|
Sureliah and her Eidolon stay close together, near the back if the group, although the pair seem like they would draw the attention of any onlookers, Sureliah is glad that the rogue Julio is keeping the Kobold distracted...
She looks around the room, ready to strike anything at the first sign of danger, she quickly switches the plain bolt in her crossbow with one of those magic ones, still not mentioning her find to the others.
Melaphisto saunters in front of her, although he looks back and realizes Sureliah is vulnerable behind with all her allies in front of her. He let's her pass, and she doesn't make any hassle as she knew everything he did he did to protect her.
Yusdrayl is focused too much on Julio to note Savien's comment, although Meepo does. His forehead furrows and he tilts his head. "What did you say, Tall Human? What language was that?"
Meanwhile, Yusdrayl finally notices Melaphisto but does not take more than a cursory interest in the monstrosity. She is much more interested in what Julio has to say.
Julio takes the bottle and drinks.
"To pay tribute to your beauty and for passage through your realm let me offer you some of the finest grooming products made by men. This sponge and scented soap will make your scales glisten in the firelight. This nail file is perfect for grooming your elegant claws. I also offer you this tooth power that will make your fangs white a snow. And finally no woman should be without a mirror to check and make sure everything is perfect."
"Yes, nothing but the best for so elegant a queen!"
The guardsman gives the kobold a sly smile and responds in a quiet voice. "Why don't you tell me more about the one who wrote the 'mistake' on the wall back there, and maybe I'll share." Savien's expression implies that he doesn't expect to get the response he wants.
His hand grips his polearm tightly, despite his nonchalant attitude.
Akula could feel the winds changing in the room. He gave Savren a warning look.
Yusdrayl receives Julio's offer with reserve. "I will admit, I certainly did not expect this offer. Now that we are in the bargaining spirit though allow me to counter. You know that we lost something recently...a certain pet. If we let you pass, you will be in position to retrieve this thing for us. So here is what I propose: in exchange for your...grooming supplies, I will let you pass. You will take Meepo with you however and if you find Calcryx, you must try to return her to us."
At this Meepo's head snaps to look at Yusdrayl.
"In addition, should you return her, I will reward you handsomely."
To Savien's question, Yusdrayl just looks confused. Meepo speaks up and says, "You mean that scribble on the wall? It is strange. The kobold who wrote the rest of the...proclamations on the wall swore he did not write that...and none of us could make any sense of it. Was it some kind of language? What language? What did it say?"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"You are a wise queen. Before I can agree I must consult with my companions."
Julio turns to check with the rest of the group.
Due to Julio's dazzling display of diplomacy, even if Blitz did have a better course of action, he would probably go with what ever the rogue decided on,
"I stand with you and your decision, skauta vinur minn!"
Savien smirks and mutters to Meepo, "Man, you guys really got your s!!& together, don't you? Heh... it's Sylvan. I doubt a Kobold wrote it at all. It's a threat against Kobolds, actually. Made any interesting friends lately?" The sarcasm in the guardsman's voice is almost physically tangible.
When Julio turns to get his input, Savien's grin widens. "Sure... we'll 'try'."
Meepo looks pensive. "Sylvan..."
Both Yusdrayl and Meepo look up the long pillored hallway in unison, staring into the darkness.
Yusdrayl suddenly spits. "I hate the fey. Their tricks..." She spits again.
Meepo says, "Obviously if we are traveling together, I will do my best not to be a burden. Just tell me what to do."
Julio takes another long drink from the bottle and hands it back to Yusdrayl.
"My companions have agreed to your term. You are shrewd and cunning bargainer. We will attempt to find your dragon and return it to you. With Great Dragon Keeper Meepo to show us the way, we will return with your pet."
Meepo lets out a long sigh, looks at each of the guards and then nods at Yusdrayl.
He says, "We go then." And begins walking back the way you came.
You arrive back in the room that you found him and for the first time, Sureliah manages to read the writing on the wall - it is Draconic and says "Yma Yma Byddwch Dreigiau".
He continues off toward the north end of the room through another longer, narrow hallway. There are no torches in this are and the darkness is complete, except for the light sources the party brought. Partway down the hallway you come to a door that has been sealed with wooden boards nailed into place. There are smears of dried blood both on the door and underneath it, extending onto the hallway floor. Meepo passes this door without comment and continues on through yet another door.
He stops and whispers, "This is as far as I have gone. The goblins are ahead somewhere."
The room itself is empty and lightless, this lonely chamber is home
only to rat droppings, crumbled flagstone, and nameless stains.
"Chin up Meepo! Our existence is all about experiences...removing yourself from your comfort zone and meeting adversity head on! It is only then you are able to achieve your own special brand of flight. Speaking of your own special brand, do you hold any expertise in any particular medium?"
The guardsman stops before crossing the bloody floor with a skeptical look on his face. "Oh... so no comment on the bloody door here? You got something locked up in there?" Savien plants himself near the door with suspicion.
I'm guessing we're all gonna die soon anyway, but I'm not leaving this bloody mess behind us without an explanation.
Akula turned and looked behind them, holding up his fist in a militia trail symbol for silence. "Something is here."
Julio holds up his sunrod over his head and moves up next to Meepo. Pulling out his rapier he says, "Meepo stick with me."
Meepo tilts his head sideways and looks at Blitz. "Huh. I did not peg you for the philosophical one of the group." He keeps staring at Blitz for a moment after saying this.
Savien's comment about the door causes Meepo to turn around and look back the way you passed. "Correct, I was not going to talk about it." He keeps staring at you a moment too long, then gives a heavy sigh. "The goblins did it. I'm not sure what is behind there and we haven't been here long enough to explore."
Hearing Akula's worry, Meepo scurries over to the half-orc and looking up at him, whispers, "What is it? Did you hear the laughing? The others didn't believe me when I told them that I heard laughing and whispers but I heard it. They just didn't believe me. I heard it, though............I've never seen it though."
Blitz didn't really consider himself all that philosophical. Meepo's retort blindsides Blitz a bit and "those things he was trying to forget" come seeping back into the forefront of his thoughts. He quiets down, shifts his attention away, and appears to be focusing on the task at hand...
Turning back to Blitz, Meepo says, "As for me...Yusdrayl has been trying to teach us, but nobody can feel the power like she can. I have been watching closely though and have made some progress understanding how it all works."
With that, he draws a dull looking knife, reaches into a pouch, mutters a few words and the dagger begins to glow.
Savien frowns and grumbles, as if to himself. "I don't like the idea of leaving this behind us, but maybe it's better to leave it boarded up."
When Akula mentions that something is here behind them, the guardsman turns and holds his torch out back the way they came and studies the area closely. Akula's instincts were usually pretty good.
"I heard it." Akula grumbled, not liking the fact hat he couldn't see whatever he had heard. He started looking carefully at the area where the laughter had come from.
Savien does not see nor hear anything. The hallway is empty. Akula heads back that way and spends a couple of minutes inspecting the area around the boarded up doorway. The blood stains are obviously not recent as they are worn and faded and even chipping in some places from where they dried out.
You do find a single pair of tracks. Each is about the size of your hand print but with only three long digits. Strangely, they are next to the wall, on the opposite side of the hallway from the boarded up door. Equally strange is the fact that you do not find additional tracks extending in either direction.
The room itself is empty and lightless, this lonely chamber is home only to rat droppings, crumbled flagstone, and nameless stains. There is yet another door opposite the one you entered through.
Akula pointed out the tracks. "What creature is this?" he asked.
Meepo comes over, holding his glowing dagger over the tracks. "That doesn't look like anything I've seen before. It is not from Calcryx...the print is too large...and isn't the write shape. Does the track look recent? I think it looks recent. Strange. Something is making noises but can't be seen. Very strange."
He straightens. "We have been here for a few weeks and have only had run-ins with goblins. They live somewhere ahead of us. Like I said, this is as far as I have gone."
"I say that we leave the invisible beast alone and move on. Goblins can be dealt with but this....
Julio moves over to the door leading out of the room and examines it.
Julio returns to the room and checks the door leading onward. He doesn't see any traps on the door, nor does he sense anything from the other side of the door. It appears clear.
He opens the door and sticks his sunrod in the room. Everything is dark and quiet. 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, the fountain's carving of a diving dragon retains its beauty. A relief-carved stone door stands on the western wall.
A hall of sorts also extends straight ahead into the darkness for as far as you can see. It's strange though, you can't tell because of the darkness but it is clear that the walls ahead are not just smooth and straight.
The young guardsman shakes his head at finding nothing in the hall and turns back to follow the group.
An invisible stalker. Great... one more thing to probably kill us.
Savien peeks his head in the room, raising his eyebrow and giving a low whistle at the carving.
With mock chivalry, he gestures politely toward the room. "Lead the way, Mr. Sunrod."
Meepo pushes past Savien, first looking up the hallway, then at the carved doorway, then at the fountain. "Come, come. Which way, first?"
Julio eyes the statue and the fountain with a appriasing eye.
I know several people who would be willing to buy that if I could get it out of there
Julio moves to the stone door and examines it.
Julio walks over to the fountain. A thin scum coats the fountain's basin, but it is otherwise dry. It is probably 15 or 20 feet wide and extends in an arc away from the east wall of the room.
While examining the fountain, Julio finds a mostly worn-away inscription on the basin's front in a language he does not understand. It says:
"Gadewch fod tân"
Julio then moves on to the door, inspecting it. The carvings show skeletal dragons with inscriptions around them, still in a language he does not understand. It says: "Mae egni cadarnhaol yn agor y ffordd"
Though having no skills to help the present situation, Blitz takes a look around...
"I know not of the nature of this invisible being, though I feel better about it as we have not been assaulted by it!"
Julio turns to the group and asks, "Can anyone read these inscriptions? And does anyone else feel a chill coming from this door?"
Akula moved closer to Julio and held up a hand to feel for the chill, scanning the area carefully and trusting the spirits of air to guide him.
The guardsman grunts and raises his eyebrow at the Meepo when it pushes past him. I am NOT protecting an overly brave lizard from his own stupidity... There's enough stupidity here to worry about already.
With a sigh, Savien follows the others into the room.
"Lizardman was speaking all those languages earlier. Ask him..."
"Meepo, come translate this for me if you can."
Blitz find himself full of confidence.
Meanwhile Meepo walks up to fountain and says, "Interesting. I haven't yet figured out what this place was but we have found references to dragons and Draconic writing all over the place. This one says, "Let there be fire".
He walks over to the door and stands next to Akula. Running his hand over the inscription he says, "And this one..."Positive energy opens the way"...whatever that means. I do feel that coldness but the door itself isn't cold...Fascinating."
He walks away and re-casts Light on his dagger.
Blitz takes out a torch and lights it with his flint and steel. He takes a good hard look at the scum lining the basin of the fountain. If it doesn't seem like the scum is an ooze or slime, he will try to light it afire with the torch.
"Well, then...let there be fire!"
With raised eyebrows, Savien watches Blitz's adventurous attempt to solve the apparent puzzle. Better him than me, I suppose.
"That's a big fountain. You might need more fire." The guardsman pointedly does not look at his own torch with the casual comment.
"Thanks Meepo."
Meepo looks ahead into the darkness and then turns back to the group. "It doesn't look like there is a keyhole in that door and it felt locked. I'm not sure how to open it"