Rise of the Runelords IC

[u-b]

Sheriff Hemlock agrees to close the doors and appoint the guards against the possibility of something escaping the catacombs, until you regroup and come up with a plan to get the quasit or hand him this task. He wants to know it's his problem as soon as you know it is. Until then, you are welcome to try whatever means you come up with and may be accompanied by up to two guards on your request. Anyway, the success will mark up your reward. The Sheriff says that maybe sage Brodert Quink or Ilsoari Gandethus of Turandarok Academy may know more about quasits, or maybe Chask Haladan has some book about them in The Curious Goblin, the local book shop.

As far as Adalbert knows, goblins do not conduct large scale warfare. The most you can expect from goblin troops with goblin leadership is some sort of major semi-organized skirmish. Hobgoblins, on the other hand, conduct large scale warfare just like humans do, or better.

Spoiler

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There is quite a number of NPCs in town with whom you have not yet met. Some are not relevant, some may be relevent. Describe what you are going to accomplish and how you plan to approach that and I will introduce you to them if appropriate. It's still before noon now.

[Spore]

I completely blanked on the Academy. Of course. I will ask Master Gandethus posthaste. Can you guys ask Brodert again and purchase any literature from the book shop? Ideally we should all just meet on the academy grounds to discuss what we know of the supernatural threat. Then we can rest and deal with the mundane threat.

[DrK]

Justin

Justin thanks the sheriff and promises to come and visit his aunt that evening. Before he leaves he asks the sheriff "Is Miss Shalelu in town, she knows much of the goblin tribes?"
Both swords given a clean in the fresh air he sighs happily as he heads out the slaughterhouse that is the glassworks and into the salty air of Sandpoint.

He nods to the halfling. "Aye, I'll go and see the bookseller". Looking to see if Lizuga or Lebwen want to follow he wanders to Brodert's shop. "Master Brodert. We found a strange temple under the town. Can you help?" He describes their findings and the goblin threat

[Erloas]

Lebwen asked the guard Captain "Did you look at the notes before you handed them over? There seems to be a plan to attack the city. We need to make sure the mayor knows."

Lebwen follows Justin to the bookstore and when there starts looking for books on local goblin history as well as any books on creatures, trying to find any information on the flying head, the weird creatures that we weren't able to identify, and the quasit. Also anything on the Thassilon lords.

Spoiler: OOC

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I think we got some names mixed up, we should be talking to Chask Haladan if we're at the book store, and heading to see Brodert after we leave the bookstore.

[u-b]

"I do not know if Shalelu's in town - she reports to the mayor, not me. Though I'm sure the mayor would send for you when appropriate, and so far no one came here looking for you." - the sheriff then affirms that he had looked at the diary - "I would suggest we meet with the mayor today and send someone to Magnimar at first light tomorrow, with an official letter, the diary, and all. They might be able to send some help."

You find Brodert Quink and Chask Haladan both at The Curious Goblin, which is located along the Main Street right next to Turandarok Academy. Ilsoari Gandethus is at Turandarok Academy, which is part school, part orphanage, and while it has a classroom free for everyone to gather together, Chask prefers not to close his shop and offers instead to gather more tightly in the reading room of The Curious Goblin, especially since the shop has a wider selection of relevant books to refer to.

You describe the creatures you met down below and the strange pool of hate. You get full book entries on the quasit and the vargouille. The use of sleep and summoning of monsters by the quasit are noted as unusual, but quasits are intelligent, some more than others, and so can be taught.

Broder Quink is less certain in his statements. He says that thassilonian runelords were numbered seven. Each ruled over a nation, all of which were part of the ancient empire of Thassilon. Each preferred and heavily used a separate school of magic. The enraged woman, statue of which you have discovered, is most certainly runelord Alaznist, who ruled over the nation of Bakrakhan and controlled the domain of Wrath. The pool of hate is most likely a runewell, some sort of rechargeable accumulator of Wrath, and the strange unidentified creatures are sinspawn of Wrath. Broder cannot say much about them except that they are aberrations, somewhat resistant to magic, closely tied to the relevant sin and generally not encountered in modern Varissia.

Spoiler

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Brodert Quink does not have a shop, he has a house near the Old Light. The book shop is owned by Chask Haladan. Anyway, Brodert Quink's in the book shop, reading in one of the chairs there.

Chask Haladan profession (librarian): (1d20+13)[24]
Ilsoari Gandethus know (the planes): (1d20+17)[27] vs quasit
Ilsoari Gandethus know (the planes): (1d20+17)[31] vs vargouille
Brodert Quink know (dungeoneering): (1d20+17)[25] vs sinspawn
Brodert Quink know (history): (1d20+20)[24] vs the pool of hate
Brodert Quink know (history): (1d20+20)[27] vs runelords (and particularly Alaznist)
(the above includes bonuses for having access to books and knowledgeable people helping each other, but no inspiration)

[Spore]

Fascinating, truly fascinating! Adalbert blurts out, being equally impressed and humbled by this display of knowledge. I had never studied the planes closely, thinking they are so detached from our world that I would not need that. In either case, we need cold iron weapons when the goblin and hobgoblin army is further supported by demons.

But tell me, Master Gandethus, even if it would be rare that said quasit neglects to follow its deceased master into the Abyss, this means at least one such arcanist remains on this realm and in the vicinity. This is bad news indeed. I assume you have your hands full, and you want to protect the orphanage and city but can you spare something to aid us against such a vile mage?

Spoiler

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Diplomacy: (1d20+8)[23] to get some minor help against the quasit's master

[Erloas]

"So what should we make our first priority? Maybe meeting with the Mayor, but if the Quasit can give us any additional information maybe having that information before going to see the mayor would be helpful. I guess since we're out already, lets see if she is busy or can see us and plan from there.

Can anyone here in town read Abyssal? Maybe get more information as to what they might be planning or at least have been researching and know about." Referring to the book we had found.

"Also I think before we go back after the Quasit we should see what we can find in terms of cold iron weapons in town. I also think we should pick up a net, and given that it can polymorph, one with small holes, like for bait fish. Once it knows it is trapped and that we can kill it, it might be a bit more willing to cooperate. If not, well at least we know we can kill it and be done with it causing trouble."

[DrK]

Justin

The you guard nods to the wiser men. "Thank you for the help. You must be favoured of Iroden to know so much."

Glancing at Lebwen he nods, "Good idea. If we head to the barracks or the forge we can find done cold iron. The docks should have the nets we need. If we can catch the quasit then potentially it could speak of Tsuto, Nualia and the attack. "

Thinking of the runewell he speaks quietly asking Master Quink, "How could we destroy such a thing. The runewell is under the glassworks, it would not do well to have such a thing in Sandpoint. "

If he gets some advice he leaves happy and heads to find some cold iron and a net.

[Spore]

If it is trained by a wizard it could very well just burn the net. It can fly, turn into a tiny bug, or a wolf. There are few things that can hold a demon, but I hear magic circles are useful. But alas, I propose a rather brutal method. We know it cannot deal with cold iron. What if we impaled it on a spear made entirely of that? This is gruesome but seeing what the goblins did with the glass workers at this point it is eye for an eye.

[Erloas]

I think if it could throw fire at us that it would have already. A bait net should easily catch a toad or bat, but yes, if it tries to fight much then stab first and worry about the rest later.

[CasualViking]

"Can we do anything about the invisibility?", Lizuga interjects.

[Spore]

Usually a bag of flour helps. the halfling adds in a half serious tone. Depends on if the flour also becomes invisible or not. Honestly I could just try to immerse the creature in a fascinating and interesting discussion about recent events. People always told me I have some sort of hypnotic ability to me. Have you known that Chelish nobility is actually subservient to the church of Asmodeus. Despite the constant power struggles, an Asmodean cleric is basically outside of jurisdiction in that country. Maybe you can even see the similarities between Cheliax and Thassilon even though I assume the realm of the runelords was certainly less ordered and more ruled by emotion than by written law...

Spoiler

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Using Fascinate on Lizuga to demonstrate. Will save 14 or be fascinated by Adalbert's words.

If it works I am going for the sort of feeling you have when you watched several hours of documentaries on a lazy sunday afternoon, suddenly waking up from your stupor wondering where the whole day went.

[Erloas]

"We should see if any of these scholars can help us identify that wand too, before we go."

Spoiler: OOC

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Sword too if we didn't get it identified, know it was magic but I don't think we got any specifics

[u-b]

"If you encounter the mage who summoned this quasit, you better run really fast. I don't believe you would be able to defeat him without outside help, under any normal circumstances." responds Ilsoari Gandethus. Chask Haladan casts a spell and examines the book. Then he opens the book, casts another spell, and starts flipping pages, slowly. "This reads like both a prayer book and a bestiary. The Mother of Monsters and her dear childs." The flipping this takes some time. "Hm." he says as he encounters a page with it's corner folded. He then translates it aloud, goes to the bookshelf, takes a book from there and opens it on a page containing a picture of a very similar creature, just somewhat less scary and not eating anyone.

Justin is pretty sure you can get enough cold iron weapons of various types, cold iron ammunition and such (you can take them for today or buy them at usual prices). As you mention the net and cold iron weapons, there is a general agreement that the weapons will do, just not, by themselves, get you the quasit alive, because if not killed, she will heal her wounds. About the net, though, there is no consensus. Ilsoari, in particular, expresses his concerns about how the net, or other physical restraints, will work on a shapeshifter. They argue about it for some time and then finally Chask proposes to first fill the pit with some insecticide and see if it works. You throw it in, then close the lid and wait for some serious time, then ventilate it before getting down, take the quasit an put her in some steel cage. Chask seems to be pretty proud of his plan, and both Brodert and Ilsoari agree that it should work.

The sword is identified as a magical +1 longsword and the wand is of Shocking Grasp (28 charges).

Spoiler

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Adalbert spellcraft: (1d20+6)[17] and (1d20+6)[12]
Lebwen spellcraft: (1d20+8)[24] and (1d20+8)[18]
(Chask Haladan casts Detect Magic and Comprehend Languages)

[Spore]

Wolf demons? Quasit wizards? This gets worse and worse. Adalbert sits down. Well, the insecticide seems like overkill. Can the creature talk or is it knocked out by the gas?

[u-b]

"I believe that after the insecticide, the quasit will be unconscious for quite some time, barely able to breathe, until some of the damage is healed, naturally or otherwise. Might be able to talk by tomorrow. Not sure how can you make it willing, though." explains Chask.

"As for the runewell", adds Brodert, "all of them encountered in Varissia were inactive. Which probably means that it can be inactivated somehow. Sorry, can't give more details."

[Spore]

Adalbert thinks for a bit. Or we could fake a "rescue" by a goblin Adalbert points at his disguise. This could maybe help us get new information but it is risky in the sense that it gives the enemy force a rather competent mage and possibly an informed officer.

The halfling rubs its chin. Any ideas? I am out of clever ideas and suggest we just rest, infiltrate the goblin hideout and take them head-on. Stopping the goblin forces could likely mean the hobgoblins don't dare attack because they didn't do it before, and dispersing goblins is kind of easy if they are not heralded by demons.

[Erloas]

So do we think a normal metal cage will hold it or do we need to find one made out of cold iron as well? Either way, can we find a metal cage around? It may not be willing to talk, I don't know if there is much we can do about that, but we can at least make it the offer to talk and if it doesn't then we can kill it. I suppose once we get it up someone here might be able to trap it in a magic circle before it comes around.

I'm going to guess that an insecticide won't do much to a zombie though. I'm still going to pick up a fishing net just in case, I think we can find a use for it even if not directly here. We toss down the insecticide, check for the quasit to be unconscious, shoot the zombie, then fish the quasit up with the net and stick it into the metal cage. That way we don't have to worry about being exposed to the insecticide or figuring out how to vent a pit in an enclosed area.

Once we've got the ruins double checked to be clear, maybe the academy can send some people to check out the pools and statue to learn some more.

I think we take care of the quasit first, assuming we can get the cage and insecticide right away, then meet with the mayor and find the scout and start to build our plan for the attack. It is clearly going to be more than what a few of us can handle alone anyway, so I think we've still got to focus on learning more about what is going on first. Wizards that can summon outsiders, barghests, and naked demon women seem like a lot, we've got to start where we can and move up from there.

As for the cold iron weapons, I'm going to bet this isn't the last we see of outsiders, so I think I'll pick up one for myself. Considering we've also ran into quite a few undead I think I'll look for a morningstar, maybe a warhammer, flail, or mace to cover my bases.

[DrK]

Justin

Justin grins at the suggestions from the collection of sages and book sellers and agrees with Lebwen. "The insecticide sounds like a good idea. If we can have some of it now we can check at the stables and the smith to see we if have any animal cages left over." He looks towards Lebwen and nods, "Aye, shall we head down to see what weapons we can find for ourselves before we catch the quasit."

He grins, then looks out towards the North, "Quasit first, then we can work out what to do with the lighthouse and then these strange demons and the goblins. It'll be bloody work i suspect, no matter how subtle and stealthy we try to be."

Listening to them talking about the Runewells he shivers, the thought of strange pools of powerful magic dotted about the land fill him with worry. But, equally, "I'm sure they can figure it out whilst we go and fight goblins. The dungeons are empty now and there's plenty of guards to help the sages and Fath Zantus investigate." he thinks to himself as he trots around town.

Spoiler: OOC

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Will try and get the following

• MW shortsword
• Cold Iron shortsword
• Help with the fishing net
• Try and find a dog, cat or parrot cage
• THen follow Lebwen and te others back to the Glassworks underdungeon
  

[u-b]

You found a suitable fishing net and an almost suitable bird cage. The problem with the cage was that it had a simple latch optimized for easy opening and a wooden bottom optimized for easy cleaning. You bought the cage and brought it to the smith to make some immediate modifications. This took some time, during which you bought and sold various other gear, including the insecticide. Silna, in particular, bought a bunch of cold iron bolts.

Down in the catacombs below the town, you throw the insecticide down the pit, close the pit and wait. Some time passes. You shift the pit cover a bit and look down. There is one zombie lying on the floor and covered in many tiny scratches. Next to it is one tiny quasit. Next to them is one tiny dagger and one iron pot. Nothing seems to move. The insecticide mist seems to be still very present in the pit. You try to fish something off the bottom of the pit using the net and the rope, but it is really hard to grapple something lying flat on the floor when the only direction you can pull is straight up.

Spoiler

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The stuff listed, including the horsechopper, can be bought and sold at the usual rates (buying for full price, selling for half). Deduct 175 gp for the required dosage of insecticide. 10 gp for the cage, including the fixes, plus the price of whatever lock you put there, if you put there a lock (you could have it perma-locked instead, for no extra cost).

[Erloas]

Lebwen tosses the net back down the hole and tries to get it to spread out a bit on the floor. Then he says to Lizuga "Take your hammer and see if you can reach down far enough to push the quasit onto the net. I'll control the net." If the hammer by itself isn't long enough to reach the bottom of the pit then tie the horse chopper onto the end of the hammer with a bit of rope.

[Spore]

Adalbert stops the two men and girds the rope around his waist. He grins.I would be a bit more dexterous than a horsechopper, don't you think? I can hold my breath for a bit but if I tug twice on the rope you have to bring me back up as I have either done it or am running out of air.

[u-b]

Adalbert takes a deep breath and descends quickly down the rope. He moves the quasit, who does not resist and does not seem to be conscious, onto the net, and tugs twice. He's promptly yanked up out of the pit. He takes a deep breath again. Well, that was easy. You put the quasit into the cage.

Spoiler

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Unless you bought the lock, I assume you visit the smith to have the cage perma-locked. Anyway, what do you do with a caged quasit and what do you do in general?

edit: The sheriff will have the information that the mayor invites you for a visit as soon as convenient.

[DrK]

Justin

With a caged quasit and books of disturbing art and notes on an imminent goblin attack Justin looks back towards the surface. "Come, lets head to my Aunt's inn. We can enjoy food and drink whilst we wait for the tiny demon to awaken. Can we tie up its tiny arms so that it cannot enchant us?" As they head back to the Rusty Dragon he looks to the others. "Should we send word to the mayor to come and visit with us. We can warn of the impending attack and also the Mayor can see the quasit that has attacked us.?"

[Spore]

Tie it up, and keep an eye on him at all times. If my theories are correct, stabbing it with cold iron will not only hurt but it will burn it all the time. Do not appeal to its good side, it doesn't have any. Do not trust it, it is a being of malevolent chaos. And whatever you do, do not assume you have it pinpointed or cornered. And remember, it is a shapeshifter. I would not want to endanger your aunt. She seems capable but I do not want her there. Fetch us the Archmage, and tell him to prepare a Magic Circle fit for containing a demon. Do not ask, do not take idle request, command him, for the safety of the entire village.

The usually polite and verbose halfling switches to a quite direct and gruff commanding voice. He pauses and looks at each and everyone of you: I want you to promise me, if anything go awry, if anything goes wrong at ALL, I want you to kill this thing immediately. We are playing with high stakes and if we risk it fleeing this could mean the death of many townspeople.

[Erloas]

"Going to agree with Adalbert, we need to keep this thing under tight watch. I may have forgot to mention it, but beyond the normal abilities of a quasit this one can cast Command, which I learned the hard way when it made me fall down that pit. We've also seen it cast Sleep, not a normal ability for them. So we don't know what other tricks it has. Last thing we need is for it to get some random patron to knock it's cage over in the Inn. I'm thinking we need to leave it in the academy, where they might have some wards or a magic circle to control it. At very least I'm sure they'll have a secured room to put it in and a procedure to make sure random people aren't poking into dangerous magic.

Once we get it secured in the academy if it has woken up we can start interrogating it. If it is still out then we head to see the Mayor first."

[u-b]

You take the cage to the smith to lock it. At your request, before the cage is locked, the smith takes some wire normally used to make chainmail and binds the quasit's arms, legs and wings together by some rather short pieces of riveted chain. Then he closes the cage and locks it with a riveted link of the same chain. You take the result to Turandarok Academy only to learn from it's head, Ilsoari Gandethus, that the academy does not deal with demons, does not have corresponding facilities, and that having a demon near the children is not something Ilsoari approves. The Academy is, despite it's loud name, just a general educational institution, not dedicated to complex planar and arcane matters. So, if you don't want to kill the quasit, who has not yet regained consciousness, you have to take it somewhere else. Like, Ilsoari says, to the best facility suited for it - the town's jail, which is just under town's garrison.

Anyway, having put the quasit somewhere (or what), you go to the town hall to meet with the mayor. The mayor is having a meeting with two other women, one of which Justin immediately recognises to be Shalelu Andosana, and the other no one of you readily recognizes. The mayor invites you to join.

"Shalelu is here with the news about the goblins, and Iris had expressed her intention to help with our recent and upcoming problems. Shalelu."

Shalelu nods.

"The mayor has told me of your work against the goblins - well done. I've dedicated the last several years of my life to keeping them from causing too much trouble around these parts, but they're tenacious and fecund little runts. Like weeds that bite. There are five major goblin tribes in the region, and, traditionally, they're pretty good at keeping each other in line with intertribal squabbles and the like. Yet from what I've been able to piece together, members of all five tribes were involved in the raid on Sandpoint. In any event, the fact that the five tribes are working together disturbs me. Goblin tribes don't get along unless they've got something big planned, and big plans require big bosses. I'm afraid that someone's moved in on the goblins and organized them. And judging by these recent raids, what they're organizing seems like bad news for all of us."

Spoiler

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2 gp smithing services to chain the quasit. You are welcome to introduce yourselves, report your findings, ask questions etc.

[Spore]

Lady Deverin! Ladies, greetings! You look like warriors. Are you intending on helping us? May I introduce ourselves? My name is Adalbert Hornwood, I'm a wandering scholar. This is Justin Kaijitsu, heroic guardsman, Lizuga Manescu, devout of Sarenrae and her healing skills are the one reason we are standing in front of you. And I will not forget Lebwen, who is...well...basically...a pirate ... wizard? Who might you be?

Adalbert extends his hand towards the newcomers. You can barely make out he is a halfling since he is dressed in goblin attire. You can only assume he tried to go undercover. He removed parts of his disguise however in order not to attract too much attention but he is still dressed in the rags goblins call "clothing".

[CasualViking]

"Given the attack on the crypt, I'd wager good coin that it's someone with an old grudge against Sandpoint and her inhabitants. I think we need to get out there, crack some goblin skulls, look for some answers".

Lizuga looks over at the caged demon. "And I have just about had it up to here and then some with that little ****. Dibs on smashing it."

[Erloas]

The group checks with the jail to make sure they have a cell or room that is empty and won't have anyone entering it. If not, we'll leave it in a room in the inn, as long as it is a personal room and can be locked up. Either place, covering the cage with a blanket or similar so the quasit can't see out or to tell where it is. Once secured in the room we'll head to mayor's office.

"Pirate wizard sounds cool, though no ship to my name" Lebwen responds.
Handing over Tsuto's journal to the mayor "This is probably the most pressing thing we found so far. It seems that the Thistletop goblins were, if not the majority of the goblins, at least some of the goblins that were part of the attack. As well as where at least one of the leaders is working on a ritual of some sort. We also know whomever Tsuto's 'love' is is trying to summon or free Malfeshnekor, not sure what that is but seems to be a demon or similar. We don't know who she is, but that she apparently has celestial blood. From context Tobyn might be her father, and they needed his body for the ritual. Do you know anything about Tobyn's family? Who his daughter might be?

We also found some statues and chambers under the glassworks that are apparently very old with some unusual magic pools and some aberrations. Not sure if it should be destroyed, but access to it should be limited, which we've told the captain of the guard, and maybe some experts should check it out. We have killed everything that we found down there. Well almost everything, there was a quasit that seemed to be in charge that we managed to capture. It is currently incapacitated, but we are going to see if we can get any answers from it once it wakes up."

And more directed towards Shalelu "We've got the name Ripnugget, as well as a bugbear named Bruthazmus. Have you heard either of those names or seen any bugbears in the region?
I think our next task, after we get some rest and see to the quasit, is to check out the areas the Thistletop goblins are in and see what we can find out. Can you give us a map or help us find them? Also anything else you can tell us about the goblin groups and what you've discovered."

Lastly to Iris "It sounds like you've also offered to help us on this task. Are you from the area? Or saw anything at the ceremony and attack that we may have missed?"