Seres chuckles. "A worg guard dog for this frail body is tempting, but... supernatural ultra-wolves with a predilection for evil might not be the best idea. Perhaps putting them down would be a mercy, for the worgs and their future victims."
"Outside of planar beings, I don't believe in a predilection for evil amongst any sentient being. If it can choose, it can choose not to follow the path of its kin. Nurture not nature, am I right? "
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After you resolve what to do with the worg puppies, you spend the remainder of the day once again tracking down your wayward horses. The lost time extends your exploration of this section of the Kamelands by once day, but your mapping proceeds without further incident.
Seres shrugs, "I suppose I am no different." He carefully approaches the worg puppies and holds out his hand for them to sniff. He then produces some bits from his rations and offers a 'snack'. Assuming they remain friendly, he'll carefully collar and leash the blue-eyed worg with a section of rope.
The gardener respects the cavalier's wisdom. "I must agree, Connor. I am sure that, in time, these little pups could become loyal companions."
Observing the sorcerer though, he cautions. "Careful, Seres. Not too quick now."
With Aldarion's guidance and the offers of food, the pups begin to warm up to you and eventually allow you to pick them up and take them with you. The horses are none to happy to have the worgs traveling with you, but in time they begin to settle and appear to be resigned to the new companions.
You wake up and continue your exploration south. The weather continues to be clear and seasonably cool.
After several hours of travel, you see what appears to be a giant tree looming on the horizon. As you draw closer, you see that a the tree is a gigantic sycamore tree that rises over a 100 feet above the surrounding grasslands. The graying hulk of the ancient tree clings precariously to it's last years of life. A tangle of giant roots radiates from the massive trunk.
"That's a really big tree," Connor stares, fascinated.
Aldarion too is fascinated by the sight of the ancient and dying tree. He takes in a deep breath. "Indeed. And very old." Taking in another breath, he meditates for a moment. Opening his eyes, he trots a little closer to the tree. "I can feel its fading wisdom from here."
"A sad end to such a noble specimen..."
As you approach the tree, the horses become increasingly uneasy and skittish. At about 100 meters to the tree, you find that the difficult terrain formed by the giant roots rising out of the ground is no longer passable by the horses. The roots, many of which are several foot in diameter, intertwine and eventually converge at the base of the giant sycamore. If you want to proceed closer, you will have to dismount.
"Sure, Zeke," Aldarion agrees with the scouting and berry-picking plan.
The gardener also agrees with tying the horses up. With a smirk, "Just the thought alone of having to chase them all over yonder once more is exhausting."
He proceeds to find a suitable location for the horses. As the party backtracks a bit, he asks, "So. What's the plan? 'Blue devils' is not much to go on, but I expect we will not be dealing with actual devils. I'm thinking, befriend them, and see if we can find an opportunity to gain what we need."
Connor dismounts and rearranges gear, stowing his lance and readying a throwing axe and shield. He sets Cinder to guard.
"We should be prepared for this to go either way. I sense a fight, but am not looking for one."
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I do hate to give up the element of surprise in order to talk, but if that is the group's consensus then I am on board. Ezekial explains as he nuzzles his pup before tucking him into a saddle bag with some dried meat to chew.
Ezekial leads the group back to the tree, motioning for quiet as he scouts it and looks for traps.
"Well, it will be difficult to befriend the kobolds if we also befriend their mortal enemies."
After several minutes of creeping over the tangled undergrowth, Ezekial discovers a narrow shaft hidden amid the ancient tree's roots. The root lined shaft drops straight down into darkness.
After scratching his thin goatee for a moment in contemplation, "Agreed. Let us see if diplomacy can work with whatever these beings are. But if worse comes to worse..." He trails off, indicating with a somber nod his consent to do what is necessary.
To Seres, he smiles. "I was once told I could broker a peace accord between elves, dwarves, and orcs." His eyes gaze off into the distance, as if reliving an old memory. "Though I have spent many a year in solitude since that time, why not do so between kobolds and 'blue devils?'"
"Let's head in and see what sort of blue devils they are."
Connor takes the lead, stopping to light a torch if necessary and passing it back to someone with a free hand.
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Allow me to descend first. Ezekail asks Connor as he pull out his "climbing Kit". and prepares his grapple and silk rope. And give me a few seconds head start if you do not mind. I might surprise a guard or something. Depending on the depth they can see from the surface he may knot the rope to make it even easier to climb.
"Be my guest. We will give you a 20 count."
Connor steps aside and lets Zeke enter, counting aloud softly before following.
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You are able to easily descend the narrow, root lined shaft. After 40' the shaft drops down into the middle of a low tunnel running east to west. You find yourself in utter darkness. Echoing from both directions of the tunnel you hear spidery whispers. From above, after 20 seconds, you hear the clanking of Connor's armor as he descends. The whispers suddenly stop.
Connor, with the assistance of Ezekial's rope you are able to safely descend the 40' to the bottom of the shaft. You find yourself in a narrow east-west running tunnel with a low, 5' ceiling. You feel Ezekial standing next to you in the darkness. A heavy silence surrounds you.
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Gonna need a light. Ezekiel thinks as he listens in the darkness. He tries to perceive if the spidery whispers are coming from both directions or if one is an echo of another.
Based on what he hears he inches along in the direct he feels best about, making room for the next of his party and retrieves a torch and flint and steel. Then he waits.
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A spark lights up the darkness for only an instant. It is somewhat sheltered by the crouching form of Ezekial obviously using his body to block as much of the light as possible. A torch is briefly illuminated and it is obvious that he is as ready as he can be to light it. Yet he waits. The others? Are they coming? he whispers.
"They should be coming ... I hope they're coming. I didn't really confirm," Connor glances back up with slight hesitation and fingers the shapeless ring of melted metal on a chain at his neck.
"Get that light out in front of us. Let's see what there is and make room for the others."
Ezekial, you believe that the whispers you heard were coming from both directions. Now, you hear only silence.
As you fire up your torch, you note that the the narrow tunnel slants downward in both directions, continuing past the edge of the light. The ceiling height is rarely over 5 feet high, with much of the upper foot a tangle of roots and thin stalactites. You realize you will be forced to stoop over to proceed down the tunnel and the cramped conditions will make it difficult to swing a weapon.
The gardener wonders how Zeke is faring, and gives a careful listen before following after Connor. But the middle-aged man slips! With a stifled "umpf" in response to Zeke's query, he cautiously looks around before rising to his feet again... trying to mentally suppress the stirrings of his arthritic knees now inflamed by his stumble.
In some ways, I truly miss my youth.
As Aldarion descends the 40' shaft, he loses his grip on the rope and falls the last ten feet. The druid is able to grab onto the exposed roots lining the shaft to slow his fall, but he still lands hard with a heavy thud.
Aldarion, you see Connor and Ezekial huddled in a narrow tunnel that runs east to west. Light from Ezekial's torch reveals that the tunnel has a low, 5' ceiling that will greatly constrain your movement and actions.
Once Aldarion is acclimated, the Ezekial leads the way down one of the tunnels. The tunnel opens into an irregular earthen chamber approximately 15' wide and 15' long, with a low 5' ceiling. Three crude, wooden workbenches occupy the center of this room, their tops strewn with various tiny tools, metal and wooden hardware, and blocks of wood. At the back of the chamber, tunnel continues into the darkness. Near the tunnel entrance, two small, blue skinned humanoids crouch in the shadows at the edge of your torchlight. They hiss in a strange tongue and shield their eyes with clawed hands holding small, curved daggers.
Connor helps Aldarion up before equipping his axe and shield to move forward into the cave.
Depending on the order and whether he acts in the surprise round, Connor will try and get in front of Zeke and defensively fight.
"So, shall I stay up here and guard the horses?" Seres yells down the tunnel.
"Get down here! And nock an arrow on the way!"
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Seres lets out a forlorn (if dramatic) sigh and starts down the rope.
Seres quickly climbs down the shaft and joins the others as they head down the tunnel.
Ezekial and Connor may both act in the surprise round. Ezekial, you're up first.
Aldarion rubs his aching thigh and throbbing knee as he approaches the soldier and the scout. Too late he looks up to see his companions engage in combat with the little blue people. "But what about diplomacy..."
"They seem to prefer 'aggressive negotiations'..." Seres says as he nocks an arrow.
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Ezekial is unsure what these little blue devels are jabbering about but he does not like their body language one bit. No, he is pretty sure they are about to jump him and his friends and is also thinking that no one could possibly understand the series of grunts and squeaks that are coming from the little runts so diplomacy is going to be impossible. So, having the drop on them, he does what he os good at. After throwing a dagger he moves out of the way and draws his Kukri
Ezekial launches a dagger at one of the blue skinned creatures and wounds it grievously. You note that the dagger does not do as much damage as it should have.
Both of the creatures snarl and begin chanting.
Depending on the outcome of that Connor moves forward to interpose himself between the baddies and the party.
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Connor you feel a crushing sense of doom.
Ezekial advances and cuts down one of the creatures with his cold iron kukri.
The other creature steps forward and slashes Ezekial with his dagger
You hear the sound of approaching footsteps approaching from both the tunnel behind you and the tunnel in front of you (on the other end of the chamber).
"Oh dear,", the gardener worries as he looks back the way they came. Looking forward at the fallen blue creature, and then back again, his worry only increases.
With a sigh, he resolves to act upon a course of action that might, however unlikely, resolve this scenario without further bloodshed.
First, he mutters a brief prayer to himself. Then, he whispers to nearby Connor, pointing to the remaining blue guy near Zeke, "Finish him quick, and hide those bodies."
Before he can ask a question, he heads back up the tunnel, more cautiously this time, to see who is coming. He looks to Seres with slight embarrassment as his foot slides in the wrong direction when he begins to climb, "Um, care to give me a boost, my friend?"
If they are more blue people, he raises his hands in a gesture of submission and attempts to befriend them, "Hello good fellows. I come in peace. Can you understand me?"
Shivering with fearful hesitation, Connor steps in and swings his axe sidelong in the cramped quarters.