Vi hesitated just a moment, then gave Palisade a nod. Truly, it was unlike her to want to spare a lethal wild animal. She watched the blade come down without flinching, then ran with the others to the temple.
Bronwyn turned and opened her mouth to protest as Palisade moved towards the leopard with his sword. It was such a beautiful creature to slay. Maybe it would just run away when it awoke...although a coat made from it's hide would be wonderful to wear. With that thought, she convinced herself to let Palisade continue and instead of protesting, she agreed. "Logical, yes. But don't damage the hide."
Fendir took a small rock and scratched an x in the lower right hand corner of the two secret doors and then gestured wordlessly to the north before approaching the corner on the inside wall. He paused to listen for movement or voices before turning the corner.
"Logical, yes. But don't damage the hide."
”Affirmative,” Palisade said and, without further ceremony, swung its heavy blade, cleaned its blade before sheathing it again in favor of its shield and hammer and spared not another thought for the enemy combatant it had just ended. There were still more enemies previously encountered but so far unaccounted for, after all.
Leading the way inside due to its lack of battle damage, Palisade forged ahead, one step at a time, hunkering behind its shield and expecting an attack at any moment. What it did find, however, was a floor trigger for a secret door, detected by it stepping on one, but once the discovery had been made, a second one was soon enough located.
Glad to be in the relative safety of the temple's interior, Rainn leaned hard against the wall and tore a strip from the bottom of her skirt. She wound it around her shoulder.
"Blood was dripping down my arm, it tickled..."
She smiled but her face was wan.
"Ok so multiple super secret doors. Want to try exploring your one first Palisade?"
"Woah, wait everybody," Mei'Vi said, as soon as it was clear that there wasn't an army waiting for them inside. "We need to heal up as best as we can. There's no way these guys are unprepared for us - you heard that alarm earlier."
She dug around in her bag and pulled out her healing potion. Tossing it to Fendir, she said, "Drink." To the others, she said, "Let's patch each other up as best we can before we explore those secret passages."
Fendir nodded but didn't look at Vi, then sheathed his sword and accepted the potion and immediately drank it, his eyes never leaving the corner and watchful for any movement of shadows or noise.
Squeak nodded at Vi's words, and pulled a vial from his supplies, handing it to Fendir. "I'm fairly sure this will help, as well."
He then turned to his own repairs, pulling a few parts and gluing them into place.
"That was supposed to be applied topically! Well, never mind. Hopefully you had internal bleeding as well." Squeak muttered the last.
Fendir shrugs and continues to keep watch.
Turn 061 - Experimental Elixir
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
Fendir just stared at the woman, clearly confused and unsure what to do at this point, but not wanting to be rude.
Rainn stared open-mouthed in wonder at the priestess' song.
Her fingers danced across her belt as she tried to pick out the notes of the song.
Palisade noted the casual nod of acknowledgement, considering its next move for a brief moment. ”Query. Neutral lizardfolk number 1. If you would like to object violently to our presence in your temple please indicate your desire to commence hostilities. Alternatively, if you choose to ignore our presence this one would appreciate a clear indication of such intent as well. Failure to do either will be defaulted as hostile intent and met with deadly force, ” Palisade said calmly, moving slowly closer to the priest/shaman/bard, hammer and shield ready.
Palisade noted the casual nod of acknowledgement, considering its next move for a brief moment. ”Query. Neutral lizardfolk number 1. If you would like to object violently to our presence in your temple please indicate your desire to commence hostilities. Alternatively, if you choose to ignore our presence this one would appreciate a clear indication of such intent as well. Failure to do either will be defaulted as hostile intent and met with deadly force, ” Palisade said calmly, moving slowly closer to the priest/shaman/bard, hammer and shield ready.
The old lizard slowly got up from her knees.
She turned to face the construct and cocked her head trying to understand. She spoke slowly in her native, "I don't suppose you speak my language, do you?"
Seeing the lack of response from Palisade, she sighed and turned to the common tongue she knew a little of, "You here in God house. Here to talk to God?"
What would Eberron be without some gray area in morality? :)
It's all fun and games to kill some poison dusk lizardfolk who are clearly aggressive but...
what about a nice, old priestess?
Does she worship a heartless black dragon who wants to enslave the soft-skins or does she worship a kind black dragon who's doing her best to keep demons trapped in Khyber?
I love Eberron. :)
Questions?
Game on!
Squeak coughed politely and started translating. "He said; Hmmm. Doesn't translate too well. If you wish to be torpid we will leave you, otherwise we contest."
Squeak waited expectantly, happy to act as translator for the others.
Rainn performs a short bow and addresses the priestess.
"صمیمانه ترین من عذرخواهی می کنم مقدس ، من نمی توانم در گفتار شما صحبت کنم ، اما صمیمانه ابراز امیدواری می کنم که ممکن است این زبان را درک کنید. ما اینجا هستیم که به دنبال ویرانه های زیر هستیم تا در عبادت شما دخالت نکنیم. صلح اگر صلح داشته باشید.."
The priestess shook her head to both Squeak and Rainn; her smile would have seen as aggressive at one time but her missing teeth took the blunt of such an action. It was just a smile from a kind, old woman.
She repeated in her broken common, "Why here? Here to God-talk?"
"Piously. When talking to a god, location is immaterial. If the divinity is worth one's prayers, it will hear them, no matter where they are uttered. Much like the Creator-Goddess does," Palisade said, for unit Squeak to translate, all the while examining their immediate surroundings for possible ambushes. After all, they had already found two secret doors, so there could be more, and there was that adjoining chamber that might house a host of bloodthirsty enemies.
Watching the Warforged interact with the woman seemed to snap Fendir out of his stupor. He moved forward and peeked around the corner at the open area across from the woman.
Did the priestess not understand Squeak's Draconic? Did he understand her original words, before she switched to common, or was she speaking something else?
Squeak, confused, gives up on translation and sets his considerable weight to block the door through which they came.
OOC: The priestess did NOT understand Squeak (heck, Fabian didn't even understand Squeak). :)
We can assume that Squeak did understand the priestess words before she switched to Draconic (""I don't suppose you speak my language, do you?").
The rest of her speech was in common but maybe difficult to understand (or interpret?) for the party.
BTW, the room opposite the altar seems to be the preistess' chambers but are currently empty at this time.
Questions?
Game on!
Why here? Here to God-talk?"
As they entered the room, Bronwyn thought that the song the old priestess was singing was a real downer. Not knowing draconic she was relieved when she spoke in common albeit broken common. The wizard curtsied before she motioned at the mural behind the altar. "Your god did great things against demons. What is the name of the great black dragon?"
She politely waited for the priestess to answer. Then she continued, "Would you be willing to show us around your god's house so that we can learn more about them?"
OOC: hang on, Squeak speaks Draconic
Rainn smiled politely as Squeak attempted to communicate with the priestess.
She noted Palisade's blocking of the door with approval, and began to look around the chamber for anything else unusual that might conceal another door or other surprises.
OOC: hang on, Squeak speaks Draconic
OOC: yes he does but the priestess did not understand, "If you wish to be torpid we will leave you, otherwise we contest."
I'll wrap things up and move things along later today.
Questions?
Game on!
Mei'Vi was trying very hard to make heads or tails of the conversation. She didn't know whether to kill the priestess out-of-hand, or try to spare her. She kept her mouth shut for a moment.
Action 2
Aha! Keeping her hand well away from her weapon, she said to the old woman, "Yes, we respect. We not want fight. Young blackscale steal many treasures, steal our treasures. We want treasures back. If we need, will fight. But we prefer peace. We prefer respect." She hesitated, then asked, "Can you show us where stolen things are? So we can respect God House?"
Religion was not something that interested Fendir, so he opted to slide out of the room and go check the hallway, leaving the loud talkers to do what they were good at.
For his part, Fendir crept quietly down the hallway and listened around the corner for sounds of draconic.
Action 1:
“You wish Rhashaak priestess? Like me? You go to Haka'torvhak and ask?”
Bronwyn smiled sweetly before adopting a pattern of broken Common she hoped the priestess would understand, "Thanks for compliment but I no make good priestess. I wish to show honor to Rhashaak as keeper of demon jail for he is your god." Bronwyn remembered from her lessons that Haka'torvhak served as the center for the religion of the lizardfolk tribes of Q'barra but she had no desire to travel there.
Action 2:
Bronwyn nodded along with Vi's words, "Yes, respect. No fight."
Rainn smiled
"Us respect. Us peace!"
She nodded as Bronwyn referenced Rhashaak.
"We think stolen treasure below. We want return proper owner. No touch ward. No hurt priestess. No hurt any unless they fight first! Ok?"
She looked at the group, “You respect?”
Palisade nodded with approval – it too, after all, had vanquished a demon-god-thing in the not too distant past, and felt a touch of kindred-spiritness with the god-thing these lizards venerated. In their ignorance of the existence of the one true divinity that was the Creator-Goddess, of course, but it could not blame them for their ignorance.
”Approvingly. The slaying of demonic entities is a worthwhile task, and not one easily achieved. Certainly worthy of respect,” Palisade said, choosing to interpret the question in its own way.
Got caught up with other stuff; recap tomorrow (morning?).
Game on!
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
, Palisade
Squeak felt the need to defend Bronwyn "That's not true. You are well educated, possess strong convictions, are of good character, demonstrate wisdom, and possess the charisma to recruit others. I think you would make an excellent cleric. I believe you rate higher than Palisade." Squeak paused a moment "So long as they don't have that vow of chastity, or poverty, or obedience, or silence, of course."
---
Squeak stood still as only a 'Forged could. 'Were the things we were to recover somehow instrumental in this prison? Given we share an enemy in the Demons, are we doing the wrong thing? Moral quandaries like this are quite difficult - I wonder what Bronwyn will do?'
----
Squeak sighed and walked over to the well and proceeded to start emptying his cooking supplies in. As a gallon of cooking oil drizzled in he mourned "Pancakes. Battered fish. The finest sunflower oil, wasted."
OOC: OK, so he didn't see the dragon come up and breathe on Palisade then.
Squeak sighed and walked over to the well and proceeded to start emptying his cooking supplies in. As a gallon of cooking oil drizzled in he mourned "Pancakes. Battered fish. The finest sunflower oil, wasted."
The oil drizzled down the well and hit a stone door about 15' below the floor below. The pancake and batter mix coated the top of the stone surface.
Mei'Vi shouted an obscenity in surprise, throwing herself backwards into a roll and coming up on one knee, an arrow knocked and ready. However, the threat was already gone, back down into the well, from whence it came.
"Traveller's T+%*! Lady, what in Dolurrh was that? Your god?" She rose shakily to her feet, cautiously unnocking the arrow. "Respect is right!"
She moved over to Palisade, quickly checking him over, keeping one eye on the well. He was pretty beat up, still sizzling from the acid. "Squeak! Stop throwing ingredients at the dragon! Can you patch Palisade up some more?"
To the priestess, she said, "We'll leave you to your worship. May your days be long." To the others, she said, "Out, let's get out now."
Fendir heard the noise in the other room, followed by shouting, and internally sighed.
It's like they don't even understand the idea of quiet. Fendir thought.
I'm definitely not getting paid enough for this.
Rainn was so intent on the priestess's words that she completely missed the dragon's arrival, staring mouth agape as it appeared, spat acid and then vanished in the span of a few heartbeats.
"Oh my gosh! Are you ok Palisade!?"
She fumbled for her crossbow, evidently flustered.
Squeak paused a moment "So long as they don't have that vow of chastity, or poverty, or obedience, or silence, of course."
"Assuredly. Lady d'Deneith, if you are interested in converting to the true believe, this one is certain you would soon rise to the highest echelons," Palisade chimed in dutifully. "Also, silence would not serve Her cause, as how could one spread Her word effectively without speaking? This one has determined that far more potential convert cannot read than they cannot hear."
But still, where the acid touched it left black, pitted metal and it ate right through the softer parts of Palisade.
Caught by surprise by the sudden appearance of the dragon - an avatar of the divinity worshiped here? - Palisade nevertheless managed to avoid the worst of the damage. Which was only too well, since the acid that still splashed on its body carved deep furrows in its steel and livewood body.
"Damage sustained," Palisade said calmly, raising an arm to take stock of the holes the acid had burned in it. It took out its magical decanter and doused itself liberally in the ice-cold water, washing out any lingering corrosive droplets. "This one would appreciate emergency repairs."
OOC: as far as you can tell that was a real 'youngish' dragon that came up from under the temple through the well, hovered just above it, used its breath weapon, and then 'flew' back down.
Let me know of anything else that you want to do.
I intend to move this along later today.
Questions?
Game on!
Squeak felt the need to defend Bronwyn "That's not true. You are well educated, possess strong convictions, are of good character, demonstrate wisdom, and possess the charisma to recruit others. I think you would make an excellent cleric. I believe you rate higher than Palisade." Squeak paused a moment "So long as they don't have that vow of chastity, or poverty, or obedience, or silence, of course."
Bronwyn smiled at Squeak as he sang her praises. She looked downwards and even managed to blush prettily as if embarrassed by it. However, her head snapped up and her jaw dropped at his last comment. If it had been anyone other than Squeak or Palisade that made such a comment she would have reacted with righteous indignation but knowing that he never meant it as an insult she ended up shrugging and said, "That's a fair assessment. Although no one could be a better cleric for the Creator Goddess than our Palisade. I will dispute you on that point."
"Assuredly. Lady d'Deneith, if you are interested in converting to the true believe, this one is certain you would soon rise to the highest echelons,"
The wizard placed her hand on Palisade's arm, "Thank you for the vote of confidence, Palisade. I think for now I will stick with the arcane rather than the divine. But if I ever change my mind, we will definitely have a chat. Although I am always happy to help you spread your word...as long as I don't have to do any manual labor or get dirty."
As with everyone else, Bronwyn is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the dragon. She gawked at its sheer magnificence and beauty until it spewed forth acid at Palisade. The dragon was definitely not big enough to be Rhashaak but was it even real? Surely any dragon would be too big to be inside the temple, even a young one.
She pointed an accusing finger at the old priestess, "Rude! Very rude! No respect, just rude!"
Bronwyn ran over to Palisade and joined Vi in calling over Squeak. "Hurry Squeak! Palisade needs your help."
While 'forged worked on 'forged, she took up a protective stance watching the well. She waited, ready to cast a spell, in case the dragon made another appearance.
"As soon as everyone is good, we should move. We find another way down and we find what was taken."