.  "If the town were being attacked."

She leaned out in the saddle to see how her pony was taking things.  "Don't you think, Nettie?  But what do you know, huh?  You're just a gentle pony," she crooned.

"I say take us in as quickly as you can, Shalelu."  So came the opinion of the gnome.  "But not so quickly as to give ourselves away."  Well, half her opinion at least.  "I'd think we should be able to tell whether things are hot from pretty far away.  And I doubt the gobbies will be expecting anyone to come on them from behind.  Why post sentries in the rear?  I think we should know whether things are bad long before any gobbies see us."

"And," Pisca added with her grim face on, "if they don't know we're here, we have more choices open to us as to what to do."

Kellan awoke with a sharp inhalation and a slight wince as he sat up, determined not to allow himself to drift back to sleep within the comforts of his sleeping bag.

He felt sore, yes, but he also felt dangerous, lean, hungry and confident. Shalelu's compliments the night before seemed to have had an effect, and while the young guardsman retained a healthy dose of humility and home grown common sense, he awoke that morning a slightly different person. His eyes looked harder, as did his countenance.

In the time between his first panicked fumblings in the marketplace against the goblins of Thistletop to yesterdays bloody and successful assault he been set against challenges that had seemed impossible, suicidal even, and yet here they all stood and that fact contributed to the quiet confidence that emanated from him as he packed up his things and made ready for the day.

Hakon seemed to sense that something important was occurring and did not resort to his usual antics, allowing Kellan to saddle him up and make haste with the other lighter horses towards their home.

When they drew near Kellan reigned the horse in and listened as Pisca outlined her plan.

"Sounds good to me, a little discretion while we look things over, and if things are bad we can charge in"

Cato had dropped off to sleep almost instantly, his mind almost as tired as his body.  Each time the wizard cast a spell, he had spent a little bit more of his willpower, and by the end of their time in Thistletop, Cato had very little mental energy of any sort left.  It was a relief to pass out.  When Shalelu woke, we ate breakfast while poring over his spell book, trying to wrap his too-tired mind around the cryptic shorthand and arcane symbols he used, once again wrapping his mind around them, so they would alter reality at his will.  On his horse, Cato was mostly silent, staring off and thinking about everything that remained at Thistletop, the unanswered questions and dangers that still loomed below.

Finally, Shalelu told them their journey was almost over.  Cato was almost ready to gallop full speed for the gates, but shook his head.  As much as he wanted to be back in the little town he now called home, Pisca's plan was the correct course of action.  Why risk excessive danger right now?  Though if I wanted to avoid danger, I should have done things a lot differently...

Instead, the wizard sighed.  "Yes, we should play it cautiously, and play it by ear.  I hope Ripnugget kept his word, but any number of things might have changed."

"...Wonmish morng servish...juslil longer..."  Mostly unintlligable words mumbled from Liseth's mouth as she was roused.  The girl buried her face into Kerr as though he were a pillow.

"Uhm?"  Half awake Liseth cracked her eyes open to see herself entangled with Kerr; while he gently tried to wake her.  A light gasp escaped her as now-more-fully awake Liseth blushed intensely and withdrew her arms from being wrapped around her boyfriend.  She looked around blinkingly as she attempted to avoid Kerr's eyes, only to come slowly to the realization thaat they were still miles away from Sandpoint, out in thw wilderness...

Yesterday's events came rushing back, and Liseth could even see that she had slept in her heavy dress.  Stained and torn and dirty as it was.  "Oh..."

Too soon they were all on their way again; always in a rush.  At least Heily was there to do all of the walking for Liseth; the girl had missed her beautiful horse terribly.  Even though there was no ay she would have made it into Thistletop.  Once again, just like the day before, the blonde acolyte was forced to say her morning prayers from the saddle.  And, listening to Ms Andosana talk, there was still quite a lot to pray for today.

"But the goblins wouldn't attack...not if they know that Nualia ha been defeated."  How terrible would it be if the goblin tribes assaulted Sandpoint anyway?  After all their work,  "Right?"

Considering how everything had gone leading upo to their return, Liseth did not sound entirely convinced.  But better to look on the positive side of things, "Ripnugget would have told them that attacking Sandpoint was a bad idea.  He said that he has never even been interested in human holdings."

"Well..." everyone planned on approaching carefully, just in case.  "Being careful is never a bad idea...We would want to avoid the main roads into town, I think.  Just in case the goblins are attacking, and plan to ambush us before we get back..."

That couldn't happen though.  Could it?  The diminutive teen didn't know whether she would be able to last much longer if there was even more fighting today...

---

---

“As quickly as I can, but not too quickly,” the elf chuckled.  “I will see what I can do.”  She looked back in the direction of Sandpoint, as if she could see through the surrounding foliage to evaluate the besieged town’s situation.  “Goblins do not make very good sentries, as a general rule, so I think we should have the advantage on any who are watching.  Although I agree, I do not think the goblins have any reason to be looking behind them, and Big Gugmut is not the type who would set up a well-thought-out defensive perimeter.”  She paused.  “Unless Ripnugget has taken over, then all bets are off.”

“But we won’t know until we get closer.  I’m going to try and lead us up to Northgate.  The goblins will probably be concentrating their forces to push over the bridge—I don’t see Big Gugmut trying his hand at scaling latters or assaulting a wall.”

With this, Shalelu slowly led the group towards the coastline cliff, then turned west and followed it towards Sandpoint.  The decision seemed wise; the company did not run into goblins or indeed anything else other than a few birds and forest animals.  Before long Shalelu signaled for the group to dismount.

“The Northgate is just ahead,” she said, motioning westward through the forest.  “I have seen signs of goblin activity, but there do not seem to be any in the vicinity right now.  Whether that is because they have left, because they only pass through here occasionally, or because they have been called in for some large assault on the town I do not know.”  The side of her mouth twitched in displeasure from the lack of knowledge.  “It is possible--even likely--that the goblins have scouts watching Northgate, and there may be a large group of goblins after Dav hit them yesterday.  But goblins don’t have a lot of initiative, and they probably don’t have instructions regarding what to do if a group is trying to enter the town.  This should give us enough time to get inside without combat.”

She looked around for any signs of objection.  “Ready?”  She said, seeing none.  “Then let’s go.”

The group remounted, moving quickly down a game trail before suddenly bursting onto the Lost Coast Road, riding pell-mell down the region’s main thoroughfare towards the large gated wall that protected Sandpoint’s northern entrance.  The edifice looked unscathed—only the fact that the gate was closed at midday gave any hint that anything was amiss.

The party reached the gate without incident, horses frothy from exertion.  Shalelu leapt off her steed with a practiced grace and ran up to pound on the gate.  “Let us in!”  She said, looking over her shoulder to determine whether the group had drawn any pursuers.  “It’s Shalelu Andosana and company.  Let us in, and quick!”

A head poked over the top of the wall; it featured a pug nose that could only belong to Santo Flitworth.  “Well, look who it is!”  He said in surprise.  “Hey, Quint!  Guess who it is!  Shalelu Andosana!”

Quint Plinsman’s narrow features appeared atop the other side of the gate.  “Why, you're right, Santo!”  He agreed, swallowing a bite of whatever he had just been eating.  “And who is that with her?  Could it be Kellan Storval?  Is he still in the Guard?  Or did Ven chase him out of town?  I can’t remember.”

Flitworth shook his head solemnly.  “If he had, the boy would not be showing an uncommon amount of good sense in returning, would he?”  The flat-faced man peered back down at the group.  “Yet here he is.  Poor guy.  I heard he got hit in the head at one point.”

“I heard the same,” responded Quint.  “Not sure if I believe it.  Although that would certainly explain the face.  And the slurred speech.  Or wait, the slurred speech might have just been that one time at the Hagfish . . . .”

“Hard to say for certain.  Well, it’s his funeral, in any event.  Should we . . . .”

“Let us in, you jackanapes!”  Shalelu stared up at the two with a barely-disguised impatience.  “Or you’ll be the ones suffering from impaired speech!”

“Well, no need to be rude.”  Quint huffed.  “Elves.”  He said sadly to his fellow guard.  “No senses of humor.  Well, I better . . . .”

“NOW.”  Shalelu commanded.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!”  After a moment the group heard the noise of someone removing the gate bar.  Then it swung open.

“Welcome, my friends!”  Said Quint, standing conspicuously far from Shalelu.  “To Sandpoint!”

---

---

This message was last edited by the GM at 05:10, Thu 14 May 2015.

Pisca lead her pony through the gate.

Jackanapes?

She gave the elven ranger a look that said Yes-Well-That-Was-An-Interesting-Choice-Of-Words.

Jackanapes?  She mouthed the word in the direction of many and sundry human guards who's names she could not remember because they all looked alike anyway.

Jackanapes?  She mouthed the word in the direction of the other guard as well, this time adding a shrug that spoke rather clearly and loudly of incomprehension.

"So, you two jackanapes don't seem too worse for being the goblin pincushions we imagined that you might be."  The gnome stroked the soft silky nose of her pony who huffed and nuzzled into her hand - an impatient demand, perhaps, for water or apples or a sweet, some compensation for the unnecessary exertion she'd just been put through.  "No screams.  No smell of smoke.  No clash of steel on steel.  All in all that's good," Pisca nodded, and it was a very approving nod.

Right at the moment, though, the very most perfect thing - or so thought Pisca Neep Freemish - would have been the severed head of Nualia, and she very much regretted having given it up to Ripnugget.  She would very much liked to have seen the face of these two hummies as she held it aloft.  Such, however, are the many mistakes in life, and regrets are only useful if one enjoys the savor of the bitter-sweet.

"Well, carry on Bernardo," said the gnome with a casual flip of her hand.  "Carry on, Francisco."  And Pisca strolled into Sandpoint as though it were just another day.  Just a plain and ordinary day, and not the day of the Triumphant Return of the Sandpoint Saviors.  "Maybe we should report in before baths," she said to the others as she led Nettie down Church street.  "I dunno," she mused.  "Just seems like it might be a good idea."

It was so very stressful, expecting ambush at any moment.  The way that Ms Andosana was speaking, Liseth imaged that every tree and bush might contain a goblin ambusher or sentry.  They were supposed to be done!  Most of the ride back to Sandpoint saw the girl leaning forward on Heily to stroke her mane and whisper comforting words to the mare.

By the time they reached Sandpoint's Northgate, Liseth was an exhausted wreck.  Heily was a gentle horse, but the pace set by their elven guide was far from comfortable for either horse or rider.

Not to mention the urgency with which Shalelu Andosana demanded entrance into the town.  The way that the guards joked only made things all the more stressful as Liseth kept expecting an attack at any moment from the invisible goblin tribes they had ridden through.

"Thank you..."  The girl exhaled to the guard Quint as she passed through the gate with Heily and the others.  She added onto the back of Pisca's comments, "Has there been many goblins?"

"Yes, baths!"  Maybe her last bath hadn't gone so well, but that didn;t mean that another attempt was not appealing to the blonde acolyte.  "Oh, right...we have to see the Mayor first."  The baths would have to wait.  Liseth imagined that once she was set into the hot tub, she wouldn't be moving anywhere again for a long while.

Except maybe to somewhere with hot food.  And a bed.

That reminded her, "And we have to see Ms Kaijitsu too."  Liseth felt for the letter Tsuto had written for his sister.  "We should get her...and Father Zantus too.  We should get them before we go to see Mayor Deverin.  They should be there too."

"This is why nobody takes the rural settlements seriously" Kellan thought to himself as he stared up from atop Hakon. So great was his relief however that the town was not under attack that he was more than willing to forgive the somewhat lax behavior in favor of getting on their way.

"I'll remember that next time you're looking to switch shifts Quint" Kellan responded with a smirk as he urged Hakon forward through the gate.

Once through Kellan looked about for any sign that something had occurred in their absence. Even if it had not been an all out attack the guardsman remember all too well the attack on his god-son and the infiltration of the glassworks.

"Mayor Deverin first I think...or Alergast...they should know that Ripnugget is alive and was riding this way"

"Well, we're going past the cathedral on our way to Town Hall, Lys," Pisca suggested in a somewhat oblique manner.  Then, more directly, "we could wave down one of the other acolytes and send a message to Father Zantus to meet us at the Town Hall."

"Poor Nettie," crooned the gnome.  The stables are all the way across town.  "You'll have to wait outside for a bit longer while we tend to business."

"And the Garrison is right across from Town Hall.  We could send for Lieutenant Barett before we go in.  I wonder whether Sheriff Hemlock is back from Magnimar yet?"  A smile touched the corners of the gnome's mouth and she put a skip or two into her step.  "Won't he be surprised."

Cato listens as all the others put forth their suggestions.  With Sandpoint in no obvious present danger (despite the looming threat of goblins in the woods), it seemed as though, for the first time in days, they finally had the luxury to ponder their next move.  Even if that decision was as simple as to whom they should talk first, it felt like a luxury to simply have the space to breathe.  "Seeing the Mayor first probably is a good first move.  She should be updated with everything around town, and maybe she can fill in any missing pieces.  Then we can disperse to our secondary engagements."  Like seeing Brodert, Cato thought.  I don't think I definitively proved any of his theories, but I'd certainly like the chance to talk over my observations with him.  Maybe he'd have some more insight into what exactly is going on in Thistletop and how much of an ongoing menace it represents to Sandpoint.  Cato sighed, and suspected the whole endeavor might end with them trying to permanently put an end to the looming menace of Malneshfekor before someone else like Nualia was drawn to Thistletop.

"Missing pieces?"  The gnome turned a look over her shoulder at the mage.  "There are missing pieces?"  Strawberry blonde brows pulled down over violet eyes in a dissatisfied frown.  "There are always missing pieces," she said.  Though, from her tone Pisca might have meant that as a comment on their current situation or as a general statement on existence as a whole, or she might even have been speaking of those clever interlocking picture puzzles that one sometimes finds in toy shops in the larger cities.

*sigh*, Pisca sighed.  "Missing pieces."

"And there's still so much to do.  We have to see Ameiko, just as Lysa's said.  Right?"  This last was over her shoulder at Shalelu Andosana.  "And I have to drop these books off at the House of Blue Stones along with that Lamashtu book that we found in the Rune Dog tunnels.  Then there's the Bat-winged Head to dispose of.  And I have to talk to Garridan at the White Deer Inn and see if he doesn't recognize the card with the Golden Seven."

Briefly, the gnome considered visiting Jubrayl to see what he knew about the numerically embossed card.  But, along with this thought came her first real visceral understanding that such a visit would come with a cost.  And she was not entirely sure that it was a cost that she was willing to pay.

---

---

“You’d have to TAKE a shift before we could switch, Mr. Special Assignment.”  Quint Plinsman gave Kellan a wink to let him know he was kidding.  He was about to continue with his good-natured ribbing when Liseth piped in with her question.

“Many goblins?!?”  Quint looked up at Santo with an is-she-kidding sort of look.  “Are you kidding?”  Liseth’s surprised look told him that she wasn’t kidding.  “You just missed them all!  There was a big showdown last night!”  He paused.  “Uh, you all didn’t know that?”  He grinned.  “Looks like we’ve got some news for you too.”

“Yeah, you don’t need to let Alergast in on much of anything, Kellan,” Santo supplied from his perch on top of the wall.  “He was right in the thick of it.  Big damn hero.”

“That’s right,” Quint nodded.  He lowered his voice and swept a spread-fingered hand through the air, setting the scene.  “There we were, guarding the north bridge when Dav comes riding out of the woods like all the devils of hell are chasing him.  He sweeps past us, yelling about how the goblins are on the move.  No sooner does he ride by then there they were, at the treeline.”

“Hundreds of ‘em,”  Santo interjected.

“Yes, hundreds.”  Quint continued, shooting Santo an annoyed glance.  “And Nisk hadn’t been able to finish up his burst jars for our bridge, so we couldn’t blow it like we’d planned.  So there we were, about five guardsmen and fifteen militia all told.  The bells started ringing to muster the rest of the militia, but there’s no way they’re going to get organized and out to the bridges in time to stop the goblin assault.  They were hitting us earlier than we thought, and they totally caught us with our pants down.  We needed at least one more day, and we knew it.”

“Then they started screaming,” Santo cut in.

“Yes, I was getting to that!”  Quint glared at his friend.  “So the goblins all start screaming, the cathedral bells are ringing, there’s yelling from the town . . .”

“Chaos,” summarized Santo.

“Chaos.”  Quint agreed, resigning himself to the interruptions.  “Then from out of the goblin lines comes the biggest goblin you’ve ever seen in your life . . . .”

“Huge.”  Santo agreed, eyes wide.

“Enormous.  Big as you, Kellan.”  Quint saw the doubt in his fellow guardsman’s eyes.  “No, seriously.  There was this giant goblin, swinging this wicked two bladed axe like he knew how to use it.”  The narrow-faced man shook his head, as if he couldn’t believe it.  “So this goblin war god starts insulting us, our mothers, our town, our courage . . . .”

“He was pretty creative.”  Santo admitted.

“He was.”  Quint concurred.  “He said that no one in town had the stones to take him on in single combat, and that if we didn’t provide a champion, or if that champion died, it was proof that the gods had turned their faces from us.  And I’m ashamed to say that you could have heard a pin drop over here.  I mean, if you didn’t have all the goblins screaming, and the cathedral bells tolling, and all the yelling from the town.”

“A madhouse.”  Santo synopsized.

“So here’s this giant goblin calling us out, and the militia look like they’re ready to run for the hills . . . .”

“We weren’t looking too sturdy ourselves.”

“. . . . when here comes Alergast running up the road, polearm in hand . . . .”

“I’ve never seen him looking so angry.”

“. . . . and he roars out his defiance to the goblin.  Well, we start cheering him on but I don’t think he even heard us, he just charged onto the bridge and got right down to it . . . .”

“I think even the goblin was a little surprised.”

“ . . . . and let me tell you I’ve never seen anything like it before and I don’t think I ever will again.  That goblin could fight.  He must have hit Alergast a dozen times . . . .”

“Had him on the ropes.”

“. . . . but the Lieutenant gave just as good as he got, and he just kept coming back.  Then, right when you thought everything was lost and the goblin was about to take off Barett’s head with that axe of his, Alergast buries his poleaxe right in the thing’s skull . . . .”

“Split his head in two!”

“. . . . and you have never seen such a change in fortunes.  The goblins were totally silent.  Stunned!  They couldn’t believe their champion had lost.  And of course we are yelling and whooping and the cathedral bells are going off and the first of the militia are coming up the road, and Alergast . . . .”

“You won’t believe what he did.”

“. . . . Alergast starts screaming at the goblins and goes charging right at them.  Hundreds of them!  Well, we got a little excited . . . .”

“Carried away, I’d say.”


“And started charging after him.  And the goblins, all the goblins, just started running.  Running away!  Hundreds of them!”

“Like the score of us made an army.”

“And we haven’t seen hide or hair of them since.  Dav says they’re on the run, but we’re still on watch in case their leaders get ahold of them and bring them back.  But that was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen or been a part of.”  He dropped his chin to the chest, as if meditating on what had happened, the looked up.


“So yes, Miss, goblins.”  Quint gave her a merry grin.  “We’ve seen goblins.”

---

---

The gnome blinked in surprise.  With each of her human friends she shared a look that spoke of the sort of quiet awe one might experience upon profound revelation, and she said ... "Missing pieces."

And then following that, "Guess he didn't need the head after all."  And though certain people in the immediate vicinity might have thought Pisca was referring to the big goblin who must surely have been Big Gugmut, other people might be excused if they, quite correctly and naturally, believed otherwise.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:23, Mon 18 May 2015.

"Bet you're pretty proud of Lieutenant Barett, huh Stomper?"  The gnome patted the guardsman on the hip in lieu of his unreachable shoulder.  "Maybe we ought to go see him.  I hope he's doing alright after being hit with an axe that many times."

"And we need to deliver Tsuto's letter to Ameiko.  Right, Lys?" Pisca added.  "I left that bat-winged head with her too."

"Maybe we'd better stop in and see Mayor Deverin too.  I'm sure she'll want to know how things went at Thistletop.  And Paladin Korvaski.  He'll want to know about Father Gabriel."

"So much to do," said the gnome.  "Makes a gnome appreciate the hurry that you humans always seem to be in."

Kellan listened to the story with suspicion at first, obviously taking Quint and Santo's story with a grain of salt. But as they continued and the details became more specific the young guardsman found himself hanging on their every word.

So there had been an attack...but few if any causalities by the sound of things. Still...hundreds of goblins...

By the time they had finished Kellan was leaning forward slightly on his polearm completely unaware that his mouth was hanging open a little.

"Well damn" he eventually replied with an impressed tone with a look to the others as he reached back to scratch the back of his head.

"Yeah, I guess we better go see the big guy, and everybody else to..." he smirked and shook his head "And here I thought we would be bringing big news..."

"Gentleman" Kellan nodded to both the guardsman and turned to accompany the others towards where ever they were bound next, all over the place by the sound of things.