Talia and Magna cut down the mites facing them, with the bard shifting to the east to gain an advantage. The mites screech in terror, and flee back over the crevasse, swinging from the roots like small monkeys.
Seeing her moment, Talia steps up as the next mite in line turns to flee, and plunges her longsword deep into its back. Putting her boot on the little corpse, the singer uses the leverage to draw the sword back out, and looks to her companions to see if they've finished off the rest...
The charcoal scaled kobold breathed a slight sigh of relief looking somewhat hopeful. With the mites fleeing he might have a chance of not being tortured to death, but that depended on whether or not his rescuers were reasonable. He knew he wouldn't be able to speak loudly, not with his bonds tight around his chest, so as the noise of battle died down, he made his request. "Noble adventurers, I beseech you to have mercy on this tortured soul and grant me my freedom." He raises his head as proudly as he can in his present situation, looking at the dwarf and the noble lady.
Talia stops, drawing her dagger, and turns to the kobold. This one speaks Taldane? An educated kobold... interesting.
"Your Taldane is quite good. Where did you learn to speak our tounge? Answer me this honestly, and I'll cut you free. Are you from the Sootscale tribe? And, what is your name?"
With a small bow, a smile, and a flourish of the dagger, Talia continues, quite pleased at the opportunity to speak the creature's native tounge. "Talia Khavortorov sum. Studui quam lingua."
Magna only gives a hateful glance to the Kobold, but doesn't answer him, keeping the pressure on the mites.
Seeing his chance with the noble woman, he attempts a more proper posture but fails due to his bonds. He clears his throat and attempts to speak more forcefully with his black tongue, but it does take effort against the constricting bonds. "I am from the Sootscale tribe, but I was exiled some time ago. Eventually, I spent five moons in the temple of Abadar in Restov. Although I do not venerate him, they provided me sanctuary in my time of need. My presence was not made known to the public that it might not cause a panic but most anyone there can corroborate the truthfulness of my tale."
Keeping a wary eye on the Dwarf's hateful glance, he added in draconic, "Inimicus inimico amicus , ut spero."
The kobold did his best to shrug within his confines. "Although if you won't trust me, I'd' be content with you leaving one of those mite daggers within my reach before you leave so I will not starve to death down here. Even for an enemy, that is an ignoble avenue of departure I'd rather be spared." His tail poked uselessly at the knots but had slightly longer reach than his feet at the mite remains, although any of their weaponry was definitely further than he could handle on his own.
He's telling the truth, but he's considerably less hopeful that he'll make it out of this alive than he was a minute ago.
The elf shimmies down the rope, landing on the ground gracefully as his eyes adjust to the dim light. He makes his way over to the tied-up kobold as the others dispatch the last of the mites.
"We will not be so heartless as to leave you so chained. Please forgive us our hesitation - you must know from your time with the Lawgiver's clergy how our society views Kobold-kind."
Without waiting for confirmation from the others, he walks over to the tied-up kobold and begins cutting his bonds.
"If you are exiled from the Sootscale tribe, perhaps there is naught you can help us with, but we seek an end to the raids they have undertaken on Restovic citizens in recent months. It would be beneficial to all if we could do so without needless violence - is there anything you can tell us that would help us to negotiate peace with the tribe?"
"You were sent to stop the raids? It was only a matter of time. I've seen the martial might of Brevoy." Shaking his head, the little dragon rubbed his extremities as they were loosened to improve the blood flow. It was a bit cool down here, making him feel a bit sluggish, but the movement helped perk him up a bit.
"The new shaman arrived in the past year is conceivably the major reason for the raids, with a minor reason of being pressed out of our normal hunting grounds by these mites. The Shaman is my enemy but I've improved since last we've met, and I believe I have a chance to defeat him now. I just need the statue these mites have stolen to gain an audience and make the formal challenge. Once I have that leverage, I'd push for peace, especially if extermination is the alternative."
Finally free, He raised himself to his full height of two and a half feet. "Is that sufficient to return the favor for my freedom, or do you require more?"
Magna stands in front of the Kobold, ready to attack.
"Are we really believing this... creature... lies?"
Talia shrugs. "I see no reason to believe he's lying. I'm quite fond of the Bank of Abadar in Restov, Mr., uh, Sootscale? I spent many happy afternoons of my girlhood there, learning from the priests the proper things to make a city, or even a society, work as well as a nicely constructed coach. Tell me, what was your favorite part of the temple? It is a beautiful structure, yes?"
Dregan takes a moment to restring his bow while the other talk before putting his opinions forward. "Does i' matter if i' lying? Either i' is a creature ov evil what needs t' be killed no matter what i' says awer i' 'as tha abili'y t' choose a its own course in which case killin' i' wiv out evidence seems wrong."
"It is a Kobold."
She almost spit the words.
The kobold raised his hands in surrender, clearly nervous of the dwarven threat. "I didn't ask for you to believe me, I just asked to be free. I told you what I know, but I have not been to the tribe in a while, things might have changed. I'd rather not be hewn in two with axe, I'd take my chances on my own in the wilderness. I want that statue, but I do not wish to trade my life for it."
"If you have no want of business with me, than I have no want of business with you. Backing up until he bumps the wall, he begins to slide toward the exit.
The Kobold isn't as afraid as he's letting on. He just wants to get out of there, but he's willing to fight if he has to.
Dregan nods to Magna "I see one way out of this. A wager I guess. We give this creature its freedom and even its statue if we can find it. Then when it betrays us it will be the proof the others need to support you in destroying every last one of them."
"Sounds good to you, Kobold? We get your statue, and you get your tribe far away from here. You betray us, and we kill every last one of you. And we help you, as a good will gesture, to kill the shaman driving the attacks."
The kobold looked somewhat astonished at the dwarf, his little claws balling up into fists. It was obvious now that his anger at the situation had overcome his fear. "I understand that you don't trust me, that makes sense. But now, you mean to say that if you trust me, you will exile my people, throwing us out of our ancestral home? Zened was right to hide me, to save me from unreasonable people like you. I have little incentive to accept your help if you change your intent from peace to banishment in a matter of moments. You have no good will. You're a liar."
He opened his mouth to say something else, but something strange happened. His black tongue started moving unnaturally and a mostly black thrush with a red belly emerged right out of it, flapping it's wings and taking off from the little dragon's mouth and flying over to Talia's shoulder. The kobold nearly gagged as this happened and put both of his hands over his mouth, his face a mixture of anger and embarrassment.
The bird flitted it's feathers about and did some emergency preening after it had gathered everyone's attention. It waited a beat, then spoke in an uncharacteristically deep baritone voice. "Yeah, if you're going to kill him now, I want to watch."
Magna looks at the bird surprised.
"...It would be beneficial to all if we could do so without needless violence - is there anything you can tell us that would help us to negotiate peace with the tribe?"
Talia, surprised at the sudden turn that things have taken, holds her hands up, ransacking her memory for the Archbanker's name. The answer coming to her, Talia's about to speak up when a bird, a thrush or swallow or something, flies out of the kobold's mouth, and then speaks, completely derailing the noble's thought process.
"Ahhh. Uhhh..."
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Dregan's bow follows the bird until it speaks at which point he clearly gives up and sits down to wait for the world to start making sense again.
Hopping across Talia's shoulder and flitting over to her other one to get a good look at Magna, it spoke again directly at her. "You know, if you want to give him a piece of your mind, this is a good time. He can't really talk when I'm out. All growls and roars, you know? Works just fine for casting spells, but not so good for talking.
The bird turned around and looked back at Talia. "You're cute. Are you in the market for a familiar, because I might be available any time now."
"Uhhh... What? Who are you?"
Magna detects evil on the bird.
The bird turned around again, giving Magna a more thorough look. "As for what, I already told you, Shieldmaiden of Torag. As for who, I'm Orsheval! You're rather fetching as well, but you don't have to fight over me, I'm more into arcane users who need my help. But young Kaalib over there is well beyond help, wouldn't you agree?" In response Kaalib backed up against the wall, hoping to escape notice.
Osheval turned back to Talia. "Your hair is lovely, do you use magic to keep it clean? Magic is the best. It doesn't strip the hair of it's natural luster. I'd definitely check your hairbrush first if I'm looking to build a nest, if you catch my meaning."
Magna looks at the Kobold.
"Was that "thing" possessing you?"
From down in the ravine, there comes the sound of many legs scrabbling on the rock walls...
Magna signals the others to be ready to act...
Dregan smiles as he stands and draws his bow bow back. Glancing at the bird he says "You, tha world is starting t' work again so you better shut up"
Talia was used to being flirted with. It came with being a noble, an artist. It came with being striking, which Talia would tell anyone who listened that she certainly was. The playwright had been flirted with, harrassed, hit on, catcalled even and by actors, playwrights, reviewers, spoiled nobles' children, unspoiled nobles' children, a bricklayer (who soon regretted it), a bandit, and even the group's own Scoundrel of the Greenbelt, Gavriil Last-name-unknown. But Talia had never, nor had she ever even imagined, that one day she'd be hit on by a red-bellied thrush. Or wren. Or whatever.
Still, in the last month Talia had killed bandits. She'd sent a bear/man back to Erastil, and a barbarian king back to undeath. She'd weathered horrific storms and mad hermits, as well as Oleg's gloomy disposition. A thrush or wren or whatever was not going to get the playwright's goat, that was for sure.
"I think you're still in the service of Mr. Sootscale here, Orsheval, correct? It would be improper for me to take your services from him."
Waving her hand and uttering a quick incantation, the bloody blade of Talia's longsword wipes clean. "And yes, I use magic to keep myself clean out here. But in all honesty, I much prefer a good soak."
She's about to tell the bird to go flop in a well, when the sound of legs scrabbling on walls comes from the ravine. "You're his voice and he's a spellcaster? Get back in his throat then, Orsheval! Creatures come up from the pit!"
Adopting her duelist's stance, the playwright waits for the creatures to come over the edge of the ravine...
Deciding to ignore the redhead for the time being, the thrush turned his attention over to the dwarf. Flying down between the two ladies and lighting on a dead mite's ear he started getting louder. "Possess? Heh, it's nothing near that pleasant. I'll have you know..."
At that moment, Kaalib leapt forward and snapped his mouth shut. The bird was gone in a small cloud of feathers, and the majority of the mite's ear as well. There was a bit of a struggle within the kobold's mouth before it was settled and he opened it again. "My apologies, no one should have to endure that thing's arrogance."
It was only then that the kobold realized his mistake. He happened to be between the rest of the group and the chasm. Steeling himself for combat, he turned toward the darkness with a combative eye. This certainly was going to be interesting.
With a scratching of a hundred legs, a giant black whiptail centipede fully twenty five feet long lurches out of the chasm. It lunges at Kaalib, biting the kobold fiercely!
The bite came faster than he had anticipated, even though they had all heard the thing coming. There was no avoiding it either, Kaalib hadn't eaten in three days, and his muscles did not respond when they were told to do so. The kobold collapsed like a bag of laundry and lay there without moving, but for the slight bumping motion in it's mouth as Orsheval tried to get out in vain.
This delve has certainly taken an unexpected turn, Naralesh thinks to himself as he readies himself for battle. Perhaps my 'failed experiment' might come in handy here.
He steps back slightly and conjures the unstable sphere of metallic fragments he had managed to create in his experiments. With a high-pitched whine, the pressure builds within the sphere before it explodes directly in front of the centipede's rearing head, covering it in brightly gleaming shards of metal.
Gavriil slides down the rop with the sound of battle raging bellow. As he hits the ground, he rolls, just as he learned on the streets, to absorb the shock of landing. As he finishes his roll, he draws his rapier in one fell swoop and jabs it into the air and shouts, "EN GARDE!!!"
To a bunch of dead mites, and the backs of Talia's and Magna's heads that is....
Discouraged with the lack of action after all that bravado, Gavriil slams his rapier back in its sheathe and leans up against the wall as the others begin to bicker over the kobold. Talia and Naralesh were being pragmatic again, the former probably for her gain and the later more because he really was a decent fellow (poor soul). And once again, it was their resident stick-in-the-stone that was disagreeing.
Gavriil chuckled. Paladins. One second they'll defend a bandit who just a moment before had tried to skewer them and the next they'll execute an unarmed tortured prisoner. Even if the prisoner was a kobold, which Gavriil still thought very little of since the raddish field, he couldn't be too much of a threat after being tortured.
He was about to move in on the kobold's behalf when the beast's mouth flew open and a bird flew out. Gavriil stood slack-jaw as the bird whirled around them flirting with Talia and egging Magna on.
And then he started laughing. That bird was the funniest damn thing he had heard in all his time on the job in the Stolen Lands. He could barely get control of himself when the others alerted them to danger.
Wiping a tear from his eye and drawing his rapier again, he turned to Magna and said, "Aww... come on, mum, let us keep him!"
The centipede rears back shaking its head in pain and rage as Naralesh's spell hits it. The creature doesn't seem to be able to 'see' but somehow it unerringly found the kobold in front of it.
Talia gasps as a centipede, the single largest creature the playwright has ever seen, larger than the man-bear even, lurches out of the darkness. Then a bang! and a momentary blast of light illuminates the cavern - and the centipede just long enough for the singer to clearly see in horrific detail as it lurches forward and tears at the kobold with its mandibles, dropping the little fellow where it stood.
Without thinking, Talia steps forward and stabs at the centipede, which dodges to the side, mostly avoiding the playwright's swipe - it takes just the end of one of hundreds of small legs.
As a swift action Magna makes a sign to the others to they can make full use of the Distracting Charge she is about to make.
She screams to the top of her lungs, trying to attack the giant vermin attention while she charges with her Greataxe with all of her dwarven might.
Dregan focuses and then releases two arrows at the creature.
Gavriil sees the giant centipede and grins. Just another day in the life. He dashes in after Magna and stabs at the overgrown insect with his rapier, shouting alongside Magna, though not quite as impressive as she does. Years of practice are on her side apparently.
Talia's cuts at a chitinous leg, sending pieces flying. The huge insect strikes at Magna as she charges, mandibles tearing flesh , but then the dwarf's axe returns the favor with authority. Dregan's arrows bounce harmlessly off the thing's armor-like body, while Gavriil strikes a severe blow, his rapier piercing through the chitin to its innards.
This beast has to fall, Naralesh thinks. It almost took Magna's arm off! Swirling his hands together like packing a snowball from thin air, he hurls the invisible sphere toward the giant insect. The moment it leaves his hands, it appears, a packed sphere of ice which smashes into the creature's side.
The centipede staggers backwards from the force of Naralesh's spell. It bends its great head downward, thrashing to and fro, trying to shake the effects of the blow.
Magna, as a swift action, touches herself to try to heal the big gash on her arm.
The she attacks again, putting all of her body weight on the hit.
But the pain in her arm makes her miss the attack.
Talia, adopting her sword stance, brings the longsword up and over her head and then down at the centipede with a stabbing thrust, sinking the blade deep into the creature's carapace. Yes, girl, yes!
Gavriil pulls his rapier free of the beast, flicking the blood from the blade as he draws back to attack again.
But his blade harmlessly ricochets off the centipede's thick exoskeleton
Dregan steps slightly to find a small gap to fire through and again releases two arrows at the creature. The second arrow flies straight and hits with a satisfying thud.
Talia's strike causes the great insect to rear back in pain, just enough for Dregan's second arrow to find a gap! The shaft goes in deep, and the centipede falls to the dirt floor with a thud and cloud of dust.