"Wait, we're going to work with the kobolds to get them their dragon back? Are we sure that's a good idea? As close as we are to people just trying to live their lives?"
He's not drawing blade and trying to execute Meepo, but he pretty clearly thinks this is a bad idea . . ..
As more voices join in, Meepo sinks back into his beading, clearly intimidated. “Yes, Meepo help family decorate. Didn’t know it was bad thing.”
"Flagons, we are here to find some lost adventurers. We are not here to put a dragon back into bondage. The freedom of sentient races is the cornerstone of caydenite philosophy", the cleric harrumphed.
Turning back to Meepo, Wayilant added, "If we see the dragon we will make sure it's safe. But we have a job to do and people to rescue. I hope you understand?"
Besides the door you came through, this crumbling chamber has four standard wooden doors. Two to the south and two along the northeast corner. In addition to the doors, there is a five-foot corridor to the east. Meepo is currently sitting quietly in his bedroll, somewhat unsure about his current situation. Along the north wall, a broken cage sits empty. In front of the cage sits a wooden bench with miscellaneous brushes, dyes and four small figurines. To the south of the bench is a pit that looks like it once contained a fairly large fire.
Wayilant walks over to look at the small figurines, seeing if they have any religious connotations.
As more voices join in, Meepo sinks back into his beading, clearly intimidated. “Yes, Meepo help family decorate. Didn’t know it was bad thing.”
"Bah, should've prepared a spell for cleanin'!" insists Muziel, deciding he'd have to worry about that later.
"Flagons, we are here to find some lost adventurers. We are not here to put a dragon back into bondage. The freedom of sentient races is the cornerstone of caydenite philosophy", the cleric harrumphed.
Turning back to Meepo, Wayilant added, "If we see the dragon we will make sure it's safe. But we have a job to do and people to rescue. I hope you understand?"
Muziel nods as Wayilant explains their reluctance to help. "As long as the dragon don't attack us!" he adds, as a caveat. As the kobold seems to look around nervously, Muziel's heart softens a bit. This kobold didn't seem nearly as aggressive as he'd expected. "Listen, if Calcryx is yer friend and really wants ta come back with ya, we'll let 'im, alright?"
The bard questioned Meepo, ”Meepo what can you tell us about this place? Have you seen any other humans?”
All four figurines appear to be tiny dragons in different poses. They have been carved out of some sort of green stone and highly polished.
The figurines don’t have any significant connection to any of the current pantheons that you are aware of. You have heard of cults and lesser religions that revolve around dragons. Apsu quickly comes to mind as a following that might revere the figurine, where as a god of beasts or something to that extent might also find value in it.
Meepo exhales in relief after you declare that you don’t intend to hurt the dragon.
After Dario starts asking about other humans, Meepo perks up a bit. “Ya, ya, there was another group of humans. They went to see the chief and then.” Meepo shrugs his shoulders. “Then they.” He pauses for a moment while looking down at his bedroll. “Then they no came back. Meepo not know what happened to them after that. Chief Yusdrayl probably knows. They spoke to her for sure.”
Dario dropped to one knee and looked the kobold in the eye, ”Meepo where can we find the chief?
Meepo squirms out of his bedroll and then begins heading towards the eastern corridor. “Meepo bring you to chief. Safer if I introduce you. Come with me, this way.” He says in a more focused tone.
Dario shrugged as he looked to his companions, ”Lead the way good Meepo.”
Muziel nods in agreement. The discovery that the missing adventurers went to see the chief changed everything.
*Edit*
Muziel seems to be impressed by the figurines. "Those be nice dragon carvin's, Meepo. Jade, right? Good stonework. Did ya do those yerself?"
Leaving the painted idols behind, Wayilant follows the group to meet with a chieftain.
"No, Meepo not carve the small dragons. They belonged to the dead warriors that died during the goby raid."
Meepo leads the group down the eastern corridor, which branches to the south just ten feet into it. He ignores the turn and continues east. After about twenty feet, two standard doors appear to each side of the corridor. A bit further down, another door appears on the left. After continuing down the corridor about seventy feet, it turns to the right and then opens into a large room. Meepo holds the group up at the room’s entrance and then heads in alone. Soon he returns with six kobold escorts. Each escort carries a spear and is outfitted with leather armor. Unlike Meepo, they seem to be very cautious as they approach the group.
Meepo stops the escort before they get to close and announces their presence. “Meepo got ok from chief to see her. She insists the group be escorted. Meepo thinks that be ok.” After joining him, the group moves into the kobold’s thrown room.
A short throne stands near the east wall, constructed of fallen bits of masonry stacked against an old altar. A small, horned figure in red-dyed robes sits in the throne. The altar’s top contains a variety of small items, while the portion of the altar that serves as the throne’s back features a carving of a rearing dragon. A metallic key is held firmly in the rearing dragon’s open mouth. As your group approaches, the figure on the throne meticulously observes your movement, while the six escorts brake off and position themselves between you and her. Meepo, on the other hand, stays with your group.
“See Yusdrayl, like I said. This group of humans said they might be willing to help get Calcryx back.” After making his proclamation, Meepo lowers his head in respect and waits quietly. The figure on the throne looks from Meepo over to your group. “Is this true?” She asks with a strong hissing accent.
The young noble responds in Draconic.
Dario looked askance at the young noble not understanding a word he is saying. Which his brow furrowed in consternation he whispered, ”Mind sharing ….what’s going on?”
"I don't know", Wayilant whispers to the bard. ""Let's hope Ionatan knows what he's doing."
The chief shifts in her seat, thinks over Ionatan’s comment, and then responds.
"We do seek to retrieve the whelp. It was stolen from us during the last goblin raid. If you retrieve it, I’m prepared to compensate you for the trouble. If not, then we will retrieve it ourselves. No this, if your intentions are bad, our clan has many numbers. We are not low hanging fruit. We are prepared to fight and are the only ones with an ancestral right to be here. We are the decedents of dragons, so our blood links us to this place. The goblins are invaders who will be eliminated over time. If you agree to try and safely return Calcryx, I will send Meepo with you to assist in the process. If not, you are on your own."
"Ionatan knows Draconic too! A man of many talents." It's not clear if he's talking to the party or just himself as he whispers this.
Regardless, Muziel knows enough that he quietly starts whispering to his allies the contours of what's being said by Ionatan and Chief Yusdrayl.
He shrugs.
He even manages to sound mostly like he isn't being patronizing. Mostly.
He turns to the group. "If we agree to try to return their dragon, they'll send Meepo with us to track down their goblin opponents and find our lost Deverins. If we don't, they won't help at all, and might well find ways to complicate our efforts. Might."
After Ionatan agrees to try and return the whelp, the chief nods and then continues.
”Sounds like the best course of action is to work with these kobolds,” the bard agreed.
Muziel continues to translate, then concludes. "Guess we got us a Meepo?" he says, uncertain about whether that was wise.
Meepo leads the group back the way you came. All the way back to the room which he was sleeping in. Once there, he heads up to the southwestern corner of the room. There a rough looking door hangs on rusty hinges. Using both clawed hands, Meepo pulls the door open, revealing a narrow corridor that runs east about fifteen feet and then turns north. It continues about twenty feet north then turns east again. Finally, the corridor comes to an ends at an otherwise mundane looking wooden door. Meepo pauses a moment before opening the door. “This room should be safe.” He says just before opening the door and stepping in.
Empty and lightless, this lonely chamber is home only to rat droppings, crumbled flagstone, and nameless stains. On the opposite side of the room, another wooden door awaits. The room itself is about twenty-five feet wide and twenty feet across. Small patches of rubble, mostly made up of broken pieces of the walls and ceiling, lay scattered about. Meepo turns to the group and shrugs. This is as fare as Meepo knows. What be past that door, Meepo not know.” He says while pointing at the southernmost door.
Wayilant sighs. "Alright, Meepo. We'll do our best."
Muziel starts to feel a certain kinship with Meepo, much to his surprise. "Seems like yer kobold clan's na treatin' ye right, Meepo. Why? Were ye na the one 'o found Calcryx in the first place? Don't seem right that yer gettin' the blame for whate'er them gobbos did."
Muziel checks the door for magic and inspects it.
Dario points out the markings on the floor that have been left behind by the rodents, ”Looks like there are a bunch of rats around”
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Really? Rat rats, or R.O.U.S.s?"
Dario shrugged, ”As far as I can tell just your normal sized rats.”
"Eh, there be a few o'er tracks 'ere--looks like some 'umans or somethin'. Older 'n the rats. Could be the last party if ya ask me."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Okay, Flagons. The 'belly of the Beast' awaits."
Wayilant holds his holy symbol and closes his eyes in prayer. "Okay, Cayden. It look like the real adventure starts behind that door. Please favor us with some of your Vaunted Luck. I hope we succeed and do show our bravery and resourcefulness. Let us find our quarry, safe and sound. Amen."
Putting his symbol down, Wayilant draws his rapier. "Ready!"
The door has no magical aura, and it appears to be clear of traps. The rat tracks are, for the most part, everywhere. The room itself is also void of magic, with the exception of the group's light spell.
Muziel nods at the cleric’s inspiring words. A rescue hadn’t exactly been his original mission but he’s starting to appreciate the Flagons. He lines up, ready to proceed.
Dario signaled the others, took his position, and opened the door.
The door opens without much force. The light from Dario’s spell spreads into the dark room, reveling dust and odd bits of stony debris. Rubble lies scattered randomly on the stony floor. An ornate fountain is built into the western wall. Though cracked, stained, and dry, the fountains carving of a diving dragon retains its beauty. A relief-carved stone door stands on the eastern wall, while a corridor stretches deeper south into the darkness.
Many of the tracks from the last room continue into this room and look to lead further down the corridor. The fountain is currently dry with a thin layer of scum coating its surface. A mostly worn away inscription is still apparent and is in the draconic language. It reads “NAINARYA.”
The fountain and the eastern stone door both emit a mild magical aura.
The relief stone door to the east depicts skeletal dragons intertwined in a deadly embrace. A draconic inscription above the door reads “Tana Aman Heka Men.”
Dario walked further down the corridor trying to see what else his light will uncover.
The stone flooring of the room is cracked with both fine and large debris littered about. The air smells dusty and old, which is what you would expect from a place that has been buried for a long time. The walls and the fountain are rough looking with periodic fine cracks riddle over their surfaces.
Dario moves about twenty feet into the room, shedding light further down the corridor. Directly to his left, another unremarkable wooden door sits closed. A bit further down the corridor, a series of two sets of opposing doors vaguely comes into view. The doors sit within the shadows of the light spell and are a somewhat obscured. All four doors appear to be slightly ajar. The footprints that the group has been encountering continue down the corridor, which stretches beyond the shadowy reaches of the light spell.
"Ionatan, what do those words say?" Wayilant asks his fellow caydenite.
Seemingly eager to demonstrate his knowledge, Muziel interrupts and answers Wayilant's question.
"'Nainarya' means 'Let there be fire.' 'Tana Aman Heka Men' means 'Channel good, open the way.' There be magics on both o' them."
Muziel studies the fountain and the eastern door, trying to discern the magics on them.
Wayilant looks with interest at the skeletal dragon door.
It can't be just a coincidence. Could it, Cayden? The cleric thought to himself.
The holy bartender step closer to the Tana Aman Heka Men Door.
"Dario! Wait! I want ..to try something."
The caydenite priest took out his holy symbol, said a quick prayer and proclaimed, "Happy Hour!!"
,
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
As soon as Muziel speaks the words “Nainarya” a small rumble can be felt, almost like a shift in the structure. The rearing dragon, poised over the fountain, begins to glow with a light red aura just before a thick, red, liquid starts to build up in the fixture's mouth.
Two distinct auras emanate from the fountain. First aura, which seems to come from the structure itself, is one of alteration. The second aura, which seems to be coming from the liquid that is building up in the dragon’s mouth, is evocation.
The liquid continues to build while Muziel concentrates on his detect magic spell. Soon it reaches the beasts lower teeth.
The exact nature of the spell controlling the fountain is unknown to you, but you surmise that it has something to do with the appearance of the red liquid. The liquid, on the other hand, would be the equivalent of an Elixir of Fire Breath if it was collected and stored in something.
The liquid continues to build up further, now reaching the figures frontal teethe. You estimate you only have seconds before it begins to poor into the fountain’s basin.
The door undoubtedly has an aura. To what school, you’re not sure. It is an old magic that has been used in an unusual way.
Upon receiving Wayilant's channel the stone door rumbles as it cracks open, emitting a musty smell that quickly fills the room.
"Dwarf's got them, of course."
---
"I would have figured the fountain would supply water. What's this, then?"
---
"No, Way, do . . .. Not till we're ready to move on, man."
Muziel spends some time studying the auras and realizes something about the fountain he'd accidentally triggered.
"Eh! The foun'ns liquid's useful magic--*burp*--get yer flasks out 'n catch it!"
Muziel grabs his waterskin, dumps out the contents, and tries to use it to scoop up the liquid. Though he momentarily wonders why he suddenly feels lighter and more carefree.
"Uh oh..", Wayilant said, muffling his words as he took an old bar towel from his pocket to cover his mouth and nose. Then cleric stepped forward to look inside.
You manage to catch the liquid in your water skin, which looks like it will do, but is obviously not the best solution long term.
Five dusty sarcophagi stand on end in this silent chamber; three stand on the south wall, and two stand on the north. The carved stone sarcophagi each resemble a noble elflike humanoid in ceremonial robes. A shrine carved of obsidian is set in the center of the east wall, on which a single candle yet burns. Next to the candle, a flask and a small whistle sit on opposing sides. The room is covered with a thin layer of dust that looks undisturbed. Much like the prior room, the floor is carved from stone and is riddled with debris.
Wayilant enters with reverence. The cleric walks softly up to the sarcophagus on the right to see if notices anything of religious significance, judging from the almost ritualistic way the room is laid out.
Looking over the sarcophagus, and the way the room is laid out, it is obvious the room is some sort of sanctuary. At least it used to be long ago. In respect of any current pantheons, you don't see anything connecting this room to any gods you are aware of. That includes any current elven rituals or gods. Whatever the room was meant for, its days of significance are well behind it.
The former bartender slowly approaches the altar. Wayilant examines the candle, then the flask, and then the small whistle.
As Way goes into the previously hidden space, Ionatan moves up and looks in, without entering.
"An altar? Whose it to? I would expect some kind of dragon relation, gven how everything else has gone in here, ya know?"