Battered but with a partial victory under our belts (Week of 6/19-27)

[Winter]

The group ties up the Goblin Druid as best they can, and with Sei carrying him makes their way back across the bridge, through the Nettlewood, and to our horses. Assuming that's successful we hightail it back to the safety of Sandpoint to lick our wounds, rest, and plan our next move.

(ooc) Let's try and get some meaningful planning done here before next Sunday, maybe we can polish off this portion of the adventure before the break it seems we'll need to take from this game in August and September when Scott and I are away.

[The DM]

You return to Sandpoint, tired but with a prisoner in tow. At the gates you are met by Sheriff Hemlock. He greets you with a raised eyebrow at the goblin, unconscious and slung over the back of a horse. "Well, what do you have here? Bringing home goblins - I hope you have a good reason for not having killed that scum already. Well, you can put him in the cells until we decide what to do with him. Oh, there's someone you should speak to at the cathedral. Ulric Brightblade's his name and he looks like he might be able to lend you a hand. Until you manage to kill Ripnugget and end this threat, you'll need all the help you can get. The council has decided that as a reward for services rendered so far, they will cover the expenses of your stay at the Rusty Dragon and Father Zantus has declared that he will offer you free healing at the temple."

With that he thanks you and leaves in the direction of the barracks.

Sei and Sili have been standing together, talking in hushed but heated voices. Finally, Sili turns to the rest of the party with a troubled look on his face.

"I'm sorry to say this, but we will be leaving Sandpoint tomorrow. Sei wants us to stay but I'm afraid its just too dangerous. I think we'll try finding our fortunes closer to Magnimar or Korvosa. Things there are more settled and not as dangerous as these wild lands. I think we've done enough to help the town. Thank you for your help and its been an honor traveling with you. I will write many a saga in you name!" Sei also says her goodbyes. They have agreed to leave you the spoils of the last outing to Thistletop, as they don't think they'll need it as much as you.

You each turn to each other and.....

[Jack Napier]

OOC: I have something in the works. Will post tonight after work.

[Winter]

Winter suggests that we avail ourselves of the free healing at the temple and then get the items identified so we can split/sell them.

What items did we get back from Sili and Sei besides the +1 longsword?

Winter also suggests that we need a better plan for keeping the goblin druid imprisoned because he is a spellcaster and can also probably Wild Shape himself into a small animal which might enable him to escape. A good start would probably be securely tying his fingers and hands up so he can't move them and gagging him so he can't speak, and then keeping him under 24/7 armed guard(s) in a closed room with no windows and a strong locked door. The guards should have orders to use lethal force to prevent his escape.

[The DM]

They're keeping the longsword and the handaxe. Only the stuff from the last foray to Thistletop is the stuff you can keep:

4 Small Shortbow 120gp
4 Masterwork Horsechopper 1240gp
2 Potion of Cure Light Wounds 100gp
1 Wand ?
1 Leather Armor ?
1 Cloak ?

You can sell the mundane items around town for 75% if you shop around - will take a day at least. Magical items cost 50gp per item to identify and will take 2 days. You can sell those items around town as well if you don't use them.

[Jack Napier]

Jack bids a fond fair well to Silly and Sei, requesting that Sei also leave them her bottle of Harpy's Musk if they don't plan to invade any goblin territory on their journey.

Overcome by the loss of the mighty warrior woman and her husband, Jack feels as though he needs to take a more directive role amongst his party, lest he lose more bodies to stand infront of him in battle and business partners on his quest for wealth and success.

Jack agrees with Winter that wounds must be tended to at the temple, and finances taken into account.

Using his skills of appraisal he gives his remaining two partners his estimation of the value of the mundane items found (OOC: the amounts given by Matt). He disapproves of the town's 50gp magical identification fee, as 25gp would cover the cost of a scroll of identify. He believes the party should invest in a wand of identify once gold is less of an issue.

He is a bit weary of leaving Thistletop to its own devices while taking care of business, but rushing back as an army of three men would be suicide. He concedes that the group must take some time to finance and equip themselves. Just as pressing is the need to recruit some new muscle. He believes that perhaps this Ulric fellow may be of some use in Sei's absence. Lastly he agrees that the druid prisoner should not be left empowered in any way.

During the first stretch of time spent healing and bartering, Jack discusses many things with Winter. He wants to get a better understanding of a Druid's mindset and values.

With this information, Jack suggests that he and Winter play a game called "Good Guardsman, Bad Guardsman" with the prisoner. He recommends that Winter, a fellow druid, be involved in the interrogation as the "good guard" who is kind, understanding, and looking to help the prisoner. Jack himself would love to play the role of "bad guard" who is cruel in his ways of interrogation. He believes the group can get some useful information out of this Druid and is confident in this method.

He questions Winter and Damikon about what should be done with the goblin druid once the questioning is finished? Should they follow through with whatever promises Winter comes up with to coax information from him? Or should they end the goblin's miserable existence?

[Winter]

(ooc) As I remember, Sei didn't win the roll on the longsword so technically it isn't hers to take, I believe Damikon or Sili won it. If Sili won it then he had no right to roll on the handaxe since he had already won a magical weapon. I don't mean to quibble over loot but I think those are the rules the group agreed to when we began the campaign.

Winter agrees we should get the items ID'd ASAP, 25 or 50 gp whatever....just post what they are so we can work out the split quickly. He tells Jack to go start taking care of that. Regarding the druid, lets make sure he's secure first, but agrees with Jack's interrogation plan. Winter uses his Heal skill to check on the state of the goblin druid, is he still out cold?

[The DM]

(OOC) I asked Mike and he says he didn't win either of those. He says Sili and Sei won those 2 rolls. As I remember, Sei won the handaxe and Sili won the longsword and they just swapped. As to identification - OK, 30 gp each (5gp markup). The items are: Leather (small) +1 1160gp, Wand of Produce Flame CL 1st (31 Charges) 500 gp, Cloak of Resistance +1 1000gp. (Subtract 120gp for identification.)

The goblin is unconscious, but with a few slaps, he wakes up. He stares around with wild eyes at his surroundings and suddenly starts weeping and sobbing for mercy. Although you try to employ the tactic of "Good Guard, Bad Guard", its wholly unnecessary. Gogmurt spills his guts about everything he knows. He tells you that Warchief Ripnugget has become enthralled, and possibly infatuated with a "very angry woman with weird eyes and a torn up belly". He says the chief has been putting a lot of trust in what she says and it was her that urged them to attack Sandpoint. Gogmurt says he distanced himself from the chieftain and her new allies because he didn't want to be tainted with her "bad ideas". He says that she has four dangerous allies - a bugbear mercenary called Bruthazmus, a quiet man who wears a lot of metal, a dark-skinned violent lady who used fire to scorch some goblins and male half-elf who is always happy and plays the flute. Gogmurt thinks that the half-elf and the angry woman with the torn-up belly must be lovers, because he's seen them "going at it like donkey rats" in the woods sometimes. He woefully says it only made Chief Ripnugget angrier when he tried to win back the chief's favor with this news. "Worse than a harpy that one!" he spits. "The woman. Not Chief Ripnugget. Don't tell him I called her a harpy!" he adds quickly. He begs you not to hurt any more goblins and says that if you can defeat the angry lady and her friends, no goblin will ever bother Sandpoint again. After this he breaks down and starts crying and wailing for mercy once again.

[Jack Napier]

OOC - Loot:

Total value of 2400gp, sold at 75% value so... 1800gp, or 600gp each for Jack, Winter, and Damikon.

Remaining items:

Cloak of Resistance +1 (I guess Winter and Damikon will have to paper scissor stone for it, as Jack got a ring of protection +1 before)

Wand of Produce Flame - Druid Toy => Winter

Potions of Cure Light Wounds x2 - Seeing as Jack needs to roll UMD to use a wand of Cure Light Wounds, it might be good for him to carry atleast one of these.

We will need to purchase a new wand of cure light wounds. We should also consider Protection from Evil. Does the store sell any "used" wands? (wands with less than 50 charges at a reduced price?)

Also, does Sei leave her Harpie's Musk with the party?

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Sense motive! 17+6 = 23

Despite the goblin's sobbing, Jack doesn't break character. As the bad guard, he presses the druid for more information.

"You want mercy for the goblins? After you killed citizens of Sandpoint? How do you even propose we take care of this angry woman of yours without spilling goblin blood?"

He gives a stern look to the goblin, then looks over at the "good guard" Winter. He nods and sighs.

"We want details. Where can we find these dangerous people manipulating the goblins? What traps have been set to impede us? What other secrets does your island hold? Tell us everything you know."

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