The drake flaps its wings, taking to the air, and swoops toward you. As it passes over Robert, it snaps down with its jaws. The drake stays 10 feet in the air, and too far from Gunnar’s pole arm, and out of reach for any AoOs.
After missing, the drake continues on and perches in a large maple behind you.
The cloud of haze around the townspeople continues to block their view of anything happening around you. Tomos unlimbers a sling and gives it a whirl, missing wildly.
Everybody is up.
Fezzan fusses with the rickety old crossbow and takes aim at the creature,
letting out a cry of triumph as his bolt flies true.
"Ha! Take that!"
Euda scowls in frustration.
the flowers are listening to me, they flew farther that time than they ever have before, but they still haven't ever hurt anything... maybe they can't actually hurt anything? or maybe I'm not asking right? I don't think I really want to fight a dragon, but there's no turning back now, and this dagger obviously isn't going to help at all... come on, flowers, help me out here...
Moving to where she can see the dragon, and the townsfolk can't see her very well, the girl hurls another blast whirling blossoms at the deadly foe.
Maria quickly runs, near out of breath, to the fallen tree where the hunting party was located. She had pulled out a scroll to read but was out of breath by the time she got there, "Whose... injured?" she spoke.
Robert moves next to Fezzan and tries to shield him should the creature attack and strike back if able.
The drake roars in pain at Gunnar's stab. It forsakes its hit and run tactics to reach down with maw and tail, trying to end the nuisance before him.
Clank! Clunk! Swish!
The townspeople behind the log give a start as Maria appears within the lingering mist. Fortunately, the hanging vapours are not acidic (though the smell really bad).
"What are you doing out here?" Deputy Papus asks.
"Get down! There's a forest drake," Burria shouts (rather patronizingly).
"We're just a little singed," Marius adds in actual answer to her question.
Another stone goes nowhere near the drake.
You're all up.
Drake: -29
Seeing the drake isn't coming down to play Robert pulls out his sling and fires at the beast. He shouts encouragement to the group "That's it! Keep it up! It will run or die!"
Gunnar heaves his halberd up and into the drake. The beast roars again, but the pain causes the beast to slip, falling further onto the pole arm’s blade, and suddenly Gunnar is leaping to the side as the drake nearly lands on top of him. As the light in its eyes fades, Gunnar feels a stirring within his marrow, but the sensation soon fades.
Deputy Papus steps out from behind the log. ”I thank you, sir knight. A mighty blow indeed. The brute swiped at us from overhead, and none of us had a weapon with reach. Then it kept flinging that acid at us, so we took cover, waiting for it to run out of juice, but it never seemed to.”
The deputy pauses, looking to Robert. ”What brings you folks out here? I can’t imagine Banker Triarius authorized you to join the hunt for the fugitive.” He laughs. ”I’d warn you it wasn’t safe out here, but since you just saved us, that would be disingenuous.”
Euda hurries over to Fred, to comfort the creature but also make sure it doesn’t run off with all her supplies.
did I… did they… I think the flowers actually hurt the beast that last time… I actually helped to defeat that thing and save those people… not as much as Gunnar, though, he was amazing…
Once she’s secured the donkey and the equipment it carries, she leads it over the dragon’s corpse. “How do we find it’s hoard?” she quietly asks Gunnar. “Sir Eustus bought all this equipment for me, and he said I could pay him back the first time we claimed a dragon’s hoard…”
Sadly, from what Maria knows of forest drakes, they don’t tend to accumulate hoards. They normally live in groups and only break off on their own once a year for mating season, which this would be. It’s likely this particular drake came from the mountain forests far to the east and won’t have a stash of money nearby, if at all.
Robert looks around to see if Tomos is in sight and where Bonita is.
Healing those that required it, Maria inspects the drake with an inquisitiveness common to a young scholar, picking of scales with a small dagger, "No hoard, just a bastard cousin of a dragon, it is a start though. Poor creature," she says skinning and taking pieces off of it.
Euda cringes slightly at the sight of the creature getting skinned, but her desire to get something as a sign of gratitude for her guardian is strong enough that she quietly asks the half-elf, "do you think that, maybe, I could have one of the teeth, to give to Sir Eustus?"
A rather severe Bonita, who hasn’t moved from her spot, catches Robert’s and Gunnar’s frantic searches for her whereabouts, and her lips thin disapprovingly. Shaking her head angrily, she walks up to Papus and says, ”I am Bonita. I believe there is a fraudulent warrant for my arrest. These townspeople were searching the wilds. Coming upon my camp on the moors, they captured me, and with them to return to Lyon’s Brook, where they have promised to do all they can to assist me in receiving a fair and impartial hearing concerning the so-called evidence of my fictitious crimes.”
Papus stands there stunned for a moment before Burria jabs some manacles at him and he quickly secures the prisoner. Bonita fixes her gaze on Robert and Gunnar challengingly through the whole process.
While the drake scales aren’t as valuable as authentic green dragon scales would be, you can harvest 500 gp worth.
Robert approaches Bonita and the deputy and says "Those are not necessary. She has kept her word the entire time with us and even in the heat of battle did not run off. I would appreciate you removing those I will accompany her back and she will keep her word. A diplomat from the Shoanti people should not be brought to town in chains." He then turns his back to the newcomers and give Bonita his best "you got me wrong face".
Bonita arches an eyebrow in amusement at the (slightly) insolent young man. Papus, who trusts Robert’s word, moves to remove the manacles, but pauses at an outburst from Burria
”Diplomat?!” Burria shouts. ”She’s a child-murdering cannibal!”
Robert looks at Burria and then at Bonita, "Does she look like a child eating cannibal? There was no evidence in her camp of her eating children or halflings. Rabbits, squirrel yes. People no. Did she run away during the fight while you were hiding behind the log? No. She ran with us toward the fight. I have promised to make sure she gets a fair and impartial hearing and she has promised to come back to town with us. I will uphold my end of the deal. She was sent by her people to our nation to discuss looting of their artifacts. Unfortunately for her she first presented herself to a Baron who was looking artifacts. This is not for us to decide though. Treat her with respect and honor and it will be returned. If you don't trust her fine, follow her the whole way back to town but she won't run."
Maria would wipe away some of the blood from the skinning making sure to snap off a back tooth for Euda, "Fasten yourself a necklace before the merchants and my own experiments get to it. Just have to be careful of the gas sack, very corrosive with this sort of drake," she says as Jervis perches himself on her shoulder. This amount would make them a decent amount of gold to split between them all.
"Believe everything you hear. At least let her have fair trial."
Euda accepts the gross tooth from Maria with an appreciative smile. She does her best to clean it off before tucking it into her bag.
The young girl marvels at Robert's boldness in talking to the adults from town, and at the results it garners. Not wanting to draw any more attention to herself, however, she quietly fades to the back of her companions where she can go unnoticed.
While Papus is normally not the type to ignore the rules, and the rules say dangerous prisoners are to be shackled, given that your group did just save them, and it’s Robert who’s vouching for her, he nods and removes the manacles. ”I am placing you on parole under him. Please do not run, as that would go very badly for Robert.”
Bonita nods her understanding.
As the townspeople finish gathering their scattered belongings, and Maria (with Burria's help) extracts all the useable scales and components from the drake carcass, you head back to town.
It's mid-afternoon when you come down the north road into the town proper. Julum Aesernas the thatcher is just heading into Riq's barbershop as you walk by. The halfling barber Riq sees your group, reaching up to pat Robert's arm sadly before scampering into his shop without a word (unusually for him). You don't have time to puzzle that out, however, before, Tanio the cooper, heading into his house, pauses to express his own sympathies to Robert and best wishes for it all to "turn out as well as it can".
Maria wiped her brow, hands covered in the blood of the slain drake. She wrapped her skinnings and teeth, getting as much as she could comfortably carry before leaving with the rest of the group. What fortune she'd make and discoveries to be found.
While in town she went back to her melancholic tone, wondering what was going on.
Robert looks around confused and calls to Tanio "What do you mean 'turn out as well as it can?' What is going on I just now got back into town."
Tanio pauses uncertainly. ”Oh, you don’t know? Umm…your parents are at the Split Oak with Banker Triarius. You should head there.”
Robert sighs and says "I need to go to the Split Oak. Let's see what has happened."
Concerned, you make your way to the Split Oak, Papus and the others following with Bonita and Tomos. Stepping inside, you see Robert’s parents sitting at a table with Mistress Hermeia and Banker Triarius and his wife. Robert’s mother has clearly been crying, and she gasps upon seeing her son.
Running over, she flings her arms around Robert. ”Thank Desna you’re safe!” she sobs.
Following more slowly, his father stands aloof. Clearly he has been crying, too. ”Robert, it’s Benji. The vicious cannibal woman came right on the farm, grabbed him from the back field, and dragged him into the woods. I tried to follow, but there was no trail to track.”
His mother breaks down in a fresh series of sobs.
Maria's elven ears peeked up, something wasn't right. Standing behind with nothing else to do with the day then follow, looking like a dirty mess considering her butchering earlier, "How, we have been with the supposed cannibal the whole day? She is under custody, their couldn't possibly be another one, and it couldn't have been the one with us all?" she says wondering if what she had said was true. Maybe this supposed cannibal had been framed.
Euda tucks herself away behind her companions and quietly observes the conversation. She makes it a point not to intrude in what is obviously a very personal matter for Robert, but she does carefully watch everyone for any signs that someone might be lying or withholding information.
Robert shakes his head vigorously, "Mother, this is Bonita. She is the one they are looking for. She has been with us since last evening and she did not take Benji. She is not a cannibal either but and ambassador from the Shoanti people. That is another mess to be straightened out. This sounds like the dogs that have been taken. Whomever was doing it left no trail at the scene but did later on. I am going to have to get back on that trail and track Benji down." He turns toward his father "I do not doubt your tracking abilities as they are better than mine but you are absolutely certain there was no trail? If so I don't need to go back home I can head out and pick up the trail we left. When did Benji disappear?"
With all that said he collapses at a table and says "Would someone get me an ale please."
”No trail after about fifty feet into the woods. It was yesterday, just before noon.”
Someone brings Robert an ale. Meanwhile, his father approaches Bonita.
”If you had her since last evening, maybe she took him and ate him during the afternoon. What have you done with my boy?!” John grabs Bonita by the shoulders, intending to shake her but the Shoanti breaks his hold and quickly steps back behind Papus, clearly angry, but also clearly keeping a firm grip on herself for the moment.
”Sir, I understand your grief and fear, but it was not I who took your son. I am not a cannibal or a murderer. If what Robert supposes is true, it was the druid who took him.”
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Gunnar listens to this whole thing and says I am sorry but this woman will be given to the inquisitor of Abadar who is here as I made this promise in order to avoid bloodshed. I wish her to receive a fair and honorable trial. I will do this and then We shall head west and track this one who has taken the dogs and now the boy and I hope we can return him safe.
”The cohortes isn’t here,” Banker Triarius says. ”He’s out looking for her. I can take custody of her and prepare her for transport back to her prison. She has already had her fair trial and was found guilty on all charges.”
Robert looks at his father and says "It wasn't her. She was far enough away that she could not have done this. There were no humanoid bones when we found her. It's not her. She has been nothing but fair in upright our entire time with her."
Robert then turns on the Banker and says "I'll keep her in my custody then and take her with me as she was not given a fair trial. The cohortes will just have to catch up with us. She was promised a fair trial and I intend to see that she gets it. She had promised not to run away in return. She has kept her word even when she could have taken off when we were fighting the drake."
He turns to Bonita "Unless you have any objections we need to get going after my brother."
”Of course I will assist you in pursuing the druid. I can get you much further west than you would be able to find her trail.”
”No!” Banker Triarius barks. ”You cannot just take a wanted fugitive walking in the woods. She stays! You’ll have to find this so-called druid, if she even exists, without her. How does she even know this druid exists? They must be in league together!”
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Gunnar stands then and says it is clear by the Code that you àre blinded and that you cannot be trusted to administer justice in the name of Abadar. You have done nothing but make wild accusations without proof even after Robert and a I, a knight of coins has spoken on her behalf. I will respect the law, however, I will not respect corruption of justice. I demand that we be allowed to transport this woman to the Cohortes if you refuse to let her assist and that she be turned over to the inquisitor.
”How dare you, sir?! I am not making wild accusations, I have the affidavit which attests to her charges and the result of her trial in Skathen, including the testimony of Banker Morkus there. Would you really claim that an entire trial, presided upon by an elder of your own faith, was not fair and just? She was found guilty of theft, and murder, and proved her guilt by escaping and running away.”
"And yet there is still a cannibal on the loose, roaming the country side and abducting folk. A good knight of your faith attests to challenge such verdict and find the potential real culprit," she says knowing well that she might not be heard given whom she was in town, "You holy types put so much faith in blind belief. You could arrest me for the day if we can't find the true culprit."
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what I am telling you is that the custodes inquisitor is in this town for a reason and that this woman gave herself up to a lawful knight of coins without struggle and that she has the right to be brought to the Custodes I'd there is a question which I believe there is and is within the laws of Taldor and the Code. I am asking you to not detain or obstruct this lawful request as a member of good standing and you it seems are refusing Gunnar says with a forced smile.
Fezzan watches the argument bounce back and forth and raises a trepidatious hand.
"I believe there was the matter of a sizable reward..."
The argument drops like a brick as Fezzen speaks up. Banker Triarius has to gaze at the young man for several seconds before any recognition dawns in his eyes. ”The reward was for the capture of the fugitive and return to custody. She is not currently in our custody, as you continue to point out, she’s in yours.” The priest smirks in what can only be described as supreme self-satisfaction.
The Apprentice wizard scowls at Fezzen as she elbows him in the shoulder.
Euda giggles softly at Gunnar's retort.