The elf blesses several of you and you immediately feel relief from the heat and smoke. Cenenviel gives a respectful nod. There. Dragbog should be able to bring you to his village from here. "You bet. Dragonskulls never forget where dragon skulls are!") I will do my best to convene with some of my fellows, and see if any others are still trapped elsewhere. May the Green guide you, 'Pathfinders'. Seal this cyclops stone again, or ensure it burns with eldritch power no more.
The elf pulls his hide cloak around him and heads out back into the Finadar Forest, Biter at his heels.
---
With the true nature of the task before you made clear, Dragbog once more takes the lead and guides you through the woods. Now further into the Finadar's heart you see that the smoke is even thicker as you advance, though the fire seems oddly less omnipresent as most of the trees around here have already been consumed.
After several hours, Dragbog suddenly stops and holds out a hand behind him. He turns to you and the goblin's eyes are wide. Shhhh. Quiet now. Home right there. Well down there.
Creeping forward carefully, you and Dragbog come to a stop at the top of a cliff. Looking down into the ravine, you see the Dragonskull village in the valley below: or what is left of it. The stony valley is studded with the stumps of small trees and the ground itself is a sprawling wasteland of scorched earth, crackling stumps, and bones seething with strange fire. In some places the skeletons of dragons are arranged to serve as crude huts, with smoldering rags hanging across ribs and spinal cords strung with rope holding up the charred remains of hammocks. Moving around the village are several such skulls wreathed in flame, each with jaws snapping and shuddering with 'life'.
At the village's southern end, a stone monolith standing roughly three feet tall and covered in cyclops runes crackles with arcing flames. From a distance, you see at one point a gout of fires arc out from the stone and "crawl" away. When its path crosses a piece of bone the fire engulfs the vertebrae and the skeletal mass begins to spasm and shudder.
Can get down real quick. Dragbog says before gazing below at the deep valley. But only if you good at bouncing. Otherwise, take you to Dragonskull Home entrance. Only one good way in, smart choice, makes easy to defend!
He looks proud.
Readying yourselves, you move away from the canyon edge and backtrack towards the valley entrance.
Descending down a gentle slope, you wade down the path towards the dragonskull village. Ash lies thick on the ground here giving your steps a nice crunching sound as you move. Striding quickly to meet the elemental creatures and stop the cyclopean stone from continuing on, you reach the outskirts of the village proper by the time a trio of floating burning skulls turn to notice the intrusion. Bone jaws gnahs with hunger as they begin crawling and hopping towards you!
One of the skulls shifts itself over towards you party, leaven a winding trail in the ash as it goes. It bites at Iladora and as the jaws clamp around her the flames around the skull threaten to engulf her too!
for
Initiative
Urias
As you ready for battle, most of you notice some patches of ash seem to be glowing especially red. There seem to be still-hot embers lightly covered over, making such areas hot and slick
Iladora manages to twist herself away to avoid her clothes and hair catching alight. While she grapples with the closest skull, Urias surges forwards and chips a large chunk out of one of the other skulls. Bone chunks scatter to the ground, further exposing the writhing fire within the skull.
The wheezing fighter retracts his weapon just as another Dragonskull moves towards him from the south. Luckily it’s sizzle is more dangerous than its bite.
for
Initiative
Iladora -4hp
Zeebo
Bold are up!
Zeebo rushes forwards to help out Iladora. He quickly learns that his shillelagh seems a solid enough weapon against the Dragonskulls, as the club breaks much of the skull apart. Slashing in sync with him, Iladora lands a solid blow that cause the entire elemental to shatter.
Urias continues to avoid the bones' bites as Dragbog looks at the scene before him and begins attempting to inspire you
for
Dragnoskull homes now move and bite.
Short and longshanks go and fight.
You smack bone and dodge the fire
Save home and forest..............
...........uh, not make it mire.
Initiative
Jack
Arin
Seebonickk
"How about 'home and forest that you admire?' " Arin suggests to Dragbog as she sets an arrow to her bow and lets it fly at the nearest creature (green).
Ooo, that good one! Arin hears the goblin says behind her as her arrow hits its mark. Seebonickk moves up to come to Urias' aid, but just as the gnome's short legs bring him into position a pair of arrows shoot out from the experienced Jack into each dragonskull. Both elemental's hiss at the impact, then drop sputtering and cooling to the ground.
While the village seems clear of bone-melded fire for the moment, the cyclopean statues continues to glow and crackle at the village's far end.
Urias wanders across the ashen village towards the stone. As it crackles, the half-orc rears his halberd back and strikes!
When the steel hits the monolith some of the stone chips away and the runes glowing on it begin to dim. The impact also causes a gout of fire to spark off the point of impact however! But Urias manages to just avoid it.
After several furious swings, Urias' blade finally cleaves the rock in two. All of the remaining runes sputter and die and the fragments of the artifact rest harmless on the ground.
Behind you, Dragbog looks at Urias in awe and cheers Yeah! Burning writing rock smashed! Dragonskull home safe again!
He looks around at the ashen remains of the village, and the fire still burning in the distance. ...well, will be safe. Without new fire, fire should go down. Soon at least.
The goblin looks at you. Should get back to longshank town! Make sure not burned down or sacked by horse-people. And can tell good news! Burning rock burn no more!
The journey back to Mishkar takes another pair of days, but the travel is less arduous than the trek into the woods. Chunks of the Finadar are still on fire, but every hour the crackle of flame and dense haze of smoke seems to lessen. Without the cyclopean stone constantly fueling the blaze, the forest’s defenders seem to be making headway in stopping the disaster. While the Finadar forest has been heavily damaged, it will eventually recover.
On the second day, as you finally break free of the scorched woods to cleared farmland, the walls of Mishkar rise up in the distance. The city’s buildings and barriers bear heavy scorch marks and several have collapsed, but much of the village remains. However, as you near you see Dolok’s looing mass out in front of the main gate, Nelket by his side. They are in a fierce conversation with several ash-colored cnetaurs, and as you get closer snippets of their conversation ring out.
---ire is dying down. Nelket says, her voice trying to calm the equine forces. We have all managed to make it through this. I will not allow you to mark the occasion by slaughtering some of the survivors.
Not ‘slaughter’, but justice! The lead centaur yells in anger right back. An imposing woman with a red pine tree symbol dyed into her flank, the chieftain stares past Dolok and Nelket into Mihskar, where several goblins are huddling nervously through the gate. Those creatures and their pyromania have been a risk for too long. We survived this blaze, yes. But at what cost? Many of the herd are dead, and we will not stand by and see the instigators of this let loose to begin an even worse firestorm tomorrow.
As the centaur chief stomps her feet, Nelket spies you approaching. Ah, my Pathfinder friends. What news do you have?
Dragbog nods vigorously at Jack and Zeebo's defense (though the goblin tries to keep Arin between him and the horse-lady), but the centaur chieftain snorts. A pillar? Do you have this source? she asks pointedly.
When none of you produce the artifact, the centaur continues. Her shoulders tense as she leans slightly forwards to stare down at you. The druids in the Finadar are like leaves in the wind: one cannot tell when they will next appear. But you, strangers who have already assaulted my men, would have me let these arsonists go free now with the defense that a now-vanished rock absolves them of responsibility? Behind her, the chief's tribe tromps in agitated agreement.
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Urias speaks as he shows his weapon.
"With this, I split the rock though we did not bring the pieces, we did help to end the fires. The druid can attest to us speaking the truth...also your men assaulted us first even though we came here to help in the first place." he points out the earlier assault.
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”Yes we are here to help. Even after two of your clan attacked us, I made sure to expend my power to heal their wounds. I hold no hard feelings about the attack, since the fire was the true enemy. Traveling to the goblin home I saw where the goblins did start small fires over the years to prevent the fire storm that we just witnessed. What have the centaurs done to make sure that the woods would never be a blazed. All you need to do is look at the woods to see that if you don’t have some minor fires to burn away the fuel that every summer the woods will be engulfed. The goblins, I hate to admit it, has helped save the woods over the years with their knowledge of fire. Maybe you should learn from them, as I have.”
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"My lady," Arin says to the female centaur, "when we first came here, I felt as you do. I assumed that the goblins were to blame. Dragbog here has shown me that not all goblins are bad. And that these particular goblins are quite capable of managing their section of the forest with responsible fire use." She holds up her hands, saying, "I understand that it's a lot to take in, and I know your people have suffered. But justice is not served by punishing those who have done no wrong."
"Is there a way that we could help you rebuild? Or that the Dragonskull tribe could help to show their sincerity?"
The centaur chief listens to your words, but the scowl rarely leaves her face. Rebuild? Time cannot be turned back! Trees, homes, groves that have stood generations cannot just be restored. You bipeds stand together against us and treat us like foals ignorant of how to tend sparks and keep the woods? Behind her, her tribe stirs, getting worked into a frenzy. Perhaps it is time to remind all of who truly comm---
A loud growl echoes around the clearing and causes the centaurs to start. Dolok Darkfur rises up to his full height and speaks deeply at the assembled tribe. The ‘bear’ stares out.
The centaur looks at the ‘bear’, then at you. With a snort, she whistles. Her tribe behind her cautiously begins to retreat. The chief is the last to go, calling out behind her. Claim the pests then. But the Redpines will remember that the people of Mishkar denied them true justice!
As the last of the centaurs fades into the forest, Nelket carefully approaches you. Well, that could have gone better. But they’ve stopped sieging the town now, so we have a chance to finish loading up supplies and set out for Sarkoris. Though I suspect sooner would be better than later.
Nelket nods worryingly to Zeebo. Yes. Us Farheavens will be leaving soon. But the town of Mishkar has been so nice to my people these last few years. Once we are settled we will need to do our best to send word back to them - and support if needed.
You follow the godcaller and the God into Mishkar, and as you do Dragbog rushes past you and begins yapping away rapidly with the Dragonskull tribesmen and -women hiding behind the gate. The throng of small green figures quickly scatters, and off in the distance you see them hurrying to help load up the Farheaven's wagons. They do so extremely eagerly: just as Dragbog waddles up to you you notice several goblins almost crushed under a massive grain sack they were not strong enough to lift.
So longshanks. Dragbog says. And shortshanks. You see Dragonskull's great homes now all scorched, yes? And horse people make it hard to find new skulls I bet. Unless they goblin skulls. So Dragbog make execute choice: head out with big bear! Nelket and God say Sark place big and open, was battle, but battle now over. Maybe we be Demonskull tribe soon!
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Iladora smiles at Dragbog. "I sincerely hope so. Send me word when you have your first one, I'll be sure to pay a visit." She decides to leave out how exceedingly difficult it will be for the goblins to get a demon's skull, since they rarely leave one behind when killed. "It's been a pleasure to work with you."