"Fine...fine..." Drancis mutters softly to himself, And what would have happened had you missed? He cautiously approaches the gnoll, healing bandages in hand, and moves to bring the gnoll back from death's door...
”Be careful, Drancis. I’m still not sure about this guy. I’ll burn him to a crisp if he attacks,” the ratfolk warns the group.
"Yep, otherwise, new guys not know how good we are." Rav says, reloading the round he fired. "Best people who are paying us know they got money worth, less arguments down road. Remember that reptile guy who refused to pay us last year? You want have to beat them almost dead like him to get paid?" He frowns, and then rubs his nose. "Or was that a her, never sure on reptile types..."
The gnoll resists slightly as Drancis tends to his wounds... eventually, as the bleeding is staunched, it relaxes - although it is still wary of the group's actions. Narrowed eyes watch as the group move around in the room until eventually it barks at Drancis and his companions - a near unintelligible cacophony of guttural vocalisations...
Rav grins. "Oooh, Rav get draw pictures again!" He tucks away his rifle, and pulls out a permanent marker, one of the best pieces of tech (next to duct tape!) he's found in this place, and walks over to a wall. "What we want ask it?" He asks, taking the top off his marker by biting on the lid and jerking it off.
Drancis offer the goblin a small smile, "Ask him who attacked the causeway...Was he one of the attackers, or was he defending the place? I am also interested in knowing who blew that gaping hole in the bridge!"
Rikkan mused at the goblin’s interesting writing utensil. He watched it intently. ”Ah, yes. As usual, I think Drancis has the right of it. Find out more about what happened here. And ask him about that necklace...”
Rav nods. "Got it."
He points to the gnoll. "Gnoll!" He points to himself. "Gobby! Also Rav!" He points to a human corpse. "Hoome!"
Then he draws in the upper left hand corner a drawing of the bridge/causeway (more of a stick figure, but it's something that can be recognized). Then he makes a big black circle where the bridge is damaged, and draws lines out of it with little black chunks at the end of the lines. "BOOM!"
Then to the upper right corner he draws a little stick figure with ears and a tail. Then another, and another. "Gnoll Gnoll Gnoll!" He draws some more stick figures opposite of them, with round heads and stick limbs. "Hoome Hoome Hoome" Then he draws swords and axes hacking at each other so the stick figures look like they are fighting. He draws a box around that set of figures. "One. One!" He says, pointing to it.
Then he draws another set of figures, this time a mix of the 'gnoll' and 'hoome' figures, obviously working together. Then he draws a bunch of ?'s opposite of them. "Who Know? Who Know?" He points to the question marks. Then he makes a square around those figures. "Two, Two!"
Finally, he draws 3 sets of figures, a set of gnolls, a set of hoomes, and a set of ?'s, making it look like the gnolls are fighting the hoomes and the ?'s, and the hoomes are fighting the Gnolls and the ?'s. "Three, Three!" He taps the box around the 3rd set.
Then he looks at the gnoll. "Bridge!" He points to the bridge drawing. "One, two, thrree?" He points to each scenario, one after the other, slowly.
Coughing up fresh blood as it moves towards the drawings, the gnoll attempts a guttural "FHREEEEGH" as it points towards Ravboom's depiction of the gnolls and the 'who knows' fighting against the 'hoomes' of the bridge... smearing the blood on the 'who knows', the gnoll signals a universally understandable 'cut throat' gesture...
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Rav nods. "He say him and his gnolls, and the hoomes, all fighting each other and against someone else, who is dead. Or they are the ones that killed everyone, not sure. Could go either way." He nods. "Good gnoll." He digs in his pack, and digs out a potion of healing, holding it out where the gnoll can see it.
Then he draws a stick figure with ears and shark like teeth. "Rav!" He points to himself. He then draws a stick figure with ears and a tail. "You." He points to the Gnoll.
He draws a potion bottle being held out by the Rav stick figure. Then draws a smile on the gnoll figure. Rav smiles, and says. "Good!"
Then he draws the gnoll's arms in with an axe swinging toward Rav. "BAD!" He glares at the gnoll, then draws in several stick figures (one a quadruped biting the gnoll figure, one with a hat shooting the gnoll figure, one with a wand missing the gnoll figure, and one pointing at the gnoll where it's arm is getting pulled apart). "BAD!" And puts two x's for the gnoll's eyes.
Then he draws the gnoll and Rav figures again, and again shows the gnoll drinking the potion. Then he shows the Rav figure and the Gnoll figure sitting and drinking something. "GOOD!" He smiles, laughs, and points to the drinking duo. "GOOD!"
He glares, and points to the gnoll figure being ripped apart, other than the one figure that misses it completely. "BAD!"
He then hands the potion to the gnoll to drink.
Drancis raises an eyebrow at Ravboom, "Well, I suppose that is one way to get your point across," he nods slowly allowing the goblin to surrender his potion. "I don't think you will cause any trouble...at least for now. So I will offer you a truce as long as you don't betray us," he adds addressing the gnoll directly, "until our paths no longer are together." while he knew the gnoll could not understand him he also knew actions spoke louder than words.
Hopefully saving his life means something to it!
Rav rubs the side of his nose and looks at Drancis. "Dran know Gnoll no understand his blabbing right? That why Rav drawing on wall, Gnoll no speak common, we no speak Gnoll? If Gnoll unnerstand you, we no need drawings." He looks to Relas. "Did Rav need explain whole reason for pictures? Rav didn't realize needed to... Palo unnerstood.."
"Um...I think sometimes people like to speak up or do things so other people don't think they're being willfully lazy," Relas offers. "Drancis would probably like to help and couldn't help from talking even though he probably knows the gnoll-person won't understand?"
"But.. Dran already help lot, bandage up Gnoll, came up with question."
Drancis peers up at the woman his eyes gleaming, "Present company excepted, right?"
Rav shakes his head, ears flapping. "Nope, Relas is weird, he doesn't like horseradish. That's really weird. Palo is weird, she misses all the time and thinks she's Relas' master." He looks at Palo, and then whispers in a stage whisper. "When it obvious other way around, right? Dran weird, talk to people who can't unnerstand him, and 'spect answers. Rik weird, always drinking stuff he pick up off ground and out of bat guano piles. Zol weird, uses smaller gun than could. Rav sister weird, she not eat rats, does eat bats. Also like to break Rav limbs all time, or try to anyway. Rav weird too." He looks around, and whispers secretively. "Rav might or might not know how to read, that weird."
Rikkan grinned, despite himself. [i]Theres more to that goblin that I originally thought,[i] he though as he watched him try his best to communicate with the wounded beast. ”Hopefully, he’ll drink the potion and we can all get along until the storm passe.”
"She's right, you know," Relas adds, sounding uncharacteristically serious. "Um, I mean, Palo and I poke and prod at each other kinda like how Palo and Rav poke and prod at each other, but she's never made me do anything that I didn't want to do."
Rav nods. "Yeah, Palo call him. Right. Palo no realize that Relas reach out to Palo, from beyond, and teach her to call him? Palo just figure this out on her own, search through all the spirits and pick Relas? Or did Relas reach out to Palo and poke idea of calling him into her head?" Rav asks, a bit sarcastically. "If Relas is one putting ability into Palo to call him, then who master again?"
The gnoll, taking the potion and cracking open the cork lid, sucks at it hungrily... slumping backwards against the wall, it pulls at the bolts in its chest - and, one by one, throws the bloodied shafts - with a degree of disdain - across the room. The wounds in its chest only bleed briefly before clotting stops the flow... and, kicking a bundle of cloth towards Ravboom, it shuts its eyes...
Outside, the storm is furious now... wind buffets at the walls whilst sheets of rain drive against the roof...
Ravboom examines the cloak, and gives a grin. "Something for Hoomes to wear, so can see at night." He shrugs. "Rav no need, can already see at night. Who want?" He keeps one hand on his rifle. "We let Gnoll rest, ask more questions tomorrow. Think Who KNows probably ones who destroy bridge."
Drancis levitates the cloak with his mind and eyes it critically, "Well, it could prove useful I suppose..." he nods slowly, shrugging into it easily. "And yeah I think we are stuck her for a while, at least until this storm breaks....and yes this gnoll owes us some answers."
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"Why he owe us answers? Rav want know. We not know if hoomes were good hoomes or bad hoomes, and we not know what the Who Knows are. For all know, Gnolls might be caught in crossfire. Granted, not know what necklace for, so maybe can tell, but for now, have big problem that Gnoll no speak us speak, and we no speak Gnoll speak. So not sure we going to get much in way of answers, less you want to spend few days with me drawing on walls. Know more than did before, Gnolls fighting hoomes and others, bridge blown up, probably by others, others take dead with them or didn't have any, Gnoll has sense of honor, gave payment for saving life." Rav looks at a dead hoome. "You a good hoome or a bad hoome?" Then the goblin shrugs. "He say, reply hazy, ask again later."
Rav nods. "Ha, like know too. But not sure Gnoll owes us answers. Nice have them, not sure it owes them."
The gnoll, slumped backwards yet no longer in mortal danger, slips from consciousness - and the storm continues to rage. It is clear, with the sun having now set and the wind lifting the sea as it rips in against the coast, that the groups' journey is done for the day... and so, setting up a watch - and having secured their camel train (somewhat improbably in the antechamber of the building), the explorers rest...
The next day, with the storm having blown itself out and a beautifully warm morning promised, the gnoll is awake once more - gingerly standing, it looks towards the group... and mainly towards Ravboom, "Rawwwghhhh!!!! Grach... Kchhh..."
Rav stands up. Then taps his chest. "Rav. Rav." He points at Drancis. "Dran, Dran." He then continues around the circle. "Palo. Palo. Relas. Relas. Rik. Rik. Zor. Zor." Then he takes the permanent marker out and hands it to the gnoll, and points to a wall.
Rikkan wakes up slightly stiff from his sleep on the hard floor. He munches on some hard tack as he watches the interaction between the gnoll and his new best friend, the goblin. He was still fascinated by that drawing utensil, however, and the fact that it stored its own ink.
The marker, inexpertly gripped by the gnoll, is used to scrawl a word that may be - or may not be - 'Shaghak' on the wall... what follows is a drawing of something that looks like a house with many figures in it - one of which has a bestial face... an arrow extends from the word 'Shaghak' to this figure... and then a further arrow comes from the figure to the external of the building. Handing the marker back to Ravboom, the gnoll cocks its head inquisitively...
Rav scratches his head, and then nods. He draws the 3 corner fight again, with the question marks fighting gnolls and fighting humans, humans fighting question marks and fighting gnolls, and gnolls fighting question marks and fighting humans.
Above the diagram, he replicates the Shaghak bestial face. Then he points to the humans. "Hoomes" Then the gnolls. "Gnolls." Then the question marks. "Who Knows?" Then he points to Shaghak's image. "Shaghak!"
Then he touches both the humans and Shaghak. "Shaghak Like Hoomes?" Picking up the empty potion bottle from the previous night, he puts it in his right hand, and touches the hands again to the pictures, this time with the potion in hand the hand touching Shaghak. He mimes Shaghak (right hand) handing the potion to the left hand. "Shaghak Like Hoomes!" He mimes the left hand 'drinking' the potion. "Shaghak Like Hoomes!"
Then he tucks the potion bottle in his belt, and pulls out a dagger, and repeats the touching process, right hand with a dagger this time. "Shaghak Hate Hoomes!" He mimes stabbing his left hand with the dagger. "Shaghak Hate Hoomes!"
He then repeats the whole sharade with both the Gnolls and Shagrak and the Who Knows and Shagrak.
Drancis yawns as the dawn of a new day approaches, running his hands through his scraggly hair. Turning his attention to the gnoll Shaghak he takes out his healing kit and points to it, then at the healing wound on his body. "Dran...make...you...better?" He pantomimes to the gnoll.
I think I will keep my powers secret from him, at least for now. He thinks to himself.
Rav slams his fist into his forehead. "Stupid Gobby." He points to the gnoll, and then the Shagrak image. "Shagrak?" He quickly draws a gobby face. "Rav, Rav." Points to himself. Then the Shagrak. "Shagrak?" He asks, pointing to the gnoll.
"Was thinking he was trying to tell us about Shagrak. But maybe he saying he is Shagrak, and is telling us where he come from?"
Rikkan prepares his extracts, and in the open slot he usually keeps, he brews a Comprehend Languages draught. He chugs it down, and waits for the gnoll to begin talking, so that he might translate.
The guttural noises, barks and growls mainly, from the gnoll sound as crude and incomprehensible to the group as they did the night before but for Rikkan, the sounds slowly - yet with an unexpected elegance - slowly form into language...
Rikkan translated for the group. ”He is Shaghak, the leader of his pack. He wants to leave here and rejoin them. He’s not pleased by whatever happened here. Rav, do you think you could get him to tell you why the fight happened?”
Rav rubs his chin, and shrugs. "Not sure can draw that, pretty complex. Think maybe we just let him go then? Seems like he no hostile."
Drancis puts away his healing kit once he sees the gnoll up and moving. "I suppose we should let him go...and we do need to get moving too. Can Shaghak provide some directions to the next settlement?"
Rav smiles. "That can probably ask."
Rav draws the Shaghak symbol, and draws it walking toward the city, with the Rav and Relas symbols left by the bridge.
Rav then draws in a few houses in each direction around the bridge, north, east, west, south, ne, nw, se, sw, and then points to the Rav and Relas pictures, and then mimes looking in the distance, one hand over his eyes as he turns in place. Then he points to the drawings of all the little houses, and looks around in a circle again. Then he looks at Shaghak.
Then he draws the Rav and Relas faces walking toward the way they came from, to the buildings tehre, and then X's them out. Then shows the Rav and Relas faces walking back to the bridge, and draws them with sad faces. Then he looks at Shaghak again.
"Rav go where?" He scratches his head in puzzlement, then puts the marker away.
The language barrier results in a somewhat stilted conversation - and there is little more to be determined other than what has already been described by Rikkan; that the gnoll is from a much larger pack than the number of corpses here might suggest, that he simply wishes to return to his tribe and that, whatever it is that happened here, there is regret... and an amount of anger about it. As to directions, the gnoll indicates that he will hike into the wilds and rejoin his people... and that, if Ravboom seeks civilisation, then travelling directly west from here will suit his needs...
And so, finally leaving the scenes of carnage - little wiser as to what truly occurred here, the group hike westwards... away from the turbulent seashore, dry riverbeds, and unforgiving desert in to lands characterised by the occasional oasis of lush moss-covered greenery and a spongy turf. The scrub is noticeably more vibrant in this region — a vast difference from the barren shores and wastelands of the past few miles. Squat trees, none more than 10 feet tall, grow along the highway with large clumps of pale-green moss growing in their shadows.
After maybe half a days travel, the group finally come upon the first signs of Shaghak's promised 'civilisation' - in the distance, a modest homestead rests beside a placid lake, smoke wafting from its stone chimney. Several, triangular structures — none more than a few feet in length — surround it, positioned in neat rows resembling open-faced tents.
Rav uses a stick to poke the moss, making sure it's not carnivorous. If it's not, hell try climbing a tree to get a slightly better view a few times here and there.
When they get close to the village, and the 'tents' Rav frowns. "Rav think maybe good have cover fire. Case it turn into another shoot fest." He picks a tree with a good view of the village and road, and climbs up it and get's set up in a sniper perch. The tallest one around.
Drancis nods slowly in response, thinking hard to himself. "Sounds like a sensible plan to me. No telling how they will react to you Rav." He points to Relas, "I would stay with him just in case he needs help."
He points to the rest of the party, indicating for the rest to follow him. "OK let's hope they don't shoot at us first."
Rav clamps down on his cigar. "Only longshanks have problems with Rav on sight be bigotted sots from Old World. Nobody have problems with Rav on this world who not from Old World." He says levelly as he climbs into the tree. "Least not until after meet Rav. That fair 'nuff though, that's judgin' based on Rav sunny disposition, not Rav face."
”I could go invisible and do a quick scouting mission if the rest of you are worried about what is waiting for us ahead. I can be in and out before you know it. If it wears off, the rest of you can shoot at them, when they chase me,” the ratfolk offers, knowing he would be well suited for the task.