Monday, September 10, 2012

Sandpoint. 9 Rova, 4707 AR

She fell off the roof. I mean, seriously, everything you'd ever need to know about how today went can be summarized by: she fell off the damn roof.

All right, so, we headed to the glass factory that Ameiko's father owns (or, well, owned, but I'll get to that), since she apparently decided that meeting her shady-ass brother there at midnight sounded like a decent idea. Not surprisingly, the place was locked tighter than a drum. We went door-to-door, but none of them opened. (I write that like it's unreasonable for someone to lock up his place at night so that any group of idiots like us can't just wander through it looking for a missing girl with a spotty record when it comes to making safe decisions.) I'm pretty sure I was somewhere else when this decision got made, but, for some reason, Signe and not Garridan wound up clamoring onto the roof after spotting some skylights up there. I put "clamoring" there because she was wearing all her armor at the time that she made said climb. Sounded like pots and pans clanging together in the Dragon's kitchen. (Of course, nothing we've done so far has been particular subtle, so I don't know why I'd expect it to be any different at this point.) Anyway, she muscled her way on up there and scouted around a bit. But, shockingly, one of the goblins working down there heard her and looked at her through the skylight. (Yup, goblins. Remember them? All starting to come together, innit?) Signe panicked a bit (pretty reasonable, given the angry goblin pointing at her), causing her to lose her grip and slide off the roof. Lesson #1: don't send a cleric to do a thief's job. At any rate, we realized that goblins meant bad news, so we eventually got one of the doors open (after I damn-near broke a shoulder trying to do so) and went about finding them.

Place was a mess, full of bodies of the workers that the goblins have hacked to pieces. It wasn't pretty. Kid looked pretty green, though he'll deny it. At any rate, goblins started coming at us, little bastards. Throwing glass, bouncing all over the place. It took us a while, but we finally managed to take out a few, inspiring the rest of 'em to pull a runner. We followed, and, man, it's in the next room where this story takes a turn for the dark and creepy. Before now, I thought that we were involved in some sort of family dispute. Brother has Ameiko locked in a room or something until she sees his side of whatever it is causing them to argue. I mean, we already know that family ain't exactly having heart-warming moments around the fire. So, I figured it was bad, but nothing too grim. It was when we saw Ameiko's dad encased in glass that I realized we were possibly in a little over our heads. From the look on his face, you could tell that he was still alive when the glass was poured over him. Man, even I'll admit to feeling a little green after that. Took us a minute or two to collect ourselves, but then we finally found the little bastards.

I managed to make it after one of them as it fled down a corridor, but it was then that we realized that we had a bigger problem, in the form of Ameiko's brother. I'm not really sure how it all went down, since I was 'round the corner fighting the goblin, but the kid tells me that everything went bad quick. He thought at first that they were going to have an easy time of it, because the brother was unarmed, but then the guy took down Signe in one fell swoop and brushed aside one of the kid's better spells. Bad scene. Garridan apparently got a healing potion to Signe and he and the kid were able to drive the brother back a bit so that she could get to her feet. I finally took down the goblin and stumbled down the corridor, figuring I could flank him from the other side. (Or, at least, hoping I could. Place was darker than midnight.) Guy was smart, though, must've heard me coming, because he fired off an arrow or two my way before I could get to him. Kid got in a hit with what even I could recognize as magic missile and the guy stumbled a bit. I decided that it was time to try some new tricks, realizing how easy this guy was playing us, and went at 'im with both axes, something I'd been practicing for awhile. Managed to nail him with my battle axe and stun 'im a bit more. Signe realized that I was struggling after the fight with the goblins and healed me. Helped a lot, because I was able to nail 'im with both blades next time. Guy was definitely hurting by this point and Garridan slid past 'im, dropping him with that knife thing he does. Garridan and I probably would've ended him there, but the kid pointed out that we might've needed him to find Ameiko. 'Course, we didn't have any rope (need to remember to buy some), so Garridan wound up binding him with some string. Felt like an idiot watching Garridan spool him in string like he was a damn house cat. Turned out we didn't need 'im to find Ameiko because she was just in one of the rooms off the corridor. Pretty bad shape, I have to say. Bound, battered. Signe grabbed her and Garridan and I grabbed the brother. By the time we got outside, crowd of townspeople had gathered outside the factory. Helpful lot, these Sandpointers. Didn't offer to help or nothing, just gawked at us while we lugged the two of 'em to the garrison.

We decided to leave the guy with the Guards. However, since we weren't confident that they could guard the ONE DAMN PRISONER that they had in their entire prison, we left Garridan and the kid to watch over Ameiko's brother while Signe and I took Ameiko herself to Father What's-His-Name. Man, suddenly, it all really went from bad to even worse. Turns out her brother's involved with the daughter of the former priest, the one who allegedly died in that fire. She's apparently not only "not dead" but also some sorta bastard "celestial being" or something. We regroup with Garridan and the kid and it turned out that the kid found the brother's journal that more or less confirmed this story. Ameiko's brother and this girl were working with some pretty nasty demon or something, planning on sacrificing the whole town to her. Ameiko told us that the brother was decent enough to offer to hide her, so she wouldn't get hurt in the attack, but she refused. (Just to note, I'm not giving a guy who encased another living being in glass too much credit. Sure, the father was a prick, but even he didn't deserve that.) Kid and I were talking to Father So-and-So about it, trying to get some more information, when Garridan suddenly just blurted out that Ameiko's father was dead. Seriously. I mean, I'm not saying that I'm great with this sorta thing, but, given that the kid told that townswoman that goblins ate her husband's face off and Garridan being all, "Congratulations, you're an orphan,' someone around here needs to learn how to deliver this sorta news better. (You'd think Signe could do it, as a cleric and all, but she seems to get distracted by the thought of supper too often.) Ameiko was pissed (not that I blame 'er), and I think I'm just lucky to have a room for tonight to write this entry. Made some sort of comment about her hospitality as we returned to the inn.

'Course, to the surprise of NO ONE, guard entered a little while later, when we were trying to relax, telling us the brother offed himself. Seriously. One prisoner and they let 'im kill himself. Guard tried to blame Garridan, since he tied the knot, but we weren't buying it. Seriously, I need to have a talk with the Mayor about why she's paying these idiots to do ANYTHING. If our group is going to have to start posting our own damn watches just to keep prisoners alive, we might as well get the money for it that the guards get paid. Signe and I checked out the body, realized that his lover, the possible half-demon/half-human chick, paid a little visit before he died after we found her hair in his hand. (Creepy, I know.) Not sure what sort of secrets the guy was holding that made 'im decide to hang 'imself. I'm thinking it's not good, particularly since we now know we've got some half-demon/half-human chick out there with a demon master and goblin army, wanting nothing more than to take out this town. It's certainly not something that I need to be in the middle of resolving. Of course, given how successful I've been so far in keeping my nose outta this stuff, I'm thinking I'm going to find out the answer sooner rather than later.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Sandpoint. 9 Rova, 4707 AR

Seriously, I have no idea how I wound up stuck with these people. I mean, I do. But, damn, I'm a fool for staying with 'em. OK, sure, I wasn't going to let a goblin horde eat some village kids at a fair. I mean, come on, what sort of guy would just let some goblin maul a kid who five minutes ago was enjoying some spiced potatoes and waiting for some loud fireworks? Was I going to just shrug and say, "Not my town, not my problem?" No, of course not. I mean, yeah, a lot of people would've. Most people, probably. But, then again, a lot of people are assholes. But, a lot of people are decent. My companions, as annoying as they are? They're decent. So, we lent a hand. Would I rather have been taking down giants instead of goblins? Sure. But, sometimes, life works that way. Ask my folks.

It doesn't mean, though, that I'm going to start doing the job that the Guard should be doing. Me? I'm enjoying the free comfortable room and the occasional complimentary beverage. I don't need no shrine dedicated to me. When I've overstayed my welcome, I'll leave My companions? Yeah, they're decent, but, man, they're too decent. All these people keep coming out of the woodwork wanting the "heroes'" help. Want us to find everyone's lost dog and solve everyone's old family mystery. Of course, the place sure does seem to have a lot of mysteries for a small town. Take that Ameiko girl or however you spell her name. Her old man is crazy. Burst into the place screaming about us interfering in the Guard's work. Told 'im that the Guard clearly wasn't doing its work if we had to take down the goblins ourselves, but old man is more the ranty, rather than the listening, type. The kid thinks that he was behind the goblin attack, but I just don't see the connection, Guy just doesn't like adventurers. Lots of folk don't. Makes sense, particularly if you've got a hot daughter who you'd prefer not consorting with guys like Garridan and running her own inn. Can't say I blame him, exactly. But, given that his manor isn't overrun with goblins right now, also could've been a bit more respectful. Crossed a line when he started abusing Ameiko. She's been good to us, so we were all a bit peeved when he got in her face, screaming in that language of his that even the kid doesn't speak. All thought that we were gonna have to step in, but girl can handle herself. (The fact that Garridan hasn't managed to sleep with her yet proves that.) Sent 'em packing with a ladle to the head.

Anyway, the woman who came in after that certainly couldn't handle herself. Crying about her asshole of a husband screaming at her kid or something. Goblins in the closet. I felt like we should leave well enough alone, but the kid decides we're some sort of investigators or something and offered to help. Of course, I'm the one who had a crazed-ass goblin leap from a closet at him, so I feel like I should start getting more votes in these matters. I mean, sure, I felt bad for the woman, but, seriously, you have too many goblins jump from a closet at you, one of 'em is going to get lucky and land a blow to the head that ends you. I just feel like we should be a little more, I don't know, choosy when deciding who to help. (I don't know even know why I'm talking about a "we." Obviously 'ave been hit in the head by too many goblins already.) But, no. We're just here to help. When the sheriff asks you to just stroll around town like you own the place so people feel safe, do you ask him to pitch in something for the trouble? Apparently not. (I'm not asking for, like, the keys to the town's vault or anything, but a tab at a place not forcing me to eat kippers three times a day wouldn't hurt. Maybe he could just dock the Guard's pay since it's clearly not doing anything all day.) But, no, kid wants us to be heroes. (Garridan just likes the ladies' attention. Signe just likes the free food. At least those two motivations make some sense to me. Kid, though. Delusions of grandeur.)

Of course, now, we're going to go look into Ameiko disappearing. Sure, besides the kippers, she's down right by us, as I said. But, anyone meeting some mysterious half-brother at glass factory at midnight? They're asking for trouble, in my book. But, here we go, asking right along with her. That's the kid at the door. Gozreh only knows where tonight's gonna go.