Smoog looks up when he and Sees are interrupted and seems truly surprised that there is another female Kobold in their group.
He watches and listens to the verbal exchange as he absentmindedly rummages around in one of his belt pouches.
When the lithe yellow Kobold floats away to recover items from Sees' tent, he draws out a lump of travel tack he had been searching for and holds it up...
-
"Here, you can have this" he says meekly, way too late for her to have heard him but Sees did.
-
Anticipating a confrontation, Smoog shrugs and says...
-
"What? She said she was hungry."
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"Smoog, do not make me hit you." Sees hisses, fighting to keep her tone at a whisper's level. "I swear, if I find her with even a single sprocket I will gut you. You do not get to ignore me for weeks and then throw yourself at the first thing with slender horns that passes you by. She served a Wyrm for Gorlaug's sake."
IN THE SAFEROOM DOWN BELOW:
Eats-Bugs shrinks away from Hundred-Claws' light touch on his shoulder. He gulps, swallowing the mouthful of bugs in his mouth, and nods at Hundred-Claws numerous times. You know from past experience, monk, that Eats-Bugs is less than useful in a fighting situation, though he can scout things out quickly and quietly. He withdraws to a dark corner of the room, but the drow noble, who had been lurking there herself, hisses him away, and he retreats elsewhere. Tallest-Silver, meanwhile, takes her rations near the center of the room, looking at no one.
IN THE GUARDHOUSE, ABOVE:
Hegh looks over Greas' shoulder as the black-scaled kobold studies the rune he recreated. "Klaatu, barata...nickel? Nitrous? Nicodemus?" Greas mutters, trying to remember the final activation word for the rune.
"...Nikto," Hegh finishes, breathing a little of his magic-infused breath onto the rune as he speaks. There's a flash, in front of both your eyes - the visage of a terrifying black dragon appears in your minds' eye for both kobolds. The rune glows a dull red before fading to near-invisibility. However, the power of the incantation was mis-timed from Greas' fumbling of the activation words. Too much power was funneled into this rune. The force of a small fireball is contained within the weapon racks, and you must take care not to jostle the rack too much, or the sensitive trigger will activate.
Smoog continues to study and tinker.
Once in a while he looks up and watches the other briefly.
Mostly he is just relieved to be back underground.
-
Spending too much time out in the sun can cook one's brain, don't you know.
On the one hand, he knew how the rune was activated now, and the delay had filled the rune with enough power to be a nasty surprise for the returning pig-skins. By mistiming more runes in a Very Precise manner, similarly powerful runes could be left behind. But on the other, these things were quite unstable, and if he tried to recreate that level of power and failed to time it correctly, it would quite literally blow up in his face. It may do that even if he did have the same timing.
In the end, caution won out. After the first, they'd likely be on guard for more anyway. Best to leave it at this so that they panic about being unable to find the non-existent traps that they'll expect after this one.
Carefully, Greas backs off from the weapon rack. "If you don't want to be burnt alive, leave the weapon rack alone. We should get moving. Are we all to hunt down the Deathclaw, or do any have other business to attend to?"
"Sees-Death wants some scouting done."
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Sees...oh, Scoops. He'd yet to hear why she was being called that, but several of the group used that name. That wasn't the important thing right now, though.
"If there is scouting to be done, then we had best determine the groups...though in this case, it appears that won't be a problem. Krish and I will go after the Deathclaw. Oadir, you're with us, unless you know how to reattach that eye right now. Everyone else will be on the scouting team. As long as you're scouting, follow Kibra's direction. If you have to fight, defer to Hegh as necessary; he's started enough of them to know how they go." This last remark comes with a grimace under the hood.
Both of them knew what Greas was on about: Hegh's ego had led him to challenge someone far out of his league on several occasions. The number of times Greas had needed to poison someone because of this was incredibly exasperating to him. He had no idea how many times Greas had had to stop his body and his ego being crushed due to this tendency. Thankfully, it would appear he hadn't repeated this behaviour in his travels...yet.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Greas moves to the door, and signals for his group to follow him out. Once he's certain that everything is clear, he lets Krish lead the way, interjecting occasionally to send the group along a better concealed path.
Krish, you say you can tame the Deathclaw. How close must you get and how long will it take?
About 5 minutes after Greas tells everyone where to go for scouting purposes, whether or not the others listen, you hear a trio of three more explosions...then, silence seems to fall, across the town.
"...taffing pigskins. Krish! What's the status of our quarry? Is there a problem if it's dead?" Other than not having it at our beck and call, that is. Even if it's alive, it's been subdued. It won't be of much use like that.
About to answer Hegh, Krish's eyes go wide for a moment, then he whispers to the spirits nearby, trying to see if they still fear the Spirit-Eater.
Thunk is with the deathclaw group
"Thunk, the other group needs your aid more than we do if the thing is still alive. If our group gets any bigger we may be spotted - and considering that they have the weaponry necessary to take down a Deathclaw to hand, being spotted would put us at a massive disadvantage. We can handle ourselves without your help. Kibra and Hegh need you more."
I wouldn't know how to restore my eye, nor do I know where my eye even is, I'll go with you though, hope to make amends to the spirits in cleaning up that mess with the Deathclaw. We're going to have to move now though. Oadir says all this while moving towards the exit, he looks back with an impatient look across Greas and Krish.
You not boss. You go. Thunk guard Krish. That Thunk job
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Sees sets her acorn to "fix brain damage" and tries to take a nap. She has no way to know for sure, but she's certain it's been two hours and she's too frustrated and worried (and drunk) to try to kill tallest-silver right now.
It seems Thunk rivalled Hegh in more ways than one. He was really getting on Greas's nerves. Next time, he needed to try and get "boss" status from Scoops somehow and hope Thunk was quiet. All he could do now is glare.
Yet again, Thunk had a point. He didn't know why it felt so urgent to him that he go after the Deathclaw...no, that wasn't it. He needed to help Krish. Any other time he'd likely scout himself, but something was shifting his priorities. After the affair at the door, there was definitely something going on here. Did that totem he'd received from him have some other effect? He really needed to have a word with Krish.
But in the meantime, there were other priorities, and readjustments to make. "Thunk, to my knowledge, you were told to cover me when I left. Then I was informed you weren't coming. And now you're here, only just telling me you're to guard Krish. As far as I'm concerned, whether you should be here and your duty now you're present is debatable." The remarks on how much he talked weren't appreciated either. "I'm not arguing any further. Hegh, Kibra, I do not want you two on your own. I will not have any more deaths on my conscience because I left someone behind. We move as one. NOW. Your sweep starts in the Deathclaw's direction."
Greas storms out. His senses are set to look out for soldiers - this soon, they'd be the only ones in the streets. He felt like he knew the path to the Deathclaw anyway - a gut feeling and the set of explosions ensured that much.
Thunk ignores the moody thief, and stands at Krish's side and guards him.
Kibra watches the whole argument and bickering take place from a few feet away from the group. He acts busy checking over his equipment and stretching, but his mind and focus remain on the political moving's of the group.
Is greas making a power move against Thunk? I don't think that is wise
As the plan is finally developed to stick together Kibras anxiety eases a bit and his adrenaline begins to pump as the thrill of the stalk begins to come into play. As Greas stumbles loudly out of the door, clearly trying too hard to appear in control of his emotions, Kibra calls out Meep (his pet rat). Meep scurries from the little pouch on Kibra's belt and moves up to Kibra's shoulder. From his station Meep smells, watches and listens to the area around him as Kibra begins to stalk and track his "prey".
Kibra drops into an athletic stance, and begins to move, following the trail he and Meep can discern. As he reaches the first building he stops and turns to look at the rest of the group, ready to continue forward as they move.
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Just before Kibra moves off
Like small fuzz thing! He says pointing at Meep
Then he resumes his stance next to Krish, with his beloved Squish rock
Krish speaks softly to Hegh, "Hegh, I do not know how close I have to be, nor how long it will take. I have never held a totem like this one before. It is home to a spirit I do not know, one who is going to sacrifice himself for them all."
After that, Krish nods to Thunk and moves out close behind Greas and Kibra.
Noticing Greas storming out in a haste, Oadir, who has been carefully observing this clash of stubbornness, attempts to stop Greas in his place.
Greas, calm down. You're supposed to make it easier for me to do inconspicuous, but right now I feel it best to slow you down. If I thought we could just bolt out the room like that I would've been halfway through Estr by now with the amount of time it takes to make a proper plan.
Greas has yet another frustration to deal with as Oadir arrests him as he tries to leave. This is responded to with angry, hushed tones, so as not to be heard by everyone.
"I'm. Fully. Aware. I just cannot understand him. And it seems nobody else does either. The only things I have so far are a general refusal to cooperate, a tendency to say and do whatever comes to mind, and something of an obsession with "Thump"-ing. He's confusing on his own, and my info regarding his actions and placement in our current operations has either been conflicting or absent. His general attitude is new to me. So it's not so much of a stretch that my problems revolve around him."
He shakes his head, and his foot starts tapping on the floor. "Don't misunderstand me - the simple matter is that I'd rather not have anyone else join in with him when I'm just trying to get things done safely and efficiently. If he can't communicate other than to dissent, and acts only according to his own whims, then this becomes everybody's problem quickly. This isn't a game." Thunk acted otherwise, of course. He could hear him getting distracted by something now, even as he was supposedly on guard duty.
The fact he was venting at all, let alone to the tiefling, said much about his current state. But he could at least trust Oadir to be trusting and sincere. He didn't know any better.
As soon as he can, Greas follows through on his earlier intentions, this time with more of his faculties available.
Thunk follows Krish happily
Well your problems are walking out the door now, but so is Krish, we should not stray. I've recently joined this group and I would not like to lose them, nor do I think Sees, or eh, Scoops¿ would appreciate us dilly dallying.
Krish, I had noticed, I just didn't post any updates yesterday - was dealing with a few fires at work and didn't get the time to update. Here now though.
The spirits' speech is chaotic, confused. There is yet more death than even last time you communed with the spirits, more anger, more resentment. There was some kind of large, destructive event that recently took place, but the whereabouts of the Deathclaw are unknown. It's not in captivity, and the defenders of Estr just unleashed something terribly powerful on it, but there have been no confirmations of any spirits of the Spirit-Eater's demise. It's either dead, or wounded and hiding...and not knowing which it is, is creating a miasma of anxiety emanating from the center of the town.
Meanwhile, as Greas leaves the guardhouse angrily, he stubs his toe-claw on an outstretched rock that hurts his toe painfully. Take 3 damage that ignores armor from that smarting gods-damned rock. (from your failed stealth roll). You look to your left, and see the drow noble - she had followed you out of the sewers without anyone noticing - smirking at you. The pain serves as a reminder of something you're all too aware of - heated emotions make you an easier target to see by predators. Better for the stealthy kobolds to keep their hearts in check while in enemy territory.
Meanwhile, Kibra and Meep find clear evidence of two things - where the main body of people evacuated, and which way is most likely to lead to the Deathclaw directly. What's more, because he was so successful, he was able to find a rooftop pathway - used by few and known about by fewer - that allows the kobolds to track the Deathclaw through the city with a much lower chance of being seen or discovered. Meep discovers the path, actually, and chirps excitedly at you in mouse chitters when it does, Kibra.
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Smoog, with the time you have to tinker, you're able to modify one of your existing gadgets in a manner of your choosing. Sees, the acorn emits a soothing blue light when you activate it over the campsite, and your debility to your mind is healed. When you rise from your sleep, you feel especially clear-minded and renewed in purpose. Take a +1 to the first roll you attempt today.
When you emerge from your tent (how many hours did you sleep)? You will likely find Eats-Bugs and Tallest-Silver curled up close to each other by your tent, in sleep.
Hundred-Claws is sitting next to his sleeping kin, meditating. He does not appear to note Sees leaving her tent.
Krish follows Kibra over the rooftops swiftly with a worried look on his face. Not knowing the fate of the Deathclaw or its location worries him and he runs with two totems in his hand. One is the totem needed to subdue the deathclaw, and the other he releases in Greas' direction as they move, speaking unintelligible as he does so, Skreex-Sha, come to us, give your blessing to my friend, Greas. His strength will be needed in the near future. The spirit flows out from the totem, a long sinuous dragon made of glowing spirit energy, it snaps its jaws at Krish with an irritated motion and swiftly passes through Greas' chest. The warm, soothing feeling left behind flows into Greas' leg and down into his foot, relieving the pain and injury of his earlier stumble. The spirit flows back into the totem when it has finished its task.
Hegh follows Kibra with his wings held close to his body.
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This time, Sees-Death comes out of her tent with her scales polished, painted, and smelling of dwarven soaps and flowers. There is a faint smudge of black on Tanard’s cheek where it seems Sees tried and failed to apply the same makeup on the dragon. She’s nestled in the crook of the Dirge’s arm with her tail wrapped up over her shoulder.
Sees-Death notices the Yellowjackets huddled near her tent and pauses, tasting the air in consideration. Her job was to inspire them. She had not always done so intentionally, and she had almost never done so in a complementary fashion. It was the way of her talent, and she didn’t know an alternative. As Wyrm worshipers they hardly deserve better, but how could she expect to lead them into conflict if she kept holding that against them.
Looking toward the martial hero without meeting his gaze, the Dragontongued chose her words carefully. “You’re a lone, disciplined guardian, and I can respect that, but if we are to survive this as a race we must look past internal divisions. You’re no longer a lone pillar in the rain. Let’s try to lay boughs between us and shelter a greater flock.”
Tch. The drow's expression said everything it needed to. He'd been sloppy. Especially if she'd managed to pass by unnoticed. It almost seemed like she was waiting for exactly this to occur. He couldn't say anything that would save face, but he wasn't going to leave this as it was. "Do tell which part of the pantomime you enjoyed most. We do our best to amuse our patrons." The sarcasm was thick, but any bite was directed inward rather than out. If he was to complain about anyone else, he had to make sure he was up to standard first. With that last bit of indulgence, he returned to business. "If you have any plans with this group, then it would be best to communicate them. Otherwise, let's not waste our time further." With that, it was to the rooftops.
As he travels, he notices Krish speaking in his strange tongue once more. His pain begins to subside, and for a brief moment he sees the spirit responsible snapping at Krish. Before he can think, words emerge from within, in that same tongue of the spirits. We work in your honour, gods of old, for the sake of you and your kin in the world beyond. I give thanks for your blessing, and I shall not waste it. The following moment, both the vision and language that came to him disappeared, but not the memory. He wasn't putting this off anymore.
"Krish, if you have any explanations for these occurrences, then I would like them now. Strange things have been happening to me, and they all tie to you."
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Hundred-Claws mind was in deep meditation as Sees walked out of her tent. Relaxed, he breathed in deeply as he continued to settle his mind for the first time since being captured
Peace...
He felt a rush as he took life into his body and filled his lungs. He felt as it spread through his body, coursing down his arms and legs and tail, and tingling sensation that would be impossible to explain to those who did not walk the Path. Those who did called their meditations 'Seeking the Dragon', for they believed that Dragons did not simply slumber upon mountains of gold like it seemed, but cast their minds inward, seeking a greater state of perfection. He slowly exhaled.
Tranquility...
He felt the air leave his lungs, and yet the feeling of life and warmth within him did not fade. Instead he felt his life own life force become tempered, more focused. He could feel the beat of his own heart, each pulse pumping his lifeblood through his body in a rush. He could hear the deep breathing of his slumbering Kobold kin, and the crackling steps of another leaving the tent. He paid it no heed. He had not meditated in some time, and it was one of the few pleasures he allowed himself. He breathed in again
Peace..
The feeling was exhilarating. How can one describe the feeling of life itself filling your body to the brim, coursing through and through, until you could almost get lost in it. He had not felt so in a long time, and he savored it. Those ancient masters of the Way would chastise him, for it was the goal of those who walked the Path to distance them self from all feeling, to find a stillness of existence in service to the Great Ones. Still, he allowed himself this feeling of excitement. He was a Kobold after all, and dragons blood flowed in his veins as with all of his race. He felt as those he was on a great precipice, his wings ready to unfurl as he leaped into the air..
Tranqu...
His meditation was interrupted as he exhaled by the voice of the Herald. He kept his eyes closed and his body still, as he brought his thoughts and senses back into focus. His connection with his life force diminished, pushed to the background as he was pulled from his meditation. The path was not one easily walked he reminded himself. He listened as she spoke, carefully pondering her words and their meaning. He opened his eyes and responded, careful to mask any irritation at this disturbance from his voice..
I had thought my actions earlier spoke loud enough to be understood. I see I am mistaken, for you still see division. I will dispel these thoughts. You are the Herald, and for you words have power, and are powerful when you speak. I pray you listen to mine, for I am not one who cares to waste my breath.
He turns his gaze towards the young dragon nestled in the crook of her arm and says calmly I am Hundred-Claws, and I will serve the Dragon, Tanard, with mind, body, and soul.
He turns his gaze back to Sees Now, what service does the Herald require?
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After repairing the most significant damage to his Magno-Ray, Smoog turns his attention to the Eye-Enhancement-Engraphinizer.
He spins it, scrutinizes it, scans it for inscriptions.
Caresses it; measures it; tests its weight.
He scribbles some notes on its properties and sketches some details along the margins of his field notes.
As he holds it closely to his right eye, he flips a switch (maybe accidentally; maybe subconsciously) and screams in pain.
When he looks up, other see the device firmly embedded into his skull, fully replacing his biological eye and infusing its mechanical abilities deeply into the socket.
A wisp of smoke and a brief burst of laser hit the ceiling as Smoog passes out and falls back onto the floor.
A trickle of blood trails down his cheek and drips onto the stone floor.
After a few moments Smoog regains his senses and props himself up on his elbows.
-
"Simply AMAZING!
Painful, but amazing."
Oh hello there, eehm didn't see you coming along. Then again I can only see half of anything right now. Somehow I still don't think that has anything to do with it. Anywho... don't know how much of the plan you know or how long you've been around but if you didn't know already we're all being severely stupid and going to look for the creature that eats spirits, is being hunted by all the armed forces of the town and it appears they just unleashed something else upon it as well. If you want to come along that's great, we're going to need all the help we can get. If not then I wish you better luck on your travels than you've had before, with the being captured and all... Sorry I'm just gonna go.
As Smoog performs a drastic kind of self-surgery on his eye socket down below, and the Herald discusses her plans with Hundred-Claws, (the consequences of your 9 roll aren't so dire, you just take a -1 to your Arcane Arts until you're rested once again) - the Flash Bang group takes to the rooftops.
As they move across the city, they see humans and dwarves huddled in fear in their homes, with slaves of the lesser races attending to them. It seems that nearly every rooftop in the town of Estr can be reached by every other rooftop, and although guard patrols do pass by below, you never alert them to your presence. The kobolds, one tiefling and one drow - whose intentions are not revealed yet as she follows you silently - pass through Estr without difficulty on the "elevated highway". This is a useful discovery for the rest of the kobolds down below to know about later on.
Kibra's tracking expertly allows the kobolds to follow the clues to the site of the attack on the Deathclaw. Even without the ranger to guide you, however, you would know that something terrible had happened here when you arrive at your destination, after about an hour of climbing over rooftops.
There's a massive crater in the town with broken, half-vaporized buildings all around it. Some explosion - likely of a magical nature - had this neighborhood, on the north end of town, as its epicenter. There are still lingering elements of magic here; it fills the air with a sort of expectant electricity. There's no sign of the Deathclaw. Whomever tried to destroy it seems only to have managed to destroy a few blocks' worth of residences, leaving behind a smoking hole in the ground.
Team Flashbang is on the nearest intact roof to where the explosion took place, and looking down on it. You can see investigators crawling among the wreckage, shouting to each other about clues they find, or survivors still buried in the ruins. What do you do?
Team Tea Party, it's been about an hour and a half since Sees emerged from her nap, and about two and a half hours since Team Flashbang ascended to street level.
That big thump...
Thunk says as something starts to tickle the back of his brain
Hegh turns to Krish. I don't see any Deathclaw bits here. Can you tell which way it went?
Krish spends a few moments studying the area carefully, whispering softly to the spirits at the site of the explosion.
After packing her supplies, Sees-Death gathers the others together like she's about to give a speech or make demands. She's holding an over-large iron dagger in both hands, and she clears her throat, opening and closing her mouth a few times before she starts to speak. "They've been gone too long, which probably means they're in danger... or dead. They're probably fighting that horrible monster. They expect us to stay here, and we could spend all evening looking for them and never find them. At this point I'm- At this point... I'm open to suggestions."
Well. Whatever they used, it was powerful magic indeed. And yet, it still seems to have proved ineffective for the purposes of dealing a killing blow. It seems there is significant collateral though, perhaps more than intended...could there have been a mishap? I doubt the creature is particularly evasive, but perhaps there was interference? An error? If that impacted the creature, even given its fortitude, it would have done damage. There would be some notable trace of it on the landscape.
Something isn't right. It's just...vanished. If it left normally, there would be a trail. It would be followed. There's wreckage, and the pig-skins are still showing great concern as to where it is and what happened to it, so complete obliteration is unlikely.
What have we missed?
Greas's eyes flit across the devastated area, listening in on the investigators as best he can from his position. Somebody had to have done something, pulled some strings, to make the Deathclaw disappear like that.
Greas starts to bare his teeth as he struggles to find anything. It was difficult to discern fine details as it was from here, but he couldn't go down and search in the middle of that mess.
"We should wait a little longer, .
is safer here hiding than running thru the streets of ESTR.
They are capable and has all they will need to capture the spirit-eating beast.
-
Let us slowly explore our local surroundings a few tunnels at a time.
Maybe we will uncover something important that has been right beside us all along."
Krish takes a seat on the edge of the rooftop overlooking the site of the explosion.
What here is useful or valuable to me?
From this vantage point you can see over the north wall of the town of Estr. There appears to be an airstrip of some kind, with mechanics running all over. It doesn't appear to be related to the Deathclaw crisis, but you see some interesting flying machines being built over there...
What here is not what it appears to be?
It's quiet now that the explosions have gone off...very quiet. But the peace is brittle. Even now, the threat of the Spirit Eater lingers. You are now certain that the Deathclaw survived this assault.
What do the spirits whisper here?
After confirming your suspicions regarding the living Deathclaw, the spirits draw your attention to your left. You feel little whispers on your scales on the left side of your face, and you look that way. There, on the next roof over on your left, which happens to be across the street, you see some destroyed masonry. And there...among the rubble...is the severed arm of a Deathclaw. It's bloodied at the stump and it looks like the impact blasted a hole in the roof across the street. Nobody down below appears to have taken notice...
Your thoughts are interrupted when Greas is spotted by one of the humans.
"Hey! What are you doing up there? Kobolds! Kobolds on the rooftop!" a man shouts. The sound is coming from behind you, inside the doorway of the stairwell leading down into the building you're sitting on.
------------
Smoog, where do you suggest the sewer kobolds go to explore?
"I do have some experience with..." Sees eyes Silver. "the infrastructure of a civilization. From what I can tell..."
In the case
Thunk races to the stairs shifting the squish rock as he goes and he launches it down the stairs at te people coming up
for horrifying disgusting
glad being squish rock now!
Oh that triggers smash as well. Sucks to be the first one coming up I suppose
Pigskins. Always appearing in the most inconvenient places. There were vermin less plentiful than these things.
This made Thunk's course of action rather ill-advised, long-term. Even if it was humourous to see these things being assaulted by the flying corpse of one of their spawn.
"Thunk, there's not many now, but there will be later! Are you able to collapse the stairs?" He'd just tell him to, but...that doesn't work. He'd make more, or something. If Thunk was as strong as he'd been told though, the kobold could make it happen.
if break stair how get down? Thunk calls to Greas