Runelords Recap: Part One

The kind old Brodert Quink, a fine Thassilonian scholar, sat comfortably in his overstuffed armchair as the large group of Sandpoint children tugged at the bottom of his robes and continued with their questions. He knew they sought more of the story he'd been writing up over the past week. Such stories deserved print after all, and since he knew more of the story then many others, he felt it his duty. Word of his publication in progress got out though, and since then, children have been banging down his door for the story...


If he was ever to get some peace and quiet, Brodert knew he had no choice but to tell it... "Come Sihd," he called to his familiar. The small butterscotch colored cat hopped up into the man's lap - all too eager to escape the crazed hands of Sandpoint's youth who seemed to have some addiction to tail-pulling. Brodert sighed. "You all wish to hear the story concerning the heroes of Varisia?" The children nodded furiously. "Very well. You know, these heroes all started out right here in Sandpoint! I even tutored a couple of them! It all began with the Swallowtail Festival...

Once upon a time, a group of five noble adventurers arrived in the small town of Sandpoint for the Swallowtail festival. When I met these six travelers they were simpy known as Jaime, Nakor, Slavla, Blayne, Deanda, and Kiikii. You though, I'm sure, know them as Sir Jaime the Just, Lieutenant Nakor the Skullbasher, Slava the Dragonslayer, Blayne - King of the Squirrels, Lady Deanda - Defender of the Branch, and Kiikii Jiikii the Mirror Breaker."

The children piped up at this. "Mr. Brodert Sir. What about Kraca the Giant Toppler! " Another child piped up. "Yeah, he's my favorite!" Brodert chuckled at his. "In good time children, in good time. Kraca did not join our heroes until after the seige on Thistletop. It all happened like this..." Brodert cleared his throat and began his story...

"The Swallowtail festival took place on the longest day in all of Autumn, and was well attended. I was sadly out of town during it, but I have heard the stories from many of Sandpoint's citizens. It seems that a horrible seige was staged on the town that day as many goblin tribes sent their best warriors to attack. This of course was simply a distraction though, while Nualia - the presumed-dead daughter of the late Father Tobyn - snuck into the Sandpoint graveyard and stole her father's remains. The battle raged through Sandpoint and was quite a sight to see. Goblins leapt off of roofs and accidentally lit each other on fire. In hindsight, I suppose it was quite silly. Goblins are strange little creatures after all. Anyways, there were our heroes carving through all of them like so much warm butter. Even the town guards couldn't hold a candle to these newcomers, bashing skulls, slinging spells, and singing songs which echoed far above the roar of combat.

In the tides of battle, they happened upon one man, a noble from Magnimar by the name of Aldern Foxglove... this meeting was one that they would never forget... This handsome young noble thanked the party over and over again for their aid, and offered to meet up with them later for an official reward. After the goblin assault ended, our heroes met with Father Zantus, who told them of the true intentions of the goblin assault - to steal the remains of Father Tobyn who perished in the fires of the Late Unpleasantness. None could have predicted the sinister intentions behind this assault... Things began to wind down and the adventurers did meet up with Aldern again, sharing dinner at the Rusty Dragon. He granted each of them a hefty sack of coin, in addition to some horses and an invitation to come hunting with him - an invitation I'm sure that today, they wish they'd declined. For you see children, Aldern had become obsessed with the young druid Deanda, a woman whom you all know was an elf, and therefore quite beautiful. They hunted, and the noble finally took his leave, saying farewell for what they thought to be the last time.

Our adventurers had become town heroes, and were praised by the locals. Many of the shopkeepers granted them gifts or offered them discounts on products. Slavla, a young barbarian in those days, had attracted the eyes of quite a few young mistresses of Sandpoint. I wonder if that ever got him into trouble... Anyways, they were heroes. They traveled the town, fishing off of our harbor and even trying their hands at the drinking games down at the Hagfish. They were true citizens of Sandpoint, even though they didn't officially live here. In addition to father Zantus, the heroes became companions with Sheriff Hemlock, the brave guard captain who admired them for their work against the Goblins. During one of their meetings with him, Hemlock introduced the adventurers to a hunter by the name of Shalelu Andosana who told them of the goblins in the region. She turned out to be a fast companion and close friend in the times to come.

The peace did not last long however, as soon the heroes were called on again to help a woman and her family. Apparently a goblin had been hiding in the closet of her child's room! Well, they dispatched the goblin easily enough, but at some cost. The family's father had passed away. This was a dark day indeed. It would seem that not all goblins were so light-hearted and laughable. They were truly evil hearted creatures...

Soon enough, more problems came around. The tavernkeep of the Rusty Dragon, Ameiko Kaijitsu, went missing. The group was informed by Ameiko's maid, a nice old halfling woman by the name of Bethana. A letter they recovered from Ameiko's room linked her to a meeting the night prior with her brother Tsuto. Bethana quickly went on to note that Tsuto had always been somewhat of an outcast in Sandpoint, and was nothing but bad news when he used to live there. Tsuto fled Sandpoint several years ago, and if he'd come back, she feared that Tsuto was up to something... Bethana figured that the group may want to go and investigate the Sandpoint Glassworks - a business run by the Kaijitsu's where the brother and sister meeting was supposed to take place - just to make sure nothing foul has happened to her mistress, the lovely Ameiko.

The inspection of the Glassworks brought more then our heroes expected. The place was crawling with goblins, not to mention Tusto himself who had killed his own father - encasing him in a block of glass. After dispatching these foes however, the heroes found Ameiko tied up in the basement and freed her, but in their explorations, they found an area beneath the Glassworks that had long since been sealed off and forgotten to time. Smuggling tunnels mostly, but they also happened upon a series of catacombs that led into an ancient temple site of some kind. A location they later learned was called the Catacombs of Wrath. They defeated the foul beasts known as Sinspawns which guarded the place, and finally went toe to toe against a quasit named Erylium who called these pits her home. The battle was fierce as they fought back sinspawn, summoned beasts, and the Erylium herself.

How did they fair? Well, that is a story for tomorrow."