Stonewall continues across the bridge carefully, eyeing what he can in the downpour.
Round - Post Encounter | HP 30/40
Alset takes one of the potions of CLW and drinks it.
Feeling better he follows Stony across the bridge.
"Alright, let's go."
A hail of darts launches from the bones north of you, striking the dwarves for 5 damage. The trap triggered, the rest of the bridge is uneventful.
The island to the west is surrounded by black tar and littered with more bones, some large dinosaurs, others smaller lizardfolk bones. One lizardfolk, still living, stands in the the center of the island. She is engaged in combat with a half-mad ankylosaurus. The lizardfolk's heavy pick sends sparks in the air as it glances off of the ankylosaurus's thick plated back. The ankylosaurus's tail whooses around, narrowly missing the lizardfolk.
The two combatants are far enough away that they do not notice you.
"We should wait and just fight the victor. They'll be tired and probably wounded by the time we have to fight them."
Alset detects evil on the two combatants and readies an arrow to release, if either is evil.
Curses come from Stonewall as he is dealt insignificant damage by the darts. As he views the combatants, he plucks the lodged darts out of weak joints in his armor including one particularly stubborn one from his new boots.
"This is our last chance to get any usable information, maybe we aught to try once more to help and see what happens..." says Stonewall but a glance at his face says that he is skeptical of their chances at diplomacy and could easily be convinced to wait.
"Are you saying we should charge in and save the creature from that terrible lizard with the pick?"
Alset steps forward withing point-black range and releases an arrow at the Ankylasaurus.
The arrow glances off the plates of the ankylosaurus, the rain and wind misdirected Alset's arrow. The lizardfolk turns, rain-drenched, and shouts angrily through the downpour.
"That great beast is my death!" she shouts. "I told you not to interfere!"
She looks again and sees a human-made arrow. "...Humans? Do not make me regret speaking out on behalf of your wretched people."
She turns back to the ankylosaurus and slams her pick in the dinosaur's neck.
The ankylosaur slips in the mud and misses, his heavy tail slinging up mud and splinters of bone.
Ankylosaurus HP 49/75
Stonewall stays back and admires the ankylosaur.
Odie gets 's behind the dinosaur and howls at it.
Alset asks, "Do we know this lizardfolk with the pick? Have we met her before? Does she want the creature to kill her?"
Alset: You do not know her. She is likely the chieftain the previous lizardfolk spoke of.
As Odie flanks the ankylosaurus, the lizardfolk and dinosaur become upset at this newcomer into the fray.
Round 1
Round 1 | HP 38/40
Alset is unsure of what he should do after hearing the lizardfolkette's remarks. He will defer his attack until after the two combatants complete their round 1 turn. In the driving rain, he puts away his bow and prepares his sword for battle.
Alset speaks loudly over the driving rain, "Wait, you spoke well of the humans, but when I attempt to help you, you reject my help. I don't understand."
"Help? I am tribeless. There is no one left to take me in. I need an honorable death in battle. If this mad beast does not kill me, perhaps you can instead!"
”Ah, but if you were vindicated within the Mireborn, would you be allowed back?”
"Well, perhaps we could take you in!"
Ood waits with Alset to see the situation develop. Stonewall's diplomacy is not enough to change anyone's mind.
Round 1
The ankylosaurus spins and cracks his thagomizer into Odie, bruising him horribly, but not stunning the barbarian.
Mud is just as confused as everyone else, and raises his flag, but does not identify any specific enemy.
Achahut, for that is her name, dashes up off the muddy ground and attempts to manuever around the dinosaur and Odie's reach, but fails.
The ankylosaur takes his AoO but only sweeps against a single scalespike on the lizardfolk's head.
Achahut yells unintelligably at Odie and slams her pick into the barbarian.
"I told you to leave me and my death alone!"
Round 1 | HP 29/34
Stonewall, seeing both combatants turn on Odie, charges at what he perceives as the more easily removed threat and attacks the Lizardfolkess and swings his axe in a tight arc at her back.
Round 1
HP: 27/48
Odie howls in RAGE at the newly inflicted pain from the lizard he was trying to help.
"WHY DID YOU HIT ME? WAS TRYING TO HELP! NOW I'LL HELP YOU IN ANOTHER WAY!"
Odie swings his greatsword with reckless abandon at Achahut.
Alset determines that if the big creature is killed, then the lizardwoman might talk. He attacks the Anky with an overhead swing of his as-of-yet unused sword .
Stonewall, Odie, and Alset all miss their respective targets.
Achahut ponders Ood's words, as if their meaning could spark something in her. If only they were said with more conviction
As Alset attacks the Anky, he says with deep conviction to Achoo, "We COULD take you in if you would let us. But you need to quit injuring our half-orc."
Ood strikes at the dinosaur with a kick!
Ood finds the dinosaur's knees and cracks one.
HP 42/75 Ankylosaur
Round 2
The dinosaur spins, surrounded by unknown foes. He roars into the lashing rain, bleeding, confused, and angry.
The ankylosaur wheels around and slams his boulder-like tail club into the half-orc.
Odie takes the tail on the side of his skull...
And flies into the air from the force of the blow, flipping once before collapsing onto the rain-soaked tar...
...
...
Dead.
...
Achahut looks at Odie's lifeless body, rain dripping from her snout. She turns to the the Muddy Mariners and says, "You're willing to give your very lives... just to help me? Someone you've never met?"
She dashes around the dinosaur and brings down a two-handed strike on the ankylosaurus, shouting "I'll set up the flank, you take it down!"
Mud looks out across the soaking tar at Odie's body and begins to cry. "He died as he lived," he says, sniffling. "Angry and shouting at someone."
Ankylosaur HP 33, AC 22
Round 2
Hp 35/35
Ood attacks again with fists flying.
"He's on the edge, knock him out. Actions speak louder than words friend, don't they? We'll mourn our fallen when this is finished."
Round 2 | HP 29/34
Stonewall’s axe glances off the dinosaur’s hard armor plates.
Round 2 | HP 38/40
Alset with grim determination at the sight of the most likely dead Odie lays another blow on the AnKYLer,
Alset kills the AnKYLasaurus, and runs to Odie to see if he can be cured.
Alset stoops over Odie and finds him lifeless and gone. He weeps openly for his lost friend and regrets attacking rather than healing.
"It's all my fault," he sobs. "I should have known that my healing was needed. At least he died doing what he does best - swinging that great sword and screaming bloody murder at his foes."
Alset will heal the lizard-chick when he recovers from his devastating loss. He hands her Odie's recently acquired cure light wounds potion.
"This will heal some of your wounds. When you're ready, you can tell us your story and we'll tell you ours. But, first, I want to bury Odie's body. Ood and Kargold can you help me dig. It's going to take quite a hole. He was a big guy." AK breaks down and sobs again.
"Can you do anything for him?"
Ood enters quiet meditation considering the life of his fallen comrade.
Toward the lizard person "What did you say your name was?"
Ood looks for any dry wood assuming Odie would want a pyre rather than cairn assuming he is not recoverable.
Stonewall breaks down as he crouches down over Odie’s body. ”He was a strange one, but he was loyal and he was one of ours.” Stonewall gathers himself up to say more, but can’t get any words out.
Achahut the lizardfolk chieftain gives you the space you need to mourn. She gratefully drinks the healing potion.
"My name is Achahut. We can bury him here, if that was his wish. Though he was not a lizardfolk, he died in battle as we would. It would bring us glory to have his body here."
If you bury him here, the rain pours down just as steadily as before, making the digging difficult. The soil is not the best for burial, as seen by the bones littered on top of the soil and not beneath.
During the burial Achahut tells her story, "We exiles came to the tar pits after exposing the feather-backed coward Daruthek. He is trying to wage war and claim the whole jungle as his own, killing anything that stands in the way. I stood against his plan. We lizardfolk are hunters, not soldiers; the idea of conquest is a human vice. But Daruthek is corrupted beyond redemption and would not heed my words. So we were exiled to this place of death."
"As for this offer of a new tribe, I will have to think. Living with you humans is distasteful, but I have no where else to go. Is there a place I could stay away from the stench of your kind in this city of yours?"
"When you face Daruthek, I beg you: target only Daruthek and his corrupted followers."
Achahut gathers up some of Odie gear, going through it piece by piece.
She nods approvingly at the Adamantine Greatsword attaches it to her belt. Some of Odie more mundane upkeep gear is left but she refills her own provisions.
Going through his backpack she finds a bottle of Oldlaw Whiskey and pops off the stopper to smell it. She approves and takes a swig and pours out a bit on to Odie grave.
"Thank you, brother, for a second chance at my life. I hope to honor you with the remainder of mine."
Following the whiskey, she finds two bags. One pulls out a fuzzy ball and tosses it on the ground
and turns into a Weasel!
"Ahh! Did you people know it was going to do that? A little warning would have been nice."
Upon finding the pig mask, she decides it would make a good headstone for the giant half-orc.
She continues to dig and find another leather bag. As she opens the bag, she gags a bit on the stench of dung emanating.
"Alright, I'm done." holding up her hands in defeat and disgust "He was obviously some kind of madman. Who carries this stuff around?"
"Madman?" Mud says. "He may have been, but he was *our* madman. Show some respect please, it's not like you're going to ever replace him or anything."
"Speaking of replacing... do you prefer standing at the front of the line, as Odie did, replacing him in the marching order if not in our hearts? When everyone is ready, we can lead you back to Pridon's Hearth. I ride here, on this large dwarf, but you will have to walk."
Sigh "I will lead you the way I lead my people, from the front. I do not look back, so keep up!"
"Wait, you all weren't out here to save me. Why were you out here anyway? Where are you headed?"
"We were headed to the Storm Kindler's Village to the south and east. We are exploring and charting the delta. After the Village, then we need to visit Cashil and the expedition camp. All are to the south and east. After that we can return to Pridon's Hearth."
"Follow me."
She lead the way to the village.
"Onward we go, Odie, you will not be forgotten." Ood grabs his cards as a memento, and the antitoxin and antiplague just in case. I wonder where he picked those up at...
The next day you head to the Storm Kindler's Village. The rain continues to pour down. You see the old ruins of their village and remember that you have, in fact, been here before. Back in January.
Alset takes the things he thinks may be of use from Odie's remaining items: waterskins, trail rations, tanglefoot bag, thunderstone, defoliant, and acid flask.
He falls in line and in step with the others pondering the change of the Muddy Mariners, who are still just as muddy because of the seemingly unending rain.
As they travel, they continue to explore .
As the walk, Alset moves ahead and walks with Achahut the Reborn. He asks her about herself. "So, Achahut the Reborn, is it okay if we just call you Achahut?
I am an archer, but this heavy rain makes that skill almost impossible to use. So, what are your best skills? We've seen you wield that pick rather well and you now carry Odies great-sword. What other fighting skills to you have?
I serve somewhat as our company healer as well. Are there other things you like to do or are really good at?
What do you know about these storms? Is this Daruthek causing them in some way? What kind of lizardfolk is he?"
Unrelated to Alset's question: The new Mireborn chief is Shathva. The previous chief was Othok. You liked Othok, who sided with you on the whole "Hey let's not kill all the humans" thing. Shathva challenged Othok's cheiftancy over this issue, and Othok died in the ensuing single combat. That's how she became chief.
Shathva is all about killing humans, but she *might* be redeemable, and the other Mireborn lizardfolk are redeemable as well. Daruthek and his fanatic lizardfolk are beyond redemption. You suspect there is a political rift forming between Shathva and Daruthek.