In-Character Roleplaying (after River Snakes fight)

Six emerges from the water, carrying the very unconscious and barely alive bard who was leading the enemy.

Luna, meanwhile, is still staring at her arm. She, and anybody else who cares to look, can see her wounds gradually healing, as approximately the same rate as it does when she uses a lesser vigor spell. What the others don't feel, however, is the gentle warmth Luna feels emanating from the snakelike band around her forearm.

The healing begins at the arm, the closest wound (a deep cut on the shoulder) closing gradually, and then the next wound beginning to seal itself, and so on. At the current speed and with the extent of her injuries, it'll take over ten minutes for them to close, but the healing shows no signs of abating.

Gurr'khan looks at the healing wounds, with eyebrows raised, and then grunts, "Nice work. Did you just use some magic I didn't notice, or is this something else I should be concerned about?"

Then he turns to look at Six and the bard, and heads over. "Good work. I should make sure he doesn't die. I have a few questions for the fool."

"Well Gurr'khan I am getting mighty tired of people taking wacks at us. Do you have any problems with us smashing this tribe? I want to impress upon these tribes that we are triffled with at their peril."

Nameless will go on to suggest that Six have his ears blocked and have his chain wrapped around the bard's neck while we interrogate the bard to find out what was behind the attack.

Nameless wrote:

"Well Gurr'khan I am getting mighty tired of people taking wacks at us. Do you have any problems with us smashing this tribe? I want to impress upon these tribes that we are triffled with at their peril."

Gurr'khan grins, but there's little mirth in it. "From what Surr'kal told me, you folks have been having that happen a lot." He throws the unconscious bard a look and says, "But I'd rather we not go off and start dropping fireballs and flame strikes on a village full of women and children. It's not like the River Snakes, or most of the clans or tribes, whatever their beliefs, to just attack travelers. Let's talk to this one first."

Quote :

Nameless will go on to suggest that Six have his ears blocked and have his chain wrapped around the bard's neck while we interrogate the bard to find out what was behind the attack.

Now that all of you are right next to him, Nameless is quite sure that the bard would lose whatever little life he has remaining before he could safely get a spell or other magical effect off, but you take whatever precautions you want.

Luna uses a charge of lesser vigor to revive the bard. He opens his eyes with a pained groan and tries to sit up, before hitting the limits of the chain. His eyes flicker back and forth, panic evident in them for a moment, as well as more than a little surprise as he sees Korm, Luna and Nameless all still alive. Then he seems to grow quickly calmer.

"What do you fools want?" he asks, his voice containing a trace of the melody it's capable of, but drowned out by the pain of his wounds.

Admin wrote:

"What do you fools want?" he asks, his voice containing a trace of the melody it's capable of, but drowned out by the pain of his wounds.

"Well, I was just going to wipe out your village and tribe, but he (pointing at Gurr'khan) wanted to find out if there was some reason for your attacking us first. Considering that we took a risk to find out what happened to some of your missing hunters, I'm happy to oblige you if you'd rather just die."

While some in this village may be violent, to destroy the entire village would be evil. To destroy the hunters of this village, which are the warriors, would also be evil Thinking We either find a way to speak with them, or we find another way

Gareth wrote:

While some in this village may be violent, to destroy the entire village would be evil. To destroy the hunters of this village, which are the warriors, would also be evil Thinking We either find a way to speak with them, or we find another way

Who are you and what have you done with Gareth?

Nameless wrote:

Who are you and what have you done with Gareth?

Nameless wrote:

"Well, I was just going to wipe out your village and tribe, but he (pointing at Gurr'khan) wanted to find out if there was some reason for your attacking us first. Considering that we took a risk to find out what happened to some of your missing hunters, I'm happy to oblige you if you'd rather just die."

An expression of surprise flits across the captive's face and he begins, "Find out what happened to our hunters ...?" Then he stops, and the expression quickly changes to a scowl.

"You lie. The Khyber Serpent spoke to my people last night, warning that you had come to defile our sacred sites. I saw and heard it myself. Some of the fools were not sure, since it was not the shamans who saw it, but my people and I knew that the Serpent speaking to us was a sign of the importance of the situation. So we came, and here you are. We would have returned in triumph with your heads, if not for your damned luck." By the time he's done, he's almost shouting, though with enough self-preservation not to try an escape or anything else.

Gurr'khan, listening intently, says, "He's an idiot. The Khyber Serpent, I believe, is their clan totem. The totems only speak through the tribe's shamans." He grunts and adds, "Mainly because that's a bloody good way for the shamans to retain significant power in the tribes. Which is easier with idiots like this one."

The captive just glares at Gurr'khan, but doesn't add anything.

Korm, with his knowledge of the Marches, can corroborate what Gurr'khan says, and adds that there are some daelkyr ruins within the swamp. While the Gatekeepers, and the clans/tribes that lean towards them, try to keep people away from such sites, the Cults of the Dragon Below venerate these locations.

Admin wrote:

An expression of surprise flits across the captive's face and he begins, "Find out what happened to our hunters ...?" Then he stops, and the expression quickly changes to a scowl.

"You lie. The Khyber Serpent spoke to my people last night, warning that you had come to defile our sacred sites. I saw and heard it myself. Some of the fools were not sure, since it was not the shamans who saw it, but my people and I knew that the Serpent speaking to us was a sign of the importance of the situation. So we came, and here you are. We would have returned in triumph with your heads, if not for your damned luck." By the time he's done, he's almost shouting, though with enough self-preservation not to try an escape or anything else.

Nameless will walk over and pull the three? masterwork blades out and show them to the Bard telling him how they recovered them from the lair of some Chuul that attacked us and where.

"Unfortunately, we killed all the Chuul, but I'm sure we can find something unpleasant enough to feed you to. Defiling holy sites wasn't originally on our itinerary for this trip, but I'm sure we can spare enough time to oblige you. I'd hate for you to have gone through all this trouble to attack us and then not defile them like you were expecting us to. That would be rude."

Nameless wrote:

Nameless will walk over and pull the three? masterwork blades out and show them to the Bard telling him how they recovered them from the lair of some Chuul that attacked us and where.

"Unfortunately, we killed all the Chuul, but I'm sure we can find something unpleasant enough to feed you to. Defiling holy sites wasn't originally on our itinerary for this trip, but I'm sure we can spare enough time to oblige you. I'd hate for you to have gone through all this trouble to attack us and then not defile them like you were expecting us to. That would be rude."

[note: It was just one blade, though there were 3 bodies]

The bard looks at the blade and then back up at Nameless. "Why should I believe you?" His brow furrows slightly, and then he continues, "You are a very fine liar, but the Serpent has told me of you and your people, and that is all I need to know."

With more vehemence, he adds, "And your threats mean nothing. My people will come searching for me, and if they find you here they will kill you. And if you visit the sacred sites, then they will certainly follow and kill you. There were only ten of us here and we almost bested you." He pauses to glare at Luna, Korm and Gurr'khan. "Even the aid of the Gatekeepers will not save you from the hundreds of my clan. You can kill me now, but your deaths will follow. Swiftly."

Once he's done, Gurr'khan says, "Like I said, he's an idiot. Fanatical one, which is always an entertaining sort. The one thing he's right about is the clan thing. They take it very seriously here, as Korm'akhan can tell you, and they're sure to have more looking for this bunch, though how soon is the question."

"Actually, another question is this whole snake totem thing." Gurr'khan walks over to the captive and says, "Whether you believe it or not, we had no intention of violating any of your sites. Your totem, or whatever it was, lied to you. How'd you know it was your totem, anyway? Maybe you just had too much to drink."

The bard glares up at him and snarls, "You blaspheme what you do not know. I saw it with my own eyes, and others did too. It appeared an hour before dawn, near the edge of the village, a giant green serpent wreathed in flame, floating in mid-air. It was the Khyber Serpent, exactly as the shamans describe it. It said that intruders had come to violate its sacred site, and that the clan should rise to crush them.

There were six of us there, and four ran to call one of the shamans, but we," he pauses to glance at his dead compatriot in the heavy armor, "Waited and listened. The serpent told us exactly where you would be and that there were six of you. It described you perfectly. It said to slay you all and to take your possessions to the sacred site, and then it disappeared, right before the others returned with two of our shamans."

"The shamans questioned us and did not believe, saying that the Khyber Serpent speaks only to them, but I know that the appearance was a sign of its favor. And so we came here with our warriors. If the others had listened, you would be dead by now."

Admin wrote:

"The shamans questioned us and did not believe, saying that the Khyber Serpent speaks only to them, but I know that the appearance was a sign of its favor. And so we came here with our warriors. If the others had listened, you would be dead by now."

Nameless favors the bard with a contemptuous sneer.

"Obviously he's a dupe for whom ever was poking around here last night. I doubt his Flaming Serpents are hairy, wet and leave boot marks. Off hand I'd guess that its Desro's aquaintences. They're easily good enough with disguses and illusions to fool a sucker like this joker. Plus they'd likely know about the dragon shard we got off of Desro and how to use it to track us. Finally, the "claws on the stone" fit in too well with the wet hair for it to be a coincidence.

Let's get going, I've no desire to waste my time fighting with a bunch of duped proxies. We can alway come back and wipe them out later if they keep bothering us."

Nameless wrote:

Nameless favors the bard with a contemptuous sneer.

"Obviously he's a dupe for whom ever was poking around here last night. I doubt his Flaming Serpents are hairy, wet and leave boot marks. Off hand I'd guess that its Desro's aquaintences. They're easily good enough with disguses and illusions to fool a sucker like this joker. Plus they'd likely know about the dragon shard we got off of Desro and how to use it to track us. Finally, the "claws on the stone" fit in too well with the wet hair for it to be a coincidence.

Let's get going, I've no desire to waste my time fighting with a bunch of duped proxies. We can alway come back and wipe them out later if they keep bothering us."

Gurr'khan chuckles a little grimly. "I'd bet a fair amount that you're right on most, if not all, of those counts. And moving on is a good idea. Saala will be expecting us."

He jerks a thumb at the bard, who's listening with a slightly confused expression. "What do you want to do with this? Could send him back with a warning not to bother us again, but I don't know how well that would work. Anyway, he attacked your group and almost killed some of you, so it's up to you to decide what to do. I really don't care."

Admin wrote:

He jerks a thumb at the bard, who's listening with a slightly confused expression. "What do you want to do with this? Could send him back with a warning not to bother us again, but I don't know how well that would work. Anyway, he attacked your group and almost killed some of you, so it's up to you to decide what to do. I really don't care."

"We'll leave him here tied up with a note, nailed to his forehead, explaining how he got used, by whom and how his stupidity got his comrades killed for their foolishness in believing him. If you can send a copy via an animal to his village as well that would be good. I want them to know where to find this idiot so they can mock and humiliate him as he deserves. Death is too easy for someone like him. Make sure they listen to their shamans next time.

We'll leave the hunter's blade and include the location of the hunters bodies in the note as well. The rest of the stuff we'll take, they forfited them when they attacked us.

Now how to get him to wait here peacefully? Gurr'khan could you persuade an animal to sit here and eat his face if he tried to get out of the ropes?"

Nameless wrote:

"We'll leave him here tied up with a note, nailed to his forehead, explaining how he got used, by whom and how his stupidity got his comrades killed for their foolishness in believing him. If you can send a copy via an animal to his village as well that would be good. I want them to know where to find this idiot so they can mock and humiliate him as he deserves. Death is too easy for someone like him. Make sure they listen to their shamans next time.

We'll leave the hunter's blade and include the location of the hunters bodies in the note as well. The rest of the stuff we'll take, they forfited them when they attacked us.

Now how to get him to wait here peacefully? Gurr'khan could you persuade an animal to sit here and eat his face if he tried to get out of the ropes?"

Gurr'khan is grinning so widely by the end of Nameless's speech that his head threatens to come off. "You're a strange man, Nameless, but I like the way you deal with problems."

He looks around the area you're in, and says, "I can find an animal to keep an eye on him. Sending a message will be more complicated, and I don't think we need to bother. Somebody or other will come looking for this bunch."

Gurr'khan points at a couple of low, but sturdy trees. "How about tying the idiot to one of those, but put him a little off the ground? I want to make sure he's alive when found, and however friendly I make an animal, they might get peckish. Stick the corpses under the trees and stake them to the ground. And back up a little distance when I get back with an animal."

With that, he walks down to a more watery, swampy area, casts a couple of spells, turns into a crocodile and slithers into the water. About half an hour later, he returns, accompanied by a pair of crocodiles. He leads them out of the water and to the corpses. The two crocodiles propmptly grab a corpse and try to drag it away, but the stakes hold it in place. Gurr'khan growls something at them and they stop trying to pull away the corpse and rip off some pieces instead, evidently having trouble because it's still fresh meat.

Gurr'khan walks over to join the rest of you and changes back into his normal form. "Those two will stay around for a while. Now let's move before anyone gets here."

OOC: I presume Nameless casts Spectral Steed and Korm & Luna cast Phantom Stag. Gurr'khan casts a Phantom Stag too. Note that these spells, along with the spells cast in the fight, are all done for the day.

The bard is trussed up tightly to the tree, out of reach of the crocodiles. He persists in making dire (and to all of you, quite amusing) threats about the vengeance that his clan, the Khyber Serpent, the denizens of the swamp, etc. will extract from you. Finally, exasperated, Gurr’khan sticks a temporary gag in his mouth. “He’ll be able to work it loose soon enough,” he grunts, “But at least we don’t have to listen to his blithering.”

His judgement is correct, since by the time the bard manages to get rid of the gag, you’ve wrapped up your camp and are preparing to leave, this time on one phantom steed and three phantom stags. Your mounts canter down the hill and into the swamp, the angry shouts of the bard fading quickly behind you.

The area you are heading into seems to have slightly more large vegetation than the previous sections of the swamp that you have seen, but it isn't enough to really slow down the magical mounts. One of the reasons for the increase in vegetation is that there is relatively more solid ground (or rather, more mud than water) to travel across or through, and since the mounts treat it like a paved highway, they set a very good pace.

Gurr'khan estimates that you are about an hour's travel from Saala, and his judgement is good. Just over an hour later, you ride into the largest collection of trees that you have seen in these parts, forming a large wood. As you enter and move through the trees, you note that it seems darker in here than it should be, the sunlight not penetrating between the trees as it should. Small wisps of smoke or mist drift through the air. It also seems quieter somehow, sound not traveling as well as it should.

A few minutes later, you emerge suddenly onto the bank of a large, still pool, stretching over a thousand feet in length and perhaps half that in width. The waters are an inky black and mist-shrouded, making the opposite shore difficult to see. The sky seems very cloudy and much darker than it was when you rode into the trees only minutes ago. The trees come right down to the edge of the water, except for the long shallow bank you emerged onto and a large low hill, bare of trees, which you see looming over the water on the far shore through the mist.

About a hundred feet from you is a small tent pitched near the water. Sitting outside the tent, facing each other, are two women. One is an old half-orc, short and stout, with long white hair tied in a braid. The other is an even older human woman, much thinner, with a surprisingly skeletal face, the skin pulled tight across her skull, which is covered with thinning hair. She has a ragged cloak wrapped around her, and you feel there is something unusual about her posture, though you can't say yet what it is. Both turn to look as you emerge from the forest, and then the half-orc rises to her feet.

She walks towards you, and Gurr'khan rides forward. "Saala," he says, with a nod, and then dismounts.

She nods back and then looks up at the rest of you. "I am Saala Torrn. You are welcome."

Hello Saala and friend

I will be abrupt as we have a active stalker using means we can't identify. We have dragonshard problems. The ones we have may have us, with abilities we don't know of and abilities we don't want.
Infomation about the key is why we came here but our problems seem to be following us. Your knowledge on the key matter may have bearning on the shards. Time is urgent as our stalker is still about.

We should hold off discussing anything potentially "interesting" until tomorrow morning. I have spells that can secure the area from scrying and other such spells, but I do not have them memorized now.

Dave W wrote:

Hello Saala and friend

I will be abrupt as we have a active stalker using means we can't identify. We have dragonshard problems. The ones we have may have us, with abilities we don't know of and abilities we don't want.
Infomation about the key is why we came here but our problems seem to be following us. Your knowledge on the key matter may have bearning on the shards. Time is urgent as our stalker is still about.

Saala looks mildly surprised at the abrupt rush of speech.

Nameless wrote:

We should hold off discussing anything potentially "interesting" until tomorrow morning. I have spells that can secure the area from scrying and other such spells, but I do not have them memorized now.

Saala looks up at the cloudy sky and says, “It’s not even noon. I’d rather not waste time sitting around and waiting till tomorrow, especially in view of what you,” she nods at Six, “Just said. Considering how many of us there are here, hopefully we’d detect it if we were being spied on. Follow me.”

She leads the group to the tent, where the other woman looks up at you, though she continues to sit where she is. Saala says to you, “This is Thlie. Thlie, these are the people I told you about.” Now that you are closer, you can see that one side of Thlie’s face is permanently twisted downwards, and a thin line of spittle leaks out as she nods in your direction. The hands that hold the blanket wrapped around her seem gnarled and twisted. And there’s definitely something very strange about her eyes. Though she looks at you, they seem unfocused somehow.

Saala enters the tent and returns with a couple more mats, which she unrolls and says, “Sit.” She does so too, and says, “Tell me about this stalker.”

Gurr’khan explains what has transpired, including the details of the River Snake attack. Saala listens intently. Thlie does so at times, at others staring off into the distance or muttering under her breath to herself. More drool drips onto her legs, but she doesn’t seem to notice or care, though Saala stops once to wipe it away with a cloth.

After Gurr’khan covers the subject of the stalker(s), Saala says, “And now, what of this Key that I have heard so much of? More precisely, how can I help you with it? Do you come purely for knowledge, or do you wish me to try and rid you of it? I believe it has been somewhat of a burden to you.”

I wish to keep it safe. Unfortunately, it is not safe with us, since we seem to attract trouble, like a corpse attracts maggots. Since we are tied to it, we can also not simply leave it somewhere it would be safe either. Given the feelings of some of my companions, retaining that attachment is not a long term option either. So, yes we would be rid of it and the Gatekeepers are the only ones we can all agree to trust with it.

Nameless wrote:

I wish to keep it safe. Unfortunately, it is not safe with us, since we seem to attract trouble, like a corpse attracts maggots. Since we are tied to it, we can also not simply leave it somewhere it would be safe either. Given the feelings of some of my companions, retaining that attachment is not a long term option either. So, yes we would be rid of it and the Gatekeepers are the only ones we can all agree to trust with it.

Saala says, “As you can guess, I appreciate your choice. From what I have heard of the Key, it is far too dangerous to risk. Gurr’khan has related to me all that you have told him, but I will have more questions about it for you. Before that, however, may I see this Key?”

When Nameless hands Saala the Key [OOC: I presume he would], she takes it silently, and a trifle reverently. She looks at it for a long time, turning it back and forth in her hands, and then finally turns to Thlie. The older woman has been staring off across the pool, and it takes a little prodding to gain her attention. Once Saala has it, she hands Thlie the Key, and asks, “Is this one of them?”

Thlie’s somewhat vacant eyes focus on the item, and she strokes it softly. Then she lifts it to her face and closes her eyes, before sniffing it from end to end. The impression the watchers get is of a cat trying to recognize a long unfamiliar scent. Then she opens her eyes and speaks.

“Yes. It is one of them. To open the gate that cannot be opened. To seal the portal that cannot be sealed.” Thlie seems about to say something else, but then breaks off into inaudible mumbles.

Saala carefully takes back the Key from her, places it on her own lap, and covers it with a fold of her blanket. Looking at the quizzical expressions on your faces as well as Gurr’khan’s, she says, “Thlie knows about certain things that many don’t. I will tell you more about that – and her – later. But before that, I would like to hear everything that you can tell me about this.”

[OOC: Let me know if there are any specific details that you do not share.]

Gareth sits for a moment, relaxed and detecting thoughts.

Gareth wrote:

Gareth sits for a moment, relaxed and detecting thoughts.

As Gareth concentrates, though there is no external manifestation, he first senses the stream of Saala’s and Thlie’s thoughts, and then the strength of their flow. He quickly realizes that both of them are very intelligent, more so than any of the people in his group except, of course, for Nameless.

Gareth focuses further concentrating on Saala. He senses the surface of her thoughts, but as his consciousness attempts to enter into them, he finds himself blocked by the barrier of her will. Realizing that Saala will realize the attempt as soon as she successfully resists it, he instantly drops his focus.

Sure enough, Saala sits up a little straighter and looks around the area. Then she says, “One moment,” and closes her eyes. After a few seconds, she opens them and looks keenly around the group. “Somebody just attempted to use a spell or magical effect on me.”

Saala has to stop and gesture for Gurr’khan, who grunts and begins to rise, to keep his seat, and then she continues. “It was one not used by druids, called detect thoughts. There is nobody else within range of us. Hence, I am presuming it was one of you. I would appreciate it if whoever used it admitted to doing so and explained why he did so.” Her tone remains as calm as it has been ever since she began speaking to you, but there’s the lightest sense of steel in it.

Opening up, probably for the first time since they have met, "I was the one who performed this. I am wary about new people, I am wary about new people when concerning myself with powerful magic. If you are offended, then please realize none was meant and I do this for the safety of the group as well as the world"

OOC: Diplomacy obviously. Which should get me out of a few pickeled jams Diplomacy + detect thoughts = freebie

OOC2: Shil practically dared me to use it - so blame him

Gareth wrote:

Opening up, probably for the first time since they have met, "I was the one who performed this. I am wary about new people, I am wary about new people when concerning myself with powerful magic. If you are offended, then please realize none was meant and I do this for the safety of the group as well as the world"

Nameless says dryly "Well at least we can be sure we have the real Gareth now."

Addressing the Druids "Please forgive him, for some reason he thinks nobody will notice when he's doing that sort of thing or that it will give him some sort of useful information, despite his experiences to the contrary."

He'll then launch into a ribald version of the time Gareth was detecting Evil in the Daask bar. Tossing out inuendoes about Gareth scoping out the barmaids.

Looking at Nameless calmly, "I do not need your excuses, or apologies for my actions. I stand by them, and would do them again."

At hearing Nameless' comments about detect evil, "I would expect more from a wizard who is attempting to make a valid comparison of Detect Evil and Detect Thoughts. Not to forget, a lot of people don't notice when I am doing that sort of thing."

Gareth wrote:

"I would expect more from a wizard who is attempting to make a valid comparison of Detect Evil and Detect Thoughts. Not to forget, a lot of people don't notice when I am doing that sort of thing."

The ones that don't notice tend to be harmless. The ones that do generally can cause you a world of hurt.