I dont have much diplomacy but I will try...
I hastily turn my back on him and try to avoid saying anything like "you smell!"
What doth ail thee stranger?
Well met, stranger. Do you require aid for the arrow in your leg?
“Venture-Captain Tree Roots said we should come to... island to island and then we left the city and swam north, keeping abreast of each other to fend off fish and then we swam and swam and we swam for years and came here to the island and we went inside the island and saw its heart and it was black and we knew it was black and we came out and we were black and then the blackness consumed them, ate them alive, ate me alive, and then we were all dead all dead all dead and I was dead and they were dead, and they were dead and I wasn't dead—do you see? I was alive! I was alive and they were dead and then I lived here and I lived in a tree and a cave and in the ruins and I saw, I saw, I saw things, and then the men in masks came and they fought the lizards and many died on both sides, many died, oh yes, many died and they did not get back up they were not dead like me and they headed to the doors, to the many doors by the river, the many doors where I slept once when the storms reached down and grabbed me. They are there now, they try to open the doors come with me, yes, come come come with me. I can show you where they are.” Once he’s concluded his story, he smiles, revealing several missing teeth. Then he points east and starts sloshing off in that direction, declaring that he’ll lead the PCs to the men in the masks.
We should be wary of this man. He speaks in riddles. What is the consensus? Should we follow him? If we decide to, I say we do but on our guard.
You're so thoughtful Fernleaf.
You know that you must find shelter soon to camp if you follow this man or not. Do you follow or something else?
We should be wary of this man. He speaks in riddles. What is the consensus? Should we follow him? If we decide to, I say we do but on our guard.
You can make a sense Motive Check to try to determine if someone is leading you astray, not being truthful, holding something back or has ulterior motives.
Well met, stranger. Do you require aid for the arrow in your leg?
He stops his march into the swamp.
"Hmmm, yes, the arrow...the men in masks did this...it does hurt a bit and is smelly... I think and leaking some yellow blood now. Probably not good to leave it there. Can you help?"
Anaba he seems a bit mad ...think Roldare, but not quite the wimp he was. looking at him he has found a way to survive all by himself on the Isle or Terror and he should by all rights be long dead. He does smell terrible though. You do not think he is being deceptive.
Yes, Cela use the healing wand on this poor soul please.
Cela, can you please help heal this man. Good sir, what is your name? Can I offer you some food and water?
Cela is able to see the wound has started to fester. Perhaps because he has rubbed feces about himself, but also because he is trdging through a swamp with a 3 day old arrow in his leg. She is able to remove the arrow and cast a cure light wounds healing the damage.
"Why thank you, Cela. I am...Dusan Dremlock, Pathfinder and explorer.". He then cries and rages again for a while. "I know the men in masks seek the City of Golden Death and the yyyyou must have
come either to stop them or get the gold. You didn't attack me like the masked ones and for that I'll guide you to the entrance of the City of Golden Death. For this, take me with you when you leave. Please get me off this island. First, it is getting dark and not safe, to my home where we can rest tonight and be safe. The masked ones fought the lizards and may died, yes, many. They paid for attacking Dusan. Let us eat in the safety of my home." he then starts moving a bit deeper into the swamp. He guides you seeing to know every root and stone along the way.
he guides you to a cave deep in the darkest, most overgrown part of the swamp. Inside are all of his earthly possessions: a couple of ratty backpacks, a broken short sword, a moldy blanket, a waterskin, and a heavy wooden shield missing half its circumference. A barrel stands at the back of the cave, in which he’s piled an assortment of tubers, leaves, and dried meat of indeterminate origin.
He eats some meat and tubers offering you his provisions.
"Rest now, I will show you in the morning how to get to the City of Golden Death."
He then curls up on some furs in the corner and falls asleep.
Standard watches for the night.
I am not eating his food! I politely tell him I would hate to put a dent in his rations ... I feed fahari and settle in
Thank you for the kind offer Dusan, but I would hate to deplete your supply. You are welcome to some of my food if you wish.
I'd be happy to take a watch at some point during the night. We should definitely take turns and rest up.
The night goes by and there are no encounters in the saftey of his hidden cave.
Dusan wakes just before dawn and starts mumbling waking everyone up with his movements and noise. He stuffs both backpacks full of food, straps the broken shield on his back and the broken short sword at his waist, and grabs the waterskin. He uses his broken sword to point at the you giving instructions to pack various vegetables and cured "meats". He goes outside for his morning constitutional and returns with fresh poo smeared about himself. "You should make yourselves smell or you will be dead in days."
He makes some notes with a piece of charcoal in a thick journal which you recognize having the Pathfinder sign of the open road on the soiled leather cover then stuffs it in his backpack.
Once everyone is geared up he quickly and quietly leads the way out of the swamp and back to the Razmiri trail. He glares back if anyone makes a noise and cautions you to be quiet. Anaba and Cela can see he is quite competent moving through the swamp and trails, pointing out potential hazards as you move along.
We don't have days Dusan, we have to find the men in the iron masks as quickly as possible and take them out. We have a ship that will be able to take you and the rest of us off this island, but they will leave if we are not back soon. The Pathfinder society sent us on this mission and we will succeed with your help.
Not to worry! I'll give it a good sniff before I cook it. Dusan, would you like some fairly fresh snake jerky?
He takes the snake and gobbles it down. "Better than the snake I get here." He finds a piece of his jerky and hands it to you "Try mine!"
We don't have days Dusan, we have to find the men in the iron masks as quickly as possible and take them out. We have a ship that will be able to take you and the rest of us off this island, but they will leave if we are not back soon. The Pathfinder society sent us on this mission and we will succeed with your help.
Yes, yes lets hurry and get off this accursed island. Why did you not come sooner...years and years I waited and dreamed someone would come." He starts crying, but presses on a bit faster.[/b]
Dusan, why do you say we should make ourselves smell? What should we use to do this?
Dusan how far until we reach the men in the iron masks?
And thank you for your offer of meat. I am on a strict diet and can only eat what I have brought with me.
And thank you for your offer of meat. I am on a strict diet and can only eat what I have brought with me.
Dusan gives a tangled story about running from shadow demons as evidence that his smell is what has kept him alive for all of his years on the island.."Poop on your hand and smear it under your armpits - It stays fresh there longer!" He then trails off and continues moving. "Three days ahead I think, but we can move faster - I know the way!"
Fourteen miles east of Fort Landing along Iramine’s trail, and not far from Dusan's cave you come across a campsite on the swampy southern
shore of Whispering Lake that appears to have become a scene of battle. Here you find the bodies of nine Razmiri cultists left out in the open and clearly gnawed upon by scavengers.
Scattered about the cultists are the corpses of at east three dozen black-scaled, reptilian humanoids with morningstars and heavy wooden shields.
Heal Check, KN Nature Check and Survival Check.
Do you see any weapons on them?
The battlefield is awash in dropped or tossed-aside gear. A full search of the battlefield finds seven suits of studded leather armor, two suits of +1 studded leather, nine light wooden shields, 12 daggers,
a light crossbow with 12 bolts, two masterwork rapiers, nine saps, seven short swords, three potions of cure light wounds, a potion of cure moderate wounds, three iron Razmiri masks, two smokesticks, two sunrods, a set of thieves tools, and 150 gp
As you finish looting the bodies...
Hisses and shrieks suddenly pierce the air as a group of black lizard-like humanoids bursts from the nearby trees, waving morningstars and javelins.
Anaba
Buchart
Cela
Fernleaf
Rolande
Sekkim
Dusan
Lizard Folk C
Lizard Folk H
Anaba is up!
Dusan
Buchart
Cela & Fahari
Lizard Folk C
Cela
Lizard Folk H
Rolande
Fernleaf
I will take the potion of cure moderate wounds and the light crossbow and 12 bolts.
BUCHART! Can you hit me with an enlarge spell?
Since I am a ranger, I can use the wand of Lead Blades on myself. Can I do this now?
KN Nature: The dead Lizard men are mutated these creatures are lizardfolk, though their black eyes and skin, and the small, odd mutations on their bodies, mark them as a wholly different species of lizardfolk from those normally found throughout Golarion.
Survival: the surviving Razmiri cultists fled quickly to the east at the conclusion of the battle while the lizardfolk survivors turned west
toward the Lingerlost Swamp.