Meenak squinted into the dark, creeping forward and putting a claw on his mouth. He could see in the dark, and knew how to be very quiet... perhaps he could see what was down there and report it back...
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Unlike the others, Meenak pays little attention to the tracks, instead creeping further into the crypt and looking into the nooks and crannies of the room. His good vision in the dark lets him see into even pitch black... assuming there was anything to actually see.
Meenak creeps low and silent behind Mathus, looking up at the lock as he patiently waits for the bespectacled man to grant them access. "Meenak hopes there is strong stuff inside."
Sorry! I knew I was forgetting something! I'm back!
Meenak has tagged along quietly, as if lost in thought. He doesn't even seem bothered by Kibbi's prattling. As they find a table, he take shelter below, still unusually silent. As the conversation of investigating the crypt comes up though, he finally pops up. "Meenak will go." he stated simply, looking around at the others. "Meenak is a kobold. We are quiet and good at sneaking past things. Meenak may need a lookout, but someone must remain and watch out for Professor's hatchling. It is there... Meenak knows it. Meenak swore to get revenge on Whispering Way, and Grimy Barrows is not going to stop him. Nobody will."
Meenak looks up at Cassiel, before back at the poster, than over to the apothecary. "...that sounds sad. Meenak is hungry. We should collect Pale Scales and Shiny Eyes before going back to Professor's snarl to eat."
Joy of playing a kobold #37: confusing the hell out of your team about simplistic stuff.
"...oh... that's not fun at all. Meenak thought was a day for wheels. Wheel-day?" He asked, grimacing a bit. "Swampscales have races a lot of days. Meenak has seen any around here or at the University. Meenak though wheel-days were days you softskins had rolling races. But you just work... even kobolds take breaks." Meenak stared at the apothecary for a little bit, before finally shaking his head. "This place... it has a lot of darkness. It grows every day. Meenak wants to make sure if he needs wards and materials, they are available. Potions will do for now... may have to build ant farm back at the snarl..."
Meenak pauses as he seems to take more note of the poles than most anything else, even what's posted on them. "...the five wards." he muses almost inaudibly. Whatever that means. "Meenak wants to see the... apa- ...apuh-... a-pot-to-carry..." he said, apparently struggling with the large word. "Is that like a ritual den? Keeps all the things necessary for warding? Herbal drafts and ant wax and stuff?" He starts to traipse in the direction, before stopping at the unique wealday poster and looking up. It seemed... different from the others. He couldn't place why, but none of them seemed to looked like this one. As if someone took great pains to craft it. Pointing up at the poster, he looked to Cassiel. "What's a wealday? Is that... a day to roll things around? Is it like the chimeda beetle races? Those are fun... Meenak never wins, his beetles are too stupid and slow, but it's fun."
Meenak listens, eyes wandering up above him before looking back at Cassiel. He jogged a little further ahead and stopped turning back to face Cassiel... before bowing. "Meenak must say thank you. Grumpy Face- ...hrm..." Meenak paused, looking down and thinking a bit, before tapping his chin in consideration. Finally, he looked back up with a nod. "Professor came back to teach Meenak. Meenak liked Professor and Sir Shiny Scales saved him. Sir Shiny Scales is good knight. Almost as good as Meenak is mighty shaman!" Pleased with his posturing, Meenak returned to walking, this time ahead of the paladin.
"Meenak was trying to exorcise spirit from Swampscale burial tunnel." Meenak explained, little yellow eyes darting about from underneath his cloak hood. After a moment, he reaches under his clothing and produces a small handful of tattered little papers, all of them featuring scribbles in Draconic. He looks through them as he keeps up with the paladin. "Meenak isn't sure what happened. Meenak thought he completed everything correctly... perhaps it was the slurk herbal brew? Or maybe the ant-wax candles were backwards... Meenak still hasn't figured out what he did wrong. Meenak wanted to get rid of the spirit. Instead, it turned into... Kibbi." The kobold looks up at nothing with a grimace, before turning back and stuffing his notes away. "Meenak found out later Kibbi is a wendo guide, the first Swampscales have ever seen. But it doesn't explain why the ritual brought forth Kibbi. By all accounts, he should've been driven away from it..." Meenak picks up the pace a little bit and scuttles up to Cassiel's speed. "Why is Grumpy Face here? Did Professor teach you as well?"
Meenak seems slightly shocked at the respect this apparent message has earned him. On instinct, he bowed back, though he wasn't sure why he was supposed to. Looking up at Cassiel, he tilted his head, before thinking for a moment and finally nodding, with a slightly shrug. "Sure. Meenak is okay with that. Maybe go see the front of Harrowstone? Or... in that direction?" Unsure of where Cassiel wants to go, he opts to trail slightly behind him, following along quietly.
Meenak slowly moves out from his hiding spot, looking up quizzically at Lorant. "She... did? Meenak doesn't know what he said. Kibbi kept whispering to me that he was hearing something, and Meenak needed to relay it." Meenak's eyes dart up, moving back and forth as if watching something move around above his head, before looking back at the others. "Swampscales don't worship Pharasma... mostly. We look to wendo to understand the darkness. Tribe elders say that Swampscales used to worship Pharasma many clutches back, but not anymore. Swampscales talk with wendo instead - they answer more." "Meenak isn't sure what happened - after Meenak climbed onto the desk, he let Kibbi share his body to say what he needed. Is Pharasma the one who told Grimy Barrel to look?"
Meenak follows along, clearly unhappy he doesn't get to go, but not putting up a fuss. Once in the archives, he startles a little at Lorant's exclamation, hiding behind Mathus' leg again. "How did Meenak do what!? Meenak didn't take anything! ...this time!"
"They will be there." Meenak says, hopping off the desk and stumbling a little, still dizzy slightly. "It makes sense. If you want to keep a secret a secret, don't tell anyone. Meenak's tribe would let new kobolds find our traps for themselves. It teaches them how to spot secrets... and eliminates the weaker ones."
Meenak looks up at Lorant as he makes his request. 'That won't do, no no, not at all.' The kobold peered up to see Kibbi hovering above his head, circling it with a troubled clatter (however that sounds). 'People of Pharasma, yessss? Yes, yes, they cannot deny they have it. They know they do, even if they do not know they do.' Even Meenak found these mutterings to be a little weird, but Kibbi fluttered down to his ear fringes, clattering into them. 'Master. Master. The Dark Lady speaks. She speaks to meeeee. Please please, relay these words.' Quirking a brow at the spirit, Meenak shrugged before listening carefully. After a moment, he leaned back, staring with a quizzical look, before looking up over the desk again. Clambering up, Meenak climbed up onto the desk, standing up above the rest as he looked down at Father Grimburrow. "Meenak has message." he stated, before inhaling a preparatory breath and speaking. But it wasn't his usual scratchy voice... more like he was in some semblance of a trance. "...from birth to grave have I watched you... and from birth to grave shall I do so again... this cycle must you abide by. Some have chosen to flee my embrace... return them to me. I have sent you tools to bring forth my judgement... retrieve them from my cold hands. I have spoken... return my children to me..." Meenak blinked a couple times, before growing a little dizzy and staggering a bit. Talking again, his voice had returned to it's usual pitch and tone. "...Meenak wants to see the crypt now. Meenak wants revenge!"
"Not an accident!" Meenak piped up, having slunk his way from behind Mathus to the Father's desk and pulling himself up to see over it. "Someone took Professor from Meenak! Meenak will find them! Meenak will make them pay!"
Meenak hides behind Mathus's leg as Lorant addresses the spiraling father. Meenak looked up at the others, waiting to see what they planned on doing.
Meenak peers out from underneath the table at the fumbling Lorant, blinking a couple times before poking his head out more. "Meenak wants to see where Professor was killed, too." he piped up. "Should Meenak get his pickaxe?"
As noises arise from the kitchen, one can see a little figure clambering out from underneath the couch and immediately making its way to the sounds and smells of breakfast. Peering out to make sure it's clear, Meenak darts into the room and takes refuge under the table. He seems to like it down there. "Meenak likes Shiny Eyes' idea. Meenak wants to dig into stuff. Meenak even brought his pick!" he proclaims proudly, as a black-scaled claw gropes out from underneath the table. After some fumbling, it finds some bread and a chunk of cheese, pulling them down below.
Meenak peers up with those yellow eyes at Lorant, expression neutral for a moment as if considering the question, before responding. "...yes, Meenak thinks Pale Scales is annoying. Pale Scales does not agree with Meenak's choice to go to the crypt. But Pale Scales also speaks to Meenak with proper respect and acknowledges Meenak's power, so Meenak still likes Pale Scales. Pale Scales is annoying, but good to keep around." ...well, at least he's honest. Returning home, Meenak immediately sets about the house, hanging up charms, setting out tiny statuettes and laying out salt in strange runic patterns. Once pleased with his work, he returns to the reading room from earlier, crawling up under the sofa and apparently claiming it as his own. Looking underneath, once can usually see his yellow eyes softly glowing back out at the peeper, though he makes no move to chase the pryer off.
Meenak hisses at the mention of asking permission or speaking with the priests. "Meenak disagrees. Meenak likes Pharasma... but her priests are annoying. Never let you investigate things." After a moment of silence, he grumps a little before piping up again. "...Meenak can't go tonight, though. Meenak wants to get home and finish Professor's snarl traps." Seems he is at least willing to wait a little bit. "...Hatchling should return home to snarl. Meenak will go with her. Too dangerous out here. Meenak... feels darkness. Kibbi is unhappy too."
"If Shiny Eyes doesn't want to go, Meenak will like that. Meenak is a kobold - all kobolds are good at hiding. And Meenak can see in the dark. Would be better if Meenak went alone." The kobold peered out from underneath the table, looking up at Mathus from between his legs with those yellow serpentine eyes. "Meenak isn't scared. If Professor went there before going to Harrowstone, and Professor died at Harrowstone, the crypt must be safe, yes? Professor mentioned 'stuff' in his journal. Meenak wants the 'stuff'."
Meenak listens quietly from under the table, audibly snarling at the mention of the Whispering Way. Still, he remains calmly underneath and huffs a little. "Meenak isn't sleepy! Meenak wants to see the crypt Professor was investigating. May be more stuff around... Meenak would like more stuff..."
Meenak grumbled a little, before the plate filled with bones levitates back up and sets down on the table with a *plunk*. "Meenak likes it down here. Less light. Now food. Meenak is happy." Meenak peers out cautiously from underneath the table to spy Zokar. "...Meenak wants to know about Harrowstone."
Before anyone can touch it, the plate holding the cooked pheasant suddenly lifts off the table, slowly creeping through the air and lowering itself down to the floor. A pair of black claws snap out and grab hold of the plate, pulling it in. After a moment, the sound of growls and gnashing rise from under the table, followed by a hiss as if trying to scare something off. Before long, the chewing is replaced by a content grumble (along with what sounds like a hiccup). "...Meenak is a mighty shaman of the Swampscale tribe." Apparently, he's grown fond of that title.
"-!? Meenak is no pet! Meenak is a mighty shaman! And Meenak doesn't have mundane taste! Meenak eats just fine!" the kobold protested from his spot under the table. He doesn't seem inclined to move from his spot beneath. Meenak isn't going to help him if monsters try to eat him. That'll show him! Scowling up at Zokar, Meenak sits with a grump as he looks up at Cassiel. "Meenak likes it down here. Darker. Too bright up there. Hurts Meenak's eyes. And birds are fine. Meenak never gets to eat birds. Rare and tasty."
Meenak stays relatively close to Kendra as the travel, keeping close eye on anything and anyone who comes near. On arriving at the tavern, Meenak hides quietly behind Kendra. This Elkarid seemed like too nice of a fellow... if Meenak knew one thing, it's that openly nice folks are rare, and probably plotting something. Or perhaps that was just the kobold mindset. Trust nobody. Especially if they seem nice. As the group selects a table, Meenak quickly darts underneath, taking refuge and peering out at the surrounding folks. Looking up at the owner, he squints. I bet he's poisoned the food. With ghosts! He said so himself, it's liquid ghosts! After a moment of glaring up at Mr. Elkarid, Meenak huffed a little... "...roasted peasant. What Kibbi? ...are you sure? No, peasant sounds right... Meenak doesn't want to look stupid. ...grrr, fine. Pheasant? Roasted pheas- grr, just cooked birds." After a moment and a swipe at the air, he hissed before adding, "Please."
Meenak nods back to Mathus, closing the satchel on his waist. "It does... if used by the right kobold. One of Meenak's clutch mates saw Meenak use it and tried to himself..." At praise from Kendra, Meenak stares at her for a moment, motionless, before slapping his tail on the ground and placing his claws on his waist, as if triumphant in something. "Meenak IS mighty shaman! Meenak will keep Professor's Hatchling safe!" he proclaimed, apparently figuring out the simple concept of "Protecting Kendra = proper respect" and deciding to roll with it. "Meenak will follow Hatchling so she can feed! Let's find food!"
Meenak quirks an eyebrow at the rest of the group, before frowning and shaking his head. "Meenak knows fear. Swampscales are kobolds. Kobolds trust nobody... especially dead nobodies. Meenak knows what that's like... it means they might be plotting stuff. But... Meenak not interested in picking fights. Yet. Bad idea. Never play fair agains-- KIBBI! Leave the grumpy face alone!" As he spoke, an unintelligible whispering has been sounding slightly in Cassiel's ear, which ceases immediately at Meenak's reprimanding. Meenak traces an invisible trail around the room for a bit, before focusing back. "Anyways, Meenak isn't worried about locals. They're scared, which means they'll be too busy plotting to bother us. Meenak is more concerned with the dark energies of this warren." As he spoke, the kobold walked around to the various entrances of the room, opening a pouch at his waist and taking out some white powder. He starts to line each doorway with a trail of it - closer inspection reveals it's actually common salt!
Meenak frowns as everyone around him seems more content to wait and study rather than get things done. His tail quickly comes to a stall and stops swishing, as he frowns a bit. "...grrr... fine. Meenak will wait. But Meenak will not leave Professor's warren if Professor's hatchling stays here." he conceded, but declared with authority on the subject of Kendra. Evidently, he was intent on taking Lorrimor's request with the utmost intensity. "Meenak has to set up traps! Fortify the snarl with defenses. Professor wanted Meenak to look out for his hatchling, and Meenak shall! Meenak will find place to sleep eventually. Meenak feeds himself. Besides, Meenak doesn't trust the locals - they wanted to stop us earlier, we should keep them out!"
Meenak blinks back at Lorant's question, looking up at Kibbi and back to the larger being. Finally, he snaps his clawed fingers as if recalling something. "Yes, yes, you big races can't see him. Meenak forgets sometimes. Kibbi is Meenak's Juju familiar. Meenak summoned him many years ago - trying to exorcise an angry spirit from a Swampscale burial cavern. Meenak did it... but forgot how to do it again. Juju is poorly documented... Professor taught Meenak how to take good notes, Meenak taught him Juju. Better notes... but Meenak still can't do the ritual again. Kibbi is helpful... but noisy. Kibbi! Say hello!" As if on command, a strange series of whispers emanates from near Lorant's shoulder, though it's audible to all present. The whispering sounds like coherent speech, but the volume and tone make it exceptionally difficult to understand. At best, it sounds like some sort of ominous greeting. Meenak watches for a moment, before tracing some trail back to his own shoulder and nodding. "Meenak won't get killed. Meenak needs to find if any undead are running around. Meenak knows how to track undead back to it's source!" he proclaims, claws on his hips and looking fairly proud of himself. "Meenak can also ask the rats. They know lots, usually."
Meenak snarls furiously towards Lorant, though his stance makes it look like he isn't really mad at him. "Meenak doesn't want to be a knight. Meenak just wants revenge!" Hopping off the chest, Meenak looks affixed on the door. "Meenak wants to see the Harrowstone. Do you think they left undead there? Meenak can track them if they did. Meenak has... methods. Kibbi!" The kobold directs his glare to Cassiel... or more accurately, over his shoulder slightly. Kibbi flutters up, before immediately soaring to his master's side and chattering. 'Yeeeees master. Speak and I shall act.' Meenak nods, growling. "Meenak and Kibbi will investigate the Harrowstone." He said, marching to the door and stepping out of sight... before returning a moment later and looking to Kendra. "...where is the Harrowstone?"
Meenak listens quietly, before snarling and growling angrily. "Meenak knew it! Someone took Professor from him! MEENAK WASN'T FINISHED WITH HIM!!!" he railed loudly, pounding at the chest and clambering on it, raising his clenched claws in the air. "Where are they!? Meenak wants to find them! Meenak will claw out their eyes and drag what's left back to his warren and make them mine for blightburn! Where are they?! Where is this Hiss-pering Way!"
Meenak turns the book over and over in his effort to find some way to open it... or at least read what it was. Finally fed up, he set the book down and stood up, folding his arms over his chest and snarling at the book. At the mention of finding something the Professor wanted them to see, however, Meenak immediately spirited over, looking in at the pages to see what they said. "What? Where? What does it say? More helpful than dumb purple book?"
Meenak paused from his setting up charms to look up at the scary religious fellow. "Not generous. Meenak likes shinies. Meenak is making Juju guards. Dark stuff in this warren. Need protection." Satisfied with his explanation, he proceeded to hang a necklace made from beads, feathers and a partially broken rat skull off a nearby chair. "What are... Important Lords?" Peering into the chest, Meenak's little yellow eyes widen as he looks about at the books. 'Evil! Evil! Daaaaarkness inside! Hide them!' Kibbi sputtered, immediately flying about and promptly finding a safe hiding spot behind Cassiel's shoulder. Meenak quirked a brow at him, before looking back to the books and picking up the big purple one, heaving it out and plopping it on the floor. He poked at the lock with his claw, as if his tiny talon would help open the lock. "This doesn't seem to radiate darkness... 'Take to Justice Embreth Daramid'... isn't that the person with our shinies?"
Meenak follows Kendra and the others back to the house. On entering, a jitter goes down his crest and back, wriggling out into his tail. Something was... dark in the house. He could practically feel it prickling at his scales. Even Kibbi seemed more erratic than usual. Thus, Meenak spent the hour waiting for the Councilman creating little charms, pendents and warding objects, hanging them around the house and furniture. When Vashian arrives, Meenak perks up and finds a safe space underneath a table to watch cautiously. He listens carefully, though every so often, he takes the opportunity to swipe at the air, apparently trying to get Kibbi to be quiet so he could focus. His eyes go remarkably wide at the mention of what the Professor had set aside. 100 platinum coins!? That was enough to rival a dragon's horde! The prospect of staying in Ravengro wasn't terribly appealing to Meenak... but the circumstances suited him well. After all, every kobold knew how to fortify their warren against evils in and out of it. He'd have to give the house a look-over and see where to start constructing traps... as well as a place to work on his own stuff. Meenak is glad to see Vashian leave, and more than eager to take the key Kendra offers. It was sorta shiny... good enough for him! But the chest... that was another story. He could feel something cold within. If nobody tries to snatch the key from him, he'll try to open the chest and see what lurks inside.
Honestly... I don't know what kind of skull. I was just gonna go with human, but now that I think on it, it could be anything, couldn't it? Maybe a floating kobold skull... or perhaps one from a dire rat? Also, yeah, we should be good without a straight wizard. I think it'll be more interesting to not have one. A good challenge. Demands some creativity.
Also, yes, Kibbi is basically a floating skull wrapped in ectoplasm (thinking bubbles from the Zelda series). He's a class feature, but I opted to try playing him as a semi-familiar spirit that Kibbi summoned and just never was able to replicate. I just read the Haunted curse and thought 'Eh, why not make it something who pesters the hell out of him? That's what the curse already does, right?' And thus, Kibbi was born. Or... unborn. Or... summoned, whatever. Also, probably yeah. An interested local who wants to jump into the fray.
Meenak watched and listened as the others started to talk about the professor. Was... was he supposed to say something? It was quiet... should he... do something? About how he knew the Professor? Even Kibbi seemed remarkably quiet, simply lulling back and forth with an occasional rattle of his skull breaking the silence. Meenk took a couple steps forward, looking about as if for approval, before speaking. "Uhm... Professor was a good softskin. He taught Meenak lots of stuff. Meenak taught him about Juju, and-- shut up, Kibbi!" he hissed, snapping his head up and swiping at the air as if trying to swat some invisible... thing. Turning back, Meenak pulled out some strange little figure or fetish, vaguely resembling a humanoid, as he placed it on the side of the coffin. "Juju guide. Helps take the spirit to next world." he explained, frowning at the coffin before scowling. "...Meenak wasn't done with Professor. Had more to learn. Had more to teach. Meenak doesn't know who... but someone took Professor from him." His little black claw clenched as his fangs bore along his maw. "And Meenak will find them. Meenak will make them pay."
They weren't moving. Figures. Alright, they wanted necromancy? Then they were going to get it! Leaning back behind the shaven human, Meenak curled up into a meditative state, tail swishing side to side as he placed his claws on his knees. "(Kibbi! Your master speaks!)" he hissed. 'Oooooo! State your wish, Master! State it!' "(Here are my instructions...)" Meenak uttered a few words quietly, before closing his eyes to concentrate. Meanwhile, Kibbi cackled lightly, before swaying off to execute his master's commands. A moment later, Meenak inhales as Kibbi flutters behind the mob of people, giggling as he started to make chattering noises. The kobold's snout twisted in concentration as he focused, trying to contort the noise. With any luck, he could make it sound as if mutterings of doubt were being whispered here and there between the various men. If only he'd had more time to practice - he could possibly have made it sound like human speech. But as it stood, the best he could do was unintelligible mumblings. Now it was just a question of if the humans fell for it.
Being the size of... well, a kobold, poor Meenak could only look forlorn up at the Professor's coffin as he walked along. It seemed only yesterday he saw the old man, getting on in years, but still had a zeal for life and learning. Now, he lay in a box. Meenak had no clue what funerals were or even why he was invited, but he guessed the box must've been some kind of necromantic shield to prevent undead revival. Perhaps he was invited to observe the process? A final lesson for his scaly pupil. Someone took Prof. Lorrimor from Meenak. He just knew it, and the kobold would find them, and make them pay! Following along, Meenak made sure to watch carefully. Even in death, the Professor was teaching him... that gave him some comfort. But every so often, he looked up and gave a hiss of silence. Flying around his head, unseen to all, but Meenak, a pale, translucent skull shrouded in purple smog fluttered through the air: Meenak's spiritual familiar, Kibbi. Constantly prattling, even now, Kibbi bugged Meenak, asking questions and whispering irritating comments to him. It was this chatter that distracted Meenak, who bumped into the leg of the human ahead of him - the tall (to a kobold, anyways) well-dressed fellow with the gray hair. Noticing the procession had stopped, he peered around the leg to see more humans facing them. Surly-looking bunch, indeed. And they had stopped the ritual! 'Them! It's them! Them them them them them!' Kibbi chittered to the kobold. "(The ones who took the Professor?)" Meenak hissed back, before looking at the men again. They... certainly did seem capable of it. Big. Tough. Grumpy. Meenk scowled at the men, about ready to raise a fuss when the others spoke up. He'd wait. See what they did. Perhaps they'd move on...
I got picked? Oh holy smokes, I honestly wasn't expecting that! Right, right, onto the game.
Same to you. Same to all, actually. I always hate to see folks left out of a game when they've put work into their characters. I think it's not the unusual race so much as it is kobolds specifically. They're mechanically weaker and that means work for the GM to make it easier for them without making it too easy for other players. I definitely get that: it's hard enough to GM normally without throwing weird characters into the mix. At least, that's what it seems like. I just enjoy playing weaker or unoptimized characters (be it a cowardly kobold paladin or an old-age human sensei) because those are way more memorable.
Hmmmm. Choice is going to be tough. I have a few ideas, but nothing firm yet. No one has been eliminated out of hand; everyone is being given due consideration (yes, even the kobold :)). I'll say that I appreciate that. Most GMs will see a kobold and immediately write them off for being too weak to contribute properly. So thank you.
Oh thank lord, finally someone else put in an app for a divine class. I was feeling lonely up there on my own.
I'm still working on him, but here's my tenuous submission for Carrion Crown! |