Setting: town of Sandpoint, “Light of the Lost Coast.”  NG small town, population approx. 1250 (predominantly human, plus 3 dozen halflings, 2 dozen each dwarves n’ elves, and 1 dozen each gnomes, half-elves n’ half-orcs).

Government: autocracy (Kendra Deverin, mayor). Small town council of 3-4 elders.

Law Enforcement: Sandpoint Watch (Balor Hemlock, sheriff; approx. 16 guardsmen)

Marketplace: base value 1300 gp, purchase limit 7500 gp.

 

Initial Core Players –

Karoshi, male kitsune Witch

Svein Gjuki, male dwarf Ranger

Sergoth, male human Sorcerer

Abroshtor, male gnome Cleric of Abadar

Cora, female human Rogue

Ender Jorlif, male human Fighter

 

Session 1 – Festival and Fire

Begins with the Swallowtail Festival in Sandpoint, an annual celebration of storytelling and feasting on the Autumnal Equinox (third week of Rova). The characters just arrive in town and are enjoying the carnival-like atmosphere of games, tales, and contests as well as free food, courtesy of the town’s taverns and inns. The celebration is culminated by the release of a wagonload of swallowtail butterflies in honor of the Varisian goddess Desna.

At sunset the festival is winding down, and the town priest Father Zanthus begins to close the day’s events with the Prayer of First Dreaming. There is a commotion and the prayer is disrupted by the appearance of several bands of goblins — consisting of warriors, commandos and warchanters — attacking the townsfolk, setting fires, and causing all manner of chaotic mayhem.  The PCs intervene and cut down about a dozen of the little menaces.

**PCs prevent goblins from setting fire to the church

**Rescue visiting Magnimar noble Aldern Foxglove from goblin attack, saving his life.

Party finds evidence that suggests raid on Sandpoint may have been staged as a distraction to cover up a grave robbery at the local Boneyard. A crypt has been broken into and the body of high priest Tobyn Ezakien has been stolen, leaving behind a trio of skeletons to attack investigators.

**PCs find discarded robe of bones, now bereft of any more undead-creating patches but still emitting faint magical aura.

**Find tracks of half-dozen goblins and one medium-sized humanoid going to and from the crypt, but lose them on other side of Boneyard wall.

Session 2 – Heroes of Sandpoint

Party now regarded generally as local heroes, given discounts, free snacks and drinks by local merchants and innkeepers, free week of rooms at Rusty Dragon Inn, and general well-wishes all around.

**Sergoth is seduced by Shayliss Vinder, brazen daughter of the owner of Sandpoint General Store.  They are interrupted in mid-coitus by her father, Ven Vinder, and only fast talking on Sergoth’s part saves him from being severely beaten by the enraged shopkeeper. (natural 20 Bluff check by Sergoth sways the furious Ven away from further attacks but he forbids his daughter to see Sergoth again on the grounds that his daughter deserves more than some “wayward vagabond adventurer!”)

**Svein gains modest acclaim by successfully drinking from the tank at the Hagfish, local tavern, and has his name scribed on the wall in commemoration.

Party investigates the theft at the Boneyard further and discovers bit of town’s recent dark history, referred to collectively as “the Late Unpleasantness.” Five years ago, a short series of events cast a dark cloud on the town, including the suicide of the wife of a prominent nobleman, a killing spree by serial killer Jervis “Chopper” Stoot, and a horrendous fire which burnt the previous church to the ground and claimed the lives of Father Tobyn and his foster daughter, Nualia.

Further investigation leads to questioning the sheriff Balor Hemlock and an interview at the home of the mysterious Madame Niska Mvashti to learn more about the “Late Unpleasantness.” New information leads the party to wonder if perhaps the late Chopper may be behind the goblin raid on Sandpoint.  An investigation of the small island north of town where Chopper made his home proves fruitless, however.

Aldern Foxglove, in gratitude for the party saving his life during the raid, holds a boar hunt in their honor in the neighboring Tickwood. He rewards the party further by purchasing each of them a riding horse (gelding or mare) at the local Goblinsquash Stables.

Local aristocrat Lonjiku Kaijitsu storms into the Rusty Dragon while the party is toasting and feasting the fresh boar and angrily confronts his daughter Ameiko Kaijitsu. Although the bulk of the shouting match is in Minkaian, the idea is that Lonjiku wants to leave Sandpoint and wants his disgraced daughter to return with him to Magnimar. Several in the party come to Ameiko’s aid, which earns them Lonjiku’s ire and Ameiko’s gratitude.

Local family begs party to help against a lone goblin commando who has been hiding in their son’s closet since the goblin raid, as the frantic creature has killed their dog and tried to maul the sleeping child. The party rushes to the Barett family’s aid but is too late to prevent the goblin from having killed the father and eaten most of the flesh from his face and upper torso. Even though this incident is not the party’s fault, this causes some of the locals to question the party’s efficiency and casts some doubt on their “hero” status.

**Sergoth attempts to contact Shayliss again surreptitiously but his letter is intercepted by her vigilant father.

**Aldern seems to have some sort of intense obsession lurking beneath the surface of his charming and refined demeanor. His obsession seems enviously directed at the party’s heroism but more intensely by the lusty gazes at the party’s lone female, the buxom Cora.

**Ameiko seems to be developing an interest in Karoshi, attracted by his exotic appearance as well as his bravery and intellect.

Session 3 – Glass and Fury

Morning after the disturbance at the Rusty Dragon, Svein has an intense dream involving the god Torag the Maker, a mighty crossbow and confronting a goblin warrior. The dream seems to point him to somewhere beneath Sandpoint itself and then to an island built on a monument east of Sandpoint.

Party has a meeting with the mayor Kendra Deverin, two of the town councilmen Titus Scarnetti and Ethram Valdemar, and sheriff Balor Hemlock.  They thank the party for their recent efforts and introduce them to elven bounty hunter Shaeleira Andosana.  Shaeleira is a ranger and an expert on the local goblin tribes. She tells the PC’s what she knows about the various goblin tribes and tells of recent raids on outlying farms and homesteads – apparently the goblins are becoming more bold than ever and she is concerned that they may be organizing under a strong leader.

Hemlock announces that he will be taking a squadron of guards and visiting Magnimar to see about securing additional soldiers to station at Sandpoint for a while until the extent of the goblin threat can be determined and dealt with. He asks Shaeleira to sniff around Mosswood and Devil’s Platter to investigate further and asks the PCs to stick around town and maintain a public presence till his return so the townsfolk don’t panic in his absence.

A few days later, Ameiko has gone missing and is found to have been kidnapped by her foster brother Tsuto Kaijitsu. Tsuto was born half-elven and his humiliated human father Lonjiku had him hidden away in a monastery. The PCs follow the bait to the Kaijitsu Glassworks and inside find the place crammed with goblins gleefully smashing up the place. They also find Lonjiku’s corpse artfully displayed in molten glass.

After dealing with the goblins and discovering the fate of Lonjiku, the party descends to the basement of the factory and confronts Tsuto. The half-elf is barely able to fend off the party and, greatly outnumbered, flees down a hidden smuggler’s tunnel. Ameiko is rescued and is told of her father’s fate.

**Per suggestion by Hemlock before he left, Abroshtor and Cora attempt to redeem Zayyod, a former watch captain and now town drunk. Between Abroshtor’s diplomacy and Cora’s coaxing they encourage Zayyod to climb out of the bottle and take up his sword and shield again to assist the party.

**Cora finds Zayyod attractive and makes her intentions known. He becomes a romantic interest for her.

**In gratitude for her rescue, Ameiko awards the party free room n’ board at the Rusty Dragon for the rest of their lives. She also becomes the sole inheritor of the Kaijitsu family and – against her will – has become Sandpoint’s newest noblewoman.  In addition to this development, she and Kiroshi begin actively courting.

Session 4 – Catacombs of Wrath

The party investigates the smuggler’s tunnel below the glassworks and finds it leads to a hidden beach near Junker’s Edge. They also discover that it connects to an ancient dungeon complex below Sandpoint and find a number of remnants of the Thassilonian Age hidden away in these catacombs. During their exploration, the party fights a number of unknown aberrations: hairless humanoids with back-bent legs,  clawed two-toed feet and talons, and a hideous mouth flanked by tiny mandibles resembling clawed three-fingered hands.

Other guardians include a lone vargouille; Korovus, a monstrously mutated goblin possessing tremendous strength; and Erylium, a mysterious Quasit witch who claimed the entire catacombs as her personal “kingdom.”

In an immense underground cathedral of the catacombs the party discovers an angular-shaped well of frothing translucent liquid the color of molten lava. When blood was allowed to drip into the well, it spawned one of the humanoid aberrations encountered earlier.

**Svein is afflicted by a magic pool in the catacombs, which causes his features to transform horrifically, and magically inspires tremendous rage in him until he is cleansed later by drinking from another pool.

**A red marble statue marks the entrance of the catacombs; the statue is of a strikingly beautiful but monstrously enraged human woman, her expression twisted in fury. The statue is carved to include a large book marked with a seven-pointed star and has a removable masterwork ranseur.

**Eerie short messages in unknown languages appear at random in various spots on the walls of the catacombs, disappearing moments after they appear. Also strange howls can be vaguely heard coming from somewhere below the catacombs, though no way is found to explore any hidden depths further below.

**Other treasures found in the catacombs include (but are not limited to) a magical +1 longsword, a few arcane scrolls, an ancient prayer book, an iron wand, a black shifting garment, and a +1 cold iron returning starknife.

Session 5 – Approach to Thistletop

After clearing out the catacombs, the party decides to march out to pursue Tsuto and confront the goblins and their aasimar leader Nualia in their lair at Thistletop. They spend a few days in Sandpoint preparing for the expedition.

**Zayyod is appointed watch captain of Sandpoint in the party’s and Hemlock’s absence.

**Shaeleira is questioned intensively regarding her knowledge of all local goblin tribes.

**the party trades the magical longsword they found to blacksmith Das Korvut for a dwarven waraxe +1.

The party takes the Lost Coast Road east to the Nettlewood toward Thistletop, an island 80 ft. offshore from the Varisian Coast, connected to the mainland by a rope bridge. They find the only way from the mainland to the goblin lair lies through a monstrous tangle of heavy briars – thick enough to block sight and prevent merely pushing through. Svein spends hours locating the hidden entrance.  Navigating the thorny hedge maze, the group encounters a dozen goblins, a pack of goblin dogs and a goblin druid named Gogmurt and his animal companion, a firepelt cougar.

**While investigating a seaside cave, the group is startled by the supernatural roar of a bunyip – which causes half the party to flee in fear and sorcerer Sergoth to lose his balance and fall into the ocean. Sergoth is badly mauled by the beast but he manages to swim to safety – Ender and Cora leap in to dispatch the beast and rescue the sorcerer before he bleeds out.

Session 6 – Thistletop, upper level

The party has to navigate a treacherous rope-bridge to access the goblin outpost perched on Thistletop. Svein and Cora scout the opposite side and note that the goblin guards are distracted from their duties by shooting seagulls. Attempting to take advantage of this distraction, the rest of the party hurries across the bridge only to find that the bridge was rigged to collapse when a certain amount of weight was put on it. Cora and Svein hold off the guards while the rest of the party works to clear the bridge and assist them.

After the encounter, the party recovers and climbs the outpost wall to gain access to the goblin lair. They find the guard posts vacated and begin exploring the keep. They quickly find themselves in the throne room of the leader of the Thistletop goblins, Warchief Ripnugget. The chief is mounted on a giant gecko and is guarded by a half-dozen elite guards and a goblin warchanter. After the battle, the party does a quick search of the keep and descends into the lower chambers, leaving much of the upper level unexplored.

**When the bridge collapsed, Abroshtor fell into the ocean and nearly drowned as his metal armor weighed him down. Quick thinking and spellcasting by Karoshi saved the gnome’s life.

**Warchief Ripnugget is the leader of the entire Thistetop goblin tribe, the most numerous of all goblin tribes in the area. Ripnugget is a powerful and cunning warrior and laid a clever ambush for the party’s arrival. Several party members are badly injured but the cleric’s healing spells and several healing potions keep them up and fighting.

**Among the loot recovered from the goblins is a +1 giant-bane heavy crossbow, +1 short sword, a magic wand of illusions, and several potions. They also find a ring of keys in Ripnugget’s possession.

**A magnificent heavy warhorse has been found nailed shut inside a stable in the keep. It has been tortured by the goblins and the beast is nearly starved. The party frees the frantic animal and calms him… they leave him upstairs until they leave the island.

Descending into the dungeon, the party is ambushed by another quartet of guards led by a bugbear ranger. Some in the party are grievously wounded but they overrun their attacker’s position.

**The bugbear ranger is particularly strong creature, a ranger named Bruthazmus. He is a long-time nemesis of Shaeleira, and is fiercely devoted to Nualia. The party claims his masterwork heavy longbow.

Session 7 – Thistletop: Dungeon Level

Exploring the dungeon, the party discovers that Thistletop was the site of a hidden church of Lamashtu over 200 years ago. In addition to several rooms for storage and sleeping quarters, they find a gallery, a prison and an elaborate chapel to the Mother of Monsters. In addition there is a small arena of sea caves, open to the ocean on the lee side of the island.

**the Chapel is guarded by a pair of otherworldly yeth hounds, which attack the party when the invade the chapel proper. Their panic-inducing howls and resistance to most mortal-forged weapons make them formidable adversaries. An examination of the altar of Lamashtu reveals smears of fresh ash and charred bone… all that remains of the corpse of Father Tobyn.

**other opposition in the dungeon include Nualia’s henchmen and followers: her bodyguard, the mercenary Orik; her advisor, the mage Lyrie, and her lover, the half-elf monk Tsuto Kaijitsu.

**Among the treasure taken from Nualia’s henchmen are Orik’s magic +1 banded armor, mwk bastard sword and magical +1 heavy steel shield in shape of a giant’s scowling face. From Lyrie, they claim her spellbook and several scrolls, a wand of magic missiles, cloak of resistance +1, and an amulet of magecraft. And from Tsuto, they get a ring of protection +1, periapt of wound closure and a mwk silver-chased flute.

**At the back of the complex they find a hidden doorway leading down to an even older dungeon complex, one dating back at least a thousand years.

Session 8 –

Descending down a hidden stair, the party discovers a series of chambers that must have been part of the original statue before it fell into the sea ages ago.  Although a few traps and undead guardians linger, it’s apparent that only a scattered remnant of the original complex remains to challenge the heroes.  Beyond the traps and a well-concealed passage, the party finds an ancient scrying chamber, throne room and crypt as well as a great evil imprisoned for thousands of years.

**Nualia, the cursed aasimar warrior-priestess, greets the party in the ancient scrying room.  She and her remaining yeth hound companion fight the party to a stand still but Nualia manages to escape using a spell of concealment to cover her retreat.  Among her abandoned notes and journals, the party discovers Nualia’s plans for razing Sandpoint to the ground as an offering to exchange her angelic heritage for a bestial fiendish form instead. It also gives details on the runewell found below the Glassworks in Sandpoint and how to fuel it and use its powers to manifest more sinspawn once the well has been filled.

**Notes found seem to indicate a hidden treasury beyond the crypt but the party avoids the area entirely when they discover it is guarded by undead shadows.

**The throne room has an ancient illusion of the same sinister figure depicted in several statues found throughout this level.  The illusion has deteriorated with time, and plays the same truncated message in an eternal broken loop.

**The final chamber is opened, where the barghest demon Malfeshnekor has been imprisoned for several thousand years. The party fights bravely but soon realizes they are outmatched… they are able to hold him off long enough to retreat and seal the prison chamber again from the outside.

**the few treasures found on this level include a ring of force shield, a silver coffer, masterwork surgical tools, and a magical amulet bearing the seven-pointed star engraving (a Sihedron medallion).

After escaping the demons and binding their wounds, the party retreats from Thistletop and makes their way back to Sandpoint.