"I would not expect the trogs to be reasonable. Fully expect this to degrade into a fight. One that we should be able to win, but let's not go in with false hopes...
"I don't think we have any chance of becoming allies. But neither of us needs another enemy to fight besides the hobgoblins."
"Well then I guess are back are to the wall. Taking their home makes sense unless the hobgoblins know where they live. They may come looking. Still it will give us a few days I guess."
:: Rova 30 - Evening - Chernasardo Forest ::
After examining the scene, the party decides to move on and follow the troglodytes. The path is easy to follow and after a few hundred more feet, it looks like it rejoins with another path.
An examination of the area make it seem likely that the troglodytes followed one path out in the morning and more or less returned along it to their camp.
After another hours travel, with the sun beginning to set, the group hears a god awful screeching noise coming from up ahead where the troglodytes path leads to. Slightly alarmed at first, Alezandu and Claustipher quickly realize its the sound of a shrieker mushrom, either being disturbed or having a strong light shone on it.
After another five minutes walking, with the shrieker mushrooms still shrieking. The group comes to the edge of a small clearing. Across the clearing is a cave in the side of a rather steep hill with vines draped over top of the entrance. The noise of the shrieker mushrooms and the trail of the troglodytes both seem to be coming from it.
Alezandu stops at the clearing's edge, readying his bow. "With those mushrooms acting as an alarm, I think are only real choices are rushing in swords slashing or alerting the troglodytes to our presence and trying to be diplomatic," though it is odd that they've been shrieking for this long. "I'm not enthusiastic about negotiating with the people who killed Dylan and Tam, but that's probably our best option. Particularly from the perspective of getting the prisoners out alive."
We didn't set those things off though did we? is someone else already here intruding on their territory? perhaps we should move forward slowly until we know more about what just happened.
"Well rushing and slashing are not really in my arsenal but if we must. I guess talking may be the best idea. Should we look strong or harmless? I could walk about, just an old man, to talk. Risky though."
Claustipher truly is not sure what to do.
Given the current angle of the sun, there is a chance that it is the sun light hitting the mushrooms causing the noise. You can't verify that from here though.
”If the sun always hits the mushrooms at this time, the guards probably don’t bother checking. If we go now...”
Solace follows Falcon's logic and finishes his sentence. "...Then they won't both to check on them mushrooms making any noise and we can sneak by. I'm willing to give that a try."
"That's a good point," Alezandu concedes. "I'm on board."
Unless someone else takes point, he creeps across the clearing, moves a vine aside and peers into the cave.
:: Rova 30 - Dusk - Chernasardo Forest ::
Alezandu creeps forward to take a look into the cave.
Beyond the tangle of roots shading the cave entrance, a narrow tunnel slopes sharply down. The tips of tree roots protrude from the ceiling like stained teeth. Light from outside catches on a streak of cloudy teal crystal running along the length of one wall. Bulbous brown and purple fungal growths sprout from the ground, and an unpleasant, faintly sulfurous odor hangs in the air.
The light casts its rays across many of the mushrooms, which are quivering while they shriek. Alezandu can see that there are only a few minutes left before the light leaves the mushrooms, and they presumably become silent again.
Alezandu motions the others forward to join him, then says over the shrieking, "We only have a couple of minutes to get past the mushrooms before the sun sets. Solace, you should probably lead the way until we're far enough in to risk a light."
Claustipher casts mage armor and moves up with the others, keeping to the back as is his habit.
Finally he draws the wand of Magic Missle and keeps it at the ready.
Falcon dashed to the tunnel as well, readying his staff as he runs.
Elyas follows Falcon, sword and shield at the ready
:: Rova 30 - Dusk - Chernasardo Forest ::
The group passes through the room full of mushrooms, and tries to creep into the next one. While not yet dark, the light levels are low enough to give some of the group trouble.
As you pass towards the second room, you begin to smell a gods awful stench.
As the two in the front hold everything together, Falcon looks up and sees a troglodyte starring down the tunnel at him, its eyes wide.
The troglodyte shouts while drawing a club and assuming a defensive stance.
Not speaking draconic Claustipher can do little to calm the situation down. Still he does yell in common and again in gobline, just in case.
befor sighing and saying "Maybe it does." more to himself.
As he speaks he cast light on his quarterstaff so he can see a bit better.
Falcon grips his staff, but waits...reluctantly, as Claustipher tries to talk to them.
:: Rova 30 - Dusk - Chernasardo Forest ::
The troglodytes flinch backwards as Claustipher yells and casts a spell. One of them runs back into the cave screaming in their language.
A few tense moments later, the troglodyte you recognize as Tanelin appears.
"Why you come?!" Tanelin barks at you. "You people attack us! " Seeing Yorc standing behind your group he points and screams, "You people side with hobgoblins! We not let you kill us!"
Tanelin yells deeper into the caves and you can hear more movement behind them. All the troglodytes seem ready to fight at a moments notice, but seem hesitant to start while having fewer numbers.
Exasperated by the troglodytes' misconceptions, Alezandu calls out to Tanelin, "Yorc has defected, and the hobs destroyed our homes! We would never work with them! We're here to negotiate."
"Do we look like an invasion? A few people one of which is an old men. Don't be daft. We have a mutual enemy in the hobgoblins so just calm down."
Elyas holds his hands out in a gesture of peace and tries to help difuse the situation.
"We have been cast from our homes by the hobgoblins. we seek aid in fighting back. We will never work with these invaders.
Yorc here fought us but was supdued and has agreed to help us rather than continue to fight us. Working together is our best hope of fighting off the hobs.
"Sided with the very creatures who chased us from our homes, killed half our families and enslaved the other half and who hunt down all of us who survived and escaped their attacks? I'm sure you don't think much of us, but we are nowhere near that stupid. We've come seeking other survivors of our village since we need all the help we can get to fight back against the hobgoblins and to find out who your band owes its allegiance to."
Falcon keeps silent, since he has no way with words, and his voice would betray his thoughts. He meditates on whether his desire to oust these creatures and take their caves for the people of Phaendar makes him worse than Yorc’s selfishness, or merely just as bad.
:: Rova 30 - Dusk - Chernasardo Forest ::
Solace's words seem to cause Tanelin to take pause.
"We serve ourselves, only! No others" Tanelin says "If you no come to invade, then why do your people hide in the bushes and attack us?!" Obviously disgruntled Tanelin continues, "If you want help, you should not attack us! Is silly! We captured the attackers and will punish them. They shall be sacrificed to the stone for their crime!"
Tanelin says something in draconic and the other troglodytes cheer.
"What you bring us for help if you want it against hobgoblins?" Tanelin finishes.
Tanelin seems somewhat confused given your words of looking for help against the hobgoblins, and the other villages apparent actions of attacking the troglodytes.
"We know that the Hobgoblins have allies of other races doing some of their dirty work for them. Our people may have feared that you were working with the Hobgoblins and would report our location them and put our whole group in danger since we are currently too few to withstand a full attack from them yet again."
This is not good. I'm assuming that sacrificing someone to a stone equals killing them.
"Could you tell us what happened? I'm sure it was all a misunderstanding, I can provide healing if one of yours is injured."
:: Rova 30 - Dusk - Chernasardo Forest ::
As the conversation continues another 4 or 5 troglodytes come up and stand further back in the room. They have weapons, but do not seem intent on using them immediately.
"Hhmmm... That make some sense." Tanelin says to Solace's words. Turning to Olivia, "We were returning after talking to Yorc. I needed to speak with Ighiz. We passed by through the area with the bushes. Behind us Tre'nor screamed. Two of you people clubbed him in the head. We charged to capture the bad people. Had to kill two of them because they almost escaped. Didn't want you to know we were there." Tanelin's voice becomes quiet when he speaks of Tre'nor. 'In the morning, Tre'nor will be returned to the stone. In a week, the three people will be sacrificed to the stone to atone." Tanelin's voice gets hard when he mentions the judgement that has been levelled against the three towns folk.
”That isn’t going to happen.”
"I'm afraid I have to agree with Falcon here. I'm sorry that you were attacked, but we can't allow you to sacrifice our people to your "stone," or whatever it is. We should really just stop killing each other and start fighting the hobs together."
"Now now just hold on a minute. As my friends say there will be no sacrifice if it can be helped. We, and the others, are displaced from our home. Those you captured are afraid on trying to survive, not even a nice cave like this to live in."
He looks at each of the troglodytes in turn.
"This is a tough world without a home and without allies. I know that humans have not been the best neighbors at times but, to be honest, neither have you. Now lets change that, give us our people who I am sure are sorry and afraid. We can help each other."
After his previous weaka ttempt at diplomacy, Elyas stays quiet for now, trying to decide between looking as un-threatening as possible or trying to impress on the trogs that if pressed this group will tear through the whole clan to get their people back. in the end he settles on just holding his tongue and seeing where this went.
:: Rova 30 - Dusk - Chernasardo Forest ::
Tanelin thinks for a moment at your words. "We return the innocent one. She tried to run only. We make peace with you people too. That much I can do for you. The killers will be judged, the stone demands it!"
Tanelin says something, and one of the troglodytes jogs off into the caves. As you watch another couple appear, forming quite the crowd.
Talking quietly to the others.
"His logic is not unsound really. It is there way I will not judge though i do regret it."
Equally quietly, Falcon replies, ”It doesn’t matter. We have to bring them back too. If we leave them, our group’s morale and confidence in our leadership will be gone. Nobody will go foraging if they think they’ll be attacked and executed when they defend themselves, and nobody will trust us to protect them if we just leave two of them to be killed. If we leave these two to die here, we might as well march everybody back to Phaendar and surrender.”
Solace sighs and continues the quiet discussion. "We have no evidence yet they there were defending themselves. We can ask whoever they are calling the innocent one for her version of what happened, but right now it seems that if there is any chance in making a truce with these people, we have to let them carry out their sentence. We have to decide if a truce is worth the sacrifice. I also don't think we have any moral highground in this matter since we would be doing the same if our positions had been reversed."
"Falcon's right. I admit that it might not be perfectly just, but we can't afford to let them die." Turning to the troglodytes, Alezandu asks, "Judged? How, exactly?" After thinking for a moment, he continues, "Perhaps you could just hold on to them as prisoners to guarantee that we won't turn on you while we fight the hobs together?"
"I think we should try get this "innocent one" out of here before we can make a decision. Hear her version of the story, she might have intformation to help us formulate a plan and rescue the other two..."
:: Rova 30 - Dusk - Chernasardo Forest ::
After a few tense minutes, the troglodyte that Tanelin sent returns, a halfling in tow. Jenifer is brought through the crowd and when let go runs across the gap.
In tears, Jenifer cries out, "Thank Erastil! You came to save us! I knew you wouldn't leave your people to suffer." Jenifer runs right into Olivia and grabs her in a giant hug sobbing. "Please, they still have Teaheel and Kae. You have to save them!"
Jenifer looks a little worse for wear, but you see no signs that she is significantly hurt. All of her injuries look like they were from struggling against restraint and not a fight.
With the 'innocent one' back in your company, Tanelin responds to Alezandu his voice solemn as he speaks of Kae and Teaheel fate. "Be judged by the stone. Taken to the deeps, tied back to back. The last hitter be stabbed in the belly, both get pushed into the hole. If they make it back, we let him live."
Olivia takes Jenifer away for a second.
"I know those are not good memories for you, but please, we need to know what happened after you went out to forage, how you find the troglodyter, where they took you, anything that could help us save the other two..."
"We need more information before we decide what happened. It is possible our people are at fault. While I do not think we should leave them to be judged by these creatures, knowing the validity of their claims can inform our actions much better than just assuming our people were in the right."
:: Rova 30 - Dusk - Chernasardo Forest ::
Stammering, and still in tears Jenifer says, "We heard voices in a strange language and dove into the bushes. I lost sight of the others so I just curled up and tried to be small." She chokes out a sob and shudders as she continues. "I could hear them marching past, I didn't look. My brain kept telling me that if I couldn't see them they couldn't see me. It was all I could do to not cry out in fear." She takes a deep breath and then plows on. "Then someone yelled, and the screaming began. So many voices. I jumped up and started running. These creatures were everywhere. I tripped over one of them on the ground, and one of them jumped on me. Kae and Teaheel were swinging clubs at them. The other two cried out, I couldn't see them they were running. Then I was blind folded and a few moments later all the noise stopped." Jenifer starts to sob uncontrollably, through the tears all you can make out is, "I'm... just... glad that... Dylan and Tam... managed to run away..."
"Thanks for telling me all this. You're safe now, everything will be alright.", Olivia says, turning back to the group with a fiery look on her face.
"Not much in the way of useful information, but her tears were all I needed. I'm not letting the troglodytes kill any more of ours."
"I still think we should offer the remaining prisoners as hostages and defer their judgement until after we've gotten Phaendar back. By that point the troglodytes might be willing to let them go, and if not we can mount a rescue mission without worrying about the hobs."
"The way they explained it, if they make it back out of the hole they get to live. It's not a guaranteed death sentence. Do we think that they are strong enough to pass the test? I wonder if they would allow anyone else to take their place in the test?"
I wouldn't expect much chance of survival with a test like this. I've seen similar 'trials' in other places in the years my family travelled around preaching the teachings of Iomedae. they are designed to kill almost everyone who attempts them, with the faint hope of survival making people believe it is just. but most of these tests really would need divine intervention to escape death. Unfortunately I doubt I have enough favor with my goddess to actually invoke or even fake such a miracle.
"Maybe one of us could speak for them at the trial. While we not find their law just it is their law and theirs to administer. Maybe instead of brawn we apply the brain? I am happy to give it a try."