Katja looks on as possible plans are made.
Look, we either go now or make camp. If we don't leave now, the others very well may die. Lets get a move on, as she climbs atop her pony, and gets ready to spur her onward to the campsite.
"We don't have time to go quiet like and Katja, it is clear everyone is going." She said straightening the portly man.
"Both of you sit here and relax." She looked at the other as she mounted up.
"Team let's move out"
She tried to get a feel for these two as they had talked and their motivations.
Either way, they were soon, as a group heading where the two riders had came from.
"If we are going to save those people we will need to hurry. A show of force may be enough to scare off the kobolds."
Frank jumps on to the horse he just conjured up.
"I concur with brother Davco, I'll ride near the rear as usual. Who can help light our way?"
Frank's brow creases slightly in concentration, and the glowing orbs he made moments ago move to highlight the road near him.
Allow me
Katja casts light on the harness of her pony to allow the others to see easier.
Even with the night falling fast it was easy enough to follow along the road towards the two merchants campsite came into view easy enough as the party rounded a sllight raised bend in the road. Their were a dozen or so wagons in what appeared to be two lines once closer to the woodline the other closest to the road almost horizontal with the road itself. The remains of two fires cast a slight visable glow even from a great distance. . .
[ooc]I believe the plan was to close as quickly as possible, I await my orders.[ooc]
Falstolph pulls one of his throw away daggers from its sheath, ensures that "lefty" and "righty" are prepared and awaits orders.
Frank checks his crossbow to make sure it's still loaded and ready to go.
"I can use my dancing lights to light up a wagon as we approach, think I should light up the closest woodland side wagon?"
"Let's close but keep a look out for ambushes. Archer's cover me, Davco, and Sin. We will take lead." She said and would start riding up towards the camp as she scanned the surrounding area. Looking for signs of movement and ambush.
"Understood, Dharkantia. I'll also stay on horseback ready to ride in close. Shout if you guys need an extra spray of color for the kobold infestation."
Then Frank intoned while gesturing " ‘adwa' alrraqs "
The orbs of light near the group disappeared, reappearing just inside of and on the outside courners of the wagon nearest the group (on the woodland side of the two rows of wagons).
Frank scans the area for ambushers.
Timothy, taking his cue from frank, looks around carefully as well.
Katja, casts light on a crossbow bolt, and loads it in the event something bad wants to happen. Se looks around, looking at the all the rows of wagons.
Brother Davco dismounts and goes over his gear one last time.
"I will follow all of you in. If you need healing shout out and I will be there."
As you all close some of you immediately spot movement hurriedly rushing to the darkened forest, (Katja, Timothy E., and Dharkantia) the small figures scampered from the last two wagons closest to the woodline. As you closed even nearer you could see the disaray of what looked like hurried scavenging, clothes strewn about, casks of tea pried open, silks half unfurled onto the ground. The tents that had begun to be set up behind the wagon lines at the actual campground looked rummaged through as well, at least the ones that stood, two large ones were erect and silent, unmoving in the dark twilight. The series of pup tents along the side of them were half raised or not at all.
The fire itself was slowly dying out, the embers of what had been obviously started as a cooking fire were aglow. Though a lot of the ground looked disturbed it would take a skilled tracker to tell exactly what happened here...there was no sign of the guards.
Timothy extended a wing towards the tree line "I see thing go into trees"
"Good, Tim. Let me know if they come back out from the trees, it looks like we'll need more front line support after all"
Frank rides up near the wagon he lit up with his dancing lights, Timothy watchful on his shoulder.
Dharkantia would ride up looking around as she dismounted before everyone and slid out her bow before scouting through the wagons looking around.
"Anyone there?" She asks even as she takes note of the scattering out of the wagons making a note to have someone track them to their lair. No use running out in the darkness after them.
throdenilt turalisj iri! svabol jalla yth tir? kiri throden ekess tie svern hefoc lyrik turalisj iri deathclaw qe zyak pazien sva udoka sjek yth vucot dronilnr spical achthend pothoc turalisj iri!
A chittering of voices can be half heard from the safety of the tree line and all of you feel the almost ominous feeling of eyes upon you.
Katja will look through the wagons, their contents, and try to piece anything together to get a better idea of what happened, what is left, etc.
Frank rides up next to Dharkantia and asks her:
"Dharkantia, I overheard them say something about getting food and someone named Deathclaw; do we negotiate with Kobolds?"
I suppose we could just capture some and interrogate them instead of playing nice, I wonder if we brought any rope.
True to Frank's words, it appears the kobolds were ransacking they way through the goods, cloth and other finer items were strewn about, books tossed here and there, the two barrels of flour were spilled over making a bit of a mess. . .
"We need to find the people that were here. We can talk to them but most likely we may need to capture them." she said her eyes scanning the woods looking for the kobold numbers.
"Capture one or two of them. We need to know where the others are." She said as she started walking towards where the voices were keeping an eye out.
Frank rides next to Dharkkantia as his glowing orbs shift position to the tree line.
"I can probably do better than one or two, depending on how huddled they are..."
Frank trails off as he readies his crossbow against anything charging towards him.
Frank whispers, "Also, where is Sin? I think I recall him being able to knock out enemies as well"
Brother Davco rides up behind the others but stays on his mount.
"Let me know if anyone needs healing."
The trees were relatively thick along the campsite, with several old branches littering the ground from falls over the winter. Strain as your eyes might all they picked up was thick boles of trees. . . But you heard the excited cawing of your familiar brought your eyes to the left, their in the treeline about three wagons in were two kobolds... one of which was twice as wide as the other and half covered in flour.
The trees were thick and old falls lay here and there... it would be a troublesome warren trying to chase the small kobolds into that mess... As your eyes swept the trees as you approached them something stark white caught your eyes. The largest little kobold you had ever seen was covered in white flour and struggling to slip into the woodline carrying a small little cask of somthing.
Frank quickly rides over to the two kobolds his familiar just spotted, trying to position himself to catch both of them in his 15 foot cone.
Frank casts a spell towards the kobolds " ridhadh alllawn "
As Frank's Horse burst forward through the underbrush and he cast his spell both of the kobolds froze and dropped to the ground hands over their head and eyes.
svabol ui coi tirir ekess udoka
The fat kobold cried out and his skinnier clutchmate replied
si tir ti vucot filki zexenuma still nomagqe coi geou gethrisj mojka.
Clearly whatever the intended effects of the spell, it didnt work as planned but for the moment both kobolds were prone covering up their heads with their little flour covered claws
"We don't want to chase them further into the underbrush if we can capture them. Looks like trouble going further in."[/]
She would follow Frank as she walked up behind them moving to the Kobolds. [b]"Since you can understand them you will have to talk." she stated as she looked at him. Pulling out rope she would move towards them. "If we can get our answers we can talk about letting them go."
Davco dismounts and moves to the treeline and waits to be summoned if needed.
While Dharkantia approached with the rope, Frank leveled his crossbow and barked out:
" 'asmae dhlk? 'iidha kunt tajlis sakinaan w tarak al'aslihat arbe sanawat alttaeadul lakum , wanahn ln bbsatt qatlak . 'iidha kunt al'iijabat ealaa 'asyilatina bishakl jayid, w sanaqum ealaa al'arjah hatta tamakkunik min aleaysh . "
As his tiny orbs of light approached, while still mounted and pointing his crossbow towards the cowering kobolds, Frank added in common:
”I told them to sit still while you tie them up, Dharkantia, I’ll shoot if they resist. Brother Davco, that sound of boots crunching leaves was you, right? If they fight please make sure we can keep at least one from bleeding out.”
Frank gestured.
Timothy, seeing Frank's gesture, spoke:
"I watch, I watch"
The wriggling quickly stopped at the thought that the tall ones might indeed kill them. I mean after all thats what they expect from the tall smooth skins mostly. They both nodded quickly to the words about co-operating. . . From your Raven familiar you got the sense that nothing was going to sneak up under his watchful eyes.
Dharkantia would tie them up quietly as she looks at the others.
"We need to know where they took the others and where they were taking all the food." She states calmly. "Also, who is there leader and any important information like traps and the like we can get."
Easing up his crossbow as the final knots are tied around the kobolds, Frank paraphrases Dharkantia's questions:
"kanat hunak 'ukhraa tawilat , waljulud ealaa nahw sals, 'ayn hum? hayth tasir fi alghadha'? man hu Deathclaw?"
Even as different as their scaley faces were they appeared mostly too frightened to lie. The fact that one of you had four arms struck them as beyond incredible... certainly not something they should upset... but they flinched at the mention of Deathclaw.
No! No Firegut you can't tell them about Deathclaw he'll eat us like hatchlings!
The skinny one began when the fat little kobold swallowed and opened his mouth. After a glare the fat little kobold still trembling started to speak.
It was Deathclaw all him yes yes! He eats all the food and pushes us around. We.... we were watching the roads for smoothskin tradies... and when they clunky metal skined ones came into the woods for firewood we led them into our best trapsesses...
The skinny one, now that well the other kobold was spilling his little guts out too started to do the same... of course both overiding the other and making the babble a tab bit confusing even with Frank's expert translation. What it all came down to a 'giant' kobold had moved into the lair, killing their cheiftain and driving off their old shamen. Two of the guards are caught in traps in the forest... still alive the last time these tw knew anything about it, and the 3 others well they fled down the opposite side of the road, after one almost fell into a pit trap. It was easily 7 feet tall and it had the somewhat normally peaceful kobolds of the forest raiding caravans for foodstuffs... and it also was beyond the bounds of your chartered mission.
Brother Davco listens to the exchange and then says, "We need to find the guards. Where are they trapped?"
Frank paces slowly, thinking while leaves crunch under his feet. As his orbs of light wink out again, he quickly conjures more around himself; almost as if the orbs could shed light on their dilemma.
"Depending on how far out of the way this deathclaw is, we might want to take care of him as well as saving the guards. I suppose we can think about it while we get the guards."
Katja, looks at the kobolds, poor things. I wonder if they would cooperate, since if we take this Deathclaw character out, they would be free to forage for themselves. But would they leave the merchants alone? I know what oppression feels like
Her thoughts wink in and out like the dancing lights spell, Katja than looks to Frank. She pulls him aside, out of earshot of the kobolds.
Younthink we can convince them to help us. They hate this Deathclaw guy right? The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? Any chance the kobolds would stop attacking all the merchants if we take out this Deathclaw? I know we have our mission, but if we don't do anything then the attacks likely aren't to stop.
"I think the most we'll get out of these kobolds is help finding Deathclaw, which through this Forest might actually count for a great deal..."
Frank trails off, thoughtful.
A twig snaps underfoot as Frank approaches Dharkantia.
"What do you think of stopping this Deathclaw, Dharkantia? I could send Timothy to Silver Hall to let them know we'd be a day or two late."
We show! We show!
The fat little kobold... firegut you think the other one called him pratically pled with the group It was obvious he was scared pratically senseless.
The second is awake but in a ten foot pit with little wooden spikes. He is injured but in no danger of dying from his wounds...(heal DC 15)
Frank helps brother Davco to remove the guards from the traps and then watches as the guards are cleaned and bandaged.
"Excellent work, brother Davco. I don't know what we’d do without you.
...By the way, brother, what do you think we should do about this Deathclaw fellow?”
After making sure the guards are okay he answers Frank.
"Taking out Deathclaw would not be a bad idea. I would hate to think that we left this threat and other died because we did not take action."
Salyne had been quiet up to this point, but suddenly the holy little paladin pratically hurried into motion.
Guys.. guys I can do this mission, well me and sin, you guys go on ahead with the important mission with the farms, We will ride back quickly to Sir Colewin and deal with this Deathclaw situation. Then catch up with you guys!
She said half excitedly glancing to dharkantia and frank for approaval.
When Katja hears about her new little group splitting up, you can hear her sigh.
Look, you can't be serious, about splitting off? Have you ever heard of bard's tales ending well when it includes the heroes splitting up? Someone always is some sort of peril or dies?! she claims ot of shock of the plan proposed by the two.
She looks to Frank, you seriously cannot be thinking of letting them go out on their own, are you?
Dharkantia looked between them and sighed. "We gather the supplies and do we know if these are the only individuals? If so, then we get them and the wagons to those individuals and report as a team to those two that sent us here. We prudently add guards to their escort to Sir Colewin and have him report of the Deathclaw situation. This keeps them with a larger group and provides a good name for our guild. Also, it gets word back to Sir Colewin. I would love to deal with this Deathclaw situation myself but we have our orders. It is only a days ride back."
She said quietly and picked up the two kobolds. I say we keep these kobolds with us. We may find use of them and they can't report back to Deathclaw. Ask them if there were any more humans."