"There?" Sapher asks loudly to where the frog man is pointing, as if volume matters. Sapher gets frustrated when she can't understand people, so just grunts, and starts moving toward the large hut, turning and waving on Caroliss.
Approaching the hut that the leader pointed to, this is the largest hut in the village. A curtain of brightly colored beads hangs over the hut’s entrance, further emphasizing the building’s importance.
As soon as anyone tries to enter load croaking noises come from inside to say in the strange tongue "Begone from this hut, intruders, lest you incur the wrath of mighty Daghop!"
Drask waits with axe over his shoulder, seeing if the party wants him to kick the door down.
Caroliss translates to the others. "I'll try to get us a conversation with the leader."
She then starts croaking once more. "We wish to have an audience with the mighty Daghop. We know you don't like the other leader of the boggards, and it sounds like you want to take the tribe in a different direction than he does. Perhaps we can make a deal."
The voice from inside responds "Daghop now resides at the cave, we stay to protect his home. If you wish to make a deal you must go there to speak with him. Perhaps if you kill Mama Beballa and her supporters Daghop will reward you with what you seek. Now go and leave this place!"
"that was a woman?" Sapher is surprised. "I will Mok, when we see them."
"Mama Beballa? Wait, I was talking to a woman?" she mutters, after translating everything to the group.
Although the voice tries to shoo them away, Caroliss asks more questions. "How can we go to this cave? Is there a way to go there without being noticed by Mama Beballa?"
She'll pass on any question anyone else has too.
"The cave is not too far outside the village to the west. It is hard to miss."
Veltariel leans in to Caroliss and whispers in her ear "They have a written language? Write the other ones a message on a parchment and I'll shake any tail these things put on me and then deliver it to the cave."
Caroliss whispers back to Vel. "I don't know, if we're choosing sides here, I'd want everyone to come along. We need a way to get inside those caves together . . ."
"Come on, then, let's do it!"
Caroliss leads the group straight toward the cave.
As soon as the group starts to move away from the village loud croaks are heard and Caroliss makes out "Stop! You have not dealt with the dissidents, are you an oath breaker like the other humans?"
Fully expecting to be called at, Caroliss musters a look of indignance and croaks back. "We are dealing with the dissidents right now. Their leader is in the cave, right? Once he's dealt with, the rest will follow!"
Really, they were thinking about "dealing" with Daghop, so it wasn't entirely false.
There is a few moments of consideration before Mama B waves you on "Good yes, go kill them and then finish these ones off!"
The trek to the caves is short as the reside only a couple hundred yard to the west from the village proper at the base of a rocky outcropping.
Vel sneaks up to get a look inside. This large cavern has a cathedral-like ceiling that rises to a height of forty feet above. The ground is smooth and clear of debris, save for a few large boulders and rocks here and there. Along the western wall, flanked by passageways to either side, menaces a frightful wall-carving of an enormous multiheaded frog demon crouched on a mound of skulls and bones. Four crude nests of mud and reeds lie on the floor here and there.
Inside are four boggards squatting around the largest rock in the room, which they’re using as a table to gamble with a large stack of coins and gemstones.
Sapher pats Caroliss on the shoulder, not knowing what she said, but happy they were not killing things yet.
Sapher will shift her senses to the frogs auras to see if they are any better than the leader outside. She'll also listen to the signs of lying when Caroliss starts talking to them (even if she can't understand them).
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"Well, here goes nothing." Troubled by the demonic frog she sees, Caroliss nevertheless proceeds forward, trusting Sapher to keep a watchful eye, as she begins to croak once more. "We are here to see the mighty Daghop to get safe passage through this cave. And to learn more about the feud between Daghop and Mama B. Will you show us the way?"
Both Caroliss and Mokashi recognize the carving as Gogunta, the demon god of the boggards.
As Caroliss approaches and starts talking the boggards are somewhat surprised and confused but then three of them start croaking loudly, sounding the alarm as they reach for their weapons.
+2 In dungeons
Drask furrows his brows with a mixture of caution and confusion, bringing his axe to bear. "Are...are we fighting?" He asks Caroliss.
"What is happening Caroliss!?!?" Sapher steadies her shield, ready to fight but does not want to unless they have to.
"I don't like this... I can't detect their alignment at all."
"Very good questions Ez. And if you happen to have ANY answers please let me know." Sapher says quietly. "Illusions maybe, not really frog people, blocking magic, being so devoid of thought or backbone they don't ever make decisions worthy of defining themselves. Or..." she stops then snaps "Or... I Don't Know!"
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Mokhasi puts his hand on her shoulder, ”the simplest explanation is that they are neutral, or are not strong enough in power to register as evil. Few are.” He gestures towards Sapher and himself, ”by our connection to the forces of the celestial planes and our dedication to aiding others, Sister Sapher and I register clearly with this type of magic - but most people are just people, and do not.” He says vaguely, gesturing towards the boggards, ”unless they were clergy of, for example, Gogunta, such divination would likely register nothing.”
”I still do not want wish to kill these boggards. Could we please knock them out and find their leader?”
"I don't know, they're not listening!" cries Caroliss as the boggards take an aggressive stance.
She slides a step toward the wall for some protection as she lets out a few more desperate croaks. "Please, we mean you no harm, we want to discuss an alliance with Daghop!"
While the group stands their talking and Caroliss moves closer to try and talk the boggards help to make the decision for the group as them move up to attack. The two to the north move up and shoot their tongues out at Caroliss trying to latch onto her, while the furthest of the south moves closer and lets out a horrible sounding croak. The closer one to the south gets in Caroliss's face to attack.
One of the two connects with Caroliss its sticky disgusting tongue latching onto her making it hard for her to move. The other one moves up and bashes her in the gut with its morningstar now that she can't move very well due to the tongue constricting her movement.
Veltariel lets a pair of arrows fly at the one nearest Caroliss, but her arms are shaky and the shots aren’t as accurate as usual...
"balls" Sapher swears as she rushes forward to help Caroliss.
Drask moves forward, cautious that they might get swamped by dozens of the creatures at any moment. He slashes down at the tongue to free Caroliss.
Caroliss croaks angrily. "You should have stopped when you had the chance!" Fire appears in her hands and shoots out at the gathered boggards!
She then takes a step, the disgusting tongue still stuck to her.
Vel misses her opening volley, obviously still getting used to her new skin. Mokashi casts a spell blasting the group of boggards as their skin begins to sizzle as the burst of light hits them.
Three of the four have obviously also been partially blinded from the bright light.
Sapher, Drask and Es all move up. Drask manages to detach the tongue from Caroliss with a swing of his axe while Es circles around and punches one of them. Caroliss then unleashes a spell as flames wash over the boggards and end up hitting Esrisi as well.
The fire finishes melting the frog-men's flesh as they all drop to the ground in a pile of burnt, crispy corpses. Just as this happens a bigger, buffer boggard comes around the corner of the tunnel to the west. It cries out when it sees the burnt corpses of its companions an obvious rage coming over it.
Drask begins slicing into the boggards, starting with the one Es weakened.
Caroliss walks over the charred bodies of the boggards and looks straight at the next foe as she croaks further. "Stop attacking us! Or suffer the same fate!"
If the enemy boggard approaches, Caroliss will Command him to "Fall" if he gets within 10 feet of her.
"That's a big one, isn't it?" Sapher says to Caroliss, as she leaves Drask and Ez fighting... something... to stand in front of Caroliss in case the bigun charges.