"Probably not. The only things we'll be smashing are things that are trying to kill us."
Mo obediently turns around and starts heading back.
As you speed up, the lizardfolk looks back and then dives under the water, disappearing into the murky swamp.
Time for some warranted smashing, as it turns out. Tomorbataar points out with his head the direction he's swimming in, look, he's changed directions. Someone shoot something over there.
Tomorbataar looks around for something to throw.
Tomorbataar votes to change directions to keep pursuing the lizardfolk.
"I'd say we eat him, but don't we need him to lead us?"
Beachhead also votes to follow in the new direction.
"What? Where?" Ziphora looks around, confused. "There?"
Ziphora votes to follow whatever Tom is going
Pacem decides to hide in Ziphora's head with the prospects of an extended underwater chase upcoming.
"Chase! I say we chase! If we catch him, we can decide what ter do with him, if nae, then we can follow his trail ter the village!"
Grash is very enthusiastic. He summons up a drum in preparation for chase music.
The lizardfolk swims for quite a while... which means that, when he surfaces to look back at you, you're almost right on top of him. He looks rather shocked by this.
"Surprise!" Ziphora pops out and taps his shoulder with her head.
Quick, somebody grab him! Tomorbataar looks around at the others, not considering that he might be the one to do the grabbing.
"I'm soooo disappointed little friend...".
The lizardfolk freezes, which results in him floating awkwardly on his back.
"Look - you said you'd lead us to your priest and you're now outswimming us. Whats the meaning of this?"
Yeah, what are you doing? You were supposed to lead us, not race us.
Obviously we'd win a race.
The lizardfolk keeps floating stiffly.
"...I dinnae think he can respond while bein' paralyzed. We're right on top of him now, so ye can probably dismiss yer spell, Entycer. Then we can be interrogatin' him."
He's not paralyzed. Pull him out and give him a thrashing, then tell him to move more slowly. Tomorbataar doesn't seem to realize that the lizardfolk can hear him perfectly well.
Grash was a bit slow on the uptake due to just having recently thought the lizardfolk was, indeed, paralyzed. He gave him a good second look.
"Oy, ye be right! This is a tricksy lizard here, got ter give him credit fer that. Still, maybe a little shakin' do be in order, though this guy has put up enough of a fight I think I'll let 'im go when we're done."
Grash then goes to get a good grip on the lizardfolk... though he's savvy enough to know he needs to be relatively gentle about it if they want to keep him intact enough to continue serving as a guide. Besides, this lizardfolk had guts and cunning, trying to pull a trick like that.
Ziphora tries to nudge the lizard into Grash's jaws.
This draws a reaction.
The lizardfolk sees Grash lunging at him and panics, dodging aside as Grash's head plunges into the water.
While successful in his first dodge, his reaction to Ziphora getting close is rather poorer, given that it consists of shrieking and swimming the other direction... which simply results in Grash getting another, more successful chance to grab him.
Soon enough Grash has a shrieking lizardfolk held carefully in his jaws.
"Rmph hrmp mrf rmmmb prst! Rmp e mrmph drm!"
After attempting to do so, it occurs to Grash that he can't really properly make demands or threats or bargains or such whilst holding the lizardfolk in his mouth. Instead he settles for glaring menacingly and holding the lizard ominously close to his drum. He just hopes that a solid threat will snap the lizardfolk into realizing that its chances of survival are much higher if it pulls itself together enough to be cowed properly.
"You need to move on slower, so we can follow you. You were leading us to your priest, right?" Ziphora helpfully translates for Grash.
Tomorbataar keeps his distance, eyeing the muddied lizardfolk carefully. No need to race, he repeats softly, we're too fast.
The lizardfolk nods very eagerly in agreement.
"Hrmmph mrmph! Ptooo!"
Grash spits the lizardfolk back out in the water, now that he understands his situation better.
"And ye may be wantin' ter know that as ferocious as we be, we do be keepin' our word. Ye lead us there, we let ye go. Sounds like we may e'en be more merciful than yer coward priest!"
I do hope we get to the priest soon, I'd like to be out of this swamp as soon as possible. And I'm quite sure now that this lizardfolk won't be running again, otherwise we'd have to kill him, and then we'd be stuck. No good. Better to hurry up and be done with him.
The lizardfolk leads you deeper into the swamp for several hours until darkness starts to fall. He seems perfectly happy to just rest on any random patch of dry land he can find, but unless Tomorbataar is fine with sleeping in mud and water, you'll have to find something larger to sleep on.
"I don't see anywhere that we can rest without getting mucky..."Ziphora's voice trails off. "Could we gather bracken to form some kind of makeshift bedding?" Ziphora suggests questioningly.
Afraid Tomorbataar will start kicking a fuss, Ziphora speaks to him reassuringly. "Don't worry, Tom, if you get mucky I'll clean you off and you'll be as good as new tomorrow!"
We could try that, or we could just not go to sleep. no sleep, no problem. Tomorbataar stays up in the air, looking a little bit crazed. Maybe I'll just wrap around a tree...
"Just find a tree with low-hanging branches."
"Ye could put yer head on our back. There probably be someplace here high enough that would keep it out of tae muck. Is nae that big a deal ter me, anyway."
Very well, let us try that.
Tomorbataar votes to find the nearest spot they can lie down on without sinking up to their necks.
Tomorbataar investigates the possibility of sleeping on a tree first, then the body.
Looking around, there are some trees that Tomorbataar could stick his head in to sleep.
"Damn where's Mo when we need him. We should tie our friend to the tree, or someone keep an eye on him so he doesn't run away."Ziphora grumbles. "Ahhh I have an idea,I'll get Pacem to keep an eye on him!"
Tie him to the tree? What, with our necks? Oh, good idea. Does Pacem need to sleep?
Tomorbataar votes to go towards the best looking tree.
Tie him to the tree? What, with our necks? Oh, good idea. Does Pacem need to sleep?
Tomorbataar votes to go towards the best looking tree.
Grash is inattentive and uncaring about the sleeping arrangements, for the most part. He's fine sleeping just about anywhere.
The lizardfolk certainly looks nervous about this discussion, but he doesn't speak up.
You wade over to a good-sized tree. It looks like Tomorbataar could stick his head up in the branches. As long as he doesn't look too closely at all the moss on it.
Glad to find a place that Tomorbataar can keep his head stuck out of the mud and hopefully not be so grumpy the next morning, Ziphora tells the entire party, "Good Night, Sleep Tight."
'Better not add in the last part, "Don't let the bedbugs bite", or Tom's fretting will keep us up all night' She thinks to herself.
"Don't let the bedbugs bite!" Beachhead cheerily completes the rhyme as he settles his head down on a sturdy branch.
Grash snorts. "Well that will nae be a problem. There dinnae be any bedbugs in tae swamp. Lot of other bugs, though. But our thick hydra scales are impervious to such tiny creatures anyway!"
Not being so picky about sleeping locations, Grash just finds a place he can settle down without being completely covered in mud.
"Beachhead! Did you have to do that?!" Ziphora gives an exasperated protest, then smacks him with her neck.
"If Tom keeps us up with his fretting all night I'll know who to blame!"She gives Beachhead a dirty look.
Hey now, no need to throw around dirty looks, that's just unsanitary.
Anyhow, I already knew the rest of the rhyme, though it's nice not to have to hear it. As Grash says, there are no bedbugs to worry about. Tomorbataar seems to have convinced himself, and wraps himself around a tree branch as best he can.
"Ziphora, if you didn't want me to finish the rhyme, you shouldn't have started it. I feel like this was poor planning on your part. Also, if I ate Pacem, would you still be able to summon him again? Asking for a friend."
"It was a nice rhyme."Ziphora states defensively. "Until you spoilt it!" She glares at Beachhead.
"No you're not allowed to eat Pacem. Go eat moss instead."Ziphora answers Beachhead rudely.
Under Pacem's watchful eye, your unwilling guide decides not to make a break for it in the middle of the night.
Morning comes, and you are cold, wet, and hungry. The problem with the swamp always was that it was harder to find things to eat...