"Sounds like we need to encourage them." Richard looks at the smoke rising from the tree. "Lead the way."
Yes lead the way Dog Tongue! Any idea how to make the agree to come with us or do we have to kill gremlins as well? Can I just give them his gnome bane axe for them to tinker with as a bribe?
Richard, Acheh, Why does everything have to stink or be covered in blood right now? Do you have any spell to dull the senses or make one not be able to smell for a while?
"Of course! I will make you a bit more presentable." Richard casts Prestidigitation as many times as needed to clean Tal. "Apologies, sometimes I forget I am capable of this magic. The second edition of bard school made it much less useful."
"Dog Tongue, tell us when we get close. I would like the opportunity to have my bird scout.
Dog's Tongue leads the way to Trollclaw Cleft. Him and the other redcaps are not happy when Richard uses prestidigitation to remove the blood. Most unhappy is the redcap maiden!
About a quarter of a mile Dog's Tongue stops the group. It is about a quarter of a mile in that direction! He points north.
"I'm preparing him for his next bloodbath." Richard asserts. "It makes quite the impression on his foes when he gets a new coat."
Anything to avoid the mutiny.
Once Dog's Tongue stops the squad, he turns to Sherix. "Sherix, can you take a look? Safety in numbers, and all that."
Sherix flies along with Checken. "I used to be a bird, once..."
Tal sits back and lets the scouts go forward to determine what if anything they will be facing. When Richard cleans Tal off he sighs in satisfaction even though it makes the redcaps unhappy. Thanks Richard. That feels so much better now. Pity it sounds like it will only last for an hour before we get covered in rotting carcass and filth.
Checken is flying as is the familiar.
Checken
Familiar
There are about 12 jinkin in the cave with two of them acting as lookouts.
They don't seem to notice the intruders. The beetle is nowhere to be seen.
"Huh, you'd think a giant beetle would be easy to view. Maybe it's buried?"
Sherix flies back to Richard, pleased to see he's alive. Not really please Dog's Tongue is still alive, but she still needs him.
"12 of them, in the cave. 2 of them are on lookout. I couldn't find the beetle. Maybe it's inside?"
"Hmm..." Richard thinks. "I could disguise myself... no, no, they are fey, not really humanoid enough." He thinks some more. "I could try to charm the lookouts into letting us pass."
He glances at Tal. "Or, we can be loud..."
Tal shrugs his shoulders, We are here to get allies not start a fight...hopefully this time. I say we just make noise as we walk up and you can do all the talking and convince them with your silver tongue to some agreement. We give them the gnomebane axe or lesser trinkets if need be to barter our way through this. I have some potions and the hat of disguise you can offer.
As you approach the cave, you no longer see the lookouts.
Tal gives Richard a little nudge. I handled the last group. This is your time to shine now. Maybe they are just shy and you need to call out to them.
"Yes, yes yes..."
Richard stows his whip and raises his hands. "Ah hello? Anyone there? The Mother requests your aid in repelling the invaders. We mustn't keep her waiting..."
Richard sighs. He's fine with all of them dying, as long as they leave Riddleport alone.
With no one at the entrance, Richard realizes he has to enter the cave first. "Alright, after you, good chum!"
A >Silent Image< of a Jinkin arrives, gives Richard a thumbs up, and then moves towards the cave.
Richard makes the illusion at the start of the cave, and lets it move 130 feet into the cave, if he can. He always stays 10 feet behind, repeating his request for them to aid the Mother.
Tal calls out to Richard before he enters, Don’t forget to listen to Dog To hue’s advice and cover yourself in compost and dung! Of course Tal can’t but help smile at his discomfort as it was only fitting that Richard share in the muck.
Richard grimaces as the illusion hops up and down in glee. Hmpf, maybe I'll forget to clean the gore off of you next time. He grumbles as he finds a pool of mud to wallow in.
Acheh is going to take 10 (for a 36) looking for danger from the side of the cave mouth so Richard does not step in anything or get shot by anything.
As the silent image waves, no movement is seen...
Realizing nothing is happening, the Silent Image will leave the cavern.
Richard readies himself, keeps his whip coiled, and enters the cave directly. He keeps the Silent Image in the form of a Jinkin, happily at Richard's side, waving him in.
"Ah, hello? I was invited inside by your friend here. We have some invaders to repel. Mother's orders, and all..."
The cave itself reeks of a breath-stealing stink of carrion and bitter vinegar, and thick tangles of roots and foul-looking fungi grow thick
around the cave’s walls. The source of the carrion stink is obvious to anyone who enters the cave, for the half-eaten bodies of dozens of animals (mostly deer, boar, or wild horses, but here and there ogres or even humans) lie strewn about the cavern’s floor.
Richard looks around a bit. He hears something, but it doesn't make sense. "Oh! Could you repeat that?"
Sherix pipes up, thanks to her Truespeech. "Boss, they want gifts. Try Terran."
He casts >Tongues< on himself, and then switches to Terran.
"Ah, yes! What kind of gifts do you desire? I shall bring them immediately."
"I don't know what they are saying but any chance they will come out and be friendly?"
"They desire magical gifts." Richard calls out to Acheh. "We did find something from that foolish satyr, correct? Let's give them some of that."
Tal reaches out and tosses Richard his quick runner’s shirt. I have no need for this at the moment and purchase new ones when we get back to town. If need be you can have my hat of disguise as well. I am getting tired of hiding who I am and if it weren’t for my wife I would start announcing to the Guild to come out and face us.
"Ah, thank you..." Richard takes his quick runner's shirt and lays it on the ground.
One of the jinkin's warily steps out into the open and says to Richard to toss the shirt. He is nervous but you can see the greed in his eyes - he wants the shirt!
Richard seems a bit impatient at these jinkin and implores them to present themselves.
The jinkin looks at Richard balefully.
He exhales.
"That isn't enough for you? Mother needs your help."
Richard's voice falls on deaf ears...
Richard sighs. "They want more offerings. It's more like we're buying their loyalty at this point."
Tal takes a potion of enlarge and a handful of the muck that Richard was wearing before entering the cave. Listen up you little cretins. Mother needs your help and you’re going to give it one way or another. You can take the shirt and this potion right now and make this easy. If not I am going to strangle you all one by one until the rest finally say yes. You have 6 seconds to decide. 1…2…
Intimidate size bonus factored in
Tal was already bigger then the creatures to begin with but an enlarged Tal was positively terrifying!
They refuse to come out and face Mr. Angry.
The gingerly step out from hiding. One of them shakily speaks.
"Well Tal, I tried to convince them with honey, but your vinegar is much stronger. They will keep the shirt and the potion. They ask if they should bring the bug. I think they should."
Tal keeps the glare going as the creatures slowly slink their way out of the cave. Yes Richard, if they can control the bug then they should bring it. As for the shirt and potion those are a gift/payment from us to them.
"Having them leave with as many threats as possible works for me."
They talk among themselves for a few seconds and they start stamping the earth and a giant beetle emerges from the ground! They throw a rope over its head.
Richard sighs before translating. "Fmughwa will eat us unless we smell nice. I'm trying to figure out the particulars. I wish I could just cast a veil over ourselves and be done with it."
Tal grimaces as the giant beetle is revealed. That would have been one heck of a fight if it proved to be hostile. Perhaps smelling horribly isn’t such a bad alternative right now.
Hey Richard or Acheh, any chance either of you could curse me and remove my sense of smell for a while? That might make this actually bearable.
If you can’t then let’s hurry along until we don’t need to smell any more.
Turning to the red caps Tal instructs the all to roll around in the filth until they are covered I. The stench and then lead on to Mother. Lets go! We don’t have all day and if you want dripping caps again you will hurry along till we find more giants thugs!
Sherix drags Richard until he gets to the mud pits. "Back home we'd do this all the time. Although the mud there was less stinky. it varies by region."