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Jarreck moves over to where Seven has cornered Sevoth to look at the map.
"It will not be hard to figure who we are even with little to no description from the orcs to go on. Since we are new in town. Sevoth, the original smiler who made our map marked this next area as the Redtooth Raiders turf. Who or what should we be aware of moving through heading to Dinvaya. Or would we be best to try and skirt it through the two smaller gang's turf?"
"Also is there someone who will trade with us and what can we find there?"
Mort has picked through Birdfood's belongings as well and remains restlessly with a magical studded leather armour for a chance to ask Omo or Seven to inspect it for some identification.
He taps Omo on his shoulder.
"Omo? Could you tell me if this thing is magical or not? Even something of very good quality would be better than the old ragged thing I have on me now. It looks well-made doesn't it?"
Mort buzzes in into the conversation with Sevoth as well and asks.
"Could you tell us anything about that manticore at the garbage heap? It looked rather weird to be honest. Is it aggressive?"
Sevoth marks a spot almost due north of your present location.
Sevoth says No one in these areas will mess with you...you look too tough. Redtooth...eh. Who knows. She ain't no friend to the Smilers either...maybe you can make nice with her and her mates. Maybe not. Having him talk to her Wouldn't hurt.
To Mort Sevoth says I stay clear of that damn thing. Rumor says it eats three or four scrappers a day...
To Jarreck she says Maybe we can make some trades if you are interested, but...your gold is useless in Scrapwall. We only barter for things that serve a purpose. Give me a day or two to round up some people who might want to make a deal.
Omo examines the armor that Mort asks about.
"Ask my sister. She can give you a more accurate reading with her magic."
Turning back to Sevoth, "What can you tell us about Redtooth?"
After learning what he can, Omo sets out.
When asked to examine the A
armor, Seventeen replies, "Of course. I shall take a look."
She casts detect magic (and detect poison) and then studies the aura if any.
She will repeat this in the morning if there is any enchantment.
Redtooth is a scrapper. Don't kin with the Lords of Rust or the Smilers, keeps to herself, her and her swarm.
"Let's try Redtooth first. In general, my people care for their group. If we can prove her family is in danger she will be a potent ally. Besides she is on the way."
Omo says with a smile.
The party travels for an hour through the maze of junk. They see towers of rusted iron and hills of rubble and ruin. Immense lengths of chain, coils of jagged wire, giant clockwork gears, and old corrugated metal cargo containers riddled with gashes. The "streets" are usually nothing more than dirt paths, but every so often someone has laid down metal paneling. You pass several stinking pits that have a toxic chemical smell that gags even Omo.
As the party approaches what is known as "Redtooth's Warren" the area looks....tidier. As if someone were keeping up this section of the Scrapheap. Omo spots the familiar markings of a Warren nearby...and then you hear in a high pitched squeak Intruders! Lay down your weapons!
2. Create Pit, Mirror Image
Perhaps wisely Seventeen waits for someone else to speak. 'It seems the advice was correct, Omo is our best representative here...' she thinks.
Not carrying any exposed weapons, Seventeen simply freezes. She does however attempt to locate the speaker.
Seven sees two hidden Ratfolk behind some junk about 40' away. They have crossbows trained on the party.
Guaire too looks at Omo.
"Best you do the talking here."
Mort doesn't have any weapons in his hands, his club dangles from his hip and his shield is equipped to his left hand.
He doesn't seem to take immediate care to take on a guarded stance and wiats for Omo to inquire.
Omo takes a breath calming his nerves.
"Hello! I am Omo originally of the Chitterhome warren fostered to Torch and these fellows are my adopted swarm. We have come to share news and fellowship with Redtooth and her swarm. May we approach in peace?"
Keep your hands where we can see them! the voice squeaks out
The disembodied voice directs you to walk forward and then stop at the entrance of what looks like a cave.
Three ratfolk and a strange looking beast step out of the cave.
One of the Ratfolk says Leave your weapons here and you will be escorted to Redtooth.
Omo lays his crossbow down.
It's not very dangerous.
He gives the guard a friendly smile.
Guaire reluctantly lays down his bow and flail.
Understandable, but i don't like it.
Mort looks at the beast and seems to think it resembles a large insect and nods at the thing.
"A very nice looking mount you have there. Or is it a good friend of yours?" Mort remarks to the rider as he looses his club and lays it down next to Omo's crossbow.
"As your guest, I hope you will keep the rust monster far from the weapons of my friends," Omo offers cheerfully.
The same Ratfolk who spoke earlier replies Never you mind about Ss'trikuk. He's as tame as they come...don't try any funny business and he won't eat your stuff.
Seventeen has a crossbow on her back, but these days it's just for show. Without any qualms she puts it down and walks away.
Seventeen's eyebrows raise at the rust monster and she wonders, 'What would happen if we'd had a tame one back in torch. Would it have been able to tunnel through the glaucite walls?"
The heroes leave their pile of weapons and are escorted through the neatly tunneled walls of the Redtooth Warren.
After several twisty turns the three Ratfolk guards deposit the heroes in a room with a comely ratfolk female .
She sniffs the party and says What business do you have here slayers of Birdfood? Come you here to raid and pillage my Warren?
"Without our weapons, that is highly unlikely.", he drily adds.
Omo rolles his eyes at Guaire and shushes him. My people are friendly and curious, but they are also wary of danger and hungry for respect.
"We have no such intent, mistress. We come to Scrapwall to investigate a threat to our warren -- these Lords of Rusts. They sent murderers and thieves to our warren, threatening our lives and our children. We come to you out of respect to share information, perhaps to barter, or even speak of friendship. These are the ways of our people, and I would not wish it said that a son of Chitterhome and Torch did not give courtesy to a sister from another litter."
Guaire doesn't seem to notice the kick, but shrugs at the comment.
"I wasn't accusing, i'm just stating a fact, a reassuring fact."
Redtooth sniffs Omo in a familiar way, and then she says I've heard you have no love for the Smilers. And now you say you will challenge the Lords of Rust. How feel you about the False God Hellion? He is a trickster, a fraud, many of my swarm have left the warren to join his. If you wish to challenge the Lords of Rust, and the False One...Redtooth's Raiders will stand behind you...but. she finishes and sniffs some more
I ask you prove yourselves to us. My Litter-Mate Brother Whiskifiss was taken, kidnapped by the Smilers and their wicked leader Marrow. The Warren suffers without Whiskifiss, he was our Ruster Wrangler. Once we had a dozen like Ss'trikuk. But now only he remains, the others run off once Whiskifiss was taken. Our Dire Rat swarm has dwindled also...we need Litter-Mate Whiskifiss.
Some of the folk had keen olfactory senses much keener than their eyes. Such folk could smell the pheromones others produced, letting them know quite a lot about the emotion state of others. Omo suspected Redtooth was one such.
"I loathe this Hellion. It sent a serpent into my adopted warren. I will burn it to the ground if I can. We may have encountered some former members of your swarm that had betrayed the warrens for some metal messiah. One surrendered and we spared him. I would free all of our people who have been seduced or captured by it.
We have no love for the Smilers. From what I have seen they are a threat to every Warren. I need confer with my friends, but I believe it is in everyone's interests that the Smilers be removed. Anything you can tell us about the layout of their place and its defenses would be helpful."
Omo does not try to hide the fierceness of his feelings from Redooth. She understands that when one's warren is threatened, there can be no surrender.
He then turns to his friends. "I think we should save Whiskifiss and end those cannibals. Are you with me?"
"I am willing to end those Smiling Cannibals. They deserve a good thrashing. Though that last part isn't on me, I'll do the maiming and crippling bit for us."
"That goes without saying...."
Redtooth sniffs each party member in turn and then says...
My Raiders will show you the way to the Smilers. When you are ready.
Neutrally Seventeen asks, "May we be permitted to retrieve our weapons as we leave? The smilers have proven to be most dangerous."
Redtooth sniffs Seven again and wrinkles her snout
Why wouldn't you? What worth would you be dead?
"My sister is very precise; she assumes nothing that is not explicit. Is there anything you can tell use that could be useful against this Marrow? If not, the I believe we are ready now."
Seventeen blinks at him, internally she wonders 'What worth would I be dead? Does he intend to sell my corpse? Or does he mean something else entirely?'
Just as she is about to ask for a clarification, Omo speaks and she senses that her inquiry is no longer relevant. She considers, 'Language is most imprecise, and inefficient. Predicate logic with huffman encoding would make things so much more efficient. Still I don't suppose that would catch on.'
Redtooth waves to three nearby Ratfolk including the "leader" from before and they escort you out of the caves to retrieve your weapons which are only slightly corroded from the perfectly fine.
The crossbow wielding "leader" from earlier says I am Tawnyfur. I will show you the Smilers...
And he along with the two other Ratfolk lead you through the Scrapwall junkpiles once more. This time the journey is especially long, nearly three miles through the mazelike piles of Junk.
<----- just dodged a bullet, literally.
Tawnyfur and his two acolytes stop about 50' from a ramshackle looking building that has androffan language writing on the outside.
The ridge of refuse and junk is sheer here, like the face of a cliff. A gray metal wall sits at the base of the cliff, with a sizable metallic deck protruding south from its surface. This open-air deck is sheltered by a ragged awning of furs and scrap. Metallic double doors sit in the center of the metal wall, and above these doors protrudes a metallic armature of some sort with what appears to be a tube-shaped device fitted with a red crystal extending from the tip. A few scorch marks mar the deck's surface here and there.
Jarreck doesn't see any Smilers about, the doors look closed and locked.
"It looks like this used to be a place of healing."
"That is a weapon, Jarreck, you might want to remove it!"