Gundar scratches his head at the exchange between the Halfling, Damiel and Flavius.
When Damiel asks him to close the door, he is a little surprised. The woman didn't look dangerous even waving her little knife around and besides, she was greatly outnumbered. After all the wanton death and destruction they have seen recently, it would be nice to save a life.
Are ye sure? He asks Damiel.
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Flavius extends a waterskin to the girl, which immediately goes at it, drinking greedily.
After some seconds she smiles, and thank you with her eyes. She points at herself and speaks.
"Muhdzuzi."
Muhdzuzi is dehydrated and suffers from fatigue.
Although Muhdzuzi nibbled on the contents of the large crate of rations here, it still contains 100 gp worth of food. It wouldn't be easy to move.
"I'm sure, but the warriors seem to want to rescue her." he replies to Gundar. "As long as they are responsible for her, that is ok with me also."
She seems to have changed her tune! Gundar says.
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There are more stuff in the room, as hard to move as the food.
Dry goods, nails, canvas, fresh clothing, and other basic supplies were kept in this chamber, located under the former fort commander’s quarters for security.
Muhdzuzi tells Damiel her ordeal. She hid from the Mireborn war party, an aggresive lizardfolk tribe, during the attack, only to be trapped when a bookcase above toppled and sealed the trap door. After a week of isolation and little water, she was desperate, and thank you for saving her.
She swears she will repay the debt of honor she now has.
She and six other hunters encountered the Mireborn raiding party 9 days ago and fled toward the coast, only to discover the human fort. Setting aside their traditional isolationism, the Song’o asked the strangers for shelter from the lizardfolk. Sadly, none of the resident soldiers could understand the halflings, and their warnings went unheard until the Mireborn attacked that night.
Damiel translates what she says to the others. "Do any of you have questions for her?"
"Do you want to accompany us back to our town, or do you wish to return to your people? I"m not sure if we can escort you to your people though, and I have to imagine it is dangerous around here. "
After Damiel or Flavius translates Gundar will say, We could take her back to town then back to her people after we report in.
Ojore looks over the weapons and armor and comments All these things belong to the town. Perhaps they will give us some as a reward but they are not our property. Still we should use what we can if it helps in our mission. Specifically to Damiel he admonishes That armor is worth much trade goods. Would you take food from the captain's widow and children? If he has heirs they have claim to it.
Ojore also speaks Polyglot. Its his native tongue after all. Muhdzuzi, you will come with us to the human town. I promise to keep you safe there. You will tell them your tale. Then you and I will go to your people and tell them what happened. The others of this group may choose to go as well. That is up to them. These lizard people have tried to make it look like your people did the killing of men here. We must work together to oppose these evil lizardmen. Ojore states this like it must be so.
We are strong and can carry much of this. Let us choose what is valuable and needed and carry back what we can. If we must fight we can easily drop what we carry and not be hampered.
Specifically to Damiel he admonishes That armor is worth much trade goods. Would you take food from the captain's widow and children? If he has heirs they have claim to it.
"And if we die because we are not properly protected, they will not get anything anyway. If you choose to not use the armor or shields, that is your choice. I would rather go on living than dieing because of poor equipment" Damiel responds to the self righteous druid.
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Ojore also speaks Polyglot. It's his native tongue after all. Muhdzuzi, you will come with us to the human town. I promise to keep you safe there. You will tell them your tale. Then you and I will go to your people and tell them what happened. The others of this group may choose to go as well. That is up to them. These lizard people have tried to make it look like your people did the killing of men here. We must work together to oppose these evil lizardmen. Ojore states this like it must be so.
Muhdzuzi eyes widen.
"My people attacking the fort! We would never! We do not like to deal with strangers, but we had never attacked your people! Yes! I will do all I can to clear my people's name! The Mireborn did it!"
Let's bury the dead and be on then. Gundar says hoping to conclude quickly the business at the fort.
Ojore pitches in and help bury the dead.
"With nobody around to watch the graves, scavengers would just dig them up. Best if we do a funeral pyre to dispose of the bodies. It would also take less time and we have to get back and report. "
Gundar will defer to Ojore as to the best way to dispose of the dead in order to have a successful journey to the afterlife.
They should be buried. It will also not raise a plume of black smoke. We will place rocks on the graves to deter predation. Choosing a good spot Ojore begins to dig.
Ok, dig it is. Flavius will help.
As the stronger ones in the group begin to dig, Damiel stands near the grave and begins to tell the story of Nefis, a human warrior who saved his company from lizard folk from the swamp, but died in the process. Not feeling close to any of these men, nor the digging of graves, he only gives a half hearted performance.
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After you bury the bodies, Ojore performs a quick funeral rite, and Damiel's narration you feel like the air clears a little in the fort.
The weather begins to worsen once you leave Fort Breakthrough; drizzle, light rain, and gusting winds begin buffeting the area as a storm strikes the coast. Wandering animals desperately seek shelter from the coming storm, which you can spot in the distance as you travel. A constant, gray haze covers the sky, darkening to an ominous black in the west.
After a day and a half of travel you return to Pridon’s Hearth to present their information to Sheriff Adaela and the rest of the townsfolk. The folks of Pridon’s Hearth seem distraught of the news of the massacre, and family and friends cry and vows revenge, but most of the town remain distracted by the sudden and dramatic change in the weather.
Sheriff Adaela is skeptical at first of your and the halfling’s story. She discounts her report as a wild tale to conceal her halfling tribe guilt in the fort massacre - as no one in Pridon’s Hearth has ever seen the lizardfolk so far south, or so aggressive. But with your additional testimony, and most importantly, your evidence of the lizardfolk threat (such as the medium size terbutje found, the severed lizardfolk hand, and your investigation of the bodies), she changes her mind and accepts your conclusions.
She pays what was agreed before (50gp each), and lets you keep the equipment you are currently wearing (and maybe a little more).
"You can make best use of it than those unfortunate souls. And something tells me the town will keep requiring your help."
"We still have money left over from our initial pay" he says. "I do not need it for now, but perhaps if we decide to stick together, we could buy some healing potions for emergencies?"
Ojore will sell his leather and purchase Lamellar leather armor. That takes most of his money, but he needs very little. He could use his animal companion soon though. :)
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In the way back, while camping in the night, Ojore has a dream. He is a lion, and he has a mission. He needs a companion, a leader, so he can accomplish it. He asks for Gozreh to send him he who will help him, and feels like his prayer is being heard, and answered.
On the morning, to everyone surprise, you find a lion sleeping quietly next to Ojore.
His new animal companion, Shang.
Waking from his dream the druid is as surprised as any to see the young lion at his side. Using only hand signals he calms and reassures the others in the party. Finally he dares to stroke the sleeping cat. After introductions are made he explains The lion is my totem. My ancestors have sent me this young cat to guide and for a companion. The land's need must be great for one such as him to come to me. Ojore seems quite happy, but also concerned about the responsibility of taking care of his new friend.
Waking to the sounds of Ojore speaking, Damiel wakes somewhat, rubs his eyes and thinks "you really need to stop having these dreams." He begins to turn over and go back to sleep, when he realizes that he wasn't dreaming at all, so he sits bolt upright, but noticing that Ojore is petting the creature, he asks, "your companion? Whats his name? I still have some rations left if he is hungry."
Gundar is surprised when he awakes and sees the sleeping cat. He is about to call out an alarm when he sees Ojore make shushing motions. When Ojore explains that the lion is his totem, Gundar whispers, I just hope it's friendly...and not hungry!
Gundar thanks the Sheriff for the reward and thanks her again when she says he can keep his new studded leather armor!
His name shall be Shang. And yes, if you have fresh meat I am sure he would like it.
"Rations only, no fresh meat. If he is looking for fresh meat, tell Shang that elves are stringy, dwarves are tough, so maybe Godwyn or Flavius will do" he replies half seriously, half jokingly.
"I rather imagine the lion can hunt for itself. If it got this big, it didn't do it on mother's milk. "
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Within several hours of your return, the weather takes a swift turn for the worse as a powerful storm front breaks away from the growing mass offshore and begins barreling directly toward the tiny town. Sheriff Adaela coordinates the citizens, decreeing that the Stone Hall will serve as a temporary headquarters and as a refuge for evacuees - an unusually high storm tide already laps at the lowest streets of Island Town. Adaela sends a deputy to bring you to her, hoping these extraordinary newcomers might throw in with the defense of their new home.
Adaela asks you to help with numerous tasks, deputizing them as her agents and granting them the authority to issue commands on her behalf and arrest criminals. Your travel to find the Song'o halfling tribe will have to wait.
Sheriff Adaela summarizes several options that will help everyone weather the unexpected storm: reinforcing weaker structures, collecting supplies in sturdy shelters, and keeping the citizens calm and coordinated.
Flavius will help with boarding up high windows (climb) and hauling supplies, having once been a teamster.
As they work on various building he scampers up like a monkey hammering in the boards.
ok, mayabe not quite like a monkey, but well enough.
Then he will attempt to help organize the shipment of supplies to Stone House to enable the people to weather the storm.
and just enough again.
Godwyn made his way around town, talking with the locals and talking them into working for the greater good.
He also worked at helping those he talked with board up windows and otherwise secure their homes.
Gundar immediately grabs some boards and nails. He sees Flavius ascend up the ladders like it was second nature to him. Not one for climbing ladders, he proceeds to board up ground floor windows.
As he is working tirelessly, he entertains those also boarding up windows with the long-ago siege of the Dwarven citadel Ironbark from a vicious tribe of orcs and the dwarves were doing what the town now is doing.
Seeing that the windows and doors are done being boarded, Gundar next moves onto moving supplies.
The two hours boarding up the windows and doors have taken their toll on the dwarf, and he is not moving as fast as the others.
Fetch some jugs and fill it with water from the sea. Take some baskets and fill it with produce that looks a little rotten. he calls out to several members of the town. When the food and water has been collected, he will sit for a spell and cast Purify Food and Drink and add to the town's food and water storage.
Ojore will help first will the moving of goods within the town, and the securing of the animals. Next he helps boarding up, moving heavy object where there are needed.
At first Damiel checks out the buildings trying to figure out which ones need to be boarded up, but his knowledge of engineering seems to be lacking and he gives up on that pursuit.
Working with the townspeople by performing some skits, and light comedy routines, is more his cup of tea, and he manages to calm the folks down, and they start to work together more efficiently.
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When the last of the preparations are done, Sheriff Adaela arrives, wet and worried.
Emboldened by the storm and growing chaos, a troll from the nearby jungle has come into town to loot the vacant buildings. It has bash open a few homes, stuffing odds and ends into a bag, and now is trying to break into the bakery. Several guards have been injured trying to chase it off.
"Can you face it? At least make it go into the jungle again?"
With the rain, that will be harder to do.
Damiel looks at the others in the group, and thinks to himself 'yea, they want to help', so he says to the sheriff and the rest of the group, "we can handle it, but we are going to need flasks of alchemical fire or acid to take it down. Trolls regenerate, and this rain won't make it easy."
"I still have a few flasks of oil. If we we can keep it down, then we burn it to make it stay down. "
As Adaela departs, Gundar harrumphs. Looks like we went from heroes to zeroes! Turning to the others he says, My deity grants me the ability to shoot acid darts from my hands-that should help. I don't think we are the stealthiest group. Should we just march over and give the beast a welcome?
Pitty I do not still have that fire belly spell memorized. Ojore laments. Still, we outnumber the creature. Surely we can drive it off. He casts Frostbite on his cat and says We are ready. Lets do this.