"We would be very happy to meet this council. Please take us to them"
Nodding in agreement, Angus asks, "As I said we have a member of the true Mexica with us, will you guarantee her safety?"
"We can, as long as she does not act with hostility."
Looking from Teiuc to their elven guide, Angus turns Marion to follow, "I reckon so."
Zaranna, still blown away that she met someone from a *dream,* follows the group sort of in a daze, keeping track of their guide and not much else. (Even a drake might be able to sneak up on her in this state.)
The walk to the council takes about a day, but in that time Areyl tells the party about the current situation with the Mexica. They came to conquer the elven nation in hopes of gaining the resouces to take back the Mexica Federation and defeat the United States. They are concentrated in two fortified camps in the great valley the party just came from. Finally, the party reaches the hall of the council. It is a beautiful, sweeping building constructed from a vast amount of woven tree bark. Areyl motions to the entrance and says, "After you, the council will wish to speak to you."
Zaranna doesn't hesitate and walks through the entrance.
Seeing Zaranna walk in John Thomas simply shrugs and follows a smile on his face.
dismounting, he drops Marion's reigns, "I reckon you best stay here, Marion." he then follows his friends into the building, keeping a keen eye out.
Guujaaw follows the others. When entering the council, he greets them with the respectful gestures that a Haida would give to his elders AND bows like an American would
As they enter the building, they see six venerable elves sitting at a long table. Many other elves stand in the building looking generally concerned by the new visitors.
Zaranna tries to act politely according to her knowledge of elven custom, but as she pulls a chair over to sit at the long table with the council, she isn't sure if she is doing the right thing or not.
"Thank you very much for the honor of receiving us"
The oldest elf, the one at the center of the table says, "You have come here, far from where you are from. Why have you come then? Is it conquest, like the Mexica? Or is it good will, a scarce commodity as of late."
"We come in peace. My companions are searching for places where their people can hopefully settle. WITH the agreement of anybody who is still there, of course. While I am helping them on that my mission is more personal. I am planning on heading back to my people, the Haida. They dwell on the shore of the Great Water some hundreds of miles to your north. I have spent most of my life apart from them, it is time for me to return"
Having virtually nothing to add to the discussion John Thomas keeps his most winning smile in place.
Zaranna explains their mission as scouts and emissaries, and makes sure they know that settlers are coming. She offers to mark their boundaries on a map and offers help with negotiating with the new nation that they are now a part of by default.
She also asks them if they have had any encounters with drakes, which might be why her diplomacy doesn't seem to be going over as well as it should.
"So you do not come with the Mexica? That is good. We must ask, do you have any plans to deal with them. Our forces, while skilled, cannot match their ferocity."
Do you know how many of them there are? Those that come after us are innumerable. We all must prepare our places in the new world that emerges. The rebel Mexica can be beaten, especially since their mother country has disavowed them and made peace with us, but knowing the rebels' numbers and their positions would help immensely.
"There are not many, and the grip of those that lead them is waning. If you cut off the head of the serpent, the body will die."
Excellent.
Zaranna takes detailed notes and adds them to the map that she is drawing.
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Yes, we ask around the village if they are having any difficulties that we can help them with.
If not
"My path from here lies to the north. You've now made it to the Great Water. Do you wish to return back to your people with what you know or continue to explore to the north?"
An elf that Guujaw encounters says introduces himself as Uldan, ”The Mexica have been a great deal f trouble for us, but the elders refuse to awaken the power of the Shellmound. If you can convince them, it’ll do a great deal to weaken them.”
Zaranna tries to think of what the shellmound is.
If she doesn't know, she asks
What is the shellmound?
The party saw the shellmound on the way in, a massive mound of shells of all types. Uldan says, "It contains a great amount of magical power, and if the elder allow it, it awakens into a great warrior."
Perhaps we should wait to wake it up until our enemies come against us in battle. Something that large could easily harm its allies without intending to. If they know how to awaken it we could actually use it as a trap. Perhaps lure them in with a false supply caravan, and then take them down?
Either way though, I would like to hear the elder's reasoning. The shellmound might be hard to control, or waking it might cause some other side effect or bring a curse down on us. For instance, what if the magic of the mound is actually powering the magic in your village, and awakening the mound will cripple your village's ability to protect itself? It is wise to do the research before committing to awakening something we don't understand.
Are there any knowledge checks we can make about the shellmound?
+at least 11, up to +18 on things like arcana
Right. Never mind. NOT a good time for a 1 :-(
"I agree, lets talk to the elders first"
Uldan frowns but nods, "I suppose you may be right. We had best talk to them."
When they eventually end up in front of the elders, Zaranna asks about the shellmound: what it can do, what are the dangers, and what are the considerations in awakening it.
The leader of the council nods solemnly when asked, "The Shellmound Guardian would be a potent warrior, but to awaken it we would need to sacrifice one of our own. We are not prepared to give up the wisdom of the past."
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"That seems wise to me. I don't think things are so dire as to warrant that sacrifice. Is there any way at all to awaken the Guardian WITHOUT such a sacrifice?"
”Not that we know of. The lifeblood of an elder must be given to it.”
Human sacrifice is wrong, so of course we won't be doing that. However, if your enemies came to fight you here, and one of you was already mortally wounded, it might be appropriate find a way to die in the correct place and thus bring the Guardian to avenge you. Perhaps you will want to include that possibility in future battle plans, so the shellmound stays defended. ... It has to be an elder of *your* tribe, right? It wouldn't work with an Elder from the enemy?
The old elf nods sadly, "It must be an elder of our tribe." He pauses for a moment before saying, "There is an elder who lives along the coast to the North. She is afflicted with a wasting curse that an old enemy placed on her. Perhaps she could be convinced to give herself to the Shellmound."
Zaranna takes a group of volunteers to the North coast to find the elder with the wasting curse. She asks if someone has attempted to remove the curse.
The journey takes about a day, as the party makes their way along the rugged northern coasts. After a particularly treacherous stretch of cliffs the party sees an odd sight. An old wooden fortress, the walls manned by rifle-wielding men.
Guujaw recognises the cross visible from outside the fort as an orthodox cross, and the guards wear ushanka hats. The men are likely Russian, with no known affiliations to the Mexica.
Zaranna approaches the fort peacefully with their message about how they are mapping the land and the settlers will come after, and asks to know what their lands are in order to preserve appropriate borders.
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"I know these people at least a little. Some of them traded with my tribe. But I'm surprised that they are this far south. Be careful, they're not evil but some can (or, at least, were) quick to anger and very protective of their religion. Which, while like yours, is also different. Oh, and if they offer you a drink take it but don't drink too much of it. It has a HUGE kick to it"
A man on the stockade widens his eyes as he sees them and once Zaranna speaks points to himself and says, "English not good." He then motions toward the fort,"Talk commander, is better. Take you to him, da?"
Zaranna agrees, and proceeds to enter the fort.
The large doors open and the party is lead through it. It is not a large affair, but men and a few women bustle around the fort carrying furs, weapons, and other commodities. A short walk later, they are taken to a small office where a well-dressed man sits at a desk. He looks up at the party and says, "Zdrasvutye. I am Commander Rotchev, and this place is Krepost Ross. I must ask, why are you here? We have made peace with the sharp-ears, and I would not expect other natives to come so close to hear."
"Most importantly, we are here in peace.
I am of the People. We live north of here. Perhaps you have met some of them? I think you call them Haida.
These others are from America, the land to the East. I'll let them explain why they're here."