[ooc]stabilized at -10HP healed to -6[/dice]
Fhingle heals all in his enthusiasm. Which includes the walking bird and the alligator. Luckily for the group, the gator is not moving again. But the bird-person immediately starts clawing again, but misses from it's prone position.
Shocked Salonius flails at the birdman with his dagger in panic, "Ahhhgghhhh, kill it, kill it!"
Fhingle realizing what he has done, wacks at the bird thing with his mace.
Fhingle saves the day as he whacks the bird-person unconscious again.
The creature wears three copper bracelets and a silver locket bearing the Elven rune for “mother” into which are stuffed bits of a eggshell.
Laria is in shock as she sees the corpse. "Nan!" she stammers.
Meanwhile Fhingle hears something in the next room
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"This is him, eh? I'm sorry to hear it, Laria. It was a crocodile. All kinds of strange things could make there way into this place. Does this locket with this rune mean anything to you? And you don't know why the elven statue is down here?"
Saul doesn't hear whatever noise is to the south. He has walked back to the basement area (C1) to bring Laria the body.
"Something is lurking in the next room."
With tears in her eyes Laria answers "This basement was once on street level. Some public statue?"
"I am fairly confident, upon reflection, that she is Calistria, an elven goddess of lust, revenge, and trickery. Although hardly the divine sponsor I would have chosen, she is not wholly inappropriate for our planned endeavours..." Salonius watching the statue, and then inclining is head to it deferentially and speaking in elven,
Cheeks faintly pink he glances about everywhere but the party, looking for further clues, definitely looking for further clues.
"Are there more of those Bird people down here?" Fhingle asks moving with the group
”What makes you think there might be more bird people or something lurking,” Jhen asks as he looks around.
"More noises down here." Fhingle replies
Whoever enters into the last unexplored room finds there a lot of crates - probably the goods Nan stored down here - and three more bird people in a defensive stance ready to strike with a dagger in hand.
Peeko flits forward stealthily and observes the scene before attempting to head back to the group.
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"Three more bird things, Peeko? Can we handle three more, S? Fhen? It would be good to get this business settled. We bust into the joint, knock a few heads, then back upstairs for a nice hot brew."
Besides, Laria is up there. Always had a thing for mysterious dames. She's a little short, and bit of a tough nut. But maybe I just gotta up the ol' Gibson charm.
"Peeko told you already, Peeko told you. But no claws they have hands, hands." Peeko replies sulkily.
"I warn you I will not be a great deal of help... But I have a splintered spear left, and I suppose I can throw this dagger if the worst comes to the worst. Just leaving them and expecting them not to return with more friends, or trouble us in the future seems naieve... I wish we could talk to them, I doubt they are pro Thrune."
With his wounds healed and memory of the alligator fleeing Jhen asserts, "My sword is at the ready if it comes to that."
The group goes in formation with Saul and Jhen first, Meliandri and Fhingle a close second and Salonius staying behind them. As you enter you find the three tengus standing with daggers in defensive stance behind some crates.
The Tengus just stand there and stare at you.
Noting their defensive posture Jehn hesitates and realizes these are Tengus. He holds his sword level and demands, "Throw down your weapons and we will treat with you fairly."
"I am not sure I would throw down my weapon in their place, let us try talking and reassuring them a little first please? Nothing as likely to provoke a fight as trying to remove someone's ability to defend themselves."
"Please we do not want to hurt you if we do not need to. Do you speak common? We would much rather be friends than foes."
If they do not respond he tries the same thing in Strix, Elven, Shadow tongue, and even Auran.
"We don't want to fight. We're Jay, Maggie and Treep. Nan brought us here." Maggie replies. But they don't put away their weapons yet.
"Oh thank goodness you speak common! Can I ask if Nan brought the other, ah, avian individual the one with claws to? I am afraid he attacked us and we were forced to deal with him... Was he associated with you in some way?"
"Cough was with us. But she was no Tengu. She was a Dire Corby." Maggie explains. "We would have left already, but the gator didn't allow us to leave through the water."
"A Dire Corby? Interesting! May I ask what you are doing down here? Is this a temporary refuge, or have you always lived under Kintargo? If you plan to remain perhaps we could help each other? For a start I imagine you know the underground far better than us? That is information we could use if you are willing to share it?" Salonius says moving forward level with Saul and Jhen, slowly, glancing at his dagger and dropping it in a non threatening manner.
"Oh, and why did Nan bring you? Were you friends?"
"We're here for a week or two now. And we never planned on staying here. We payed Nan to bring us through Cheliax to Westcrown. But that didn't work out in our favor."
Salonius nods, "Ahhhhh, I am sorry for your troubles, the alligator at least has been dispatched. I am afraid it is not really practical for us to escort you to West Crown, but perhaps we could get you out of Kintargo?" Turning to his companions he gestures to the dark waters,
"If we plan to use this place knowing the terrain and any potential dangers might prove useful. Escorting them would be like killin... Ahhh, it would serve more than one purpose. I bet we could obtain maps easily enough, maybe not underground maps, but surface ones could at least serve as a reference with a compass and, umm, such? Plus it could be very useful to get to know the underground for our purposes..."
"Why would they want to leave Kintargo?" Meliandri snaps out of her daydream. Since the fighting, she'd been looking over the walls and ceilings of the underground chamber, imagining them with banners and proper lighting. She drops her voice. "Clearly they know 'ow to fight, so why not suggest they stay 'ere? They could be useful."
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Saul looks pretty dubious about this. "These are storm sewers. Even if they are big enough and shallow enough to stand in... who knows what else is lurking down there... I'm not sure about this at all, S. Best bet for these birdies is to just let them out into the streets when it gets dark. Or recruit them. Hey you lot, you need a job? Why were you trying to leave Cheliax anyway?"
"SO we use this place as our base?" Fhingle looks at the Tengu, "That other one was not on your side?"
With a flourish Jhen sheaths his rapier and silently listens to the questioning of the tengus.
The tengus take their knifes down and put them away. "We were not trying to leave Cheliax, we left Riddleport. You can surely understand that." Maggie replies to Meliandri.
"Cough was with us. I guess you don't know dire corbies? We took her in as an egg, thought she was a tengu too. But we didn't manage to raise her to be a member of a civilized society."
"What job do you have to offer?"
Jhen whispers to his companions, "Careful with what you tell them. We just met them and I don't want my head winding up in a noose."
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Saul nods at Jhen, agreeing. Then, he strolls up to the tengi to stand next to Salonius. "We have need of a... place of operations. I think this one will do. But there are obvious weaknesses to it, given that a crocodile entered and killed the inhabitant. What would you say about being construction workers, and after that, guards? You could stay here, we will ask Laria to feed you. I would like to see a grate put over the opening to the storm sewer. I could bring you the supplies. And after that is done, you could stay here, guard it, make sure nothing gets in. Wages are negotiable. Other option is to explore up the sewer a bit so that we have an alternative exit. But even in that case, we would need help to keep the area secure."
"Five silver a week for each of us plus food and lodging. And we get to come and leave when we want through the house upstairs." Maggie starts the negotiations.
"DO you think nan slipped off the boat and into the water and the crocodile got him?" Fhingle asks while looking around the building. "This place needs some work, bright colours maybe?"
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"The lodging is obvious... here. I will try to get you some bedrolls. The food, I'm sure Laria can provide, if we pay her. Come and go upstairs... Only at night. And only if Laria agrees. To be determined."
"The salary... seems excessive. A gold a week, for all three of you, with possible future raises depending on the success of our new business. And, a gold up front." Saul flips him a gold piece with a pleasant...ca-ching!
To Fhingle:
"You are right about that, Little Mac. Tengi, another job responsibility... try to make this place livable. Haul the garbage out and we will get some furniture and whitewash for you to freshen up the joint. Some decent lighting. And maybe Mels can come up with some scented candles."
Behind a crate another Tengu comes up, now that the differences seem to be over. "It's a start." Maggie replies and bags the coin.
"Laria are you ok with this deal?" Fhingle asks their host
"If they keep it on the low." Laria replies. But she doesn't seem too happy, with Nan dead and the circumstances unclear.