The
Saviors of Sandpoint return to Sandpoint with
Nualia's journal and other evidence that outlined her plan to raid the town and use it as a sacrifice to the Mother of Monsters, the god Lamashtu. At the front gates, the party noticed that the town militia had been joined by soldiers bearing the mark of Magnimar.
Sheriff Hemlock had returned with reinforcements.
Jayvielle wanted to present their evidence to his cousin,
Mayor Kendra Deverin. Suljik led the party to the town hall. After presenting her with the paperwork and journal from Nualia, the mayor's face turned white as she turned page after page. "I feel bad for her, but since she wanted to sacrifice many innocent people I don't feel as bad as I might under other circumstances." She handed the papers and journal back to Jayvielle. "Present this to Sheriff Hemlock. Since Nualia has been dealt with, we can use this for evidence against
Tsuto."
At the Sandpoint Garrison,
Titus Scarnetti had assembled with a mob of about two dozen people, many of them Varisians. He demanded that Tsuto be burned at the stake for crimes against Sandpoint and that
Ameiko be taken into custody as well. He believed Mayor Deverin was soft and clearly showing favoritism by allowing Ameiko to remain free when she clearly had much to gain by the death of her father,
Lonjiku Kaijitsu. Jayvielle climbed atop
Kilgor's shoulders and announced to the crowd that the latest threat against Sandpoint, Nualia and her goblin army, had been thwarted. He asked what Titus had done to protect the town, then quickly added, "Oh that's right, nothing!" The crowd's hostility and fear seemed to dial down, calmed by Jayvielle's words.
The sheriff stood by with two of his deputies. Titus warned the sheriff that if he didn't do the right thing, the people weren't going to stand for someone getting the soft treatment after looking to lead an army of goblins against Sandpoint. "No matter what their last name is," he added.
The sheriff stepped forward. "I don't know where you get your information, Mr. Scarnetti, but you should pay them better. Maybe they'd give you more accurate gossip. The man inside is not getting the soft treatment. We are gathering evidence, and when we are satisfied that we have that evidence we will take him to Magnimar where he will be tried and spend the rest of his days in the Hells, or simply put to death for treason."
Titus noticed Ameiko in the crowd. "There!" he pointed. "The last Kaijitsu! I'll bet you haven't even questioned her," Scarnettis said smugly.
Kumiko pointed out that Ameiko had been kidnapped and tortured by her brother, and that she was not involved with any of this. Ameiko gave her a squeeze on the shoulder and thanked her.
"The sheriff has questioned me," Ameiko shouted to Titus, then addressed the crowd. "I even offered to have Father Zantus question me before the eyes of Desna herself to see if I was lying. My father and I didn't see eye to eye very much as of late. And as far as the Kaijitsu empire goes, my fortune lay at the Rusty Dragon."
Sheriff Hemlock invited the party into the garrison. They passed by the cells and noticed that two of the Magnimar soldiers stood outside Tsuto's cell. There was dried blood in the hallway. Inside the cell, Tsuto lay on his stomach, unconscious. His clothes were covered with blood, and his arms and legs were both shackled. The sheriff explained that when he arrived, Tsuto's cell was unguarded and the cell appeared empty. One of the soldiers quickly opened the cell and Tsuto appeared in the hallway behind him. As Tsuto reached for the soldier's sword, Hemlock swung his Earth Breaker and caught Tsuto in the chest. Bloody and unconscious, Tsuto was dragged back into the cell and shackled.
The party presented the evidence gathered from Nualia's stronghold, and told the sheriff about
Orik Vancaskerkin and the escaped wizard,
Lyrie Akenja. Sheriff Hemlock took the evidence and skimmed it over. After several pages, he closed the journal and told the party that, between this and Tsuto's journal, Tsuto was going to be locked away for a very long time.
With the evidence secure, the party then went to visit the scholar
Brodert Quink. They were met at his front door by the House Manager, a halfling named
Geoff. Geoff told them that Mr. Quink was resting and that they should come back tomorrow. He maintained a professional demeanor, but still appeared perturbed to see the elven arcanist
Kadrus. Kadrus suspected that his former companions, the
Warbound, had stopped in to pay Brodert a visit before heading to Thistletop to confront the Saviors of Sandpoint.
The Rusty Dragon was busy, but the Saviors of Sandpoint had their private table reserved. With a round of special drinks, Elven Moondrops prepared by
Shalelu, Kadrus had the entire tavern join them in a toast to the Saviors of Sandpoint!
The next day, the party returned to Brodert Quink's home. They told him of the discoveries they had made in Thistletop, including what appeared to be a programmed illusion of the Runelord of Greed himself. Brodert wanted to leave immediately. Kadrus said they could go, as the place had been quite thoroughly cleaned out of trouble and that
"King" Glar would be there to offer assistance. Kumiko and
Gallious joined them while the others went to do some shopping and training.
At Thistletop, King Glar greeted them at the front door. A handful of goblins, the first members of the Seven Tooth tribe to arrive, joined the explorers and King Glar beneath Thistletop. They took Brodert to several of the rooms on the second level of the crypt, and the sight of the Runelord illusion brought Quink to tears. He produced several scrolls, one of which he cast in every room they entered. Quink seemed to have a bit of arcane training as well, using the scrolls to detect a secret door in the sarcophagus room.
King Glar sent his four minions to investigate the area. Several minutes later, after they didn't return, Kadrus walked down the hallway. Two hallways branched off from the main hallway, both going downstairs and one of them ended at a door. With only the more squishy members of the party in attendance, Kumiko and Gallious decided it best to retrieve the rest of the Saviors of Sandpoint before investigating further.
