Moonstar Eclipse |
"Oh he is leading us to trouble, big scaly trouble. His missing friend is a young dragon. No idea what she knows of the agreement between ponies and dragons. Now he wants to take us to his tribe to help find her, but the tribe never lked him, tolerating him only because he was the one that got the dragon to hatch. So they miht try to kill him, and us." Moonstar follows Meepo, looking like she is deep in thought.
[draconic]"Meepo, are you sure your tribe will let you tell them you found help? Might they tell you to go away without listening? Perhaps we should find Cally first."
Diabolical Meddler |
"We can find Cally nows!?!" Meepo beams delightedly. "Return to Clan-leader Yusdrayl with Cally!?!" He hangs his head for a moment. "Poblins are very dangerous though," he murmurs. " Meepo not sure if clan would rescue Cally from evil poblins even with ponies help... they wouldn't help Meepo rescue Cally alone, no matter how much Meepo begged." He half-brightens. "Meepo can definitely stop kopolds attacking ponies if ponies wish to see Yusdrayl first, since ponies are rather powerful and clan-kopolds are quite cowardly and they will listen to Meepo," Meepo lowers his voice. "Probably."
Diabolical Meddler |
"We was raising Cally, me and my assistants," Meepo preens, "when the goblins came. Was~" he pauses, "a few days ago. Our guards fought bravely, but there were too few of them, and the goblins took Cally away. Used magic. Meepo never seen such magic before. Yusdrayl said..." Meepo sniffs, "said we couldn't rescue Cally. Burned fallen warriors with all honor, carried dead goblins off for meats. But goblins still have Cally~" he moans.
Diabolical Meddler |
"Uh," Meepo says... "Cally not like pony, so, kopolds not capture ponies for Cally." Meepo perks, slightly. "Dragons supposed to like princess-pony... so maybe Cally would like noblepony? Or maybe because father-noblepony give dragon tasty, comfy gems if not eat daughter-pony..." Meepo sighs. "Kopolds too weak to catch noblepony for Cally, but Cally not be fearsome until full-grown, and not full-grown unless well-fed... but kopold's will continue to do their best," Meepo nods determinedly, then sighs. "If kopolds can rescue Cally from poblins." He shakes his head. "Since pony-lovers and friend not come past kopolds, must have come past poblins. Poblins give prisoners as gift to... the one who lies below," the kopold shivers. "The one below give poblin's shiny fruit, and poblins eat or trade... but Meepo not feed Cally shiny fruit, even if it make Cally strong... besides, Meepo can't afford..."
Moonstar Eclipse |
[Draconic]"Hmm, do you think perhaps the poblins took Cally to give to, the one below? If that is why they took her, maybe you should tell us everything about it, so we can be best prepared to rescue Cally."
Moonstar gives Zophio a supposedly meaningful look, but it probably just seems odd.
Moonstar Eclipse |
While Meepo collects himself, Moonstar turns to Heart, "More like a young dragonling needs our help, possibly from some great evil in charge of the poblins under this place. An evil that Meepo doesn't really want to talk about because it is that bad. We need every scrap of information we can get and aside from the ponies we are tracking, we may be the only ones in a position to stop this evil. So I would rather take things slow and extra careful from this point forward." as she finishes she looks at everypony in turn, then she turns back to Meepo and attempts an encouraging expression.
Diabolical Meddler |
"Mmmph," Meepo nods. "Yes, we must go at once to save Cally. Could go this way," he gestures to the west... "but hall-of-dragons guarded by strongest of kopold warriors who should've guarded Cally, and would need key and disarm traps between kopold and poblin territories... would have to speak with Yusdrayl... maybe dragged before Yusdrayl..." Meepo shakes his head. "Better maybies to go that way," he waves east. Poblin raiders who took Cally came this way. Some three, four chambers between kopolds and poblins this way. Meepo went some way to try to rescue Cally... but Meepo got scared when he heard poblins... Meepo knows most of the way..."
Meepo pauses and smiles his sharp little reptilian teeth. "Strong ponies decides, yes?" Meepo says, scurrying to gather a few things, a small dragon statue, a pot of foul-smelling stuff, what appears to be a highly-battered leather-and-wood... toy... of some sort. He ties the ensemble into a small bundle, and attaches it to the blunt end of a sharpened stick about a pony's length. "Hiya!" He shouts, suddenly, thrusting at the air, making the bundle attached at the other end jerk and jounce, bumping him in the shoulder. "Hiyee!" He nods, in apparent satisfaction, before tilting the sharp, end down to use as a walking stick, somewhat blunting the wooden tip. "So, which ways you wants to go ponies?" He asks...
Diabolical Meddler |
With some ceremony, Meepo takes a skeletal key from a crude string about his neck, and unlocks the eastern door... a move that was probably unnecessary - a blind child could probably have picked the lock. The corridor continues east, then turns south, then east once more. The corridor you used to enter Meepo's domain is likely on the far side of the thick wall to your right, and whatever room you passed in that corridor can be no larger than twenty feet by twenty feet, or so you estimate.
Perception DC7
Perception DC15 (use the same roll)
At the end of the corridor, a door leads north, and this, Meepo simply opens - but the room is home only to rat-droppings, crumbling flagstones and myriad stains that are best left nameless.
"Goblin territory this way," Meepo chatters, pointing to a door across the room, leading north. "Come, come," he beckons... but he's clearly growing increasingly frightened despite your company, the bundle on the back of his stick-spear trembling as his little hands shake.
Midnight Dove |
Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 6 ... Yep! Don't even know why I've tried!
Midnight Dove saw nothing -as usual-, just waiting for the group to continue. The kopold's vulnerability made her frown a little.
"I think we'll have to defend this little guy. He doesn't seem at ease at all."
Virtuous Heart |
perception: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (7) + 0 = 7
Examining the corridor very carefully, Vi snorts with triumph, pleased with herself, opening her mouth to speak only to find Zophio had passed on the information and even more
Well noticed Zophio she says bravely
You do have quite the talent for rhyme you know!
she smiles, then hurries after Meepo before he gets too far ahead, opening the north door and leading the party onwards.
Diabolical Meddler |
"Ah, wells," Meepo almost blushes, "thank yous," he says... and opens the door...
Dust and odd bits of stony debris and rubble lie scattered on the floor. An ornate fountain is built into the eastern wall. Though cracked, stained and dry, a twiggy mess of a bush has somehow grown amidst the dry pool at the base of the fountain. The carving above, a diving dragon, its mouth poised to flame, is rather beautiful, and doubtless would've at one time spewed water into the now-dry pool below.
A stone door stands on the western wall, relief-carved with skeletal dragons.
To the north, the room narrows into a corridor, extending away into the darkness.
Diabolical Meddler |
"Sorries," Meepo says. "Not knows for sure. Meepo... got scared. Too scared to go far into the dark," he nods ahead, "went a little ways though... there is a door to the left, think poblins came through, but Meepo could hear the rats skittering, and dark room goes much further," he shivers, "didn't want to go on, find poblins, run back, find rats... Meepo not want to chose between eaten by poblins or rats... Meepo not want to be eaten by poblins or rats. Meepo thought... maybe find another way... but Meepo too scared of the bone-door... bones not scary, drawing of bones not scary... but could feel cold touch of death upon shoulder when close to it... don't think poblins came that way. Poblins who took Cally still alive when they came. Fountain - Oh!" Meepo exclaims. "That new. Bush has grown. Not much grow down heres but mushrooms and molds and lichens..." he says, stepping towards the twiggy bush, claw outstretched. "Wonder if it tastes good?"
Midnight Dove |
Midnight Dove approached the bush.
"I know a bit about plants... I can try to see if it's safe..."
Knowledge (Nature): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9 *sigh*
As she had been raised in a farm, and studied for several years how to heal ponies, the unicorn felt a bit frustrated when she realized that she couldn't identify what it was...
I'll really have to borrow a lot of books when we'll get back to Canterlot!
Zophio |
Zophio turns to Vi with a cocked head, and then with realization explains,
"Oh, thank you, but all zebras speak in rhyme,
When we don't, it's like using a fake accent or mime.
It communicates respect, as using it takes more time
And thought, so what you hear is for speech, the paradigm."
He then turns to Meepo,
If you need to eat, have a ration when you get the chance,"
We'll protect you, just lead us to the poblin brood."
Diabolical Meddler |
Sometime during your intense, distant examination of the bush... which reveals, amongst other things, its unnaturalness and its evilness... the branches begin to tremble, breaking and scattering into several twiggy masses. Their long twig-fingers, sharp and thin and deadly as rapiers, hook forward, and with a sound like fire crackling, like a storm rushing through the trees, they lunge forward in attack.
At the back of your mind, you somehow notice that the scratches they leave in the dusty floor are not dissimilar to those you found in the ravaged shack...
Since you were all so observant, I'll wait a bit before posting their attacks, giving you the chance to - heh - whittle them down a bit. As they break out of their bush-form, its not at all clear how many there are. More than one, certainly, and not likely two, but definitely less than five...
Shubshi-Meshre-Shakkan |
Apologies for my silence. I've been having connection problems and won't be able to post until they're fixed, most likely Monday or Thursday at the latest. Please control me for now!
Shubshi charges a different creature, a savage gleam in his eyes as he shrieks a warcry.
Bite: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 4 + 2 = 17 Damage (B&P&S): 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8 Sneak Attack?: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
Claws: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 4 + 2 = 22 Damage (B&S): 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5 Sneak Attack?: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
Claws: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 4 + 2 = 22 Damage (B&S): 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6 Sneak Attack?: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
Charging: +2 to attack roll, -2 to AC until next round. If they're caught flat-footed, then I get a sneak attack!
Diabolical Meddler |
The twiggy creatures rustle as they burn, and you get the feeling that, if they could, they'd be screaming... then the rest of the party lays into them with all power, hacking and slashing, ripping and tearing, and whilst Zophio's spear appears to do little enough damage, the twig-blights shy from the cold iron as much as they did Moonstar's flames.
The sap, even to Shubshi's griffish mouth, tastes foul, tainted and wrong.
Shubshi must make a DC16 Fort save, or take one point of damage per round until healed (any magical healing, or DC16 heal check, or until the fortitude save is successfully made).
The party splits 400XP...
"Meep!" Meepo shrieks. "Meepo knew there were dangerous things here! Meepo knew it! Meepo should go back, wants to go back... but Cally all alone down here with poblins. Meepo must be brave, be a brave kopold..." Meepo whimpers, twitching worriedly from foot to foot. He hadn't even had a moment to wield his spear, before the threat had been eliminated...
Moonstar Eclipse |
[Draconic]"It is okay Meepo. You just don't have good training yet. Get good training and protecting Cally from such dangers will be easy."
Moonstar smiles at the kopold. Then looking at the others, "Let's keep an eye on him, and on any more bushes, or really, we shouldn't touch anything."
Virtuous Heart |
Vi shakes the twigs and sap from her blade, whipping it over her head in to its sheath in a practiced move.
Noticing the little kopold shivering she says
We'll protect you Meepo, fear not
she trots across to the doorway with the skeletal dragons on
Now my curiosity would have me exploring this way, but I imagine our quarry lies further along the corridor. Come along!
she moves off down the corridor, eyes peeled for more trouble.
Diabolical Meddler |
A few dozen feet away, the corridor reaches a cross-junction. The eastern path might've once led out of the castle, but it can now be seen to have crumbled into ruin, a landslide impassible to all but the smallest of rats.
You yourselves have just arrived from the south, and on your left, a few feet to the west, is the door Meepo had spoken of. Ahead the darkness swallows your light after the merest dozen feet or so, but you can see gleams in the darkness, the odd rust-free patch on iron cell doors... it doesn't smell pleasant, ahead...
Diabolical Meddler |
Although Zophio didn't find any traps on the door, when he stealthily attempts to open it... a bell attached to it makes an incongruously musical tinkle.
The corridor beyond leads north, wide enough for two ponies abreast, but, even in the dim light, you can see it's strewn with caltrops. The northern-door, some forty feet away, is missing, but where it should've stood is a roughly-mortared wall, just slightly taller than a pony, with crenelations that ape the true battlements outside...
...despite and besides the bell, all seems to be quiet...