Let's find out!
Seltyn keeps moving at 60'/round.
Kyras will fly well above Cindermaw but close enough to the rest of the party to dive in if someone gets into trouble. Can anyone do range nonlethal damage? he calls out?
Not me.
Cindermaw uses his fire breath again, but only manage to get Alika and Alistair in the effect. Both dissappear in the flames for a seconds ans the group continu running. Up ahead, thanks to his height advantage, Kyras can see the group of Shoanti waiting with the horses for the group. They are about two hundred and fifty feet away.
Alistair remains on his feet but takes the full brunt of the flames.
Seeing his body blistering, he turns to the others.
Run for the horses! Go! Move! I will hold the line for you and get out myself. Buy us some time with another elemental or something else that can draw its attention as well. I am not dying to some oversized tinder twig.
He moves as well but keeping the others in front of him.
Alika winces as she takes the brunt of the flames and keeps moving as best she can.
Seltyn casts Wall of Force to slow the thing down while we get away, and keeps running.
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Seltyn casts Wall of Force to slow the thing down while we get away, and keeps running.
"Can anyone summon something it can eat? Like a big, fat, slow horse? Maybe that will slow it!"
Out of summons, Garran, but I've got another wall! Just run!
Garran continues just running.
Seltyn's spell block Cindermaw as he was about to bite down on one of the group. He, instead, starts burying in the ground. You see signs that he is passing the wall, but by then, you are well on your way on your horses.
Akram looks at you with a smile when you are finaly able to slow down. "In all my years, I've never anyone actually manage to succeed this. Too bad I am so old, I could have told this story for ages. Now, do you have any other crazy stun to pull or are we off to see the Sun Shaman?"
His skin, clothing, and armor still blanched by Cindermaw's digestive acids, Kyras quickly states with a look over his shoulder The Sun Shaman please.
The sun shaman if you would please...and thank you. The credit does belong to Kyras.
Indeed. He took all the risk and succeeded. Well done!
Could not have done it without all your help and spell buffs. Kyras says. Just glad it grabbed and swallowed quickly. I could not have gone toe to toes with that thing for too long.
No one could. Well, no one I know personally, anyway. You are a hero. It's sad that your heroism was witnessed by only a few.
You ride for a while, but you are surprised when the Shoanti stop and start making camp. "We shall stop here and rest. It is too late to show up at the Sun tribe's camp. This way you can heal and rest and we will arrive at the camp at sunrise."
Alika nods, apparently showing some understanding. "The sun wanes already. Best to approach them at its zenith."
You are right, Alika. We can rest here and tend to the wounded.
"Sounds like a plan to me. Do you need us to assist in keeping watch overnight?"
Sounds good to me.
Kyras helps with camp and then spends some minutes with a whet stone and his weapons.
Alika can take care of us. I will rest. I want to be ready for tomorrow.
"You can rest, after what you just accomplish, we would be happy to take care of the watch." As you set up camp, you notice that a change in the Shoanti. While they were polite before, now they seem to have more respect for the group. Kyras even catches one of the woman staring at him with a smile from time to time.
The night passes without any trouble and you feel good. One of the Shoanti approaches you. "We will be at the Sun tribe's camp in two hours. They will welcome you, but they will still treat you like outsider, even will everything you accomplished. I hope you have a plan for that."
We'll just have to remain respectful and earn their trust.
Agreed
"And perhaps we should try to bring gifts. That's almost always well-received."
What gifts could we bring?
"Well, that's the question. I didn't bring anything extravagant with me, unfortunately," says Alika. "Unless we have some place where we can spend some ready coin, or someone feels like doing some hunting to bring back a pronghorn antelope for a feast, I don't have anything impressive."
They're not impressed by things that would impress us. I've studied their lore, speak their language. And yet, I find these folk hard to fathom.
Seltyn ponders, trying to know what to do here.
"I could try hunting something down for them. I'm not particularly good at it, but in my time as a caravan guard, sometimes we had to hunt to make sure there was enough food for the journey."
Thinking back, Seltyn knows that bringing trophies of rare and powerful creatures would score points with the Shoanti. Sadly, this would take days that you don't really have.
Alistair does remember, from the first night in Shoanti territories, that the spirit that visited the group told him about the trial of Totems. This trial should be all that you have left to gain over the trust of the Sun Shaman.
After a quiet and peacefull rest, you start the last few miles to the Sun tribe camp. It is mid-morning when you finaly lay eyes on it. From what you perceived from your escort, you have been trailed for at least the last half hour by sentries guarding the perimeters.
Well I guess all we have yet to do is this totem trail. Maybe after all this hoop jumping, they will trust us.
I am willing to attempt this trial. Perhaps we all should try.
I agree. We can't do this without their approval, and maybe a little support.
We have nothing to give them, other than having won the last challenge. You'd think that would be enough for most people, but the Shoanti are suspicious of outsiders, and frankly, I don't blame them, given their recent history.
"I don't blame them, either. Korvosa hasn't exactly been kind to them." Hopefully the Trial of Totems would help them fully earn the trust of the Sun Shaman.
"Agreed on all counts. Let's see if they have any other suggestions for us."
Walking into the camp, you can feel the weight of all the eyes looking at you. People stop whatever they were doing to stare at you. The only reason you made it this far in the camp is the fact that Akram and his guard are with you.
As you get to the center of the camp, you hear a loud booming voice. "Came all the way here to get a revenge on a game of sredna?" You recongnize the voice being the one of Krojun. He steps foward and offer an handshake to Garran. "While I would enjoy making you eat dust again, I'm guessing you are here for something more important." He turns to Akram and the moon clan Shoanti.
Garran takes the offered hand and says, "When we have time, I may take you up on that offer. You are right, however, that we are here for more important things. We have come to see the Sun Shaman." He deferentially allows Akram and the other Shoanti to speak further.
Akram and Krojun talks in Shoanti for a moment. For those that can understand, Akram is retelling all that you told him and what he witnessed. Krojun does a long low whistle at the end of the story. He turns to the group. "My, you have been busy since last we meet. I can escort you to the Sun Shaman. You have done enough impressive task to gain an audience with him, but whatever you have to ask, remember that one does not speak to the Sun Shaman directly. You will speak with the Chief, Ready-Klar. The Sun Shaman will be in the yurt and hears what you will say. If the chief doesn't know the answer to you question, the Sun Shaman will speak, but even then you can't speak back to him." Turning aound and starting walking a big tent on the edge of the camp. He waves at you. "Follow me, and if you have any questions before we get there, now is the time."
So, we only speak to the Chief. Got it.
Seltyn speaks to the crew; We must avoid speaking directly to the Sun Shaman. Only speak to Chief Ready-Klar. He is the intermediary.
Ok, the less I have to talk the better.
"Are there any other topics that are taboo?"
Krojun thinks for a moment. "Nah. You should do fine. Beside, you managed to convince Akram to follow you here, that's more than proof that you know how to behave."
You are escorted to a large yurt on the edge of the camp. Entering it, you are struck by the heavy smell of incent in the air. The floor is covered on carpets and pillow and the walls are decorated with embroidery of sun symbols. In the center of the place is a little raised platform where and old man sits. Next to him stands a fierce looking warrior, most likely the chief. He has a similar look to Krojun, but not enough to be his father.
"Chief, these people have come here to seek advice from the Sun Shaman." Krojun waves at you to approach.
The chief looks at each and every one of you. "I am Ready-Klar, chief of the Sklar-Quah, bearer of the Dragon horns, and I demand to know who you are."
Garran looks at the chief, avoiding looking at the Sun Shaman, and says, "I am Garran Fain, a caravan guard and mercenary. We are honored to be in your presence, chief of the Sklar-Quah." He does not address the Sun Shaman, for they are not to speak to him. He also leaves out being from Korvosa - no sense in aggravating either the Shaman or the Chief.
The investigator follows local protocol as best he can.
I am called Kyras and am a citizen of the famed city of Cassomir in the kingdom of Taldor. After completing my studies at the Royal Academy of Investigation I set out to see the world and also see what wrongs I might right. I was working to undermine a crime family in Korvosa and over-reached, resulting in my capture. My friends here found me while working to help remove disease and corruption from that city. They freed me and convinced me their cause was just, so I joined them. We still work to free the people of Korvosa from a great evil and that quest has brought us to you.
Alika adds in her turn.
"I am Alika, a priestess in the service of Sarenrae," she says to the chief. "It is my calling to help where I am needed."