Looking around, Trem tries to get a good feel of the place. "Ok, so how are we going to do this? Violence isn't the solution here. Anyone knows anything about what we are coming to face?" Noticing the eggshell. "Well, one thing is for sure, Guughwa loves eggs. Maybe there is a way to use this. I mean, there is like over twenty different types of eggs over there, form lizard and birds." Sarari moves a bit closer to the waterfall and points behind it, drawing peoples' attention to something that seem to be behind.
I have no idea what a "Tojanida is, but ishe is not very picky about what kind of eggs she eats... There's a cave behind that waterfall.
"We need to be careful, and not aggressive."
"Tojanidas are water creatures that look like a huge crab-turtle cross."
"They are dangerous in a fight and can't be caught by surprise."
"The one we want is doubtless nearby and aware of us."
"They are intelligent, though. And can be bargained with."
"They don't need to eat, but love the flavours and textures of food."
"Oh, yes. They know a good deal of water lore."
"So this one might know about the river reference in that note we found at the fort."
When you enter the small cave you are meet by a strange creature, who you guess is Guughwa. She resembles a cross between a turtle and a crab, with flippers instead of legs, a red snapping beak, and two blue-red pincers. The rest of her body is mostly green and she wears a brown necklace around her whole body.
"ആർ ഗ്രേറ്റ് യുക്തിമാനും എന്നെ കാണാൻ വരുന്നു?" the creature gurgles looking at you and clicking her pincers and beak.
Trem looks at the creature, studying it for a moment. When it speaks, he is brought back out of his thought and a puzzled expression appears on his face. "Ok... Did anyone understand this language?" He keeps his eyes on Guughwa and his hands away from his crossbow. Hoping that this will register that they are not here to fight.
Visruþ holds his hands up, empty, palms facing the Tojanida, to show a lack of aggression.
"Hello" he says simply.
The creature displeased by your ignorance of her language, clicks her pincers.
"You not understand language? Why you come here see Great I?" she speaks in a gurgling accent.
"Im sorry, your greatness." Sulia replies, bowing her head. "Our group has spent depressingly little time learning your beautiful language."
She straightens.
"We were seeking your wisdom, great one."
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"Sorry about not understanding your native language. We are new to this region and we haven't seen much of the world yet. We still have much to learn about it. I am willing to learn it though if you would be willing to teach me." Trem bows slightly as he speaks to the Tojanida. "As for why we are here. I must confess that I had a need to come and meet you when I heard of your existence. I have never met a great planar traveler like yourself before and I just couldn't let that occasion pass by."
"As for the second reason, we've met the elder of the halfling village not far from here. They are known as the Song'O. I believe you've met them before. They asked for our help retrieving an item that seems to be in your possession, a cauldron of brewing. I was wondering if there was any way we could negotiate an arrangement where you would be willing to part with it?"
"Yes, Wise and Great I," Guughwa looks very pleased by your words and disregards that you don't speak her language. "I know much. I know Song'o, I have their cauldron. I not want return it, but I may trade. You sing for me - I beautiful and glorious. You give as many things this cauldron worth - I give it back. I grant you answers."
"What is the Song'o cauldron worth, Your Magnificence?"
"Very precious! Song'o not wanted to give it - it is enchanted. They said you can have weapon and set or armor enchanted for it. That's why I took it."
"Oh. So, it's worth an enchanted set of armour and a good weapon?"
"You not hear me? Yes, very precious!"
"We just need to confer, Your Pureness"
Visruþ looks at the others and indicates the enchanted armour he's wearing.
"One out of two?" he whispers to the others.
"A magic weapon?" she asks quietly. "I thought we picked something up."
Lets be honest. Guughwa has no need for the cauldron, magic weapons or magic armor. She only wants these things to make herself feel more important. Trading them to her only feeds her ego.
The look on the Dinoshaman's face shows how little he seems to like the extra-planar creature. He lets out a sigh.
Maybe we can appease her with potions which she could actually use or some of the gold we are lugging around. Or maybe we could even offer to perform a service for her.
Okay the Cauldron is worth 3000gp so we could almost outright buy it from her.
We have 2974.6 gp... this includes the 500 gp each from Narsus plus every other coin we found
Potions we have about 2000gp worth of potions as well.
2 barkskin potions(300gp each)
4 lesser restoration potions (300 gp each)
4 potions of remove fear (50 gp each)
Maybe she'll just let us go do some menial task for her. Unblock some dam In the river, kill an elemental or creature that she feels is polluting the river... track down a rare egg... etc...
Trem bows slightly and the tojanida. "Excuse us for a second. What you ask is also precious to us and we would like a moment to come up with and respectable offer to you" Trem then turns to the group and signal with his to back out of the cavern. Once outside, he points to step further away from the waterfall to have some privacy.
"Now, Sarari and I don't have any magical weapons or armors to trade and I can't ask any of you to turn whatever we have over. This region is dangerous, and we will need all the magical gear we can get. I like Sau're'! ks idea. Maybe we can offer something else here. Before we head back in there, we need to decide what we want to offer, but not in front of Guughwa."
Guughwa pompously - to a degree its possible for such a creature - nods.
Visruþ whispers to the others:
"She might also want us to perform a task for her. Everyone else does!"
"She might also know about that river business the lizard folk wanted the Song'o blamed for.
Seeing as no one as a good idea, Trem walks back in the cave. "We have returned, Oh Great One. Sadly, however, after looking at what items we have, there is nothing in our possession that we can trade in exchange for the cauldron. So we were wondering. Is there a task we can do for you that would allow us to leave with the cauldron? While I'm sure that someone with your power wouldn't need any help, maybe there is a task that is beneath you but that still need to be done?"
"A task?" she muses and her eyes spark. "Yes, I have task. You bring me twenty my favorite eggs - capuchin eggs - and I may give you cauldron you want."
Visruþ nods solemnly.
"This is probably going to be dangerous."
Trem tries to think of where one could find some coral capuchin. "Twenty eggs. We should be able to handle that."
Well it seems we have a task. We will go search for the Capuchin eggs so that we may pay Guughwa the honor that she deserves and foster an alliance with the Song'o. So any idea where to find Capuchin?
"I don't really know what they are."
"I assume they're watery creatures."
"Since Guughwa values them."
Guughwa seems to be very pleased.
"Good. You find eggs north-west near big river."
The landscape along this bend in the northern river fork breaks up into dozens of small islands crowded with trees. Countless tropical birds roost in these islands, but one island hosts a large flock of mischievous coral capuchins.
You count almost thirty eggs, protected by three tiny pink creatures.
Although Coral Capuchin are amphibious creatures, extended time outside any water harms them, so they must regularly be either submerged in water or thoroughly wetted down.
Their bite bestows these qualities upon the victim.
"Well, there they are. Now, only three of them are protecting the eggs. Anyone able to try the stealth approach, or do we just go barging in?"
"We need to be careful of their bites."
"You could become dependent on being in water if they bite you."
After a pause:
"They love small shiny things, we could lure them away with shinnies."
"Then someone can snatch the eggs we need."
"Well, I don't really have anything that is shiny to throw at them." Trem thinks for a moment, then turns to the rest of the group. "I could summon some creatures to attack them from another direction while some of us tries to get the eggs, but I will lose Sarari's service while doing so. And I think she the most stealthy member of our group." There is a sadness in Trem's eyes when he mentions losing Sarari. Then, turning to Sau're'! K he asks. "What about you? I've heard of people with your talents that are able to bring forth creatures from the nether to help them? Do you possess such ability?"