Pirknok frowns. "Buhfore what?" he asks, intrigued.
”Before-before. When the ogres were fightin’ and killin’ menfolk all the time. Menfolk would come and kill us back. A mammy and her boys couldn’t live in peace.”
The younger dwarf grunts in something akin to acknowledgement as he processes the ogress' statement. Live in peace? Her kind? I've never heard of any of her kind living in anything close to 'peace'... or wanting to, for that matter. Is she leading us on, tricking us to get us to leave?
Ventus looks over the men, examining obvious wounds, checking for undue bleeding and insuring each has a steady pulse and breath, but does not try and wake them at the moment. Their demands for release or answers would only complicate matters. He still keeps an ear on the conversation in the other room.
"So you want peace and quiet, then? This is an attempt to keep the Kreegs off of you by risking the attentions of the town?" Ventus asks, standing from the last of them and dusting off his trousers. Oddly enough, as much as he wanted to see the rangers safe home, his sympathies were rapidly turning towards this Ogress and her kin.
Ventus determines that the ranger a battered and sporting assorted injuries (broken ribs, black eyes, small cuts and bruises) but nothing life-threatening or in danger of becoming life-threatening. It looks like they were beaten severely. One seems to have been beaten less than the others.
Mammy nods at the ranger’s assessment. ”And I think one of ‘em burned my baby boy while he was out lookin’ for the ranger’s cat like they asked.”
"I would ask that these men receive some treatment and perhaps more comfortable quarters. Nothing that would run a risk to your interests, of course. I would also ask permission to waken and talk to one of them. Knowing why the Kreegs want them out of the way could be helpful to everyone."
Pirknok winces when the woman mentions the cat. Oh dear... I hope he doesn't wake up... maybe I should tell her it was all a mistake?
Ventus shoots Pirknok a look and a thin smile at the mention of the cat and the burned ogre.
Mammy shakes her head. ”Mammy doesn’t think that’s a good idea. If you wake ‘em up, they’ll have to be hogtied. It’s better they stay asleep ‘till the Kreegs come to get ‘em.”
Hmm.
Instead of feeling a pang of guilt, Kaplan merely listens impassively. Finally, he decides to say something.
"We have the cat here," Kaplan says, flatly. "It would like to be with its master."
Pirknok grunts again. "When ar they comin'?" he asks. "Ah think we got uh word or two ta say to 'um..."
The she-ogre’s eyes go wide in surprise. ”The cat! Oh, Mammy wants to offer you a trade. You hand it over and Mammy’ll let you patch up the rangers. Baby Lucky will take good care of it when he wakes up.”
"They didn't say when they'd be back but no more than a day prolly."
The younger Shoanti's face darkens into a frown. Take good care of it? Does she mean he'll kill it? I don't like the idea of handing it over to them... even if they do want 'peace'...
Kaplan kneels down to the cat and whispers.
The cat is no longer growling, seemingly calmed by the presence of its master. ”Yes, just beyond that door.”
"So, no harm will come to this beast?" Kaplan asks, rising to his feet. "If we have your word, then the cat will stay here and you will allow us to heal these men. We will speak to them and ensure they give you no trouble. But it seems we both have an enemy with this Kreegs. We both want to live in peace and we must fight for it."
The ogre matron eyes the older dwarf carefully. ”Alright Peaceborn, you have a deal and Mammy always makes good on her deals.”
She gestures for the party to help themselves to the rangers.
Kaplan nods solemnly and proceeds with the cat into the room. "So, Ventus, how are they?"
"They've had a beating, that's for sure," Ventus said, steeping out of the way for Kaplan to work his magic. "Nothing abnormal or threatening that I could see."
Kaplan uses Cure Light Wounds on each of the rangers, hoping that would be enough. He did not like the idea of using most of his healing power if they were moving on immediately.
Kaplan's magic does the trick and soon the worst of the Black Arrows' bruises fade and they stir to consciousness.
"We're alive?" the oldest ranger says in a gravely voice. "Where the hell are we?"
"I don't expect even an Ogre to come alone to retrieve three well-trained Rangers..." Eli comments, but he assists in tending to the Rangers' wounds with his own skills. "You're in the proverbial pot on the fire." he says wryly.
The older ranger is the first to put things together. "The fort, does it stand?"
"And who are you lot?"
"Wut fort?" asks Pirknok, stepping into the room. "We came ta look fer you all... how did you come here?"
"Fort Rannick. We're Black Arrows. We were stationed there to protect the region from banditry and ogres. The ogres have been quiet for years... Until now."
"Where is here and who are you?"
The dwarf nods slowly. "Ah'm Pirknok. Yer in an ogre home, but they say they don't want ta hurt you... say there's sum young ogre causin' trouble an' makin' them keep you here. We're gunna go find him an'... wull, 'talk it over'."
"Don't worry! We'll protect you! We're heroes!" Jessamy interjects, with a wide grin.
”Heroes? We could use some heroes. I just hope there’s a whole lot more of you. The last thing I remember was seeing the whole damned Kreeg clan falling on the fort.”
”Well Pirknok the Hero-Dwarf, let’s go talk. I’m Jakadros and this is Vale and Kaven. Don’t Kaven’s appearance fool you. He may look like a babe fresh off of his mum’s teet but he can fight and range as well as any of my men.”
Hero-Dwarf? What? Now how are we going to get ourselves out of this mess...
"Er..." he frowns slightly. "There's uh bit uv uh problum, there. Thuh ogres who aren't Kreegs ar uhfraid ta let you out buhfore thuh Kreegs ar... umm... 'talked to'."
He grins wryly. "They've promised not ta hurt you, but ah don't think they'd agree ta let you out. So... ah think we may have ta go find thuh Kreegs arselves."
"(They seem more scared of Kreeg than angry with you, so I think you should be OK,)" Jessamy adds.
"Look, we've got a bunch of ogres trying to be civil and a bunch of ogres not being civil. Its in everyone best interest to try and limit casualties to the most aggressive parties. The ogress here only had her boys take you because of the Kreegs threat to her and her's. If you can tell us anything about these mystery monsters maybe we can put our heads together and figure out a way that everyone can walk away from this."
Jakadros looks at Pirknok and Jessamy like they're crazy but seems to calm down after hearing Ventus speak.
"Alright heroes, what's the plan? My men and I sit here and wait to be eaten while you take on the Kreegs on your own? You've got to be mad."
"I assure you, madness is the least of our talents." Eli says with a smirk. Is he sweating? Am I sweating
"I think we can assure you at least fair treatment from Mammy and her boys but the Kreegs are another matter." he says. "But what say you all?" he says to Adventus and the rest of the party. "Do we ambush the Kreegs when they come? And can we trust Mammy to let us? Or do we kill or incapacitate Mammy and her boys first?"
"And I thought I was a spiteful man," Kaplan huffs. "These ogrekin seem to have no love for the Kreegs. It'd be best if we head out and deal with them ourselves. Perhaps we ought to see to the fort as well."
"Yeah, I think we're better off going to get them. I don't know which side our new, um, friends would take if the fight happened here," Jessamy whispers out of their hosts' hearing range.
"There is also the matter of the singed lad on the table. I'd like to be out of range when he wakes up."
"Aye," Kaplan grunts.
Pirknok nods in fervent agreement with the ranger's sentiment.
"Let's go find thuh Kreegs."
The old ranger shakes in his in disapproval but recognizes that he's not in a position to call the shots. "Alright kids, we'll play nice as hostages but you've got to listen. If you're going to take back the fort, you've got to come up from underneath. There's a hidden entrance through the waterfalls that'll get you inside. With the number of ogres I saw, that's the only chance you've got. You can't risk fighting them in the open where their strength and numbers can be used against you."
"Uh... wait. Wut fort? We're jus' goin' ta find thuh Kreeg troublemaker..."
"If you want the Kreegs you're gunna have to take back the fort. I assume that's where he's holed up now. The ogre's are dumb but not dumb enough to butcher my men and leave the place behind."
”Heroes? We could use some heroes. I just hope there’s a whole lot more of you. The last thing I remember was seeing the whole damned Kreeg clan falling on the fort.”
”Well Pirknok the Hero-Dwarf, let’s go talk. I’m Jakadros and this is Vale and Kaven. Don’t Kaven’s appearance fool you. He may look like a babe fresh off of his mum’s teet but he can fight and range as well as any of my men.”