"I'm not so sure the Sootscales would be fine with having to take in who knows how many lizardfolk eggs and if they would know where to even begin raising them." Kivan looks around and then thinks of a question. "Maybe we should see exactly how many eggs there are before deciding. If it's only a couple of eggs then maybe the Sootscales can take care of them, but if it is a lot of eggs then I think we should destroy them since not all of them could be provided for."
"I grew up in an orphanage, Kivan. A lot of us were there because our parents died and there was no one else who could provide for us. Some were there because our parents decided they just couldn't provide for us, so they left us. I don't even know which of the two I was. I guess we should have been destroyed too?"
Idris is suddenly feeling unexpected compassion for the orphaned lizardfolk eggs.
"I'm also against involving the Sootscale." But Pretty seemed determined to have them as contacts for the future. "Maybe you have the wrong idea about alliance guys. What I mean is, we don't kill them, and they pay some tribute to us. They are good enough to grant us info, I think. And we need info. Plus, they can somehow shield our village from some of the incoming threats from south. Take a look at what they have told us so far. They seem open to communication."
She shrugs. "So I've stated my viewpoint. It's up to you."
Seraphina looked over her fellows as they talked and cast prestidigitation, cleaning away the mud, muck and blood from Maja, Milo and Idris. She patted Milo's shoulder, knowing he offered to crush the eggs through no desire to do evil, but to spare her and the others from the guilt such an act might bring.
"Idris, remember that we came here to avenge a wrong done against us. Much of our purpose in exploring is to find and eliminate threats to our people. I am not eager to saddle ourselves with yet another burden and it's not our right to consign the Sootscales to take in more hungry mouths to feed, either. But I don't relish the idea of destroying innocents, I assure you. I agree with Kivan. Let us see what there remains to see here before we wring our hands over a decision. It could be that we are working ourselves up over nothing."
Sera asks the bound lizardfolk, "How is the power to rule determined among your kind?"
"Alright, once they answer the rest of our questions, we can go see what the situation really is," Milo agrees.
While he'd opposed the decision at first, after hearing the reasons for letting the lizardfolk and their egg survive, Milo begins to feel less strongly about it. After all, he'd adopted Nix- a wild wolf pup and raised her, training her to follow the rules and commands a dog would. While the two situations aren't exactly comparable, he sees the similarities between them.
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"How is the power to rule determined among your kind?"
"The strongest rules. Challengers kill or die."
"What are your names?"
"Sirat". "Takar"
"Who is Stisshak?"
"The ghost who speaks to our ancestors. Stisshak favored our King and gave him advice in all matters."
"King of the Forest"
"He is a flying lizard-kin, who breathes acid fog and has unending hunger. He will surely devour you if he sees you."
"Hut with no entrance - will you call out the females"
"The King's harem dwells in that hut and lays eggs there and in the tunnel. There are surely eggs, but we do not know how many. Only the King may gaze upon the harem, and only the King is allowed the right of live eggs. We may not speak to the harem, for they will kill the unworthy."
"How big is the large man?"
"Like four of you standing on each other, and as wide as three of you standing beside each other, but only as one man."
"Where will you go?"
"We would stay here, unless you claim this land. You are too strong for us to challenge, so we would find another tribe and beg entrance."
Seraphina considers this information, caressing her lips thoughtfully with one jade claw. "The Challenger rules, eh?" She turns her gaze on Idris with the corners of her mouth quirking in an amused smile and the light of mischief shining in her copper eyes. "Idris, my dear, you did indeed challenge and kill the King in single combat, did you not? I believe that makes you their new King... You have even inherited a harem, though we'll have to see what Bara makes of that. As you also seem to have the most consideration for their welfare, I suggest you make an attempt to master your new charges and see if you can call the females out. Else we will have to subdue them ourselves. I do have a few colorful displays left up my sleeve... we can try and spare as many of them as possible. Pretty is right, they have provided good information and may yet provide more if they can sustain themselves."
She felt quite light for the first time that day, as if a weighty burden had just slipped from her shoulders.
Milo shakes his head at the silliness of the situation, though he is pleased with the outcome. "Good idea, very creative! Who would have guessed that's what would happen?"
Idris chuckles. "What's your name, lizardman? So do you see me as your ruler now since I challenged your king to single combat and won?"
"A harem? What an amusing idea. I don't expect to make the same use of it as the late king, of course! Even if I found lizardwomen attractive, Bara is somewhat of the jealous type. Hmm."
She turns back to the lizardman. "What if we disbanded the harem? You men and the women would be free to find mates among each other as you wished. They could be something other than harem slaves and breeders, and you could have a hope of finding love, or at least sex, without having to achieve the rank of chief. It's possible that you could stay here even after we have claimed this land, if you agree to be our ruler's subjects." She gestures to Seraphina.
"Now that they mentioned the possibility of getting into another tribe, I guess we could just let them go and be done with it." It seems to Pretty that they are not that valuable as a knowledge source, nor as a shield from the south. "Just let them go with what they wanna carry, some weapons and the eggs, if they want it?"
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Sirat and Takar, your captured lizardfolk, blink and flick their tongues as Idris questions them. These are novel ideas for the reptilian beings, who's animal cunning far outstrips their raw intellect.
"Why would the harem have live eggs with a weaker one? The King is the strongest, so his spawn are the strongest. Thus the tribe is kept strong."
"You challenged the King and slew him... I do not see why you would not be King?"
Gods, no wonder they are so dense... inbreeding must happen often if only the King produces offspring. Barely containing her urge to giggle, Seraphina pronounces, "King Idris it is then! I suppose we better try and call the females out ourselves for inspection by their new King."
She strives to deepen and roughen her voice as she moves into the hut and calls down into the tunnel in Draconic.
"Your old king has perished at the hands of a skillful challenger! March your tails out for inspection to meet your new King! The first ones to bow down will receive the King's favor! Those who dawdle will be mucking out behind the others."
Pretty feels some compassion for the female, but she really doesn't want to get involved, so she keeps her distance and let the other Kings and Queens of old do their thing, while she focus on taking some notes.
Suddenly she asks a question to anyone who would answer. "How do we talk to a ghost?"
Kivan suddenly smiles at Pretty's question. "Why that would be necromancy magic right there. And to think we might of banned necromancy magic off hand had we listened to that blithering idiot worshiper of Pharasma. Good thing I told her off."
Giving up on explaining things to the lizardfolk, who have too different a perspective right now, Idris defers to Seraphina and waits to see who comes out of the tunnel.
The tiefling finds it funny that the wizard would boast about like that. At least now part of their problems were solved, or so she would make believe after putting the wizard in an uncomfortable situation. "So that's awesome! We can go back to the island and our mighty wizard can talk to the ghost and see what's going on down there. Problem solved!"
Kivan shakes his head sadly. "Oh I cannot communicate with ghost with any more ability that any of us could. Unless I was trying to force it to obey my will, but in that case it wouldn't really be that much talking just some arcane words and gestures."
Pretty is deeply disappointed, but maybe he could motivate him to learn something new, who knows. "Unleash the necromancer in you? Evil laugh and all? We could also use that to talk with that dead guy in a tomb."
"Huh. I better practice talking with the kobolds and learn some draconic," Milo says as Sera and Idris converse with the lizardfolk.
And speaking of talking to spirits, Milo adds "Unless the dead are animals or elves, I won't be much help."
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Seraphina's voice thumps dully down the damp, earthen tunnel. There is a long pause, followed by shuffling. One after another, five lizardfolk squeeze out of the opening, scales clicking as their skin shivers to dislodge the muck of the tunnel. Physically, they look identical to the captured males, but their dress is markedly different. They are garbed in hundreds of braided leather thongs, each incorporating colorful stones and feathers woven into the leather straps. None of them bear weaponry, but all posses dagger-like claws and fearsome teeth. They don't seem particularly pleased by the turn of events.
The harem members look around at the camp in disarray and the fallen lizardfolk. Their eyes take your group in, then settle on the two captured males.
"Where is this King?" hisses one of the females. "I see only smooth-skins. What falsehoods are you peddling?"
"They speak truth, O feathered one," replies Sirat. The captured lizardman points to Idris. "This smooth-skin challenged the King and killed him in single combat. By rights she is King."
This produces a bout of concerned hissing and sideways looks among the females. They look to the dead king, to Idris, and back. Slowly and uncertainly, they face Idris and perform a sort of half-bow, tails drooping instead of held proudly as before.
The female who spoke before pipes up again, somewhat plaintively. "What is to become of us? How is a smooth-skin female to give us live eggs?"
"Obviously, I couldn't quicken the eggs myself, not without extremely powerful magic to transform my body into a lizardman, which would be very unpleasant for me to say the least. But if we decide to accept these lizardfolk as vassals, I would have the men draw lots or engage in some kind of competition, maybe a test of skill or a game of chance, to see who gets to act in my stead and be the sire of the next clutch of eggs. Or the women could choose their suitor themselves, as a group maybe, since they don't seem to want to do it the way humans and elves and such do, with each person picking a mate themselves.
"Having a strong sire is important to having strong children, that much is certainly true. But I know at least something about breeding animals, and I've heard it applies to people as well -- having the sire and the dam too closely related leads to problems. When human noble families are too tightly entwined and inbred, children are born with the wit of a cabbage, or who can't stop bleeding when cut.
"So that's my plan, assuming we don't just drive them away from here entirely and make them find other lizardfolk beyond our borders. Maybe we don't need to do that. I've got a feeling these fellows could be mighty soldiers."
Seraphina nearly loses her composure as Idris mentions "quickening", her own mental image working against her to betray her proud demeanor. But she straightens her smile quickly enough that it might be taken for smirk of distaste. "Clearly, Idris' role as your ruler will have to be different than you traditionally function. What will happen to you will depend much on what you desire. If you decide you would fare better to leave these lands and seek out another tribe, we will consider it. But if your eggs do not travel well, you may need to stay here for a time and make due."
She turns to the male lizardfolk. "Are there any of your tribe still away on a hunting trip? Or is this all of you here now? I think you know now that attacking us would be throwing your lives away, like good money after bad, do you not?" She prepares to untie the males if they agree and set them to watch for others to return if need be.
She turns to the female who has been speaking for the others. "How are you called?" Once her name is known, she adresses her by it. "Show us to the hatchery, you have my word that we will not harm your eggs, but we need to see all there is to see here."
She picks up a pebble and casts light on it before they proceed down the tunnel.
Milo grins as Idris ponders what to do out loud, but for once, decides to keep his "witty" comments to himself. "We can give it a shot, and if they don't like your idea, they can leave and go join another tribe." He too is ready to go see the hatchery and figure out what they are going to do in this odd situation.
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The lizardfolk listen attentively to Idris' musings. The female who protested before considers your words carefully. "A test... yes, that would show who is strongest. When a challenger fights the King, it is a test in a way. If the males were tested to see who is most fit, the strongest young would be made, even with a smooth-skin female King. That is acceptable. I am called Ssitha, human of red fur."
The two captured males eye each other warily.
When Seraphina questions them, the males both shake their heads. "No, we do not travel very far in search of food. The swamps are a land of plenty. There are no others besides us here. You were victorious against the whole tribe, it would be foolish to attack you when we are but two... and one of you is now our King. We will not attack you."
Ssitha does not seem enthused, but accepts the need to inspect the egg clutch. "It is well. If you wished us harm you would not be talking to us now." With a soft clacking of leather-bound stones, Ssitha leads you to the egg clutch. The tunnel is unpleasantly moist, with a sharp musk. At its lowest point, the fetid green water reaches almost to your waist. The harem room itself has two or three inches of standing water on the floor, providing constant moisture to the underside of five nests. The nests are woven from reeds and swamp grasses and slathered with mud like a wattle and daub house. The walls are decorated with geometric patterns of the same stones which the females wear braided into their garments. A smokeless campfire keeps the room swelteringly hot. Combined with the high humidity, the warmth of this chamber has your sweat dripping within moments. There are a total of fifteen eggs in the nests, stacked gently against each other and swaddled with swamp grass.
"There they are - the future of our tribe."
Kivan follows into the tunnel noting the construction and heat. As he emerged into the chamber he wiped his brow at the sudden increase of heat before his curiosity suddenly got the better of him and he went forward to immediately start examining the eggs and how they were placed along with how they were protected. Looking over all the eggs he turns back and asks a question. "What is the significance of the decorations of the patterns on the walls and your clothing?" Then he turns back to his examination of the eggs.
Thinking ahead to the walk back to Haven, Milo says "I'll look around, see if there are any signs of any critters that can give us a ride home." He checks the muddy swamp area to see if there are prints from say, wild horses, or something he could convince to carry the group or at least some of their belongings.
"I don't know how well this will work," he admits. "We'll probably be better off walking and having the animal carry our stuff. A wild deer or an elk or something like that probably won't enjoy being ridden. Nix is pretty strong too, she can carry quite a bit if she doesn't have to fight or track."
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"Fifteen eggs is a lot to handle. So we'll leave the lizard-folk here and check on them every once in awhile to make sure they aren't eating people or their horses? " Milo thinks on whether he knows how long until they hatch or how many likely will survive long after hatching. After all, many turtles and snakes lay hundreds of eggs so that just a few of their young will survive.
The lizardfolk listen attentively to Idris' musings. The female who protested before considers your words carefully. "A test... yes, that would show who is strongest. When a challenger fights the King, it is a test in a way. If the males were tested to see who is most fit, the strongest young would be made, even with a smooth-skin female King. That is acceptable. I am called Ssitha, human of red fur."
The two captured males eye each other warily.
Seraphina chuckles at her description and extends her copper-scaled and jade clawed hand to Ssitha. "I am glad to see you can reason well, Ssitha. Your tribe will need your guidance in the days ahead. You may call me Baroness, for I am the Lady over these lands. A challenge sounds like a reasonable compromise. But it must no longer be to the death. You have few enough grown males as it is, after all."
She nods her agreement with Milo's assessment at seeing the clutch of the lizardfolk eggs and is careful not to disturb them. "Let's be sure to leave them enough weapons to hunt and defend themselves. Idris, perhaps you'd better give them their standing orders until we return. I think the females need to know they will have to take on more duties to their tribe now that the harem is no more and they only have so many hands now."
"If they swear fealty to you, we'll probably have to send them food to help them through the winter. Two experienced hunters with five novices, probably won't be able to get enough to feed fifteen young ones. I won't have them be abandoned to starve!" Idris didn't expect to have this responsibility fall on her shoulders by killing the lizard king, but isn't going to shirk it.
Some of Seraphina's self-satisfaction over what she had deemed a clever solution to the lizardfolk problem faded then, as her mirth was replaced with understanding. Idris had not been ready to be responsible for the lives of others this way and Sera knew well the burden she must now feel.
"Do not fret, my friend. If they can preserve meat, they can eat alligator for weeks and we will return very soon to check on their progress. On that point, we should find out a bit more about their diet before we leave."
She turns to Ssitha, Sirat and Takar. "Do you know the way of drying and smoking meat so it will not spoil? What do you need to eat to stay healthy? What will your young need to eat and how soon do you think they will hatch?"
Pretty does agree with Maja, but she sees that's for a reason. "Yeah, we are a moving house basically. But of course, we do that to prepare for the varied situations we might find ahead, so I guess we didn't really have an option."
Regarding the tribe she does not really care anymore, since there is a lot of concern about them already. She does not follow the party to the eggs, but rather scouts around the place. Pretty finds it really funny that Sera suggested that they eat alligator meat. She for a second imagines Milo, being suggested to eat Nix's meat to survive, after the wolf died in battle. She shakes her head at the notion, not wanting to tell anyone off at that moment. And perhaps the lizards were different than them, right?
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"The patterns are pretty, questioning elf. We like to be pretty and look at pretty things." Ssitha runs a clawed hand over her garments and straightens them, preening.
"We eat mostly meat, although fruits and nuts of the forest can sustain us if need be. We do indeed know the smoking of meat, and that which we cannot eat is dried. Our young eat the same food as us, just less of it. When they have grown to this size," - Ssitha holds a hand about two feet off the ground - "They are expected to hunt for themselves. Frogs, fish, birds, lizards. This clutch will hatch before two lives of the night-sky-light. Do not fear for our bellies, Barrronesss, for there is plenty of meat to be had here."
Ssitha stumbles slightly over the unfamiliar syllables of Seraphina's title, and doesn't seem concerned about eating the flesh of the slain alligators... or other slain creatures. Meat is meat, after all...
Milo's tracking shows a complete lack of beasts of burden in the immediate vicinity of the Lizardfolk encampment. Not terribly surprising, considering the voracious appetites of the tribe. Five miles out or so, some hoofprints appear, and Milo traces them to a family of wild horses. A stallion, two mares, and two foals form this herd. The stallion is an imposing, tightly-muscled specimen who rushes to the defense of his kin, interposing himself between Milo and the herd. Milo's soothing words calm the fiery-tempered beast, and an apple and handful of oats do wonders for the stallion's esteem for Milo. The stallion accepts a rope bridle, and the mares and foals dutifully follow behind as Milo rides the stallion back to rejoin the party.
All of the stolen gear is recovered. The lizardfolk were far more intent upon devouring your previous mounts than sorting through your stuff. It's in a jumble indeed, but a few hours' work sorts it out nicely. By the time Milo returns with a small group of horses, the gear is packed and ready. The Lizardfolks' walls and reputation provide a resilient defense against threats, and a much-needed rest is had free from interruption.
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Location: Hex R9 (River, Lake, Lizardfolk encampment)
Date: 17 Erastus, 4710 Absalom Reckoning
Temperature: 68° F
Weather conditions: Overcast, wind 7 mph from the West (light)
Food: 16 days' supply
The next day dawns foggy and overcast, with early morning mist obscuring the swamplands. Haven lies a two day's walk to the northeast.
Now that they solved that little scaly problem, Pretty wondered if they should proceed or go back to the city. "Nice job with the Horses Milo." She sounded sad, though. "Maybe we should take the large path back to Haven, heading into the woods to get to know a little more about this area. They didn't eat our rations, so we still have a lot of supplies to guide us through one or two weeks, if need be. If we keep returning to the city every problem we face, it will take us ages to do this..."
Idris gets to know her own new horse that Milo has tamed for her. "You're a sorcerer, for sure, when it comes to animals, Milo," she remarks.
"I wouldn't mind continuing the exploration. I'm still curious about that tower, but we can return another time."
Seraphina huffed a sigh over the idea of doing much exploring on foot. She had become accustomed to riding and walking around seemed a near constant reminder of recent failure. Still, the others had a point. Though they had been through much, they had only left Haven three days ago. "May as well, I suppose. Perhaps we will get lucky and find replacements for all our mounts before we return." She doubted Kesten Garess would have even reached his destination, let alone be on his way back from his recruiting trip yet, but she wanted to get back to Haven before him. It was a bit embarrassing to admit they had let their mounts get eaten on their first trip around the block. And she certainly didn't want to return to find her family had preceded her and found her absent from their new holdings.
Milo is grinning like an idiot when he shows up with all the horses, even knowing the foals are too small to ride. He laughs at Idris's comment. "If I keep hanging out around Sera and her sorcery rubs off on me, we'll have a whole herd of horses by the time we get back to Haven!"
"Looks like we have a lot of options here. We can head straight back to Haven. Or we can keep exploring, a little bit, or a lot. Personally, I'd like to explore at least a little more around the lake and see if there is anyone living nearby who knows more about that mysterious tower, or any clues or something about the place before we go back." As much as Milo enjoys being in the wilderness, he really likes the idea of Kivan or someone else smarter than him learning more about the tower, so that they can go back and fix, cleanse it or whatever the magical term is for it, as soon as possible.
"As appealing as it is to see home again," Idris says, and then pauses. "Huh. I guess I never noticed when Haven became 'home' for me. Anyway, as nice as that would be, we have a ways to go as yet. Let's press on and see what else we can see."
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"Looks like we are agreed not to head directly home, anyway." She smiles to see that Idris has now begun to see their new community as home as well. Though she suspects Bara has much to do with the 'when', she doesn't say this.
Pretty does not miss the city much, one would guess. Although there's not much to do aside from riding and sunbathing, she still seemed at ease here. "I'm ok to go forward into the uncharted if you are, but the other way is just as fine."
"What do they know about the lands south?"
"We have not gone too far away from the rivers which are our home. There is a river from the lake which continues forever. The Large Man wanders the flat lands while crying. The King of the Forest hunts the whole forest. Deep in the forest is the land of trolls."