Your group continues on with its exploring, making a slight westish turn to finish off the corner of the map that you are working on. You do not find much out this way beyond the normal wilderness, but you continue on, just in case.
barbarian. A DC 16 Perception check is required to notice the cairn while exploring this hex.
An additional check of Knowledge History DC 16 gets you the information below:
The skeleton buried under the mound of stones was once the son of a minor chieftain among the Tiger Lords, from a time when that tribe’s territory stretched all the way from Numeria to the Narlmarches—patrols from Rostland have forced these barbarians back to the east, and the majority of their cairns were toppled and the bodies looted—but this one has been forgotten, obscured as it is by brambles.
Alexander dismounts and approaches the cairn. The Tiger Lords used to roam this area. Judging from the size of this tomb, he was a minor chieftan, or the son of one. The man frowns. This is probably one of the few left remaining.
Perhaps we can find some trinkets in there, if no one objects to a little grave robbing and potentially rousing an undead.
Andrea casts detect magic on the ring to see if it is magical. If so, A magical ring, I have no skill with identifying what type though.
Alexander shrugs, I've no objection. I'd be interested to learn more about this warrior. How he died, and how this tribe buried their dead.
Once the man is exhumed, and their work is done, Alexander examines the ring. An interesting trinket. He chuckles, It's amazing what you find when studying ancient history. The Tiger Lords... with a sigh and a wistful smile, he tries to remember what he can of the tribe, Their territory once stretched all the way from Numeria to the Narlmarches. Powerful and proud people. And now their heroes are dead and forgotten. We owe this man for more than just his trinket. A humbling reminder.
A ring of swimming, Alexander chuckles. Pretty though, isn't it?
It can be very useful if we need to enter the water at some point. I recommend that we keep it.
Andrea looks at the map. What parts remain for us to explore?
Eduard shrugs slightly, I'm certainly up for some additional exploration. And I will leave that ring to others. I suspect that I am unlikely to be the swimmer of the group. It remains continually depressing to me, however, that this region is so plunged into chaos. It is a shame for something previously civilized to be fraught with such random disorganization.
Standing next to the Warden and Marshal, Alexander frowns as he looks at the burned remains of the wood meant to be the wall of the new Smithy. They had said it was bad, but he hadn't realized the extent of the damage would be this great. He shakes his head and rests his hand on his sword belt. Marshal. We need to find this creature. This building needs to be finished. Now. Radomir, go tell the others.
The man turns and look at the Devilbow. It seems we have a chance to test your skills. Can you track it? Can you find out where this...creature...makes its lair?
"If the dragon we've heard rumor of did this, it will be tricky. Flying creatures typically don't leave tracks. However, there should be other signs of its passage."
Hiding on a branch, Othniel watches the party approach on horseback. They looked to be well off, probably formidable, but he thought he could probably take them, or escape into the woods if things turned sour. As they draw near, he uses one of the few spells he knows, producing a shimmering field of magical armor around himself. Just before the lead horseman would pass beneath him, he vaults from his perch, landing gracefully, and reaches for his sword. Then freezes, hand halfway to his scabbard. "Orlovsky? What are you doing out here?"
Radomir mounts Czernabog, lance at the ready, and bardiche at his back. Aye, milord. Lead on, your instrument shall obey.
I shall prepare some anti-fire magic, this assault must be dealt with.
Alexander starts as the figure jumps out of the tree, reaching for his sword and half pulling it from its sheath. As the man speaks, he squints his eyes and looks at him more closely. After the initial surprise he throws back his head in laughter, Laurentius? You scared the life out of me! He continues, chuckling as he says, What are you doing out here? Did you pass through Voronakholm? We have so much to catch up on! Alexander laughs and jokes as he tells his old friend about how the group cleared the wild frontier and just this past month started building a small town on the edge of the frontier.
His tone grows more serious as he finishes, At the moment we're hunting what we think is a dragon. The report is that it is green of scale. With luck, we'll find its lair and 'convince' it to stop plaguing our land. He sighs and continues, With any luck, the thing will be reasonable. If not, well, I'm sure we'll work something out.
Things you know about Green Dragons:
- Their breath weapon is acid.
- A green dragon can breathe underwater indefinitely and can freely use its breath weapon, spells, and other abilities while submerged.
- It is immune to things like: acid, paralysis and sleep.
"No, I got tired of people in general after too long in Restov. I've mostly been avoiding civilization, living off the land...and the occasional passerby, when I had to." He says the last with a shrug. His own needs come first. If it means killing the occasional peasant for their supplies, what of it? "I had heard there was a new power on the rise in the area, but I had no idea you were out here. Need another blade at your side?"
"A dragon, you say? Hmm. Can't say I've seen one, but that's unsurprising. Let me think for a minute."
Still fast with that blade of yours? Alexander laughs, Friends, this is Othniel Laurentius. Never have I seen a man strike so quick...or be so quick to strike. He says with a chuckle. Yes, if you're interested, I think we might have some work for that sword of yours.
A dragon indeed, and a green one at that. The thing breathes acid, as we saw with the remains of our wood piles. It most likely makes its lair out in the middle of the lake somewhere. He sighs as he thinks about their predicament, I believe it can breath water, or at least stay submerged long enough that it doesn't matter. Between that and its ability to fly, it will be near impossible to bring it down in one fight. But if its lair is in a place we can get to, then we could ambush it and chase it back to its home. He chuckles, Perhaps we'll get lucky and it will be willing to talk. I've never talked to a dragon before.
You can't recall anything about Dragons with your Arcana roll, but your Local roll does indeed give rumors of three, young, green dragons that have been spotted at different locations around the Stolen Land. One of which was supposed to have made its home in one of the lakes in the area. The other two are scattered elsewhere.
As the half-elf jumps down from the tree, Finnegan quickly draws an arrow to his bow, yet relaxes his grip as Alexander appears to know the man. Clearly, he was less of a threat than he initially presented himself.
"Before speaking of ambushing the creature or chasing it back home, let's make sure it isn't trying to ambush us. You say it can breathe underwater?"
There is just some small scrub bushes near the shoreline, nothing a dragon could hide behind. Also, this side of the lake is rather shallow and you would have to go out at least 30 feet into it before you could find deep enough water to hide a dragon, even a small one.
A likely place for its lair would either be somewhere on the bottom of the lake or around one of the more overgrown edges of the lake.
As Othniel descends from the trees, Radimir leaps into action, and spurs Czernabog forward. His lance is at the ready, and he aims to run the threat through. Only Alexander's timely words of welcome half the cavalier's charge and spare the man's life. Radomir hauls on the reins of his stallion, and the horse bucks and rears angrily. He holsters his lance into the stirrup with a bit more force than he needed to. [b]Sire, you know this...man?[//b] he tries to interpose his horse between Alexander and Othniel, but seeing that that doesn't seem possible, contents himself with staying in striking distance
Acid? So I will pray for some miracles that can protect two from such damage.. Perhaps we could lure out the dragon with livestock or some other bait?
Perhaps. What do you think Mr. Rook? Livestock to lure it in for food perhaps? I'd like to get it in a position that it needs to listen to us. If that means making it come to us, or finding it, then we'll do what we need to do. Alexander chuckles, I suppose finding a cow or two wouldn't be too hard. But you're right...if we can find its lair first, we can both ambush it, and when it tries to escape, run it down.
Alexander sits upon his horse, looking out over the lake. It looks rather quiet, but even that holds dangers. What a wonderful countryside we've laid claim to! Never a moment to rest. Resting his hand upon his sword-belt, he says to Finnegan, How would you like to track this lair down? With all of us trampling about, I expect that we'll only slow you down and warn it of our approach. Perhaps we could split up? A few go and find some cattle to purchase and a few go with you? Those of us a little more discrete?
Shaking his head, Finnegan says, "If its lair is underwater, it's likely somewhere on the bottom, and we'll be forever trying to find it - not to mention we can't breathe water indefinitely. Otherwise, it's lair is on one of the more overgrown banks of the lake, and it may take days to find it. Our best bet would be to use livestock to lure it out."
Looking at Alexander, he said, "Given the difficulty we will likely have in killing it, we should also find a way to trap it on the ground. It will keep it from fleeing as quickly."
Alexander nods, We may have a few days, but we'll defer to your judgement on this. He smiles, I know nothing of hunting beside what the food tastes like.
Eduard, Andrea? Any ideas how to keep it on the ground? Some magic, maybe? Or would a trap of some sort do it? Alexander frowns, I wonder how large this thing is. I hear dragons can be remarkably big, but I'm sure if we ask the folk around here, they'll say it's as big as the castle or the size of a cat.
Many tanglefoot bags thrown to snare the wings?
"Actually, I have heard some rumors of dragons. Supposedly several young green dragons have been sighted in different parts of the Stolen Lands. The nearest was, I think, supposedly in one of the local lakes."
Later in the conversation, Othniel hears something else that piques his interest. "Bait isn't a bad idea, but I'm not sure cattle is the right way to go. Maybe they're just fairy taljes, but every story of dragons I've ever heard has them preferring sentient prey to any animal. If we could disguise ourselves as harmless travelers, we'd probably make better bait than mere animals. Of course, there are issues with that course of action. Like getting eaten."
"Could we perhaps use an illusion to make it appear as though there are sentient prey while we hide under cover, then ambush the creature when it comes in to grab the bait? That would at least get us out of the path of its initial attack."
We can, though it will be difficult to fool it with my simple illusions. I imagine dragons to have a good sense of smell, and that, I cannot replicate. Perhaps we could find something to offer it. I, and perhaps one other, could be out in the open. Mr. Rook can hide the others, and if negotiations don't go well, then we attack. Alexander shrugs, In this case, I do not mind being bait. I expect that, if it comes down to it, I can at least escape. The man runs his hand through his hair and sighs, At this point, I'd just like to know what it wants.
[ooc]Alexander makes Andrea and Eduard Invisible
The day after the Event, your group returns down by the lakeside with some cattle commandeered from your soon to be farm areas. Othniel and Rook find places to hide, Eduard and Andrea are made invisible and take up safe positions while Alexander and Radomir herd the cattle through the shallow lake waters and then back up onto the shore.
Soon enough, all that activity gains the attention of the young dragon that lives in the lake. The first thing that you see of him is his head, peering above the surface of the lake to find out what was running around in his waters. After sighting the cattle and humans, he starts to make a beeline for them.
Alexander relaxes with his hands upon his belt. When the dragon's head pops up he holds up his hands and makes it clear he has no intention of attacking.
We're here to talk. Though we'd appreciate it if you stayed where you are as you're rather large and my friend here can get rather...jumpy. The man smiles, So, are you interested in speaking? Or will this get more bloody that either of us will like?
Finnegan studies the dragon as it emerges from the lake and swoops towards the cattle - how it moves, any possible weaknesses, looking for whatever he could use to better bring the beast down.
The dragon pauses at being addressed in draconic, it then moves very slowly to shore, standing in about a foot of water still as it responds.
"What do you have to say before I dispatch the two of you and your herd animals?"
Well, you're welcome to the cattle. We thought it'd be best if we spoke while you weren't so...hungry. Alexander relaxes and rests his hands casually back on his belt. After all, it appears we're neighbors. With that said, I don't want to take all your time. We'd like to know what's upset you and what you want. And...if there's anything that we can do. It's a rough neighborhood, and we've had to deal with a lot of rough neighbors. It'd be nice to be friendly with some for a change. But, like I said, we've had plenty experience with being rough.
Andrea waits, her magic on Alex and Radomir
Radomir remains ready to defend his lord with his life.
The young dragon settles down on its haunches in a "seated" position and then responds to Alexander in Draconic. "I live away from my sibling because I had no interest in having neighbors. You are building where I used to hunt and chasing away all my food. So I had to substitute with a different food."
[b]My lord is wise and honorable. Perhaps, he can be a strong ally for you. I'm sure a compromise could be reached[/dice]
Alexander laughs, Is that all? The man chuckles and coughs into his hand, My apologies, but that is a problem I think we can easily solve. If you're into hunting, I'm sure we can find you some grounds. If you're into...cattle...I think we could work out a deal.
Some Taztelwyrns have..moved on from an area in these lands. A perfect spot to enlarge your hunting grounds. Andrea mentions the evicted wyrms the party found at a river.
"I am rather fond of this lake and do not wish to leave it for new land. Perhaps I should charge you a tithe of cattle for living on the landing surrounding my home?"
Alexander rests his hand back on his belt and his tone grows more serious, As it happens, we're rather fond of the lake as well. A tithe, you say? No, I think not. The man frowns in thought for a moment, Look, we don't want trouble, and I expect that you don't either. I'm sure the fine folk of this land will happily give you cattle in return for what would be, to such a magnificent creature such as yourself, a pittance.
Perhaps a cow now and then for allowing our farmers to graze and drink. Plus keeping us aware if any threats such as bandits intrude.