Sam half draws her bow and prepares to unleash pointy hellfire at anything unfriendly.
Just as she's about to step away from the door to let Lough through, Kka stops suddenly and puts up her hand. "Shush! I hear something". She puts her ear against the door. "Sounds like squealing and grunting from multiple creatures on the other side. Can't tell how maany. They're taalking Undercommon." She turns to face the others. "Any of you understand Undercommon?" She moves aside to let anyone who understands Undercommon listen at the door.
"Doesn't sound like they know we're here. If we blaast through the door and charge in, we'll caatch them by surprise. They'll be easy pickings then."
Kvit tries to rush forward before Lough smashes through. Whispering urgently. "wait wait wait."
Kvit puts one of his long ears against the door to listen to the noises Kka mentioned.
"Give it to me!"
"I found it first!"
"But I'm the hungriest!"
"Then you shouldn't have skipped breakfast."
"But you ate the previous one as well!"
"Hey, stop chewing on my ear!"
"I have to eat something, right?"
Kvit pulls back from the door and reports to the group. "sounds like more mitflits, just arguing over food. Either we could rush them and fight them or... We could offer them some food and intimidate them into helping?"
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Lough shakes his head "I am immune" he reminds his party.
Searching around his pockets, he doesn't find anything they might want to eat.
Cherry shakes their head. "Unless they are Leshy, I won't have anything they would want."
"I've got plenty of rations and uh, some- cheese from breakfast. If we want to try it. Otherwise I guess Lough you just smash away. Although we weren't sent here to clear out mitflits. We are supposed to be looking for a ghost."
Kka stares at her colleagues in dumbfounded amazement. "Are you guys kidding!? You waant to feed them? They're mitflits! Those little vermin will staab us in the back first chance they get if we don't taake them off the board permanently. Plus, those little buggers are up to no good with the whole flies and maaggots thing. You heard Wrin: Otari might be in big trouble. We need to clean this place out top to bottom or we'll never feel safe in our beds again."
"I agree. We should clear them out once and for all. No sense in leaving enemies behind to come after us later."
Kvit throws his hands up. "Alright, alright, alright. I thought we were here just to scout it out and figure out what was causing the Gauntlight to shine but if you want to play exterminators then I'll just be back here out of the line of fire. We could try and make them tell us what's going on, they might know or be the ones causing it but, no matter." Kvit sighs and walks back to the rear.
Cherry nods. "We should at least try talking to them. They might know something and be willing to trade knowledge for food. An ally, even a temporary one, would make our mission easier."
”I mean, I’m not one for cold blooded murder. If they are sentient that means they have the choice not to be evil, right? Even if it bites us in the butt, I don’t feel okay killing them for just existing.”
Kka sighs exasperatedly. "It's not murder if they'd kill you in return given half the chaance; it's self-defense! Admittedly pre-emptive self-defense, but self-defense nonetheless."
Looking at their obstinate faces, she throws up her hands in resignation. "But whaatever. Feel free to offer them food and try and taalk the evil little buggers around if you like, but don't say I didn't waarn you."
Pursing her beak, she adds. "Okaay then. Kvit and Giyozaara go in first for a little chinwaag with the vermin while we wait out here. If... I mean, when things go south, we'll charge in and save your skins. How does thaat sound?"
Kvit doesn't look pleased at being volunteered, he wasn't really the best at talking to people, let alone (probably) evil mitflits. But it was his suggestion, so he digs in his pack for a couple packages of trail rations and some of the leftover cheese wrapped in a cloth.
"Alright then Giyozara, lets pretend to be diplomats..." He steps up to the door waiting for him.
As soon as the door opens, and assuming we don’t immediately go into combat, Giyozara will start a diplomacy check in Undercommon.
”Hey guys, no, stop, we aren’t here to hurt you! We’re here for a trade. We’d like to trade some food we have for a bit of information if you would be so kind!”
With a bit of effort, Lough opens the door.
Almost the entire ceiling of this room has collapsed, while below, the floor has crumbled into a 10‑foot‑deep sinkhole filled with rubble, mud, and glistening patches of fungus. Evidence of ancient damage—burn scars and acid scorch marks—decorate the walls and much of the rubble.
In the sinkhole are four mitflits, laying on the ground as if in a wrestling match. One of them protectively holds up a fat, shiny grub. They all look towards the opened door and jump to their feet, ready to defend themselves. When Giyozara speaks, however, they're immediately calmed down by his soothing voice.
The four mitflits stand stunned for a moment, unsure of what to do. Then, one of their stomachs starts to growl. They look at each other, then nod. One of them disentangles itself from the group and hoists himself out of the sinkhole. Just before the door, he throws himself on the ground again and grovels in front of Lough.
"Oh, we are but mere servants for Your Tallness. We will do anything for a scrap of food. I'm willing to drown my brother for a loaf of bread. And I'll bury him myself if you throw in some butter as well. Anything you desire, but we poor wretches are useless on an empty stomach. We cannot work unless you feed us."
Back in the pit, one of them whispers to the others, "Should we tell Boss Skrawng we have visitors," to which another replies, "If you want to miss out on food, sure. I'd rather stay here and take the free lunch," and punches the first one on the shoulder.
As soon as the door opens and Giyozara starts talking, Kka braces herself for a round of darts to fly through, or worse. When that doesn't happen, she frowns in confusion. As the mitflits start falling over themselves to worship Lough, she can't take it anymore. "Oh, come on! Really?! I can't believe that worked."
Giyozara will break up some hardtack and toss a bit to each misfit so that each one gets a little something. (one meal’s worth of rations), ”There is some to get you started. We have some more, but you will get no more if you start killing each other! I want all my informants alive! Now, if you want the rest of the food, tell us about this place. Start with this ‘Boss Skrawng’”
All of the mitflits thank Giyozara for the food, then wolf down the hardtack, half-choking on the barely chewed food. The ones in the pit who finish first start fighting the others who haven't finished yet for their food. After they're finished, they fall back on the ground again and kowtow some more.
"Boss Skrawng, well, he's not really our boss anymore, you are, oh White-Faced One. But he's the biggest, mightiest, and meanest mitflit of all! He has great plans to attack the nearby stinky human settlement and take it for our own! It involves breeding a cavalry of flies to bombard the village with dung. Eventually, they'll get so frustrated that they'll leave! Because they're stupid humans - present company excluded, of course, oh Bread-Giver, and only flee like the pathetic creatures they are!"
The three mitflits in the pit mime a bad impression of what they think a human looks like, and have a giggle fit.
Kka listens to Kvit's translation of the back-and-forth between Giyozara and the mitflits. "Ha! I was right. These sneaky little devils are breeding giaant flies to launch a devastating aerial dung attaack against Otaari that will drive us fr..." She trails off as the utter inanity of the plan dawns on her. "By the Saavored Sting these creatures are stupid. Do they really think this plaan has any hope of success?" Her bewilderment fades and her mood darkens. In a hard cold voice she says, "I think we need to have a little taalk with this Boss Skrawng and let him know exaactly what will happen to him if even one drop of their maagic pixie mud lands within smelling distance of Otari."
"Tell me, Boss Skrawng, does he live on the topmost area? Big room with lots of glass everywhere, and does he light big fires up there?"
One of the mitflits can't help but roll his eyes. "We know what a lighthouse is. But no, we stay away from there as much as possible. That spooky flame is creepy. No, he's to the southeast of here, just two rooms away. We can introduce you, if you want."
Kvit retains his composure and doesn't give any I-told-you-so looks, but has a sudden urge to do so. He instead, pulls out another ration pack and tosses it to them. "Yah, super creepy. You guys seem to have the run of the whole place, Boss Skrawng seems to be running things smoothly around here. What's up there then?"
"We don't need any introductions, we already know him. He's a quite capable leader. But he isn't very nice."
Cherry Berry frowns. "What make the flame spooky? Is it the color?"
You guys seem to have the run of the whole place, Boss Skrawng seems to be running things smoothly around here. What's up there then?"
The mitflits nod at Cherry Berry. "Yes, the colour! And there's no heat, so you can't even burn stuff with it! It's like a ghost-flame. Bad omen, that is." The mitflits nod at each other. "That's why we want to get out of here."
"When did you arrive here, that is to say, when did your former boss Skrawn make his home here? Did the light come on before or after you showed up? Since you know the light is not hot, I assume you've been up there, have you seen any other creatures up there?"
Their faces fall, their mirth all but forgotten. "We used to live deeper underground. But the mushroom-eyed people invaded, and forced us out. That's why Boss Skrawng wants to take over stupid human-town. We don't want to be here, either! We've been in this ruin for..." they gather, each holding up their hands while one is counting on their fingers, "more than we have numbers!"
Another nods. "And the ghost-flame was already lit by then!"
You guys seem to have the run of the whole place, Boss Skrawng seems to be running things smoothly around here. What's up there then?"...
"Oh, there was an evil mist that started attacking us! It killed one of us in one attack, and poor Drix bled to death after he got away. We don't go back there anymore after that."
Kvit wonders about this mist they're talking about and might have an idea of what it is, but he'll talk to the group when they're not negotiating with the mildly dangerous mitflits.
"An evil mist huh? That sounds very frightening I'm sure. Too bad your boss Skwarng couldn't take care of it. It sounds like something we can handle though. You should work for us instead."
The mitflits nod vigorously. "Oh yes, we'll work for you forever. As long as you give us food."
"Boss Skrawng said to leave the mist alone," one of the others offers. "It seems content up there. As long as we don't go there, it won't bother us. There's also a big scorpion up north we haven't bothered with for the same reason. We tried scaring it out of its hidey-hole, but it doesn't want to leave. Snipped Jakarax completely in two, he did." The others nod solemnly.
Giyozara switches to common so that the Misfits don’t understand him and whispers.
”I mean, I’m glad we didn’t kill them, but I still don’t trust them not to stab us in the back. I mean, they were ready to kill each other for strangers over some bread and butter. I suggest when our deal is complete We send them off into the distance and not turn our backs until they have disappeared into the swamp.”
He then turns back and re-addresses the misfits in undercommon. ”So your boss and a big op’ scorpion, and an evil bleeding mist creature. Anything else? Any other creatures?”
"Uh, well, they have big round eyes, like mushroom caps. That's it. They're pale and hunched over. Not much more to say." The mitflit shrugs.
One other mitflit replies to Giyozara. "No, we haven't explored much. After losing several to both that mist and that scorpion, our ranks grow thin. There's only a few of us left now, sadly."
One other mitflit adds, "Well, there is Boss Skrawng's pet, Bite Bite. And he's trying to raise a fly army, with mixed results. Some flies flew off with riders still on them. They haven't returned yet."
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"Once my friends are finished with their questions, little ones, you are banished from this swamp. For, while I might show you mercy, my friends would kill you on the spot, and I would defend my friends."
Without malice nor deception, Lough simply gives his honest assessment of the situation, requesting that they leave as a result of that assessment.
Secondly, if Lough is trained in a skill to Recall more about the mushrooms, I'd like to roll that skill as well...
The mitflits all look with big puppy eyes towards Giyozara after Lough says that, deferring to the "Bread-Giver" for their fate.
The description of "mushroom-eyed people" is vague enough that you can't really make sense of it. You'd need more information, or see them in person, to make a better guess at what these things could be.
"What my friend means is that we are sorry to say, your Boss's plan won't work." With this he starts breaking another meal of hardtack into four pieces. "Here, I promised you more, but if you fight over these pieces you won't get any more after this." he hands a roughly equal piece of hardtack to each of them.
"You see, your friends attacked us, and we were forced to defend ourselves. Many are dead, and what's more, your flies attacked us too, so we had to kill them. I doubt there's enough of you or your flies left to make a run on the town. Plus, the town guards have bows and arrows, and spells to clean poo away. It's not going to work. The swamp is your best bet for survival out there. Work together and you can learn what to eat and what not to eat, and if you share food, there is less chance that you will go hungry."
The mitflits eat their hardtack a little more slowly, now that their bellies are somewhat full. Upon hearing the news of their eviction, they are crestfallen. "We can't stay here? Or go with you? You give us bread, so we'll do anything, promise!"
One other mitflit suddenly remembers something. "Oh yeah, there's that big frog in the pond over there. We play Dodge the Squirt with him. We poke the frog, and he squirts goop all over the place. The winner is the one who gets the least amount of goop all over him. Or whoever doesn't get eaten. Maybe we should stop playing Dodge the Squirt...."
Cherry makes note of their description of the frog. They have a feeling it will be important in the near future.
Sam tries to figure out what they're describing.
"Fellows, " Sam says, "I think this sounds like a Slurk, a medium-sized frog with sabre teeth. Instead of frog's normal long tongues, they can squirt a grease-like substance from their glands. Getting hit by it makes you clumsy, and they can also squirt it all around them to make the floor slippery, like the Grease spell. "