A Matter of Faith - part II

Boudica crosses her arms and looks sternly at Darius and answers Miyana's question, saying, 'He needs muscle. Isn't that right, Darius?"

"Well, yes" he confesses "Those hills are swarming with goblins, as far as I know. And who knows what lurks in that old abondoned mine. You couldn't possibly expect me to go there by myself, right?" he then changes his tone a bit, once he remembers something "- and you folks seem to love these little cockroaches. So maybe you can help broker a deal or something? Get them to bugger off somewhere else? Maybe buy them off with some trinkets? This way we could all profit!"

"And this is the man who is not to be trusted? Be interesting if this is all on the square." Seems Barns is interested in the deal. That and he could use some coin.

Boudica rolls her eyes and says, "Let me get this straight... The goblins are pressing southward and raiding the roads, the Thyatian Crystal Order is here trying to conduct an Inquisition, there may be a shape changing child murderer afoot, and you want us to go explore an old mine in a remote location because...'it's so remote, there must be something valuable there'...? Do I have that rightly?"

"When you put it like that..." Darius shrinks abit in his chair as Boudica makes him feel ashamed of himself, if only a little bit. "I mean, it's not like I can do anything about these issues. And I thought they apprehended and hanged the priest who killed the child. I'm just trying to make a living here...". He tries to make excuses for himself, but the scolding he got leads him to reconsider (some) of his life choices. Maybe. "What would you have me do?"

Boudica regards him for a moment and sighs. Then she says, "Darius, I know you to be smart and resourceful, albeit self-serving and amoral. So use those virtues to aid us! Tell me, you who have traveled and know the land, who hears rumors and has a nose for discovery -- why might the goblins be raiding so far south? What is pushing them to do so?"

Then, having an idea, she holds up a finger, and says, "And if you really want to help us, perhaps you can help us gather a flock of sheep to drive to the tomb we left behind, to offer to the tribe of goblins? We gain access to the tomb, you might gain something valuable there, and we can ask the goblins about the raids."

"I'm not completely amoral" he tries to excuse himself, before finally giving up and sighing to himself "alright, let me think. Goblins are cowardly wretches that wouldn't dare raid human settlement unless they knew they could get away with it. Or if they had no other choice. Stories I hear are of entire tribes moving east, not just sporadic raiding parties. So if I had to wager a guess, it would be that they can no longer eke out a living in their old stomping grounds. Maybe the Elves finally decided to clean house and drive them away from their forests. I dunno..." he shrugs again "That's the most plausible reason I can think of"

Boudica confers with her companions and says, "We do not seem needed here in Threshold at the moment, so let us acquire a flock of sheep and drive it to the barrow to deal with the goblins there. Then we can return to Mistamere. Hopefully we can also determine what is behind the recent goblin raids, as well as learn the truth of these beastfolk claims."

With some surprise, "We intend feed the Goblins. I'm guess that there is too many to exterminate." Appears this tactic doesn't set well with him.

Boudica nods and replies, "Yes, it is an entire clan, with many women and children. I would rather not slaughter them all in their own home. It seems like unnecessary bloodshed, and could very well be too much for us to handle."

Humphrey’s face lit up when you enter his shop. He is always happy to see you, and he gets off his chair and approaches the counter to see what he can do for you today. His frowns, however, once he hears your description of the creature, then turns his head back and raises his voice:

"Stefan! The folio on uncanny creatures, third shelf, leather binding. Quickly now!!"

The young boy returns with the tome a abort moment later, and Humphrey lays it on the counter between you and him, flipping carefully through the pages until he finds what he is looking for.


"Here. This is what you describe." His finger taps a woodcut sketch of a faceless, shadowy figure. "The Guild calls it a doppelgänger. Old legends speak of it as bringer of chaos, murder, and upheaval wherever it walk. It is said to take not only the outward appearance of those it imitate… but also their mannerisms, even fragments of memory, making it nearly impossible to detect its true nature..until it's too late."

He closed the book, but his expression had grown more grave. "It is a vile creature, if it exists beyond legend. And if such a thing is loose in Threshold…" He looked and shakes his head"…why do you ask me about it now? What have you seen?"

Boudica takes it all in and sighs. She replies, "We have one among us who can speak to animals. The mice at the church claim that the young priest accused of murder appeared to commit the crime, but the murderer smelled like somebody other than the priest. So we were wondering whether it could be someone else. Like this doppelgänger, for instance."

Humphrey, it may be too soon, but i should ask - have you made progress identifying the icy sword?

Humphrey sighs a sign of relief once Boudica finishes talking. "Ah. I see. Then perhaps we should not leap to conclusions so quickly." He closed the tome and passed it back to Stefan, who hurried to return it to the shelf. "A different smell could mean many things. Maybe he was ill. Or inebriated. Or just lighted a stick of incense before offering his prayers. To claim a doppelgänger from that alone would be… far-fetched."
He smoothed his beard with his hand, then nodded at her
"I will not dismiss your suspicions, mind you. But such creatures are rare indeed. Most troubles in this world have simpler causes."

While he no longer seemed as concerned about shapeshifting murderers, the mention of 'Icy' brought a shadow to his face: "it is a vile weapon. You are lucky to have brought it to me before it could have caused grevious harm to you, or anyone else". He doesn't specify what harm the weapon could caus "I'm looking for a way to safely dispose of it, but it has proven to be.... tricky"

Yes, sounds rough, replies our neolegendary fellow to Humphrey. I was afraid Icy Bronze would bother us, if left in existence. My associates and I will be journeying back to the burial mound, I wonder if we could dispose of it there.

"I would rather it stays here with me. Like I said; disposing of it is going to be tricky, and I can't risk it's evil being accidentally unleashed. Rest assured I'm doing everything within my power to find a proper way to destroy it"

Boudica nods and sighs. She says, "I understand your skepticism. And I admit, it is more of a feeling I have -- a hunch, if you will -- than any hard evidence. But yes, I will keep in mind what you have said.". She listens as Will and Humphrey discuss the sword. Then Boudica says to them both, "Well, I suppose we should head off to the barrow and then Mistamere, since there seems to be little more we can do here... Hopefully, we find more valuable historical info at the Barrow, as well as possibly discovering what is driving the goblins toward the human settlements. Thank you again, Humphrey."