Narthropple rolls his eyes
"Maybe later, I didn’t head up into the wilderness just to sleep in a bed."
"Fair enough. Our gates are always open if you ever need rest. Now, like i mentioned earlier. Perhaps we can share notes on our travels through these woods to help each other. I don't know how much you've traveled, but you've no doubt seen more of the south than us. As for the north however, we've explored much of that wilderness." Rory proposes.
Adular nods, "An exchange of knowledge sounds useful."
"Well I have some maps have been making, but I need those. I would be willing to sell them for 2,500 Gp. They were weeks of work."
"I had never intended to take the maps from you, just a sharing of knowledge. If my companions agree, perhaps we can help you set up camp here if you still wish and exchange notes once we're all settled in. You can look over our map and take notes on it while we look over your map doing the same. This way we both lose nothing but gain more knowledge of our surroundings. Plus at the end of the day, there are more eyes to keep watch and more swords in case something were to happen."
"Sounds like little is lost in doing that. It will give your ponies time to rest anyway, poor beasts are probably exhausted."
Narthropple allows you to look at his maps. However they are made in very loving detail. You can't absorb it all in just an hour.
Ah yes they are making camp here. Ok you can look over his maps.
They found a hermit in 35H that seemed a bit odd.
They lost a few people who followed lights in 36I.
They found a crying Giant in 37J.
"Something doesn't quite add up here. Let me see..."
to better coordinate our maps
"Could you tell me more about some of the things you've seen? I may be able to identify the giant and the hermit, and might even be able to determine what has become of your lost friends."
to gather additional information on the above anomalies
I was trying to fit them to the coordinates on your map. I thought I had.
The hermit is at H34
Lights are 35I
Giant is 36J
"Don't know about the hermit said he was a Druid not sure I believe him he seemed nuts"
I don't recall that.
Nothing That night.
Riva bids fairwell to her new friends in fluent gnome. "I wish you all good luck in your endeavors. Should we happen upon a dwarven outpost, we shall send word of it to you at our earliest opportunity."
"So where should we check out next?" Rory asks after bidding farewell to the gnomes. "I seem to remember Bokken talking about his crazy brother. Remember Bokken? He was off kilter hermit near Olegs that would occasionally make potions for us. The strange lights could be the wisps that women with the scarecrow warned us about. IF we take care of them, we can go back to her and let her know they won't be leading anything else to her yard. As for the giant, crying or not it's a giant and I personally feel we should make sure we're properly prepared in case things go sour. Then again it'll give me a reason to practice my giant speech. Or we could just go someplace different all together."
"If it comes down to it, I think I would rather face a lone depressed giant than a possible pack of wisps. Most giants are rather dimwitted. Wisps, on the other hand..."
I think I already told you about wisps. They are immune to magic and invisible unless they want to glow.
Where do you want to explore?
"I'll take your word on the wisps, though I would still prefer to be better prepared if we plan to encounter the giant." Rory says.
"Frankly, the wisps give me the creeps. I'm not sure we can hurt the things."
"Malicious maniacal balls of electrical light who enjoy feeding on fear and pain. Fortunately, they don't much care for confrontation. By and large they just frighten travelers, often leading them into various kinds of hazards. We will have to clear them out if we expand out that way. Catching them is the real trick, they are fast and maneuverable with their flight patterns, and when they cease to glow, they are effectively invisible. Most magic is useless against them what's more, though not mine. I say we avoid that place until we are better prepared to combat flying invisible menaces. For now, let's finish up here then head back to Allania to see what all that fuss was about before."
"It's all weird to me." MAllichatti says. "I'm just going where you're going. Boggles my mind why you're dragging me along."
"You're strength mainly." Rory said with a grin. "That and that axe... thing of yours." Rory crossed his arms and looked at the others. "well that bits settled at least. No wisps for now. If we go back now, I think I shall send a rider to Bokken about his brother, see if this so called druidic hermit is him or not, as well as how we should handle his brother. I don't believe Bokken spoke highly of him. Best we know exactly who's around our home."
Riva spends some time crafting some new trinkets for the boys.
On the 7th of Rova when Rory is at his desk busy with the paperwork of ruling. He hears screams and wimpering. Just when he is about to stand up and check it out, a women in a green flowing robe bursts into his office. The force splitters the door a bit.
She looks at Rory and says "I am Lady Greengrass. I am here to inform you that [Hex D38] is now my territory all who trespass will be dealt with as I see fit."
Rory feels a wave of fear coming from the women he recognizes it as Frightful Presence.
However this knowledge does not help to resist it. Rory is panicked
Lady Greengrass looks at Rorys cowering form
"I see that you understand me, Good"
With that she turns around and leave like she entered, like she owns the place.
"Is there an end to the crazy people out here?"
"A Green dragon has moved into [Hex D38]. A lot of Koblods are going there to join her. Hell , 6 months ago I would be going over to join her. I can't compete with a dragon."
Nobility get some: Apparently Lady Greengrass out grew the area she lived in and heard that the greenbelt was actually become a good place to live with a kingdom solid enough to provide the comforts of civilization but too weak for her to have to worry about. Also alot of Kobolds to serve her. After all that the Gold Mine was a bonus.
"How old is she Sootscale? Do your people know?"
She know all about dragons feel free to read it all. One thing she knows is that it takes an Adult to be able to change into humanoid form by alter self.
Riva turns in her seat at the meeting table to better address Cervagio. "As the newest member of our little council, I'm curious to know how you might go about dealing with this recent situation, Mal."
"What is she?"
"I told you a Dragon"
"I thought when dragons claimed a territory they razed towns, destroyed the local kingdom and stole all the gold?"
"That's only the young impatient ones. The older ones like to bully a kingdom. Green's especially. They arn't really interested in ruling just greedy. Demanding tribute is more steady income then plundering. Also I expect she will want to have the gold mine built up."
"Soooo kill her? We can't afford to be extorted."
"Agreed. No offense, but if we buckle to this lizard now, we might as well just hand the kingdom over to her. Let's take the fight to her."
"You guys are tough, but Greengrass is in a whole another league"
Mallichatti shrugs. "Then you may as well crown her queen and be done with it. You can present yourself as a credible threat if pressed and maybe discuss being an ally, but you can't do that from a position of weakness and expect good to come of it. Last I heard from the guards Rory wet his pants and ran screaming down the hall for his mother."
"Perhaps we can come to a mutual agreement with her, such as gifting her the territory in exchange for her protection? She might even appreciate having our armies guarding the boundaries of her territory on her behalf...at least until our nation is powerful enough to oppose her directly."
"Can she with stand a catapult shot by surprise? I'm with Cervagio on this, we're setting a dangerous precedent if we fold."
"Older dragons such as she can withstand quite a lot. Certainly a catapult."
Rory looks on at the discussion, hands folding in front of him. He listens and he absorbs their words, thinking of what's the better solution. "I hate to say this, but I'm with Riva on this one. We're nowhere near the strength we need to be to face this dragon head on. Our best bet is to tell her what she wants to hear, maybe play into her ego a bit, all while we bid our time until we're strong enough to deal with her head on."
"Well, military build up certainly isn't against the teachings of my god, and it's good sense regardless... but this sticks in the craw. I suppose for right now, we need to warn the citizens to stay away from the area. Damn it, the loss of the gold is really going to hurt." Adular grumbles, "I worry by the time we ARE strong enough to take her on, she'll have a whole new tribe of kobolds fanatically devoted to her acting as her own little army."
Then an idea occurs to him, "Riva...you know more about dragons than most of us. Are there any of those shiney good dragons we could contact? Ask them for help or what not?"