The fetchling falls silent, staring about him gloomily. He seems resigned to die, despite the deputies' assurances.
Those of you with the main body of miners see a familiar face show up - Uflad. He's speaking with Foreman Archer, and Archer looks fairly angry.
Jaxx runs back... pointing to the Fetchling.
You... HIDE! Or I'll hide you myself! He hotly whispers.
"What? Uh..."
oozula has no clue what's going on.
To Oozula in near whispered tone and in Draconic - If he doesn't escape now, he might be killed... or worse. Stop over thinking it, save a life and make a friend. Now.
"I don't... What? Look, he is fully willing to kill everyone here. I'm not about to let him go yet."
she hisses back in more draconic.
They you are like the rest. Haven't evolved nearly enough. Put out of sorts, Jaxx walks over to the wizard.
Staring up at him, he asks... Slumming? What's your deal? You don't seem the manual labor type.
"Evolved? What? Look, he's a /murderer/ Who thinks this Jen they dug up is some kind of holy relic. Why, tell me, why, would i let him go?"
she continues to speak draconic.
Caln feels like he's been hit by a confusion spell...What in the world is Jaxx doing?
The fetchling glances around at all of you in alarm. Armelio and Arthur - the only ones who didn't follow Oozula for her interrogation - can hear the argument between Archer and Uflad more clearly now. Archer is accusing the wizards of ignoring raid threats and putting the miners at risk, and Uflad is trying to placate him.
Arwen will head over there after all the deputy had no jurisdiction over here.
"Oh..nertz!" Suny exclaims quietly, then looks to Oozula.
"Jaxx be tha' right of it! Wes got'a get Scratch out'a site!" She implores her Kobold freind.
"Tha' rest of us, we's got'a get more know how out'a Ponty-pants over there. Then we's can compare stories agin, an' such..." She urges her companions to begin hustling etc.
Arwen will head over there after all the deputy had no jurisdiction over here.
Arthur quietly tries to overhear the foreman's conversation...
>_>
<_<
Armelio inserts himself in the conversation between Archer and Uflad...
"Uflad... this certainly cannot continue. I expect you have a solution? If not, we are going to start making orders. Words and promises aren't going to do it anymore for your people."
"Where do we...where am I going?" the Fetchling asks, growing fearful now at Jaxx and Suny's jostling.
Meanwhile,
Uflad turns to Armelio from his discussion with Archer. His expression immediately lights up as he sees him. "Ah, so it was you that assisted these miners! My thanks. I was delayed on Tower business and so could not hear the shouts of the townsfolk; but I came as soon as I could, I assure you..."
Archer breaks in. "That's not good enough Uflad! We've been getting raided regularly for two months now and we've been fighting and dying in these tunnels, protecting your artifact!" He thumps Uflad's chest with his pointer finger. Over Archer's shoulder you can see Dagra looking at Archer with a soft expression of admiration on her normally stern face.
Uflad's face grows grim again when the artifact is mentioned. Unexpectedly, rather than argue back, the overweight man sighs. "I...agree with you. The artifact must go...but it won't be as easy to get rid of it as it was to discover it, I fear."
"Where do we...where am I going?" the Fetchling asks, growing fearful now at Jaxx and Suny's jostling.
Meanwhile,
Uflad turns to Armelio from his discussion with Archer. His expression immediately lights up as he sees him. "Ah, so it was you that assisted these miners! My thanks. I was delayed on Tower business and so could not hear the shouts of the townsfolk; but I came as soon as I could, I assure you..."
Archer breaks in. "That's not good enough Uflad! We've been getting raided regularly for two months now and we've been fighting and dying in these tunnels, protecting your artifact!" He thumps Uflad's chest with his pointer finger. Over Archer's shoulder you can see Dagra looking at Archer with a soft expression of admiration on her normally stern face.
Uflad's face grows grim again when the artifact is mentioned. Unexpectedly, rather than argue back, the overweight man sighs. "I...agree with you. The artifact must go...but it won't be as easy to get rid of it as it was to discover it, I fear."
"Wizard, why not have the Fletchlings take it. They want it and you want to get rid of it?"
Uflad's mouth works in frustration as he stares at Caln. "Blast it, but you're right. The power can't be harnessed properly, by us anyway. I've decided that the artifact does not belong in our hands. But...I'm not the one you need to convince, sadly..."
Probably because it can be used as a extremely long range weapon if I understood correctly. How big is it in fact?
Uflad shrugs. "I can show it to you, if you like. Now that the raid's done, it should be safe to visit the artifact."
Uflad's mouth works in frustration as he stares at Caln. "Blast it, but you're right. The power can't be harnessed properly, by us anyway. I've decided that the artifact does not belong in our hands. But...I'm not the one you need to convince, sadly..."
"Who needs convincing? We have a extremely accomplished diplomat with us."
"Othellus and the others. I'm junior to them, after all. They were supposed to remove themselves from their communal trance for dinnertime, but that was hours ago...I'm afraid I haven't been able to revive them."
Well lets see if the safy placed on that communal trance will take effect. in the mean time we could go indeed visit the artifact.
"We are visiting an instant killing artifact which may currently be under the fumbling manipulation of entranced wizards who do not know us? This is turning into quite an interesting day..."
Uflad lets out a sigh. "When you see the artifact, you'll understand much. Where are the other officers from Freedom Town? I do not see them.." he glances over Armelio's shoulder.
Down here, wizard. Jaxx indicates from where he'd asked a question.
Need something?
Uflad had pointedly ignored the accusatory gnome. Glancing down, he adopts a wide smile. "I'm sorry, I must not have heard your question. I'm not here to labor but to check on the miners. I heard about what happened. Where is that charming young elf lass?" he asks.
Jaxx waves him off. I get that a lot.
But, umm... I just had a thought. What if someone or some... thing were smart enough to turn the tables on you?
What if entering that trance became a trap... and the enemy traced back and controlled those in the trance instead? Or at least held them captive...
Bad juju... Jaxx shakes his head not liking the possibility.
Uflad's wide smile fades. "You're quite astute, my small friend..." he lowers his voice and speaks to Jaxx alone, "For that is precisely what has happened. We need your help."
Jaxx considers the big person. He speaks softly, but heatedly. Stop joking, this is serious... Imagine the implications!
"I wish this was humorous, my small friend. The situation is...dire."
Suny continues to try and hide the Scratch (The fetchling) from Mr Ponty-pants (Ulfad).
Jaxx begins to pace, his mind racing. I hate it when I'm right... Dammit. I was right. Frakk... Okay, we'll fix it. But no harming the fetchlings. Deal?
"What could be controlling them, though? What kind of power would you have to have and what does this have to do with the crystal?"
Having made an effort to keep Scratch out of site from Mr Pony-pants, Suny skips forwards,
"Aye, but here. Them folks like Scratch...They bin sayin' tha' thingy be talkin' ta' them, right? An' Mr Pon-...Um...MR Ulfad? They bin sayin' tha' thingy be some sort'a boon ta' them, right?" Suny Looks around at her friends.
"Whut if this thing be, y'know, somat else? An'...it's jus' bin playin' with folks toll now? Learnin'...an' growin'...an' plannin'...an' bein' all sneaky, like?" (O_O) She exclaims, her eyes growing wider as her thoughts expand upon her ideas and explanations. Then grins and becomes completely embarrassed to have said so much.
"Um...hi..." She gives Mr Ulfad a tiny wave.
Ha there you are suny
Suny continues to smile and grin, nervously shifting from foot to foot.
"We better see this artifact and maybe talk to the other Fletchlings. We have to figure out a way to free the wizards from the link."
Uflad looks from one deputy to another. A note of suspicion enters his gaze, but he shakes his head. "We've tried diplomacy with the cursed things already. They refuse to see reason. Maybe they'll leave us alone after they have the artifact...if they can even take it. We'll see. For now, follow me - you might as well come too, Archer. As representative to the miners you should see this."
The Foreman, surprised, makes to follow Uflad. Dagra speaks up - "If you think I'm letting you take my husband off to that fool artifact with you without me to look out for him, you're crazy," she states, growling as she stands next to Archer.
"Very well then," Uflad sighs. He begins leading you into the deeper tunnels of the mine.
"When we found this artifact, we took it as a sign," Uflad says as he leads you on, not noticing as your group walks right past the fetchling's hiding place. "Proof from the gods that our venture was destined for success, that we were meant for something better than we could achieve in our homelands to the West."
The way is marked by stone worked by many pickaxes. "But our faith in the rightness of our cause began to wane as the damned fetchlings began making their demands. Now, with the most recent calamity, my mind is made up. I want to be rid of it, and I believe you will be able to convince the others...should you reach them..."
He leads you on in silence for another half hour, until you reach a cordoned-off section of the mines. He speaks a command word and the magical spell holding the deceptively simple door locked pops open. He walks inside the darkened tunnel beyond, which slopes upward.
Suny tries to make sure Scratch remains 'obscured' by Caln, Arthur and Oozula as the group wanders along behind Ulfad.
Hum i wounder what that will bring in new threat in these fletcling can use it to kill from a distance ponders Arwen while following
All of you follow Uflad up the sloping tunnel until you reach a cylindrical enclosure of some kind. You stand on a 5' wide walkway behind a crude guardrail made of iron bars that comes up to your waist.
Looking over the guard rail next to Uflad, you see what looks like an enormous gem, the largest any of you have seen in your lives. Unbelievably, it resembles a cut jewel, having many smooth facets that reflect the light from the surrounding everburning torches dazzlingly. The jewel gives off a low, faint humming sound constantly. Uflad stares at it with a grim expression on his face - Archer shows merely awe of the thing, while Dagra growls mistrustfully at it.
"Oooo...pretty..." Suny says quietly, her large blue eyes open wide in awe at the sight.
How big is it?
Arthur cautiously follows. He doesn't seem to have been comfortable since they left the tower.
He examines the crystal with a just shy of gnomish curiosity.
Spellcraft
Know Arcana
"We can't get close to it with a ruler - this guardrail marks how close you can get to it without being struck dead. We found out the distance the hard way," he mutters. Archer nods, grimly, and crosses his arms. Uflad continues. "But we estimate it to be well over 6 feet tall. We can only guess at its weight - it may not weigh anything, after all, it's suspended in midair," Uflad comments. He stares at the jewel. It's cut in a perfectly spherical shape, and hovers in the middle of the room, humming.
Arthur cautiously follows. He doesn't seem to have been comfortable since they left the tower.
He examines the crystal with a just shy of gnomish curiosity.
1d20+4+5+3Spellcraft
1d20+4+5+3Know Arcana
You've never seen or heard of anything like this before, and the constant humming is distracting you and making it difficult for you to concentrate.
"I... Uh... Wow."
oozula stares at the gem, dumbfounded.
At the mention of 'Struck dead',
Suny doesn't stop trying to wiggle her next to nekkid self through the guard rail.