|
Stali walks over to the red orc and gets out a small vial. Carefully uncorking it, he holds the vial under the orc's nose. When the orc starts to wake, he puts the cork back in the vial and puts it away.
"Hello! We decided to give you the first opportunity. Would you please tell us what you know of this dwarven temple and Shirish? You can tell us about Karkadon as well." As he says this, he casually places his claw on the hilt of his sword.
The orc looks up, bleary-eyed. "That 'sposed to be scary?" He starts to laugh at Stali's attempt to intimidate, but the laughter exacerbates the pain in his side and he gasps. "Ow... Tougher than you look though. Really tore me up. Don't know bout this place, other than this room's the one Karkadon said to leave alone."
He nods the Shiruzu shrine. "If you want to know 'bout Karkadon, go ask him." He grins. "Heh. Talk might get a little heated, though."
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
That pain bothering, annoying and irritating you? I wonder how much more of an inconvenience, aggravation and hassle it would be without your liver. I could easily reach in and show you... unless you'd prefer to give us more helpful, useful and constructive answers to our questions. Now, would you tell my friend, ally and comrade about what you know about the dwarven temple, and Shirish and Karkadon, especially where to find the last two.
Chak waves his claws and licks his beak as if he plans to make a meal out of the orc's liver.
Orator: in place of Intimidate to get him to tell us the information Stali is looking for.
The orc's eyes bug out. "Not my liver! Not my liver!"
"Er, okay... This is a temple-thing I think and I think dwarves made it but they're gone and I never seen them or nothin'! Karkadon said this room was a dragon happy place or something and that dragon, um, liked his dead warrior a lot, and he'd roast our toes off if we did anything HERE!"
He looks around, nervously, at the fact that he is in this forbidden room right now.
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Andrietta watches the group 'working over' the orc intently to make sure that this is as far as they go, and then squints at the now-talkative one.
"Please tell us more about Karkadon, dear. You can already see that you're in a very tough spot, and what you tell us truthfully will go a long way towards keeping us *all* alive at this point. After all, we could be merciful and let you live, but that doesn't mean anything if Karkadon comes hunting for you and then slowly roasts you while tied to a spit, right?"
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Sarano'll will pull out her mess kit and begin laying out some of the razors within, grinning at Chak, "you know, I've never had Orc liver before. . .but I'm sure it'll be delicious," She'll use prestidigitation to mark a big red X on the Orc where his liver would be.
"You know, I am a pretty good surgeon, I can remove his liver and keep him alive long enough he could watch us eat it," Giving her best evil laugh at this notion. "Muahahahah"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The orc is terrified by the team's "bad cop", "good cop", "worse cop" and finally "pie cop" routine. He shudders and looks to Andrietta, eyes wide and tusks chattering. "Yeah, um... Karkadon. He's big and red and... um... a dragon."
"We met him here, and he ate Barek Tusk Face and Snarly the Axe and Meathead and... Um, he ate a lot of us. Then Shirish threw herself in front of us, which was stupid but kind of hot. She said she could take all the fire he could dish out, so he dished out some. Burned her clothes and gear, but Shirish... Fire not scare her. Then she threw fire at him, and it did nothing, and then they just stared at each other. Then she raised head high, and stood there, smoke burning right off her, and asked him what kind of a dragon not have servants. Only she used those long fancy words she likes. And he laughed. Big laugh, and snorted fire out nose again."
"Made Shirish his cook and our war boss even though she's... female." He shakes his head over this. "Woman in charge. Always trouble. Other tribes laugh at us, but then we got to fry them with a dragon! Then we realize, Shirish not lead us. Dragon lead us. When he's not resting and taking naps and asking Shirish to make him new things to eat..."
"That what you want to know?" Then he looks at Vralk, confused. "And what's pie?"
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"It's better if you don't know about that, dear. Vralk gets it in his head that he wants to eat new meats in new ways and then we don't stop hearing about how amazing it is for days or even weeks on end. Trust me, it's much, much better that you have told us these things for everyone's sake.
Is Karkadon taking a nap right now? Do you know?"
Andrietta is very much the epitome of consolation and consideration as she speaks to the orc. After having broken the poor guy so, the party could actually do no worse than to let him go. If he goes back to Shirish, he'll probably be the next meal...
"Oh. Vralk just like Karkadon, then. Only smaller. Karkadon always want to talk about eating and food and then eating again. On and on. Always want new stuff. Then want to talk about it again."
The orc shrugs. "Karkadon either taking nap or he trying to get into vault again. Or talking about food. One of the two."
|
|
With a chuckle, Stali says "Sounds like Vralk and Karkadon both like to talk about food."
I don't think we will be lucky enough to stumble across a sleeping dragon. Best to take away it's servants before attempting to deal with it.
Looking to the others, Stali asks "I think I would rather take on a flame-retardant orc before a dragon. Shall we allow this one to run if he tells us where to look for Karkadon and Shirish?"
"Vault's boring! Locked door, and Karkadon tap, tap tapping with claw, talking 'bout what might be there. Always same thing. Rather go on raid then stand in front of dumb door."
"No, not in this room! Not in this room!" The orc emphatically does not want to be left tied up here."
"Karkadon say this dragon holy place, not for orc.". He lnods the glowing, broken katana, still hanging from the wall. "Why else Blue Claw-Slash and I not take pretty sword?"
|
|
Stali tilts his head, looking at the orc for a moment. So this one respects nothing but brute force it seems.
Evidently coming to a decision, he proposes "Let's dump these two bound orcs back at the entrance where they were posted. "
"Then we sweep down " gesturing to the room to the immediate south "and then over to the west to clear rooms to either side before entering the large room."
Saying this, he picks up the still unconscious orc and hefts it over his shoulder.
"I want to clear the area before we take care of the remains."
The orc protests when you carry him out. "Hey, not going to untie me?! We trussed like fat geese, ready to eat!"
After dropping off the bound and dumped orc rangers out in the entrance, Stali comes up with a plan of explorations for the team. First the team does one final examination of the sovereign dragon statue in the alcove that Chak had run past earlier. The stone tien dragon sits in watchful pose, tail raised, wings open, head thrown slightly back as if to utter a fierce roar. The party finds dwarven runes carved near the dragon's curling claws at the statue’s base that read: S Yua Yohanatsu života, koupila naši svobodu. Prosím, kámen drak, střeží její hrob, dokud hory na podzim.
Not finding anything else in this southern alcove, they make their way westward.
This room was once filled with display cases of relics. Now, pottery chips and fractured pieces of stone clutter the floor. An unrecognizable statue stands on a high dais in the northwestern corner.
Once you are done searching through this room, you go further south...
...to another battered statue of what was clearly once some sort of dwarven warrior, shield and hammer raised high. The statue is now so heavily damaged that its original features are unrecognizable.
From there you head east, to the large central room with the pyramid. Atop the stepped dais is a gargantuan humanoid skull that glows with an eerie blue light. A wagon with a broken axle leans against the northern wall. Damaged wooden crates spill out from the cart onto the floor.
What do you do?
|
|
Stali frowns and inspects the area a little closer. "Looks like someone has recently been using this as a weapons practice dummy. It is surprising that it still stands given the battering it has taken!"
"" Stali calls out.
Looking ahead, he says "I don't like the look of the floor ahead. Something isn't right here..."
|
|
The orc protests when you carry him out. "Hey, not going to untie me?! We trussed like fat geese, ready to eat!"
"If we don't make it out from our mission, that will be the least of your problems, dear. We'll at least make sure you're out of sight so you're not on the menu right away."
After dropping off the bound and dumped orc rangers out in the entrance, Stali comes up with a plan of explorations for the team. First the team does one final examination of the sovereign dragon statue in the alcove that Chak had run past earlier. The stone tien dragon sits in watchful pose, tail raised, wings open, head thrown slightly back as if to utter a fierce roar. The party finds dwarven runes carved near the dragon's curling claws at the statue’s base
Despite having no clue what any of this means, other than it might be something to do with Dwarves because of the runic language they use, the grandmother will document all the finds thoroughly (though probably not as thoroughly as Chak).
The more information and insight that can be gathered about the place, the better the Society will be to put it back together, and the Crusaders to possibly come back and liberate this place someday.
"Okay, do you need any sort of assistance on this, Stali dear, or just us staying out of your way?"
|
|
Motioning towards the skull on top of the dias, he says "The trap seems to be centered on that skull. I would suggest no one enter the room right now! I think the trap does something with the floor."
As he says this, he gets out his wayfinder and fiddles with the stone in it.
Just before stepping out, he pauses and says "I wouldn't mind a small blessing if anyone has one for me."
He then carefully approaches the Trap and attempts to deactivate it.
Stali pulls out his tools, disabling first the sections of floor he needs to walk upon, then examines the skull and its connections to the rest of the trap. The trap is a clever thing, and takes all of Stali's expertise to disable. A less skilled person could have easily set off the shocking floor that would have dealt damage to everyone in a 40 foot area, and possibly killed a frail person like Sarano outright.
Once Stali figures out the trap, he realizes that the compartment under the skull is securely locked.
What do you do now? (As if I have to ask.)
|
|
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Chak sees the writing on the statue and reading Dwarven, takes note of what it says. He picks up a rock and then pauses, taking a moment to look more closely at the words.
Oh, there is a comma there. It says "please, stone dragon" not "please stone dragon."
Chak shrugs and drops the rock.
The religious significance of the next few room eludes Chak.
Stali finds and disables* the second trap that would have filled this chamber with insanity mist, and opens the locked chamber.
He pulls out a letter, written in Dwarven:
Tam je málo času, a nepřátelé nás obklopují. Moji dva bratři a já doufal, že kultivovat tento chrám pro trpaslíky. To, co jsme byli blázni! Nyní orkové přišli nás zničit. Jsem skrývat tyto malé poklady tady, pro ty, kteří přijdou po nás. Použijte je, pomstít nás a obnovit naše bohy. - Barad Wisepick
The letter tallies the contents of this small trove.
- Deathblade poison (2 doses),
- Fuse grenades (12),
- shadow essence poison (4 doses),
- Volatile vaporizer (level one)
What do you do?
Andrietta, Chak, Stali and Vralk hear someone move in the room directly to your east just as she throws a blast of fire down the hallway, aimed high above your heads.
"That was a warning shot!" she says, her voice full of pride and confidence. She is speaking to you from behind the partial cover of the wall, but you can see the edge of her form, for the moment her green skin outlined brightly in orange flame. "The next one, if you're thinking of being tricky, will be aimed right at one of you. So, let's talk."
"We're not at war yet, birds, but I warn you... I am Seneshal to a dragon. I will not be toyed with. You defeated my guards, so you must be fierce. You bypassed traps that we only discovered the hard way, so you must be clever. But who are you, really? Why are you here? Where are Blue Claw and Red Tooth? What have you done with my men?"
What do you do?
|
|
When he finds the letter an a strange language, he calls out "General Chak, you know a lot of languages! Do you recognize this one?" He will hand the paper over and let everyone know what he has found.
---
Hearing the movement, Stali immediately seeks to put the skull between himself and the noise. He will then attempt to sneak down the opposite side of the platform.
Somebody keep her talking, so I can try to maneuver around her!
|
|
"You are correct. We are fierce, and we are clever... and we are here with no intent to challenge either you or your dragon... stand down and let us finish what we came for and you may have this place to yourself again after we're gone... Unless you'd rather fight, and I sense you don't want a fight any more than we do... So why don't we talk this through like civilized folk?"
Hikaru tries to engage her in conversation so Stali can get closer.
|
|
"Dear? I'm Andrietta Ebonfeather, and we are with an organization known as the Pathfinder Society. We're here exploring this ancient sacred site for historical significance.
Your people are subdued and secure, and though they are a bit dense they were very devoted to protecting you and yours. Very motivated, and still alive because of that devotion.
For the completeness of our records, Seneschal Shirish, did you leave the well-crafted flower in one of the rooms? We did not disturb it, but were curious as to it's origin.
Also, would you like to trade some recipes? It may sound a bit far-fetched, but your men-folk indicated that you and Karkadon seek out new tastes and different foods, and it doesn't get much more exotic than some of the things our team has eaten."
The grandmother is very polite, amiable, and respectful in her tone.
|
|
Claw and Tooth did not listen to reason, wisdom, and common sense. They fought what they could not defeat and then retreated from what they could not escape. But I sense you are no fool, moron or dunce. You possess a keen mind. So how about you use that brain and work with this flock rather than against, in opposition to, or at odds with it.
Shirish does not notice when Stali first slips away, as entranced as she is by the clever wordplay of Chak and the others. She snorts. "If I wasn't interested in working with you, I wouldn't have opened with a warning." To Andrietta, she answers, "Thank you for telling me they're alive. They may be idiots at times, but they're my idiots." She pauses. "Flowers and recipes?" Her voice is amused. "I thought adventurers only sought loot and glory. But maybe birds are different. I have a proposition for you and your clever-winged friend with the--"
She breaks off, looking for Stali, the very reason why she's talking to you at all. "Wait. Where did he go? Didn't I ask you for no tricks? Are you going to make me regret our parley? That would be a phenomenally bad idea." She holds out one arm, awash in intense flame. "I'd rather this party stayed polite, wouldn't you?"
She mutters under her breath in orc. "Det smarte tyv er forsvundet. Gå søger ham. Ingen drab, vi har brug for ham sund og i ét stykke."
|
|
I'm afraid our friend gets bored of negotiations, dialogue and deliberations. But I assure, guarantee and promise that he is up to no harm. He did mention, declare, and state that he wanted, intended and planned to check upon our prisoners, captives and hostages, your tooth and claw from time to time to make sure no harm, injury, or damage was done to them under our care. I'm sure he will return soon.
"Call him back." The friendly tone is gone.