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Although the Kellid hunters seem to be afraid of the spellcasters and the giant talking dinosaur, they are in such awe of the warriors within the group that they let their use of vile witchcraft slide...for now. Deruna clearly only speaks a smattering of Common (but is probably proficient in Hallit), and is only able to discuss topics in a very limited capacity.
One of the hunters drapes a smilodon pelt around Andor's shoulders and another presents a very ancient, very magical looking flint headed spear to Raynor.
The hunters gesture to the path that leads to Tolguth and Derun says, "To the elders we will bring you."
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"May I?" Carina asks, as she finally steps up, Gesturing toward the spear.
After taking a moment to look over the weapon, Carina looks to Denur, and in Hallet calmly states, "If speaking in your more native tongue will help, please do so. I can translate. I am Carina of the Villasani, and Sister to the Snowmask Clan to the west of here."
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Meylara has trouble identifying the spear but Carina can tell that it is a +2 invigorating spear. The Kellid huntress answers the Harrower in Hallit, "that spear is an ancient relic that has been passed down to many hunters throughout the ages. Do not be fooled by the fact that its head is made of flint; that spearhead is blessed with powerful magic and is harder and sharper than the best steel. And no warrior wielding it will ever grow tired. The most famous warrior to wield it, Galnuk, fought off an entire clan orcs for three days straight, never stopping for a moment to sleep or eat."
Denur leads the party through the valley and the rest of the way to the settlement of Tolguth. The remaining part of the journey takes about an hour.
High walls, constructed from timber, stone, and earth surround Tolguth. The Kellids have cut away the foliage surrounding the settlement, providing an unobstructed view for several hundred feet from the walls. Three bipedal dinosaur carcasses, each with rounded dome-like heads, lie crumpled and pressed up against the fortifications—a clear indication of the need for such defensive measures.
A group of fierce looking warriors greet the group at the gates. Seeing the Kellid hunters with them, the warriors let the party pass. They ask the party what business they have in the their settlement. The guards are also rather suspicious of Meylara, commenting that her blue skin indicates that she must be some kind of witch or demon. They agree to allow her into the settlement, but only under the conditions that her weapons and spell component pouches are peace bonded and that her animal companion will be kept in a pen for the duration of their stay.
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Andor will have changed into his human form before arriving.
"These dead dinosaurs are typically peaceful pachycephalosauruses. Here ... you can notice signs of demonic influenced mutation and disease on the bodies of the creatures. That is why they attacked here!"
Andor drinks his potion of heroism together with his alchemical allocation extract and his extend potion ability.
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I meant a personal gift...something that we can say we bring on our behalf. Mykel says before he looks at the spear.
That is quite the weapon...to let him fight off a horde of orcs for that length of time...the stuff legends are made of, to be sure. We come bearing gifts to present the elders. I can personally attest to the quality of the chocolate, being from Taldor myself. Very popular...especially after a nice dinner and a brandy.
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The warriors wave their hands as Raynor begins to peacebond his weapon. In fact, the only person in the party they treat suspiciously is Meylara
The settlement of Tolguth looks like it contains several thousand people, almost all of them Kellids. Virtually every man, woman and child able to walk is lean and rugged looking and carrying some sort of weapon. Their weapons range from stone tipped spears and javelins and simple bows all the way to well made two-handed swords composed of fine steel or even dwarf forged cold iron. About half the structures in the settlement are portable yurts clustered around roaring cook fires, but there are also permanent structures made of wood.
Denur leads the Pathfinders to one of the largest buildings in the settlement and says to the group in Hallit, "I will go bring word to the elders and they will meet you here. You are our guests and if you wish to eat approach a cook fire and ask. Our people are hospitable and will always offer such comforts to a guest. Some of the people here even speak the Taldan tongue better than I do, so maybe you will make friends!"
Diplomacy or Knowledge Local
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Raynor goes from fire to fire, laughing and clasping hands with warriors of shapes, sizes and gender. He gladly let them feed his beast with meats and whatever plant-based dishes they have roasting over the fires: the giant riding gecko has deserved it after the battle earlier.
He nods and commits the name of the three local leaders who will require a gift by their local customs. Traros - respected elder, Vanna Demonbreaker
- warbent towards the Worldwound, and Bloodspeaker Olovon - the mediator that's keeping the tribe together, but grows weary of Traros' increasing desire for isolation. He repeats the names half a dozen times in his mind.
When Raynor hears about Bloodspeaker Olovon's holy symbol, he curses under his breath for not having ever paid much attention to the priests of his faith and their studies...
After his tour of the cooking fires, Raynor gathers those Pathfinders who may have stayed behind and imparts these news to them, and asks, "Anyone knows which faith the Bloodspeaker follows, based on his symbol of a woman riding an elk? also, I'm not an expert in picking gifts. Any idea which of our gifts should go to who?"
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Haven't the foggiest idea...religion is not my strong suit. Now, regarding the gifts, the weapons should likely be presented to Vanna...kind of obvious, I think...and perhaps the curative draughts. The shaman would likely be the best to receive the alchemical supplies. And the enchanted cloak to Traros as a sign of respect for his station. The pelts maybe one each and the wine and chocolate to whoever wants it most, I guess? the Taldan shrugs.
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Andor recognizes that the woman astride an elk is a regional interpretation of the goddess Desna.
The Kellid's are generous and eager to share their food with the strangers. Their diet consists heavily of meat and dairy as it is clear that most of these people are either herders or hunter-gatherers. There is salted mammoth and caribou meats and people roasting a variety of carcasses, including venison, rabbit and small birds but also stranger fare such as snake, iguana and various insects. One group who is even roasting the legs of a gigantic spider that was size of a small house. Besides meat, there are wild harvested foods such as berries, parsnips and mushrooms and some small, slightly bitter melons. And finally, every campfire is eager to offer fermented mammoth milk; which is a distinctly acquired taste and difficult to swallow for those who are unfamiliar with the drink.
After spending some time with the locals and learning about their elders, the huntress Denur comes back and tells the group that they are ready to receive the Pathfinders.
In the large wooden long house there are three Kellids sitting in tall chairs that are covered with furs and ivory with their fierce body guards standing behind them. The man sitting in the center is Traros, who is a wiry old man with a thick gray beard and a twinkle of intellect in his hazel eyes. On his left is Vanna, a stern looking woman dressed in form-fitting hide armor. Her hand is resting on the hilt of a cold iron greatsword that is in front of her, with the tip of the blade resting in the dirt. And on his right is Bloodspeaker Olovon, a middle aged man with a scraggly beard. He has an elaborate headdress that has bright ribbons of cloth hanging from the elk antlers that are mounted at the top.
With a smile Traros says, "Sit down. It is a rare occurrence to have people coming all the way from the lands of the empire to visit with us! It must have been a long walk for you. Tell me, what business do you have in our land?"
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Andor drinks his extract of tounges so he can speak in their local language.
Andor bows to the elders.
“It is an honor to make your acquaintance elders! Your tribe is very strong and under your leadership, this community is very well able to defend itself!“
He looks at the team and shows the elders the trophies that they earned during the battle earlier.
“We are warriors too! We are part of the Pathfinder society and we are battling the demons that are invading your home! And we are searching for a place that we can use as a base to be able to penetrate the territory that the demons hold! We are seeking your aid to find such a location! Would you help us?”“
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Mykel bows in deference to the trio of elders.
Aye as my friend here says...an alliance with the Society would benefit both of our sides. We would like to see the demons and their ilk wiped from the world for good. And we can make further headway with a forward base in the area. And as a gesture that we are thankful you would consider this, we bring a few gifts. Vanna...I think you would like these for the coming battles...cold wrought swords to deal with those infernal scum. I see you have a quality blade of your own...the more warriors that have these the better. Mykel says as he hands over the swords. He bows his head in salute to the warrior maiden.
I have a blade of such material as well..and have laid low a few of the beasts. Likely not as many as you have...undoubtedly...
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Traros frowns in disappointment as Mykel presents the swords, eying the other packages that the party is carrying. ON the other hand Vanna takes one of the swords and examines the edge critically before giving it several test swings. Grunting with what seems to be approval, the mammoth warrior then hands the blade to the Bloodspeaker and they whisper together. "Yes, its realcold iron. This can kill lesser demons but only Desna's blessing will protect us from the stronger ones."
Vanna passes several of the swords to her bodyguards and has the rest laid carefully on the ground in front of Traros's chair. The three elders then speak among themselves for several moments before Traros turns back to the party and addresses them.
“You wish to explore hrungara, where even the mammoths dare not go? You are either very brave or very foolish, foreigners,” Traros begins, “But no matter how reckless or insane, any enemy of the Worldwound is of value to Tolguth.”
He smiles broadly before continuing, “We know of a few locations that may serve as a campground for you; Vanna has used them in the past. The first is a small cave network among the lower reaches of the Tusk Mountains. The caves would provide shelter against the weather and the height provides a good view of the surroundings. The second is an isolated hot spring, located among the foothills at the base of the Tusk Mountains, much like the springs that heat Tolguth. The third is an abandoned town, built by foreigners generations ago. Vanna can tell you more about each, but before you set out, I have one warning.
“The Red Winter tribe still ekes out an existence on the Thunder Steppes and foothills of the Tusk Mountains. They lay claim to those lands and have often challenged Vanna and her raiders, thankfully without resorting to violence. I doubt they would be as accommodating to foreigners.”
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Thank you, sir. The reason I chose to show the weapons first was to impress upon you our commitment to the Worldwound's cleansing, if you will. That, and the fool that packed it almost ruined the chocolate from my homeland. The good stuff too. It would go well with the wine we brought too...not as well as Qadiran wine...but a fine vintage as well.
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Traros frowns at the mention of chocolate, the disappointment on his face evident.
After consulting the map that Farabellus gave them, and verifying the landmarks with Vanna, it appears that all three locations are about 3 days travel from Tolguth, but are each within a few hours of each other.
Vanna responds, "All three of the campsites are within the Red Winter tribe's territory. The town has been abandoned ever since anyone remembers. Perhaps the demons swallowed up everyone who used to live there."
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It would be an honour for me to share a bit of my homeland with you, Traros...
After the group makes plans, Mykel fishes out a quilted jacket with a fur lined hood and matching pants, gloves and boots folded up and stuffed in the pants legs from his seemingly infinite haversack.
From a previous mission. Came in handy...ignore the blood...it's not mine...and didn't come out when I had them cleaned after getting back to Absolom...
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Gurkagh, if I can procure a saddle, I can allow you to ride me in Quetzlcoatlus form. I shall go shopping?
Meylara will purchase an exotic, military saddle for a huge flying creature and once the party leaves town, she will wildshape into a Quetzlcoatlus and allow Gurkagh to ride on her back. She has a 50ft fly speed in this form.
She will also use her wand of Endure Elements on herself and Petal each day, as well as on anyone else who needs it.
Petal, guard Carina.
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The majority of the party decides to check out the ruins of the town first. They travel for about three days and the weather quickly gets a bit colder as they leave the valley. Its still pretty mild weather for those who are used to the snowy winters though. The sun is shining and the snow is even melting at the hottest parts of the day. The party sees a few mammoth riders on the first day and little on the second. There is a pack of wild goats who retreat from the party up a mountain slope. On the third day they get the feeling that they are being watched by something they can't see, but nothing attacks them and eventually they feel the presence is gone.
One the third day they reach the remains of the village. There are 12 dilapidated shacks around the remnants of a fading crossroad. The structures creak in protest as the wind howls through their empty window frames.
[spoiler=Survival or Kn (Engineering) 20+] There’s no evidence pointing to why the town was abandoned. Ancient tables remain set as if for dinner, the cupboards still house the threadbare remains of clothing, and there are no signs of looting or animal habitation.
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"It has potential," Carina finally says after giving the town a once over. "The well can work, the buildings are still sturdy. However, What I don't see is why the town was surrendered to the elements. Now maybe, that's because it's purpose was done, but I doubt it. I think this town was abandoned very quickly, and until we know why, I doubt this site will work."
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Mykel wanders around, examining the buildings
Well, in my non-expert opinion, there are two things i can speculate about. first, perhaps there was a weather phenomenon...like a really cold spell or really hot. Or, more ominous, perhaps there was an invasion or infestation of some sort...again, just a guess...
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The party thoroughly searches the abandoned village but does not find anything else of value or interest. Carina assesses that the buildings here are still usable and that area has been already been cleared so it would be easy to expand. There is usable well here that could provide the water necessary to supply a small army. It main downside is simply that it is unclear why the town was abandoned.
The other two sites are each about three hours away.