Before the start of Hella's turn her spell finishes and a stirge appears above the monstrous centipede.
Hella seeing Cerian fall cursed and knew what she had to do. Backing up she told Roderic. "Move I am jumping the damn thing." She said and knew it was a risk but one she was willing to take for a pack-mate. Getting a running start she jumps praying that the centipede was distracted enough as she used its arched back to give her greater distance. Wolf started barking at the creature.
She would grab Cerian and rolls him away from the edge and away from the centipede. Pushing him 5ft back.
The stirge would try to latch onto the large centipede to eat a tasty meal.
Blood Drain: 1 point Con Damage
As soon as Hella takes a run at the beast it's tail lashes out trying to knock her down. Rodric grabs at it deflecting it somewhat to give her the chance to cross. As she reaches the far side the monster shrieks in indignation.
The poison burns at your joints even unconscious making you feel a little less limber.
Calling on the power of nature she placed her hand on Cerian healing
Miri pulls her crossbow and takes aim.
The bolt sticks in the beasts craw making it bellow its irritation once more.
Arilyth raises her shortbow once more, hoping beyond hope to hit the thing. Desna, Shelyn, Help me protect them. She continues to sing praises, but knows her voice won't hold for much longer...
Rodric shoots his upper body upward, bending at the waist trying to quickly regain his footing.
Once he is standing back up, the cavalier bellows a loud challenge to the foul insect. "Your end has come, vile worm!" With the shout, Rodric drops his shield and places both hands on his sword, swinging in a heavy overhand chop.
The arrow finds it's mark causing the beast to rear, as it does
Rodrics hit scores the creature, rocking it and it's head tosses as it reels. The beast collapses and slides into the chasm.
"Well...that was ugly," Nedyr says, "Cerian are you okay?"
The young elf, pat himself down for a moment, entirely unsure what just happened. He did recall the large beast turning it huge mandibles ready to snap through him.. then the ground and pain.
"I hurt... but im breathing..." he said sitting up and blinking taking deep breathes. "Thanks Hella" he added, grabbing the large sword and glancing down the ravine at the dead centibeastmonster.
Arilyth looks to her fellow Elf. Her voice is a little broken, but she speaks anyway. "Let's hope that that's the last of them. I don't know about you all, but whoo... I'm starting to get a little worn."
Hella nods and helps him up. "Anything for a pack mate." Came easily from her lips. "We still have more tunnels with mites. These might be curving back up. We can use the chitin to make armor. You think Littlefang would like a set? There is enough there to make two sets. Anyone interested?"
"Not me, Armor chaffs me so," Nedyr says, "or at least my magic"
"I prefer a nice soft leather, mahself. Deer or elk." Aluxion carefully makes his way across the ravine to join the others. He brandishes his holy symbol and opens himself up to Erastil momentarily, positive healing energy healing the wounds of everyone around him.
He blinks a few times and shakes his head to clear the stars from his eyes. "Ah can do that again if ya want, Cerian. Maybe a couple a' times, if you feel ya need it."
A quick search of the remainingring"mber tell a tale. The remaining mites seem to have fled. From the quickly gathered supplies likely for good. The next chamber does provide a rather grisly example of the mites sense of humor. A pair of kobolds hang against the wall tortured horrificly. A lone survivor hangs unconscious between them bearing fresh wounds and burn marks.A more thorough examination of the burrow reveals the statue you seek an ivory piece carved to depict a reptilian demon. The craftsmanship is exquisite but the piece is entirely nonmagical. Beneath it is a piece of paper in semiliterate scrawl.
120 sp* 32 gp*
Hella would take the statue and stick it into her backpack after looking it over. Unable to read the note she would look at the money and such. "Split that up after we get back or do it now?" She asked as she went to the injured Kobold and would heal him if needed and gets him down.
"Hi, little one. Littlefang sent us."
The kobolds injuries are severe but your magic brings him around. Blinking to clear the blurr he looks up at you slightly dazed. He responds in draconic,
Hella smiles and holds up a finger for him to wait. "Does anyone speak the language Kobolds use? It is not one I have learned."
"I don't know what he said to me but maybe you guys could talk with him. We should camp up above for the night before returning to Littlefang."
"It's draconic. He says his name is Mikmek. He doesn't understand you but he's curious on whether we kill mites or not...and..." Nedyr tilts his head, "He's rattling on about needing to find a statue. It seems to be part of a mission he must finish."
He then speaks to Mikmek, in a rasping tongue filled with both booms and hisses
"Y'all talking about tha statue we just picked up?" Aluxion suggests helpfully.
Mikmek looks up at the elf speaking Tue dragon tongue and grins.
"That could be the one, Aluxion... it seems these kobolds are being forced to worship the thing. Very ood. A shaman brought it to their tribe a few years ago, and insisted it was the idol of an old kobold warrior 'Old Sharpclaw' or something like that. When it was stolen by the mites, a curse was put on the tribe, or so Mikmek claims. Mikmek's chief insisted the curse be lifted. The shaman said it could only be done with the statue and... well, the chief sent his best and brightest. Looks like poor Mikmek is the last survivor of his patrol. I actually feel sorry for the little fellow."
He speaks to Mikmek in draconic again
Then adds to his friends, "I'm telling him we might be able to help him, but I'm not promising anything yet."
Thinking on it she smiles. "Tell him Littlefang sent us to aid the tribe. We were going to take the statue to him so he could take it to tribe." Hella said and would work with wolf to drag up the chitin from the large centipede.
Slightly cursing under her breath for not knowing the language, Arilyth is pleased that Nedyr does. "Odd, parleying with a Kobold. But inform him that if their chief is willing to work with us and not against us, then we will do the same. No need shedding any more blood than necessary, yes?" She coughs lightly, her throat now somewhat sore from all of her arcane fueled singing. Will have to work on that...
"Agreed, and excellent way to put it, Arilyth, I think I'll borrow that phrasing," He turns back to the kobold to add,
The elf watched the interplay between Nedyr and the kobold go back in forth with a tiny amount of interest. A few years ago, he would have just labeled the kobolds as trouble makers and wanted to be done with it, but things had changed a bit since then he had met a few...interesting exceptions to the rule he was no longer willing to hold things at face value.
"If they are part of the tribe's warriors ask him how they bury their honored dead." He said simply glancing to the two tortured kobolds, it wouldn't be right to leave them there to rot for their bravery.
Madame Pindles pays only cursory attention to the conversation occurring between the kobold and the elf, instead rifling through the coins quickly to get a sense of their combined wealth. Darbi is unimpressed by both, and sulks a bit on her own, feeling dejected that she didn't get to fight another mite.
So much copper- I guess this is why no one says anything about mite hoards, Miri thinks, slightly grumpily. She instead hefts a spear experimentally, and is pleased to find it weighted appropriately for her small stature.
She ties up the bundle of coins in a cloth, considers the weight of the bundle, then the others around her. They're all far more trustworthy than I am... but he's the fairest, even a child could see that.
She pokes Aluxion in the hip until he looks down at her. Putting on a winning smile, she offers the bulging bundle of booty. "You got room for this're bag o' bits, pardner?"
Mikmek listens intently and nods, "Littlefang doesn't like the shaman, says the shaman is nothing but trouble, says the chief is weak and let's the shaman rule the tribe with fear. Says there is no curse. But he is still a sootscale and he helps when he can. If he sent you then the chief will be most greatful. We should go to him and return to the tribe as soon as we find the statue!"
Nedyr translates Mikmek's comment about Littlefang and the shaman and asks the group, "Should we show him the statue we found now or later?" Amused.
Then he says to Mikmek,
Aluxion takes the proffered bundle from the gnome, saying, "Ee-yup. Sure is heavy, though."
It's clearly a demon, no knowledge check required for that, the kobolds have clearly been tricked. It does not detect of magic in the least however and clearly has no ties to any curse.
It does not seem to be a remarkable demon, although the pose is praticularily intimidating.
You recognize the demon as Gelthar, but he was rumored to have been brought to the material plane and destroyed completely ages ago.
Clearly this statue is Gelthar, a demon who was brought to the prime material plane. His entire essence is rumored to have been used by cultists of Gyrona to fuel the creation of a powerful and terrible relic.
Mikmek looks confused, "Bury? why bury perfectly good meat? Tribe will come get them, give them proper cooking!"
"Mikmek is fine with leaving the bodies here..apparently kobolds have different views on cannibalism than we do."
Nedyr takes a moment to cast detect magic on the object and give it glance over again though without betraying they have it just yet to their kobold ally "Well, no magic... let me see what I recall."
"It's of a demon, but nothing remarkable about it comes to mind. Fearful pose though. I'm afraid I'm blanking on anything of further use, but I can't see how a nonmagical item can spread a curse."
Upon gifting the loot bag to the hunter-cleric, the gnome at last takes notice of the conversation. "Statue? What statue? Is it valuable?"
The odd look of the thing sparks a memory- a fragment of a tale half-whispered in a tavern half a decade ago. "That's right, Nedyr" she murmurs, lost in thought. "Its.... his name is Gelthar. He's long-since-been destroyed, though. Why would these shamans want to sing his praises? Could there be--" the gnome strikes a daring pose-- "EVIL afoot?!"
"The sootscale tribe was mighty, The mites were barely an annoyance, since the statue was taken it has been nothing but bad bad bad, dull scales, bad luck, hungry kobolds. We are cursed and suffering!" Mikmeks ears droop as he extols the woes of his people.
"Ah, thank you, Mdme. Pindles, I had quite completely forgotten about that if I ever knew. Something is afoot, but I'm not sure WHAT.." Nedyr says, "This shaman either doesn't realize the rather unmagical nature of the idol, or is aware, but doing his level best to make sure its not known by the other Sootscales."
He translates what Mikmek says as the young kobold laments the 'curse'
"Okay, I'm feeling quite sympathetic to Mikmek and his lot, so unless one of you intends to stop me..."
He'll unveil the statue and show Mikmek,
Recognizing the statue, Arilyth nods. "I agree. Help them. Worst that happens is we deal with kobolds. Best that happens is we make some kobold allies. Insofar as a kobold can be called an ally, of course. And Nedyr, in the future, you'll have to help me learn Draconic. Wonderful language. I'll help you with something in return, of course. Perhaps an opera piece?" She chuckles as the thoughts of an opera about an elven witch in the Stolen Lands would be like.
"Delighted to teach you. Draconic is indeed wonderful, but the kobold dialect is a bit screechy comparatively, not that I'd tell them that," He confides, "As for repayment, I wouldn't worry about such a thing. I'm sure one day I'll be relying heavily on bardic lore in one subject or another. If you do feel the need to make an opera about our group experience, let me know when it's done. I'd love to hear it."
"They eat their dead?" He asked sounding both incredulous and disgusted. He shook his head slowly feeling much better now that their cleric channeled a bit of holy energy into them. He watched as everyone gathered what they could, making sure that while they did so, those sneaky little mites didnt try to sneak up and waylay them.
I dont suppose we could pull away from this tree and find a nice spot to lay up for a bit? I could still use a bit of rest from all that excitement, They waited this long for that statuette whats a little more time?
"Let us get to the horses and set up camp." She finishes gathering the chitin and ties it up to haul it up.
"We will set up shifts so we aren't ambushed overnight. Mikmek, come camp with us and we will keep you safe until we get to Littlefang. While eating your dead makes sure not all is lost, it is considered bad form by a couple of sentient races. I can teach your people a way to get more meat than you can eat and a way to treat your dead that will allow them to be reborn stronger into the cycle of nature."
Nedyr says to Cerian, "Unless he's yanking my leg, yes." As resting up is discussed, He nods and pets Mooneye, "That seems reasonable." And then he turns to Mikmek and repeats Hella's comments in Draconic.
"Eating their dead... Next thing you'll hear is that they think they're all mini dragons or something..." Arilyth shudders, but with a faint twinge of a smile on her face.
You easily find a sheltered copse to make camp. Mikmek stays quiet most of the way but he keeps eyeing the statue. There is plenty of deadfall for a fire and a small creek provides fresh water.
Hella would once again stick the statue in her backpack after it had been taken out. She offered Mikmek some of the meat they had left over from her hunt the day prior.
Camp was set up and the horses tended. "I can take first watch. Who is staying up with me?"
Wolf was set to guard Mikmek and so he followed the little kobold around.
"I'll take last watch," Aluxion offers. "Lets me watch the sun risin'. He doesn't chime in on the cannibalism conversation, since he's not really sure what the religious implications are of it to Erastil. That's definitely something to pray about in the morning.