Wednesday, August 2nd, 2017
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Our heroes waste no time and question Mayor Deverin about the compass rose on her map of Sandpoint. She seems to know little about it, but directs them to the person who gifted her the map in the first place – the famed intellectual Brodert Quink. Niko leads the way to the Curious Goblin, a local bookstore frequented by Sandpoint’s brightest.
Amidst the musty tomes, the shop’s proprietor Chask Haladan informs the party that Brodert is likely up at the Old Light. They press on. Sure enough, an elderly man welcomes them into the ruined tower and answers their questions about the Thassalonian Empire. He goes into detail of how the seven-pointed star was called the Sihedron Rune. Each point represented one of the seven virtues, until the Thassalonian rulers twisted them into the deadly sins. Brodert also mentions repeatedly that people regard him as something of a lunatic with absurd theories. He is especially displeased with anyone who denies his theory that the Old Light was a fire-breathing war machine and not the remnants of a lighthouse. At this point, the party decides that Quink has given them everything he has to offer. They eagerly await the return of Sheriff Hemlock before continuing on towards Thistletop.
In the four days that follow, Niko crafts a Belt of Giant Strength +2 for Krask, a welcomed addition to the weak kobold’s equipment repertoire. Silas and Krask take their guard duties to heart, patrolling the streets and quelling mischief before it begins.
While on his beat, Krask notices two thuggish men loading a wooden crate into a cart down a back alley. He quickly notifies Silas who approaches the men forcefully. Slash! A dagger cuts into Silas as he tries to hoist up one of the ruffians, and Silas leaves them to their work. However, once he turns the corner, Silas attempts to scale a nearby building and attack the duo from above. With perfect coordination, he slips and falls, alerting the men to his presence. Krask rushes to aid his comrade and shoots a pair of bolts at the lead thug. Shortly thereafter, Silas cleaves the man in half, causing the another thug to flee in terror.
He didn’t make it far.
With the warm blood pooling in the alley, Silas and Krask open the crate to find a bountiful shipment of Flayleaf, a hallucinogenic drug found most often in the crime-filled streets of Riddleport.
A few hours later, Sheriff Hemlock returns with a squadron of guards from Magnimar. The party fills him in with the gruesome details of everything that’s transpired in his absence – Lonjiku’s death, the treachery of Tsuto, and the network of tunnels under the Glassworks. Hemlock believes it best that he secure the town and the Catacombs in case the business with Nualia is a distraction for a follow-up raid to Sandpoint. In the meantime, he instructs the party to infiltrate Thistletop and figure out the truth behind everything’s that’s happening.
Does Brodert Quink really speak true about Thassalon? How many goblins await the party at Thistletop? Is Krask going to bedazzle that belt?