The Flameborn

“Yes, I'm okay friends," the goblin answers softly. "You are friends? You must be friends, because you’ve just saved the Bumblebrashers from that man. So much flailing! And shrieking! Ack!" She lets out a deep breath to calm herself. “I am Helba, and I am the Bumblebrashers’ chieftain. We have been stuck up here for so long—days it feels like! Maybe even weeks? Hard to keep track. First those awful monsters chased us from our comfy basement, then that dragon-dog came, and then that awful halfling man showed up talking about elves and other nonsense! No elves live here! Just us Bumblebrashers!” Helba looks back at her people, and a deeply morose look settles upon her face. “I just want to protect my people. But everything—everyone—wants us dead.”

Sayl sounds cheerful at first, "Not everyone wants you dead, Warbal has been worried sick about you; she's going to be so relieved to know you're safe!"

Then, in a far more somber tone, "... And, protecting the people you love is always worth fighting for, even when it feels like it really is you against the entire world..."

Sayl seems to get lost in thought for a moment.

Telv rubs her sister's back a little before realizing they were never introduced to the bramblebashers properly. " oh! where are our manners? I'm Telv and this is Sayl. The other two are Mateo and Orinda.

Sayl gives Telv a grateful-yet-wistful smile.

As the goblins go to talk with the newly rescued goblins, Orinda and Mateo head over to Calmont to question him. "Let's start from the beginning," Orinda says, crossing her arms and fixing Calmont with a steely glare. "How did you first find out about this ring?"

Helba nods. "My father's mother's father, for who I'm named, learned how cruel the world can be. That's why we live here, instead of the town. They aren't unkind to us, but we've passed down those lessons to protect ourselves."

Calmont's sneer twists into a look of pure rage. "Voz is my employer, but she thinks she’s my god. Always bossin’ me around! ‘Calmont do this, Calmont read that, Calmont that’s not how you pronounce Nobooger!’ She’s a jerk! I hate her! I’ve been digging around her stuff for weeks, trying to find something I could sell to buy my way out of this stupid job. Didn’t find any goodies. But I did find her notes about Alseta’s Ring. What’s she planning to do with that information? Don’t care! I just want to get paid!”

Shaking off the rest of her momentary melancholy, Sayl asks Helba, "You said you were run out of the basement? By what? Do you need aid to clear out again?"

Helba gets a panicked look at her face, but then she glances back to her tribe mates and conspicuously rights her
posture. “Cultists—at least I think they’re cultists. They called themselves the Cinderclaws, and they said our home was their home now. They threatened to roast us! To peel us and eat us! Ack! And they had dragon monsters with them! So of course we ran from the vaults. Then so many monsters on the ground floor, so we ran up here, to the battlements. That dragon thing down in the courtyard kept us from getting away! It wanted to eat us! Thank you for killing it.”

"And what did you find out about Alseta's ring from those notes?" Orinda follows up with, choosing to ignore that everything Calmont complained about was what any employer would do.

"Like I said, it's a ring of elf gates." Calmont's sneer returns. "They're connected to other elf gates in the world."

"And that was the only information in those notes?" Orinda says, fixing Calmont with a look. "And that was enough for you to run off to find them, setting fire to the town hall on the way?"

"Tch, there was some other stuff, but it was all in her crazy elf language. There was enough for me though. I've been planning this for weeks, scoping out the place, sneaking around trying to find a way to the basement since the stairs collapsed." He glowers at you. "Of course then I heard that little bint Warble was gonna ask heroes to come up her and I know how heroic adventuring goes, you'll come out here on a simple errand and stumble on a great mystery. Couldn't have that. Hence, burning town hall to the ground. The _plan_ was that you'd burn with it."

"Did you all get here safel- er, as safe as possible, at least?" Sayl asks Helba

"Most of us," Helba nods solemnly. "A few were caught on the way up, but they got eaten in one bite so I don't think they made it."

"We have to take him," Sayl nods her head towards Calmont, "back to the town before we can come back to clean up the rest of the castle... Will you all be safe up here?"

Helba nods fervently. "We've been okay up here this long, and now that the dragon thing is gone we can try and run if we need to."

"Where'd that fire mephit come from?" Orinda asks Calmont.

"I honestly thought better of you," Mateo growls. "But I guess I was wrong... for something like this, you'll be locked up for a long, long time. Or executed."

Calmont spits in Mateo's direction. "Yeah right, like those pansies have the balls. They'll lock me up for a few weeks then let me out after I've had a good timeout to think about what I've done, same as always."

With nothing more to ask, the party manacles Calmont up and heads back to the Breachhill. The walk back to town is quiet, punctuated only by Calmont occasionally spitting out an insult, but you're soon able to get him over to Town Hall. While the front has been burnt completely out, the rear of the building is fine, which is fortunate because that's where the jail is. After depositing Calmont there, you get directions from Wilford Lavendil, the head of the guard, to the conference room where the Council has relocated until the front can be repaired.

The group thanks the guard and goes to report to the council.

When you enter, the Council members are discussing minor budgetary matters, but stop and look at you. Seated in a small chair off to the side is Warbal, who jumps to her feet when she sees you. "You're back! Did you find me Bumblebrashers? Are they okay, are they safe, did they get eaten by wargs?"

Sayl nods, "We found Helba and some of the others being held hostage by Calmont. We successfully rescued them and have just turned Calmont over to the care of the town guard; those goblins are safe, for the moment. However, their original problem is still there, they were run out of the basement by a cult calling themselves the 'Cinderclaws'"

Warble runs over and hugs Sayl. "Oh thank you, thank you thank you thank you for finding them!" She dissolves into grateful sobs as the council exchanges looks.

"On behalf of the Council and the town of Breachill," Greta Gardania says. "Thank you for completing your missions." She nods to Quentino Posandi, who pulls out a bag and slides it across the table to Mateo. "As promised, 20 gold pieces. Now, pursuant to the issue of these Cinderclaws, I would like to authorize-" before she can continue, Posandi clears his throat and gives her a harsh look, which she returns. "... I would like to authorize further expeditions to uncover these cultists but unfortunately, with no clear and present threat to the town or its citizens, the council would have to engage in a lengthy debate in order to do so. However, I would personally request that you investigate these Cinderclaws and ensure that they don't represent a clear and present danger."