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"Yeah, you don't want to drink that, I tried one and it was..."
He grimaces at Kevaras, "Yeah....sort of like a cross between the tempering barrel of a blacksmith's forge, and stagnant sewage runoff..."
He spends part of his free time off by himself, oddly unnerved by the strange race. He occasionally glances over to the giant corpse, and the celebratory crowds that he'd generally be making a fool of himself in.
He sits on his haunches, idly throwing his knife into the dirt, deep in contemplation.
Dirt falls from the wall unmoving to the floor below.
Dram pulls Nayce out of the area and lays on his healing hands.
Greeg responded to the Queens question with a roaring laugh, though he pulled it short as pain lanced through his head. He was hurting pretty badly now, but he could see an end in reach for the damnable thing.
"Let's just say that nature came a calling and I'm it's messenger. Everything has a cycle your majesty, and your time has come. Ask your deposer yourself when you've been conumed. Assuming of course part of whatever you call a spirit survives the memory consuming thingy you guys have going here."
He hefted his hammer, waiting to get an opening to attack again, hoping the Queen didn't have enough in her to kill him before then. They were so close.
Dram grabs Nayce unceremoniously by the collar and drags the half-elf clear. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Amy clench her fists as Dirt topples to the ground.
Nearly beyond speech now, and trapped by her own effusion of memory, the Queen closes on Greeg, her mandibles snapping fruitlessly at the goliath.
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Riyo's attitude to the group is respectful as you reappear in his room. During the short journey, many oklu of various hues have appeared to watch the newcomers.
The red-skinned oklu, who you now recognise as a warrior caste, can be seen imitating the actions of the heroes. Gestures that resemble Cronin's flight and Kevaras's greatsword work abound. Andaros gets curious glances, but only those of a blue-ish hue imitate his actions. Lurking towards the back of the oklu crowds, a pair of lean, grey-skinned oklu are watching Don intently, their hands unconsciously flicking as they imitate the rogue's characteristic dagger thrusts.
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"Yeah, you don't want to drink that, I tried one and it was..."
He grimaces at Kevaras, "Yeah....sort of like a cross between the tempering barrel of a blacksmith's forge, and stagnant sewage runoff..."
Having narrowly avoided death twice in one day; Kevaras celebrates by raiding his own supply of ale, the kind handcrafted by monks of the Raven Queen. The drow clutches his head, while nursing a hangover.
Perception
Kevaras and Don follow, each nursing an aching head. They may have unwittingly found another bond.
Don frowns, muttering "They eyeballing me?"
Greeg smiles grimly at the queen, realizing that the end game was upon them. He still had reserves of strength left to call upon should the need arise, but they could wait until the enemy was dead.
He swung his hammer, hoping to crush her bug eyed head and end the psychic scram of lost memories he could stil sense behind him. Back there, his friends were hurting, killing her might stop that.
Un....be....lieveable
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"Yes, Don, they are. All of us.
"Riyo, we have come here to the oklu. We have fought beside the oklu. We have destroyed the Skittering Death. Now, we need to understand who is betraying the ways of the masters. They are hurting our people, as the masters would not want.
"What can you tell us of the heretics? What we might find, and how we might correct their ways?"
Sweat streaks over Greeg's hammer as he desperately tries to finish the Queen. His hands slip, leaving his prey alive a little longer.
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Riyo listens politely to Cronin and bows his head.
"The infection of heresy is among the oklu, we believe. There are some among them who deny the truth that the Kadrana will return. They speak of breaking our long bonds to our masters and seeking the goddess herself." His voice is hushed and horrified.
"Among this enclave, we know of none who believe so, but there is another oklu holding to the eastern wall and they do not all think as we do here. Here, we keep the purity of intent for the return of our masters. The Kadrana will be here soon, I assure you."
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Cronin debates a moment about asking about the goddess, but decides to hold off.
"I understand this, Riyo. We can help the loyal oklu by persuading the heretics near the eastern wall. Can the oklu here tell us more about the heresy, or perhaps some can guide us to the other holding?"
He also fervently hopes Don will keep his peace this time.
His only comment is simply, a gruff "Do they have giant spiders there too?"
"We can guide you to the eastern enclave. Their heresy is a threat to all, but these are oklu and our brothers. There must be no bloodshed."
Riyo turns his attention to Don. "The Skittering Death has been a long threat to us, but she was the only one of her kind that we know of. It seems likely she consumed any rivals."
Trignotarbs
"You didn't say you are a messenger from nature, Greeg." Guldarin sounds surprised. "Could you ask her, next time you're picking up some of the messages you carry, if she could do something about the scorpions that crawl into my sandals all the time so that I have to blast them with holy radiance. It can't be good for them, and it doesn't do my sandals any good either, so leaving each other alone would seem like a wise and sensible course, although I suppose if vengeance is on Miss Nature's mind she could be after only the scorpion thing doesn't really work and she shoud perhaps try something involving carefully trained drop bears waiting in ambush, not that I really want to be attacked by drop bears as I don't really know what they look like but it would seem fairer than using unfortunate scorpions."
Astonished by Greeg's self-revelation, Guldarin causes a set of chains to erupt around Thlaxia. They hit into her and slow her, but do not quite finish the job.
Greeg shouted back up to the talkative dwarf "Perhaps the ancient spirits are punishing the scorpions, my diminutive friend, and you are but their implement."
He checked his weapon again, wondering if some one had swapped it on him as a prank. He'd travelled with some halflings once who had played pranks like that on him. Hilarious.
Dram helps Nayce to his feet and does his best to patch his wounds.
Greeg surreptitiously examines his weapon as Dram hauls Nayce to his feet. With a few muttered words, he sends enough of his strength into the assassin's body and gets him back in the fight.
Nayce teleports down to the surface below and runs at the queen, intent upon murder.
Sensing doom approaching, Thlaxia lashes out furiously as Nayce's shadowy figure approaches. She lands one final blow, but the end comes quickly. The half-elf draws on all his shadowy power, driving deep into the battered carapace. The Queen's multifaceted eyes flash and she collapses, leaving a trail of twitching larvae in her wake.
As she falls, a communal buzz goes up as the Trignotarb hive mind absorbs the change in power.
"Ah, Dram, would you like a little assistance? Amy, I think our druid friend needs to get to his bear, quickly."
"I hate bugs," Nayce says with conviction.
"They're good pickled, in my experience. Also roasted, though you have to be careful about the spices you use with them."
Nayce regards Guldarin with quiet amusement.
Trignotarbs
As the group catch their breath, wings sound above them. Xurtix and her attendants have arrived to claim her kingdom.
Looking at the carnage around her, the Trignotarb princess glows with satisfaction.
"Order is restored by your efforts. I am grateful and as I promised, I will give you what information I can. It is proper too that our Hive should gift you."
"These are the ruins of Kadralu, ancient flying city of the Kadrana. They were giants raised beyond their kind by Kaima - perhaps on a whim, perhaps to ensure her own survival. She thought her chosen race would guard her while she slept. Kadralu is but her cocoon. At its heart lies the sacred tank where Kaima lies sleeping."
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Greeg looked at his companions and shook his head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry lads, I'm not sure what was wrong with me this fight. Stupid bug kept getting inside my head and I couldn't even land a solid blow with old faithful here."
He looked up then, reacting to the hum of wings as the new arrivals came and offered their thanks. For once, he remained quiet in the face of victory, not feeling the usual joy since he had mostly done nothing all fight except get in the queens face. He ganced at Nayce, realsing the small man nearly died due to his own incompetence.
He promised himself that wouldn't happen again.
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Whatever concerns or issues the rogue had after the battle were washed away after the night passed. The bandit crosses his bare arms, saying to the group, "Are we done here?"
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Kagash appoints himself as your guide to the eastern oklu. He can add little to Riyo's explanation, although he confirms the [ooc]lothaar's [/i] words.
"We oklu were created as a servitor race," he explains proudly. "Great Kaema made us to serve her chosen servants, the Kadrana. They are our masters and we keep Kadralu for them. When they return soon, all will be in order for them.
I have heard that some of our easter brothers do not have full trust that the Kadrana will return. Shameful to doubt in our masters."
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"So, do the eastern oklu believe that the Kadrana will not return at all? Or do they seek a means to hasten the return of the Kadrana?" inquires the paladin.
Kagash seems scarcely able to get the words out as he whispers.
"They think the Kadrana are gone forever. Heresy."
Greeg asked as politely as he could about the tank where Kaima rested. "Is it possible this could be the source of the pollution into our settlemnts? I'm wondering if this great being is held in some sort of liquid that might be leaking into the water ways. Saw a dwarf brewery once where their fermentation vats leaked like that. I had to help them put down a group of Dire bears that had gotten drunk in the stream and went crazy when the hangover kicked in."
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"What might lead them to harm the non-oklu? If they are the ones tainting the wells."
Trignotarb
"Kaema would be affected by the Malsalix. If enough pollutes the water system, the goddess will die. Kadralu was built for her safety while she rested, but we know that she will waken again if she can. Certainly the Malsalix will madden inbibers. This is why we have kept it from our garden."
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Kagash looks horrified. "No oklu would do such a thing. The water is Kaema's. However misguided their beliefs, the oklu would not bring about the downfall of Kadralu."
The oklu seems blandly unaware that his city is already in a state of considerable disrepair.
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"Of course," Cronin nods, and walks on with Kagash.
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The northern enclave ends neatly behind a wall. Passing through the gateway, Kevaras, Don, Cronin and Andaros see more wreckage. Kagash looks at it stoically.
"Our task is endless, but we will continue to maintain order for the Kadrana."
To right of the no-man's land of ancient Kadralu, stands a further wall, remarkably similar to the one the group just passed through. It is also gated and, it appears, guarded by more terracotta coloured oklu.
At the group's approach, greetings are exchanged in Giant.
"Guests who come with the blessing of the lothaar must be welcome. Let them come in."
Kagash steps aside, ushering the group before him.
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