"Friend Tunuak, surely there is no need for that!"
Harlan limps forward and spreads his arms, encompassing the villagers.
"We are simple travelers but we are willing to assist you in placating Vegsundvaag. Perhaps we can work together to bring harmony to the village."
Is that how my brother would do it?
Oh, probably not.
The thrill of the thought of batteling a dragon quickly leaves Malnival's mind after the shaman's rant replaces it with the tthought of a human sacrafice. The elf's hand strays to the hilt of his scimitar as he watches Harlan attempt to talk the villagers down.
Maeve keeps quiet for now, waiting for the right moment.
Tunuak responds, but to the crowd. "They speak, as if words will assuage the taint they deliver! It may seem drastic, but only a potent sacrifice will save Iqaliat. Only such an offering will bring us into the graces of the wind spirits, and fend off the predations of Vegsundvaag!"
Maeve bites her lip He believes it, but...eh, we'll have to figure out how to deal with angry spirits anyway. "Or maybe the spirits are angered by the dragon, and nothing can appease them when it is still acting to anger them. We've dealt with spirits before, both in peace and war, and if anyone has a chance of ending this threat, I doubt it's someone who doesn't seem to have thought before he acted." Okay, pot, kettle, they don't have to know that.
"So you say Tunuak, but what if the spirits are unhappy with you! It was your job to guide the village in how to appease them, if they are unhappy it is your fault!"
Tunuak barks a harsh laugh, finally turning to face you. "And now they proclaim to know the will of our spirits; not I, who has been their servant for two generations!" There are more than a few nods and grunts of agreement, though it appears that Maeve's words resonated somewhat with the majority.
Tunuak notices the wavering crowd and makes a last bid. "Indecision is their weapon against us! Take them now, or the dragon will consume us all!"
"You're not taking anyone ... Go home before you leave your children parentless ... you're guaranteed to lose a shaman in a moment if he doesn't stand down from his superstitious foolishness." Parity barks out baring his teeth in a snarl.
Harlan waits for Maeve and Parity to sway the crowd and shaman.
Maeve just stares back at the man coldly. "I've learned more of spirits in the past four months than you likely have in a lifetime, old man. They don't just hand out marching orders, and you seem so certain that you can't be wrong. Or do you have some reason other than the safety of the villagers for wanting to anger them further?"
Malnival draws his scimitar, the blade erupting in fire as he holds it before him. "Let him come first so you all may see him die."
As Malnival starts to draw his scimitar, Ulf's eyes widen and he reaches over to grab the elf's arm. "Stay your weapon, friend, til you have a need to use it," he says in a low voice.
Malnival looks at Ulf then at the crowd. "I will not die here today. Not at the hands of some ignorant fearmonger." The maugus returns his blade to its sheath, but steps towards the crowd. "You have led this village for two generations but will not lead it for a third if you continue on this path. People of Iqaliat, know that we shall sale our lives dearly if you attempt this. Better to have us slay this dragon than slay many of you, leaving you defensless against it. We are here to help you, but will not stand by and let this shaman sacrafice one of our own. Go back to your homes and loved ones. No one needs to die today."
Assist Intimidate:
Your impassioned responses to Tunuak's intimidation have a devisive effect on the crowd. Some shout their support for you, while others call for you to leave, and yet others try to regain a semblence of order. Tunuak watches his loss of the crowd with dismay, and like you, has no further say in the outcome. After a few minutes, the din begins to subside, and its clear that, while your caravan is still unwelcome, there will be no sacrifices, and your aid against the dragon will secure the friendship of Iqaliat.
"Bah!" Tunuak spits, disgusted. "Be it on your heads, then. Do not say you weren't warned!" He walks off, glaring a part through the mass.
As the shaman leaves, Sonavut walks up to you, an apologetic look on her face. But before she can speak, she eyes another man approaching, and stops to bow her head in respect. This man is older but stands tall and strong, with Erutaki features and dark hair going to gray. He wears an elaborate bone crown, marking his station in the town.
"Chief Nanquut," Sonavut introduces.
With a grim nod, the man speaks in a gravely voice. "I heard the commotion, but was too late to intervene. It seems your arguments were effective enough, but Iqaliat is still in distress. I do not know Tunuak's mind."
"If this is how you welcome all visitors, I'm not surprised a dragon started eating folks ... things seem to have balanced themselves out here just fine." Still angry about being considered a sacrifice after shortly after offering to help, Parity spits on the ground and crosses his arms.
Backwards frozen barbarians
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Heng bows deeply to Chief Nanquut, "My apologies, Chief Nanquut. We seem to have arrived at a difficult time. And please excuse my companion's rudeness. He was raised in a pit."
sense motive
"I do not think we have assuaged Tunuat, however. I detected a smug look upon his face which promises further trouble ahead."
"Thank you for the welcome Chief Nanquut. You have a very nice village. Sorry we couldn't come in better times. Perhaps we can get in out of this cold and discuss the dragon? Or if you'd like we can talk about happier times and good food."
Nanquut shakes his head curtly, "There is no need to apologize, and unfortunately, no time to recount happier days. Understand that everyone in Iqaliat has lost a loved one or friend to Vegsundvaag since it started preying on us. People's emotions are on edge, easy to manipulate. Why Tunuak would do so in such a fashion concerns me greatly." He looks to Sonavut. "We should confront him, immediately." She nods, pointing to a thirty-foot tall tower on the other side of the square.
"Will you come with us?" Sonavut asks.
"This isn't making a lot of sense," Maeve agrees. Something's obviously missing, but 'what' is the question." With that, she takes off at a fairly leisurely pace to allow everyone else to keep up.
Malnival's smile does not reach his eyes as he answers the chief. "There is nothing I would rather do at this moment sir."
Chief Nanquut and Sonavut lead you over to the tower house, knocking on the door forcefully. It opens a few moments later, but the young man who opens it is obviously not Tunuak. His eyes widen in surprise at the sight of the chief and hearthmistress together.
"Gluktok, where is your master? Tell him to come forth to answer for his actions."
The man gapes but recovers, bowing respectfully. "He is not here, Chief. He has not been here all day. I saw him walk past a few minutes ago, into the tunnel up to the wind altars... he's been spending much time there, lately." Nanquut grunts and nods, then leads you around the side of the tower to a narrow crevice in the wall of the glacier cliff behind.
The twisting passage climbs through the ice, using carved steps and switchbacks to make the ascent. The ice walls are brown and black with age, but cold to the touch. It takes a grueling fifteen minutes to reach the top, and everyone is winded by the climb.
The passage opens at the top of the glacier, a breathtaking view of the open white expanse to the north, and the untamed tundra to the south. Wind whips around you in gusts, unhindered by any obstacle. Nearby is an array of inukshuk altars, vaguely humanoid-shaped cairns of stacked stones.
Tunuak is no where to be seen.
Maeve frowns and quickly walks to the stones herself, circling around them carefully and avoiding touching anything.
As for the shrines and spirits, you don't know any more than what's already been said. They are probably local totem spirits, tied to the nature of the region, similar to kami.
Chief Nanquut grunts in annoyance. Sonavut asks, "Where did he go? He was only a few minutes ahead of us."
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Heng hops off the the rock and paces around the snow a few moments. He returns to the chief rubbing his tattooed scalp. "It is possible that the winds here might have cleared some traces, but I see no evidence that anyone has been up here for days. Is it possible that Gluktok would lie to us? Could there be a somewhere on the trail where Tunuak might hide?"
"When did this guy starting spending time up here? Around the same time the dragon started bothering you? Bet you that's no coincidence."
Ulf takes a long look around the site. "Wind would obscure tracks over time, but nothing here is that recent. Maybe if we backtrack, I can check the trail. Malnival, you can track as well, correct?"
Maeve thinks about it for a few moments, obviously bouncing on her heels like she usually does when things start to get 'interesting', but then she sighs. "I'll leave you boys to it. Let me know when he's getting close enough to punch, okay?"
Harlan rubs an old bump on his head, the slight wound reminding him of something.
"What if that wasn't Gluktok back there? And can Tunuak fly?"
Harlan rubs an old bump on his head, the slight wound reminding him of something.
"What if that wasn't Gluktok back there? And can Tunuak fly?"
"He could if he was secretly the dragon or if he is in league with it, right? Smug bastard."
"Yes, Shalelu trained me well.
Track (Survival):
Following Malnival's lead, you file back into the crevice and down into the glacier. About two hundred yards back, Malnival points out marks on the ground where someone stopped climbing, and the tracks end. A detailed look around the area, and you find a few subtle scuffs on the ice wall and floor. Ulf points out a round stone, just above eye level, apparently lodged in the ice.
It appears natural enough in passing, but on close inspection you see the outline of a secret door.
Harlan complies with Heng's request before backing off with the others, a worried look on his face.
"Be careful Heng."
Maeve gulps and waits for the door to open.....
Heng pushing the stone, and you all hear a dull *chunk* resound through the tunnel, as a slab of ice separates from the wall, revealing another passage beyond.
A half-second later, the floor around Heng falls away, dropping into a deep cleft full of jagged rocks.
Maeve gasps. [b]"Heng, you okay? Hold on a sec!"[/ooc] She quickly leaps across herself.
The trap doors remain open for half a minute and then swing closed again. Ulf probes a few steps forward, testing his weight, then nods. "Hurry, before the door closes," he says, waving the rest forward.
The new tunnel cuts west through the ice, away from the village parallel to the cliffs. It climbs steeply for a hundred paces then tapers off to level. Just at the top of the climb, you come upon a body. He is dressed in the furs and leathers of an Erutaki hunter, bloodied from several wounds. Unconcious or senseless, he groans in pain.
Parity draws Suishen, casts resist cold, and steps forward beyond the body, listening, but awaiting the others' assessment of the situation.
"This can't be good."
Harlan quickly blesses the group before approaching the downed man, crossbow at the ready.
"Who is it?"
As you move in to inspect the man, he groans and starts to come to. The chieftain leans forward, and his eyes widen. "Qalvanaq, one of our hunters who went after the dragon. We thought him dead!"
"Watch out, he did it to himself!"
Harlan backs up and readies to fire if the man turns hostile.