Tora no Senaka - The Back of the Tiger (Inactive)

Game Master Dreaming Warforged

"I say we move. This whole situation is in dire need of coming to a close. And it appears that we are only going to get to the bottom of this back at camp. So, without further ado - Tally ho!" He pulls his sword out and points onward, grinning as he starts out.

All heading out? Special precautions as you get to the slippery cliff? Hehehe...

We'll head back.

We'll go over one at a time using ropes to secure people in case they fall. Akulayok will be last since he has one of the better skills for getting over. Pavel and Akulayok will hold onto the rope while everyone else crosses over before them. We'll be as careful as possible.

If any are able, use the claws of the ice bear

Pavel nudges Tunuaq.
"Hey. Is there a buh'back way outta here? Without a nuh'narrow ice shelf?"

"No, this is the only way." replies Tunuaq. He handles the path without any problem, being quite used to it.

Taking enough precautions, you make it down without real problem and are back in the village, behind the little house.

Where to now?

Akulayok leads the way to the village chieftan. He must report the activities of Tunuaq and Sonavut.

Isn't Sonavut the chieftain? Who was the third community leader, we could talk to her, maybe.

Nodding and grinning to Theoden, Daeron directs Manulani to fly in warning to Ameiko in the caravan once they're free of the cavern. "Go and tell Ameiko, Shalelu and Sandru of what we've learned, but be discreet about it. Tell only them and quietly. Return with any messages they may have. I would recommend that they stay in the caravan, but we will be seeking out leadership in the village aside from Sonuvat and Tunuaq."

Turning his attention back to his companions and Manulani flits away, Daeron asks, "Akulayok, who else in the village has authority, aside from Sonuvat and Tunuaq? We should hurry to this person and make our case. Once this is done, I would recommend that we confront Sonuvat lest we leave an unknown danger to hound our steps. I would seek some answers from her as to her purposes." Eyes flashing a flinty blue in anger as he recalls the shell fragments in the pouch, Daeron keeps a wary eye on Tunuaq as he waits.

I seem to recall we had a third authority figure, but I can't recall nor can I find his/her name. :(

Chief Nalvanaq, a huntress of great age man, though still hearty, with powerful limbs. She is wrapped in a heavy gray cloak decorated with Erutaki tribal designs. Her brown eyes are yellowed with age, as are her few remaining teeth, and her head is a patchwork of long, wiry white hair. Tribal tattoos decorate her cheeks and chin, and her face, wrinkled is worn by wind and sun. She carries herself with an air of importance, expecting to be heard.

Garand, as laconic as ever, cuts Daeron and say: "No need. I'll go tell her." and heads out before Manulani has had a chance to fly off. He seems more concerned than usual.

Nodding his assent, Daeron recalls Manulani to his side. Picking up on Garand's apprehension, the elf turns back to his other companions and says, "I'm beginning to feel uneasy with how little resistance to this deception we've encountered. I would like to think I'd notice if we were being duped, but I can't ignore the reverse possibility. We should resolve this chicanery by Tunuaq and Sonuvat as soon as possible. Lead on, Akulayok."

Presumably Akulayok would know that Nalvanaq is the next person to talk to after Sonavut. Onwards! :)

?

"Well. We're puh'pissin' in the wind now, eh? How shuh'should we approach this? All we got is the egg shells, as far as hard proof. If Tuh'Tunuaq and Sonavut won't fuh'fess up... it's their word against ours and I duh'don't like our odds."

Akulayok leads the way to Nalvanaq. "We will have to bring this before the village. See what they will do. Both Tunuaq and Sonavut are respected people. Much will change once their treachery is revealed."

Take Tunuaq to Nalvanaq. We should tell the village leadership. See what they want to do. Hopefully we're not in a situation where everyone knows what's going on and they turn on us once it is in the open.

"Pissing in the wind indeed. For what it's worth, we also have the existence of that hidden room and of demon worship. Assuming this wasn't common knowledge, I would think that counts for something as well. Either way, I don't know that we have much choice." Daeron finishes reasoning aloud in response to Pavel and Akulayok. Following Akulayok as he leads the way into the village, Daeron keeps a careful eye on Tunuaq and the surrounding villagers.

"Let your unease pass, good Daeron, because rest assured, the game is on!" He grins, his eyes wild like as he's enjoying the drama of it all. "This is how it is played and we shall play it accordingly and WIN! And our odds our completely in our favor, my angry friend, because we are a fantastic lot. That in and of itself should win the day." He says as a matter of fact and with utter confidence. "Now, let us do as Akulayok has suggested and see where that takes us. Well, I know where that takes us but I only say such to humor you all."

As the group prepares to head out, they realize they'll have to cross path with many villagers on their way to Chief Nalvanaq's house.

Pavel rubs his cold hands together.
"Hmmmph. We wanna kuh'keep this discreet, huh? No need to get everyone worked up 'till the Chuh'Chief weighs in. Akulayok, Theoden- whuh'why don't you go speak to the Chief and convince her to meet with us to talk about our findings, eh? Daeron and I can bring Tunuaq home- or I could do it, if you wuh'wanna talk to the Chief, Daeron. This way, gums don't start fluh'flapping as much..."

Celestial, how does Akulayok feel the villagers will react? I figured these were the kind of people that act honestly with each other.

Clicking his tongue in vexation as the number of villagers they'll run across in finding the chief springs to mind. Running over the magic he has available at the moment, Daeron sighs in frustration. "That sounds wise Pavel, in preventing any but the Chief knowing about our conversation. There are currents here at work that could drag us under if we're not careful -I believe that's the Varisian sailor's saying- and we should seek to be cautious where we can." Mulling over Pavel's suggestions, Daeron responds, "That seems like as reasonable a course of action as any. I've no real skill at diplomacy, like Theoden does, so I feel it best that I should accompany you, Pavel. An alternative that presents itself to me is to hide Tunuaq. I've magic capable of rendering him invisible. The downside to this is I don't have the means available to see him in his invisible state, so there's nothing to stop him slipping away. Vexatious to say the least. If we decide to go down that route, it will take roughly a quarter hour for me to prepare, as the arcane demands a certain state of mind in order to prepare."

Akulayok will take all by a surreptitious route to the chieftain to avoid causing the villagers distress or Tunuaq attempting to cause a fight.

No such thing as a surreptitious route to the chieftain's...

Pavel's sword can cast See Invisibility, just a thought. :) I don't know if Daeron actually knows about that.

Looking at the village, Daeron shakes his head in frustration. "There's not a chance you'll be able to sneak through the village. Give me some time and I can render Tunuaq invisible. If one of you have a spell allowing you to view the unseen, now would be an excellent time to make use of it."

Taking a seat in the snow, heedless of the cold, he pulls his spell book from his pack. Closing his eyes and gently resting his hands on his needs, the slender elf begins his meditation, sitting perfectly still as he takes a quarter of an hour to prepare the required arcane ability.

Standing and dusting himself off, Daeron asks, "Now that I have that prepared, can one of you view someone who's invisible?"

I'm taking Fast Study at 9th level cause I hate waiting a quarter hour for spells. :)

Pavel looks between everyone.
"Whuh'well I don't... Uh..."
He looks quizzically at the foreign sword on his belt.
"Pavel-san, need I remind you once more that I can grant you such power?", says a voice from the katana.
"What? Oh, ruh'right. The talking sword'll let me. So I can kuh'keep an eye on that guy."

"Excellent! Then let's be about it. I'll cast my spell once yours is in place. If Tunuaq should try anything, let me know and I can dispel the invisibility." Watching Pavel for a moment until he's sure the spell has been cast, Daeron reaches out to touch Tunuaq's shoulder. He addresses the shaman in Erutaki, "Tunuaq, escorting you to Nalvanaq under guard will likely cause an unnecessary blow to your prestige. If you were only acting under Sonuvat's orders, then that would be a weakening of the tribe without reason. Remain silent and do not resist my spell and it will render you unseen. We will be able to see you, but the rest of the village will not. Do what's right for the village and remain silent." Having suitably warned the shaman, Daeron casts his spell on the Erutaki man, who winks out of existence.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18

If he tries to resist, the save DC is an 18.

Nodding in satisfaction, he addresses the remainder of the group, "That out of the way, let's be off to Nalvanaq."

You should involve the sword more. I see a lot of potential for amusement with Pavel's talking sword.

I didn't know if CB had plans in mind for it as a character or if I should just talk to myself like a sock puppet, but it's something I could work in here and there.

Pavel puts a hand to the sword's hilt and invokes its power to see invisibility.

"You are also slouching, Pavel-san. I believe we discussed this."
"I stand the wuh'way I stand, sword. Think I also tuh'told you to keep that in our huh'heads, right?"

The plan works fine, and you easily make your way to the house of Chief Nalvanaq, the old and revered huntress.

Flanked by two young warriors and Sonavut sitting at a table nearby, she sits on a simple chair on a low dais, standing at the end of a short hall. On the walls are trophies of great hunts, mixed with various weapons of old.

Wrapped in her heavy gray cloak decorated with Erutaki tribal designs, she watches you approach with smiling, curious slanted eyes. She pushes back her long, wiry white hair.

Getting closer, you can make the tattoos on her cheeks and chin. With a toothless smile, her voice booms through the hall:

As they arrive at the house, Theoden concentrates(detect evil) upon Sonavut as she speaks. With Akulayok's translation, Theoden smiles a confident smile. "Well, madam, we bring you a fantastic tale of treachery and betrayal! Me and my gallant compatriots took a bit of a trek and you would be amazed at what we found. Now, first, we managed to stumble upon this cave. And when I say stumble, let me tell you, I nearly stumbled to my death on this ledge within it. But fortunately for me, my companions here were present to save the day. But I digress." He grins.

"Anyway, where was I? - Oh yes! Back to treachery and the cave business and all that rot. Anyway, do you know what we found within said cave? A chest full of broken, silver, dragon eggs. And there were also Erutaki pictograms and writing among the cavern walls, along with the bones of several deceased animals. Obviously you can clearly see that I do not paint a pristine picture here, madam. And for the record, we also possess a Erutaki hammer that we believe was the weapon of choice to destroy these eggs. NOW, would you, madam, care to tell us why we would find such within this cave? And who could possibly wield such power - outside of yourself of course - that they could eliminate not only eggs but a dragon as well? Because I would gather you most assuredly would know of any comings and goings of your people." He cuts his eyes toward Daeron, shaking his head "no" ever so slightly, indicating for him to hold for now.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (7) + 19 = 26

The chief turns to Sonavut for translation. Perplexed, Sonavut translates, uncertain.

Nalvanaq shrugs and looks to Theoden, telling him with a shove of the chin to keep talking.

"So you do not care that one of your own is killing the young of dragons and worshiping that of demons? You do not wish to know that Sonavut is the one behind it all?" He looks to her seriously as he makes the accusation. This should be good, he thinks to himself as an internal grin forms.

Akulayok is translating?

Akulayok ensures the chieftain is properly informed. "Nalvanaq, Tunuaq caused many deaths. This must be answered for."

That's what I figured. If not then I've screwed up. Unless someone else has been. I think Daeron is the only other one who can translate. I guess he could be.

Pavel just keeps an eye on Tunuaq, watching the proceedings impassively.

I haven't read the spoilers, but I had assumed Akulayok was translating for us and Sonavut likely for the Chief- it would be down to Daeron and Akulayok to make sure everything is on the up and up as far as her translations go.

Breathing a sigh of relief as the troupe approaches Nalvanaq's home, Daeron fixes his gaze on Sonuvat. The elf pays close attention to the accuracy of the translation of Theoden's tale, simultaneously maintaining his observation of Sonuvat. I'm glad that Theoden has taken the initiative, as this sort of telling of tales is far from my finest skill. Acknowledging Theoden's look with the barest of nods, Daeron maintains his watchful silence, content to listen and observe for the time being.

Sense Motive with awareness: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21 Is Sonuvat acting nervous or otherwise showing signs that she's uncomfortable.

Sonavut is translating as best she can, then stops suddenly and stares at Theoden: "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?! I will not translate such lies!!! EXPLAIN YOURSELVES!!!" she shouts with an angry voice.

Nalvanaq is taken aback by the sudden shift and looks at Sonavut with a puzzled expression on her tanned face.

Up until now, Akulayok has translates for the group and Sonavut for the Chief.

"Whuh'when we confronted Tunuaq, he told us the both of you had planned to destroy the druh'dragon's eggs- to make sure the Erutaki kept their ruh'reverence for the old ways, to keep foreigners like us from in'influencing your culture.", Pavel says. "Is the shuh'shaman lying?"

Akulayok looks sideways at Tunuaq, "Still sowing the seeds of evil with that tongue."

dotting

Sonavut visibly tries to keep her calm as Pavel explains: "Of course it's a lie! Why would I ever do such a thing!?!"

Sonavut glares at Akulayok as he makes his comment: "Be very careful with yours Akulayok. When you break a pot, it remains broken."

Tunuaq is till invisible btw, so it's hard to turn to him.

"All right. Luh'let's all calm down. Daeron, can you dismiss this spell so everyone else can see Tuh'Tunuaq?"

Eyes narrowing as Sonuvat reacts in anger, he notes that she doesn't translate Theoden's accusation. And yet she honestly seems surprised by the accusation. Could Tunuaq have mislead us. Feeling suddenly doubtful of the truth of the situation, Daeron nods to Pavel's request, "With pleasure." Snapping his fingers as he barks a quick word in Draconic, he watches Tunuaq carefully as he seems to reappear from midair. Daeron muses aloud as he taps his chin with a single slender finger, "Having everything here in the open is refreshing, though I note you didn't feel the need to translate for Nalvanaq all of Theoden's words. Why, Sonuvat?" He translates his own words back to Varisian for the benefit of the rest of his group.

I forgot Manulani is trained in sense motive, so here's a roll for him as well, TCB.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19

As Tunuaq suddenly appears, Nalvanaq is on her feet in a split second, a handaxe held firmly. Realizing the materializing one is her shaman, she turns to Sonavut asking for an explanation.

Sonavut's words slip and stammer as she tries to explain.

"SIIIILEEENCE!!!" roars Nalvanaq in raw Common, cutting Sonavut in the middle of her sentence. Sonavut doesn't push her luck and clams shut.

What do you do? Can each of you post what he does in spoiler, in reaction to Nalvanaq. You can read each other's spoilers once posted.

Pavel's action:

Akulayok?

Sorry. I didn't realize we needed to do anything.

Silence floats on the room until it becomes painful, then Nalvanaq shouts in Erutaki:

She motions to guards to escort each of you back. Some leave with Sonavut and with Tunuaq.

Do you do as asked? If so I'll move the story to the summon. Each of you please confirm in spoiler what you will do after you've been brought back to your lodgings.

Once the chief's words are translated and no one makes a move to take his weapons, Pavel shrugs and complies without even making a rude gesture.

"Yup. Puh'pissin in the wind."