Content now that the puny shaman has been dealt with, Grash decides to turn his attention to more important matters. "Do ye think there be anything worth investigatin' around here? Or should we just take a few bites out of tae other hydra and head back?"
Grash loses interest in charging now that at least some violence has been done. The other lizardfolk aren't worth the effort.
Beachhead votes to stop the charge.
"We came all this way; let's look around a bit."
"Agreed, we should look around a bit. But I'd like to make some progress towards leaving today, not good to stick around in a swamp for too long."
Tomorbataar helps everyone else search.
You come to a splashing halt next to the shaman's body. Looking over him, he's got some fancy feathers and teeth on some necklaces, some assorted bits of leather and stuff... oh, and a very fancy-looking staff that seems to be missing a gem from one end.
"Oh, daaaaaaaaaaang!" Beachhead says as retrieves the staff and points it to wherever the vine-made fanny pack that holds the gem they just found is.
Most of the lizardfolk keep running... but it looks like a few of them have stopped and are watching you cautiously from a distance.
Grash is not particularly interested in the lizardfolk.
"Ye think the gem we found be fittin' in the stick here?"
Grash votes to go back to the rival hydra so as to eat at least a bit of it.
"I think we'd be fools to try!
"I mean, not to try. We'd be fools not to try."
Beachhead leaves the lizard shaman's body alone for now. He kind of wants the other lizard folk to come back. He votes to move to the black hydra.
Beachhead puts the gem thing on the staff thing.
It's obvious that it's supposed to fit there, but... there's nothing that makes the gem stick in its spot. Beachhead puts it in the spot but it'll just fall back out again without something to keep it in place.
It may require help from someone with hands to fix this.
"We should ask the lizard sham--OHYEAHNEVERMIND."
Beachhead looks around at the lizard folk remaining to see if any of them stand out more than the others because of trinkets, headdresses, staffs of office, or the like.
Ziphora uses a gust of wind to blow the gem on the staff.
Beachhead does recognize the lizardfolk who proclaimed you an avatar of their god among the few that are hanging around and looking at you.
Beachhead does recognize the lizardfolk who proclaimed you an avatar of their god among the few that are hanging around and looking at you.
Beachhhead singles that lizardguy out.
"Hey, can you come closer so we can talk? I won't eat you. I'm pretty sure that none of us will. Just to talk."
"I certainly won't eat you, not if you're prepared to worship us. Perhaps you could help us with a certain difficulty we're having." Tomorbataar points to the stick and gem. "We need some way to attach these two. Is there a powerful wizard among you?"
Tomorbataar votes to hold still.
The lizardfolk in question steps forward and bows low. "Oh, great one, we will serve as you ask. I fear, however, that only the wicked heretic who you have slain had the skill amongst us to work with such mighty magics."
He is quite well-spoken for a lizardfolk, at least.
"OK. As such, I order you to live in peace and harmony with our friendly lizardfolk."
"Unless you have a good reason not to!"
"Fightin' monsters be just fine, though. Good practice!"
Grash, indecisive about what to do, thumps out a victory fanfare on his drum.
"Why did the black hydra claim he was our father?" Beachhead asks the lizardpersonage.
"To attempt to establish dominance over us?" Ziphora ventures a guess.
The lizardman seems rather... confused by the way the discussion is going. "The Five-Fold Maw was a terrible liar," he says, uncertainly.
Grash looks around. "So, anyway... what were we doin' after this again?"
Beachhead stops tapping the gem onto the staff and looks up into the air.
"Uhhhhhh," he begins intelligently, "I guess we need to go to our lizard tribe, tell them we killed things in this lizard tribe, have them feed us, and then we can either tackle one of our side quests or see if Sir Tolgrith has another thing he needs for us to do in return for an intangible reward."
Beachhead looks at the tribe of lizardindividuals standing in the distance.
"Seems a shame to waste these guys, though."
"We do not attack surrendered lizardfolk! Do that and I'll see you get greens for the rest of the week."Ziphora threatens."Let's just get back to our friendly lizardfolk and tell them we've fixed the problem then report to Sir Tolgrith."
Move body back to friendly lizardfolk
"What is wrong with you?! Nothing I said implied that we should attack any of these guys! I've already established that I'm on board with only killing intelligent creatures that have tried to harm us! That's why I only killed the shaman after we killed Daddy! You seem to think I'm some terrible monster when I've been nothing by somewhat supportive of you!"
Beachhead takes a big, gooey, fleshy bite out of Daddy.
"You were looking at the fleeing lizardfolk when you said it was a shame to waste them and that implied you wanted to eat them!" Ziphora argues back.
"UGH! If I'm not going to eat our lizardfolk, then I'm not going to eat these lizardfolk! I meant that I didn't want to waste their potential! It's a whole tribe of humanoids with opposable thumbs that can craft things for us or fight for us or hunt for us! You're being paranoid!"
"I still be pretty sure this hydra dinnae be any relation of ours. As I said, it looks like it be a half breed with some black dragon."
Grash takes a bite out of the hydra, while reminising about the fight.
"You're probably right, Grash. Anyway, you can speak up without getting contradicted all the time; see how these lizardfolk feel about our lizardfolk, and then see if they can be allied, or something. Then we can move on."
The other hydra *does* taste pretty good... and you eating it definitely seems to be having an effect on the remaining lizardfolk.
It's mostly a fear kind of effect.
Grash looks up at the lizardfolk.
"Oi, what be the big deal? He put up a good fight, 'twould be an insult not tae at least eat him."
Those watching might note that Grash is actually not trying to eat the cowardly lizardfolk shaman.
"It is simply... proof of your greatness!" the spokeslizard says, raising his hands and looking at the others. "See, the new avatar eats the old! So too shall any who do not follow him fall before those who do!"
A ragged cheer rises from those lizardfolk who have stuck around.
Grash looks back at the lizardfolk.
"Hmmm, not quite what I usually be thinkin', but along tae same lines. Ter eat a might foe be to both demonstrate some last respects fer an opponent what gave ye a struggle, while also showin' that ye be the victor of tae battle. When one be dead, the best they can hope fer is tae contribute to somethin' greater than they were, and it be an insult ter waste tae body of a foe. Such is tae hydra way!"
"Don't forget the need for a high caloric intake. That's also our way."
"Oh, you want to go to our friends?" Ziphora perks up. "That's a good idea. All of you can live together in peace and harmony. A single twig is easy to break, but when you tie them a bundle they are not easily snapped." Ziphora utters sagely.
"And no, high caloric intake does not enter the picture. I tell you we REALLY should be going vegetarian.It'd be more sustainable for the eco-system."
"Friends?" the spokeslizard asks, uneasily. "Do you speak of the other tribe? Have they also bowed to your might?"
"Of course we've spoken to the other tribe." Ziphora proclaims, "And we're the bestest of friends! Theyre good cooks, and I sing them stories of our adventures!"
"They are pretty good cooks," Beachhead admits.
"What skills does your tribe bring?" he asks the spokeslizard.
"We are great warriors and hunters!"
The other lizardfolk cheer and hiss in response.
Grash nodded. "That be good. I dinnae think we be needing warring right now, but tae time may well come that we will. And huntin' be an excellent pursuit! There be little better than testin' yer might against strong beasts."
After speaking for some time with the tribe, you eventually get ready to depart. The spokeslizard seems very interested in when you'll come back, and offers to send a few warriors with you as an 'honor guard'.
When you get out of the swamp, Mo is long gone. It's been days, so he probably just wandered off at some point. The other lizardfolk tribe makes good on throwing you a huge feast. One of their cooks also offers to come with Ziphora and teach her their recipes.
Ziphora is happy to have the honor guard follow along with them. Along the way she asks them about their life stories, just to have a glimpse of what it's like not being a hydra head.
Beachhead hypothesizes that the lizards that serve as their honor guard can also be sort of ambassadors to the first lizardfolk tribe, to prove that both tribes now serve our hydraness. Also, now that Mo is missing, the honor guard can put their opposable thumbs to good use for us, when needed.
Beachhead asks around in both tribes if they have any black cloth that could be cut into a headband with eye holes for him.
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Grash helpfully regales the lizardfolk with various tales of reptile supremacy and hydras eating things. With this kind of trip, he might even get through the whole Hydrilliad!
Beachhead gets offers of various bits of leather, but no black cloth. Ziphora gets plenty of talk about lizardfolk life. And Grash gets a lot of attention, though it's not clear if he gets much belief.