You can urge them to consider other options, and try to learn WHY they are on the warpath. I may have missed that, but what's their given reason for assaulting Olegs?
Search Posts
Mikmek tumbles off Scarlet's horse and crawls up to the feet of the chiefs.
Mikmek barks his reply. Draconic: "All chiefs! Or lots of them anyway. Merlokrep, chief of the Truescales, most of all. Chief Sootscale call moot, but Merlokrep call for attack. Merlokrep say now is time to 'show Smooth Ones who no wear pants!'"
Mikmek rushes down the hill to the party, and explains the situation in a series of barks, yaps, and whines. Draconic:
"No need fight. You champions who helped defeat Tartuk and old god, Sharptooth! They only want to kill Garden One, but I told them 'him too'. Sootscales have knew goddess now. Chatchit High Priest of Ilthuliak, the True True-Blood Huntress. Chatchit say she True True True-Blood. Anyway, they here to lay ambush. Closing circle around Smooth One lairs and fort to Northeast. Kobold chiefs say is time to drive all Smooth Ones away. Make hills ring with kobold picks. They lay traps all around Smooth Ones, plan to bring fire to the Smooth Ones tomorrow tonight before False Scale Smooth Ones arrive. When False Scale Smooth Ones arrive there be big war."
Moments pass as Mikmek continues to explain to his fellows who the party is. The explanation includes words and phrases like "Blue Meanies," "Ol' Sharptooth," and "Tartuk". One scene he illustrates with his claws, using one hand as Scarlet's mine cart tracing its path through the air during its many jumps. "VROOOOM!" he says.
"mIv tIn luj ghaH." Draconic: "He lost his big hat."
With some difficulty Mikmek gets Zokon's horse around the black kobolds defenders and up to the top of the hill
He tumbles from the horse's back and quickly rolls to his feet all while waving his hands and shouting: "MEV! MEV! Grr, Nuvpu' Hab roD 'oSwI' YAP vIghaj!" Frantic Draconic: "STOP! STOP! These Smooth Ones are the champions of the Silver Mine!"
Mikmek does likewise but in the opposite direction. The little kobold warrior throws his tiny arms around his horse's neck and holds on as the beast rockets up the hill. "MEV! MEV!" Mikmek shrieks. Panicked Draconic: "STOP! STOP!"
Mikmek looks about in confusion at being left behind astride a huge beast, and now seemingly trapped behind walls of iron.
Zokon easily escapes the kobold's grip.
Mikmek visibly shakes while holding on to Zokon's leg.
Mikmek nervously clutches Zokon's leg.
Mikmek stops trying to carry Posh off (mostly because he is too heavy). The kobold catches his breath and points to the northwest. Between the two women present he looks up at Scarlet, and solemnly says. "Grr, In Hab wa' WOOF! laHvetlh ghIgh yIlan nuvpu'! Grr YAP Nakpik 'ej qaStaHvIS 'oH *whine* *whine* WOOF 'ach nargh jIH! ghu'vam jatlh Woof Sootscale net tlhop--vay' 'ej ma'rIch noH! latlh tuq pong ghaH! tu'lu' chaH pong DaH! SoH, 'ej cha' Grrr *snarl* Suq Ha' jIH! Sov je Woof Woof veS! qul tIn legh Yap!" Draconic:
"The big Smooth One fort! My people have lain siege to it! Nakpik and I languished in it's terrible sunlit dungeons, but I escaped! Chief Sootscale says this is a 'front-of-something' and marches to war! Him call other clans! They be there by now! I come get you Smooth One Champions, and two Despised Garden Ones! Know of your war with Antlerheads! See big fires!"
"Grr, noH! YAP! pa' veS Ha'! ghob'e' ghoS DaH!" yaps the little kobold still insistently trying to kidnap the gnome away from the celebration. Draconic: "War! There's a war coming! Must go now!"
The little black-scaled kobold grabs Posh and tugs at his arms trying to drag him away from the growing bandit celebration all the while yapping in his uncouth Draconic dialect. Draconic: "Quick! Come Evil Garden One! There is war, or soon will be! Bring your tribe! Bring the Big Smooth Ones, and the other Terrible Garden One with the High Hat!"
{sniff, sniff. Sad kobold eyes.}
{Wipes tear from eye.}
"???"
Mikmek rushes to Alia's side whining and tugging at her arm. "*Whine* Qo'! Ha', Qo'!" Draconic: "No! Don't go!"
Mikmek puts every one of his 480 ounces into the effort, and pulls.
[dice=Baby Kobold Driver]1d20+5[/dice]
"...!" sense motive DC 12: Oh no! Not again!
Mikmek blinks his eyes open, and looks around weakly. "Yap?"
.... dice:
Before Mikmek can even see the pit he leaves off the breaks and tries to will it over the magical gap. ""
It becomes apparent the cart isn't going to make it. Time slows. Mikmek's triumphant cry turns into a slow motion basso of despair as the cart tilts downward to its doom! "-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!"
Mikmek's eyes grow wide as they approach the fork ahead one marked: "Silver Mine", and the other more crudely marked: "Pit Fiends Ahead" with lots of skulls and crossbones as if trying to make some sort of point. He let's go of the breaks hoping that Luna can break if needed. Okay not really. He pulls his crossbow and fires!
Something thuds into the back of Illthir's cart, right behind her. Nakpik looks back up the rail. Distantly he can see Mikmek white-knuckling the break lever of his cart, and a small crossbow under one of the cat Luna's big paws. Mikmek smiles sheepishly. Nakpik's eyes narrow.
Mikmek struggles to pull the cart. He grits his fangs and tries again.
"Grrrr!" Mikmek exerts himself, and pulls again this time accidentally disengaging the front break. After which he is forced to move quickly to avoid being run over. There's a sort of switch up ahead next to the tracks. It is currently angled away from the cart Celyne is in.
Mikmek dispatches his foe and seeing what Alia, Illthir and Nakpik are doing makes for a mine cart.
"Qapchu'! yopwaH bID-pe'!" Draconic:
"Quickly! Short-cut!" Mikmek and Nakpik rush down a seemingly dead end corridor and shove part of the frame aside revealing that tunnel continues on.
Mikmek steps forward and barks: "'Etlh ghotI'." Draconic: "Swordfish.
"Grr-ja'chuq? 'ach chonayta' leng maH SachchoHghach'a' He 'angbogh wItlha' vutmeH DesYAPPed wa'. nuvpu' qeylIS SuD ghaH mikmek. mu'qaD megh'an." Draconic:
"'Discuss'? But we already travel out of the way so Despised One could make maps. Mikmek take god to his people. End curse." Mikmek begins gathering his things.... He is done gathering his things, because he doesn't have any.
"Yap!" Mikmek wags his tail expectantly. Draconic: "Most-Honored Despised One, are we ready to proceed to the 'meeting spot'?"
"Grr, Hoch tIq Hab wa' legh rap mInDu'wIj HochHom-bIquv muS wa'." Says Mimmek from the safety of the outside of the stone ring. Draconic: "All the tall Smooth Ones look alike to my eyes, Most-Beneficent Despised One."
Mikmek makes a noise in his throat and kicks a stone to one side.
Mikmek reaffirms the position of his pointy mite knife as Numalar approaches. "SoHvaD ghewmey law' Quch, mikmek. nuq 'oH QIH? Qo' Hero chenmoH SoH Hew qem wItI'nISmo' nuvpu'?" He settles down when he notices that Numalar is not attacking him. "mikmek yay chonayta'. che'wI' yIchegh vo' QI'yaH mIgh SIQ DIS, toH 'e' neH Da'oghchugh qeylIS-jach'YAP Qu'. yay RUFF. mikmek 'ej QuQ neH wa' jatlhqa'. Grr'Ruf 'e' jawbe' nuvpu' 'elbe'meH QaQ. YAP, vaj bIH Hoch wej vISopmeH ngo' Ho'Du' Jej mu'qaD SuD Hegh.... Grr'Ruf, pagh wej Hoch lo'taHvIS chaH ngo' Ho'Du' Jej muSonmeH YAP. Woof tul, ghaH, chu'wI' bel Ho'Du' jej ngo' toD Qu'." Draconic (Sootscale dilect):
"Mikmek already champion. I was the only one to come back from Horrible Evil Bear Cave, that's why god-speaker send me on this quest. Being champion rough. Mikmek only one again. It will be good to be among my clutch mates once again... If Old Sharptooth's Curse of Yellow Death has not taken them all... Or if they have not all been sacrificed to win Old Sharptooth's favor. Hopefully our mission to rescue Old Sharptooth will please him." He looks over at the stone statue. It however remains scowling. Mikmek tries to put on a brave face by halfheartedly wagging his tail, though it is obvious his tail is just not into it and he stops. "Grr'Ra qatlh bISaHchugh, rav muS mIgh wa'?" Draconic (Sootscale dilect): "Why do you care, Most-Hated Evil One?"
Mikmek looks suspiciously at Numalar and his map and then listens to his bastardized Draconic. After a moment Mikmek barks, and wags his tail happily in agreement. He points to the mine marked on the map.
"YAP wa', vaj wIja''a'." Draconic: "Smooth Ones, we should go."
"Grrr."
"Ngo' Shiv-Tooh qeylIS YAP QeH. nuv ghaH luj doom! Hegh qoj'a' SuD luDalaH wa' nargh luj ghaH 'Iv neH vegh lo'taHvIS je Hance. ghaH toD vIneH 'ach YAP YAP Qu' pe'vIlHa' je Hance 'ej poH cha'DIch jIH chegh juH mob." Mikmek turns away, and makes a sad sort of whining noise. Draconic: "Old Sharptooh is a very angry god. Those who fail him are doomed! Only through sacrifice and penance can one who fails him escape the dreadful yellow death. I wish to rescue him but this is the second mission I have taken as penance and the second time I return home alone." Mikmek looks back across the tunnel to the charcoal black bodies of his dead, tortured to death, companions, and makes a sad whining noise.
Mikmek arrives in the larger room and looks warily at the fearsome statue.
Mikmek takes careful aim and...
And he narrowly misses Alia. "Oops!"
With Alia distracting the little, pint-sized, knife-wielding maniac, Mikmek jumps in and tries to drag the mite out of his hole, and manages to get a hold on the mite.
Mikmek drops Numalar's crossbow, and throws himself at the mite with the knife, Trying to drag the little brute from his hole!
"YAP-YAP, YAP!" Draconic: "NO! NOT THAT ONE!"
Mikmek fires on the berserker mite as she closes with Numalar, he hits but his bolt audibly *plinks* off her thick forehead. She rubs at the spot before completing her charge.
|