"I think it is critical that we answer the questions that Talitha asked.  Shalelu, are any of the tribes open to communication or are they all hostile?  It would be good to understand what and why the attack was made.  Perhaps one or more of us might scout with Shalelu if we don't just get in her way."

"Hmm, the crypt still disturbs me but yes. This is these are the more pressing answers we need." Razyll said after he finished chewing his grilled fish carefully.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:53, Sun 03 Jan 2021.

Shalelu nods at Kaddock.

"From what I can tell, yes there were members from all of the tribe present. There is no reason that I know of that would have them cooperate with one another on their own. I can think of a few ideas. One is that one of the goblins has beaten the others into submission. It is possible, especially if they have acquired some magical weapon or new ally. Another idea is that a charismatic shaman might have united the tribes as part of some previously unknown prophecy, real or imagined. Goblins are highly superstitious and that can be both a boon as well as a bane. If they believe the goblin gods are blessing them for some unholy crusade that might explain their new found unity and ferocity. Finally, and this I think is most likely, is there is a new player in the area. It is not unheard of for orcs or giants to cow goblin tribes into submission. The same goes for any number of nefarious organizations. It takes very little to beat a tribe into servitude. Keeping them under control is another thing entirely but goblins are not very bright. A show of force and the promise of mayhem and loot would be enough, at least for a little while."

"I agree. A new player, an outside force, seems the most likely reason why they are banding together." Arialis said with a simple nod. "Which brings us back to who or what? As well as why attack here with such a force? Sandpoint is a small community, with little meaning. No offence. What is or was here for such a force to come for it?" She considered for a moment. "What's the history of this area?"

Talitha nods as Arialis speaks. "I agree a new player involved is likely the most plausible explanation. And I think if we find the answer to why attack here we might be able to answer as well the who or what."
She smiles and continues."Maybe it's me wanting some more action, but I still think our best option is to go get some goblins and best them until they speak." and with a snide look "and maybe a little more afterwards"

"Goblins most times won't speak, least not thing's we want to hear. They talk gibberish, of just enough to make us think they know something." She reminded Talitha. "Beating the little greenie's until we're blue in the face will get us no where. We'd need someone higher up then a simple goblin."

Talitha shrugs her shoulders. "Most times goblins won't speak, but at least we'll be checking all the boxes if we try this. Shalelu says they are very superstitious, so maybe we can use that in our advantage if we capture them."
She turns, looks at the waiter and orders another pint of ale.
"I agree that it might not the best option, but I need to start doing something other than wait for things to happen. I've been living on these folks gratitude for too long and I feel I need to prove I'm still useful to them."
Then the pint arrives and she welcomes it with a smile. "And you know there are only a number of ways a person like me can be useful."
And drinks.

"Then I say we investigate here, see what we find. There has to be something here, in Sandpoint, that we are missing." She said with a nod. "We find what they were after, we find a very important clue."

Faeli nodded while finishing her spicy cake with a cool refreshing cup of milk.

"We might investigate here if you want to. But I will not be of great help in that case." She drinks her ale and assumes that they'll react to the next attack, instead of striking first.

"What is there to investigate here?" Tristen asked aloud. "The dead goblins are a week old. I suppose we can ask the sheriff if they appeared to be from the same tribe." He raised an eyebrow. "In fact, that is a place to start."

"We can confirm if all of the goblins were from the same tribe or not. They may have markings or something that might let us know."

"Since Shalelu confirmed that all tribes were involved that definitely points to a new player or players.  They attacked during the dedication of the new church which was previously burned down in fire and along with murders.  So the previous misfortune may be linked although we have only coincidence.  I think going out and confronting one of the tribes will get us answers soonest.  The only other source of clues will be the crypt."

"Now we are getting somewhere." She said with a nod. "Let's look into what happened to the old church. Let's also look into a bit of the history of the region. See if anything evil or untoward happened here, you know, stories and such...  Even old tales have small grains of truth to them. There has to be something here, whoever is pulling the goblin's strings, wanted, or that we are missing.

Then she looked towards Shalelu. "While we do this, Shalelu would you be willing to continue to see if you can find any ties between the tribes out there? What may be the link binding them together, or a hint as to what it is?"

"Maybe we can split. While some of you can stay here and dig about the church past, I'll gladly join Shalelu for a visit to one of the tribes. As Kaddock says 'confronting one of the tribes will get us answers soonest'. And I'm in for beating some more goblins."
You can tell that Talitha is not very excited about the whole investigating approach, and she does prefer the beat-the-goblins approach.

Just then the door of the inn opens and Aldren Foxglove, the noble the party had saved a week before, walks in. He looks around and grins from ear to ear when he sees the heroes all together at a table.

"Ah hello, brave heroes. Do you know what they are calling you? The Heroes of Sandpoint. To think the locals have already lifted you up to a bard's tale in such a short amount of time. I hope I am not interrupting but I was hoping to speak with you about something that is a little time sensitive."

He looks between the heroes and Shalelu with a questioning look.

Shalelu takes a long swig, finishing off her mug of ale.

"No we are done here. I will gather supplies and leave in the morning to see if I can find anything useful in the wilds. It does not seem wise to blindly march around the woods without knowing what has changed. I will spend a few days shadowing the nearest tribes to see if I can discover what has happened and report back."

Shalelu doesn't seem upset with anyone in particular but it is clear this is likely the most attention that she has had in years and the demands of being in a social setting appear to have exhausted her. She picks up the remains of her meal and heads to the bar to have a quick chat with Ameiko before disappearing to her room.

Aldren stays to the side, seemingly oblivious that his interruption caused Shalelu to retreat. As soon as she was gone he gestures towards the empty chair and, assuming there are no objections, he takes her seat.

"I was hoping to catch you all in town. I wish I had sent a missive ahead of me to set up a proper meeting but it is what it is is. You see, one of my workers is related to a local hunter who has informed me through him that there is a rather large boar in the area. A boar hunt would be most exciting, don't you think? I put together some supplies for a quick excursion, only a few hours from here by horse I'm told but I was hoping the Heroes of Sandpoint wouldn't too busy to decline an invitation. Hunting alongside the heroes that saved my life would be such a delight for me. Plus if we bring down the boar we can bring it back here for dinner. I am sure the proprietor of this establishment could do wonders with fresh boar meat. Paired with the red that I've brought and I could then treat you to a proper feast while my home is still undergoing renovations."

"Count me in for the expedition. I'm happy to be of help and I'd love to try the boar meat and your wine."
Talitha says with a smile. She's happy there is a job where she can use her skills.

"We were going to make some inquiries here around the town." Tristen looked a bit annoyed that the nobleman was intending to go on a hunt. But it seemed that he didn't know the potential trouble in Sandpoint. "Perhaps another time, Sir Foxglove. We do have a few questions to pass along to the Sheriff."

Kaddock held his tongue as Aldren entered.  It looked like he would have rather headed off with Shalelu but he didn't want to push the reclusive hunter at the moment.  Rather now it seemed that they'd been given the choice to get out of town and stretch a bit.  "I'll join you for a brief hunt.  We have much to do here but I've been cooped up in the town long enough that I need to get out and breath the clear air of the countryside."

"Perhaps Sir Tristen, a hunt might be just what is needed to relieve everyone's need to go out and beat something up. A few hours should not hurt us to much." She said, with a small nod.

Tristen smile when he allowed himself to think about hunting. "I do enjoy hunting. Perhaps..." He looked at the others, "How about we write a letter to the good sheriff. We can ask if someone had taken the time to examine the goblin bodies from over a week ago to determine if they came from the same tribe or if they believed that they were from different tribes. It may be too late to recheck the bodies. So this line of questions is a long shot." When Tristen mentioned a 'long shot', he relaxed. "I will join you on this hunt. Thank you, Sir Foxglove."

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear!" Talitha grabs Tristen's shoulder and vigorously shakes him while she laughs and cheers the audience.

Aldren grins and claps his hands trimuphantly.

"It is settled then. Go and gather whatever supplies you need and meet in front of this very inn. If you do not have it already I can arrange for horses and food for the day.

I've hired a local guide and a couple men-at-arms to aide in the hunt and my manservant, Wadsin, will handle the rest!"

Aldren is practically vibrating from excitement. Grinning from ear to ear he shoots to his feet and departs with haste to make sure everything is ready for their departure.

Kaddock smiled at Aldren's excitement.  "Then we look forward to it.  If you can arrange for food and a horse for me that would be welcomed."