Swift-Palm |
As his companions approach, they notice an air of despair about him. He sits, brooding over the events that have occurred recently. Once he notices their arrival, he brightens up considerably. He stands up and takes large strides to greet his companions.
He hugs each of them individually.
"I'm glad you have all returned safely! How did things go? I wish we had time to sit and discuss, but things have taken a turn for the worst. We must depart shortly. Perhaps you can grace us with your tale while we journey?"
Garekk |
Seeing the mans need to both divulge and gain information, Garekk returns his hug with vigor. "You tell us yours, my friend, and we will tell you ours. The good news is that the priest is saved, and we brought back something that may help others. Now.. Why the concern? What has happened?" As the two groups trade tales and move towards the portal, Garekks visage turns sour. "One step closer, but more atrocities heaped upon this necromancers head.. but still not even a glimpse of him. I hope that this cave turns everything around.. "
Hailey Besh |
"Something has happened," Hailey said. "While everyone else went off to take care of the priest, I went and did my job, investigating. And by Nethys, did I ever find something. We do have undead, and a necromancer behind them. "
She rests her back against a wall and takes a deep breath.
"We have a necromancer who likes to kidnap women from farms and leave undead behind. On farms where priests go to visit and get bitten. And nobody bothers to check for days.
"Luckily, they left a trail of blood that led to a tree that's actually a shortcut to a much different place. From there, we almost got lost, but thanks to my habit of leaving runic marks for you people, were able to rediscover where we should.
"Then we found the blood trail again and it led to a door and instead of opening it when I found no magic, we decided to return in hopes of seeing the rest of you.
She brushes back her hair, and really wishes she could go hex something, which, as yet, she has never been able to do.
"If anyone cares to find me, I have a report to write and send off to the church of Nethys. If they don't need to know about necromancer kidnappers, and about a door to a place I found a real delight, but I don't know how the rest of you would take it, then what do I need to write reports about?"
And off she goes to go find paper.
Hailey Besh |
Hailey looks at the creature, trying to see if she can recall what it is from her long studies of lore.
Knowledge: Arcana: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
"I don't quite think you're correct, but there's one way to be sure."
She carefully walks up toward the thing, being as slow and cautious as she can, and behaving as inoffensively as possible. She slowly reaches out her hand.
"Just one touch is all I need to learn this thing's strengths and weaknesses," she prays to Nethys. "As is the gift you gave me from the Knowledge Domain which you sponsor. I mean no hex, just data. Grant me this, with no harm to either of us."
Browman |
"Because I was uncertain of my lore," she replied. "Would you please tell me what creature you are? I, for one, am not a halfling. I am a gnome."
I did not believe a 15 would be sufficient to say for certain, not with any surety. So I roleplayed it that way.
Pseudodragons are intelligent but no more so than the average human and this one lives in the middle of the woods in Ustalav, so it isn't used to seeing non-humans.
Hailey Besh |
"My name is Sister Hailey Besh, of the church of Nethys. I, and my companions, would prefer to be seen as allies, not as snacks, nor of food of any kind.
"I am pleased to meet you, Kelsaru, the pseudodragon. That's why I got so mixed up! Dragons and their kin, it's just so much to remember, when you are not one of them.
"So if we do you no harm, will you do us no harm?"
She then considers that the others may not know what she recalled.
"Pseudodragons are tiny, intelligent dragons, my friends. But watch out, for their sting is poisonous.
"On the other hand, they can communicate telepathically with any intelligent creature, which I take to be a personal compliment since it is communicating with me. Pseudodragons love meat and are quite playful with friendly humanoids. Perhaps if you boys were to find and offer him some, he might be more affable to us?
"Perhaps even tell us if he's seen a man and a kidnapped woman? Or any undead around?"
Browman |
"My name is Sister Hailey Besh, of the church of Nethys. I, and my companions, would prefer to be seen as allies, not as snacks, nor of food of any kind.
"I am pleased to meet you, Kelsaru, the pseudodragon. That's why I got so mixed up! Dragons and their kin, it's just so much to remember, when you are not one of them.
"So if we do you no harm, will you do us no harm?"She then considers that the others may not know what she recalled.
"Pseudodragons are tiny, intelligent dragons, my friends. But watch out, for their sting is poisonous.
"On the other hand, they can communicate telepathically with any intelligent creature, which I take to be a personal compliment since it is communicating with me. Pseudodragons love meat and are quite playful with friendly humanoids. Perhaps if you boys were to find and offer him some, he might be more affable to us?
"Perhaps even tell us if he's seen a man and a kidnapped woman? Or any undead around?"
The others can't hear Kelsaru because they are out of range of telepathy.
And there has been a strange man wandering the woods the last few weeks, usually in the dead of night, a dark cloak covering his features. I don't like undead, they are stinky and no fun to play with."
Hailey Besh |
I had guessed they were out of range of the telepathy, but not out of the range of Hailey's voice. From the moment she said 'Pseudodragons are tiny . . .', she was addressing the rest of the party, not the p. dragon.
Hailey resists the urge to counter that undead can be very fun indeed.
"Please tell me everything you can about this man. Even if he has a smell and what his footprints look like. And I am unfamiliar with halfling snacks, so I thank you for the information. Shall I offer you one day's rations?"
She reaches into her backpack and removes one day's worth of rations, and puts it down near him.
Garekk |
Puzzled, Garekk listens to the one sided conversation. "Pseudodragon? I have never even heard of your kind, little one, but I am glad that we can meet and talk. I am Garekk, half orc from lands far from here. I am pleased to meet you." He finishes talking with a bow to the little thing, and as he straightens, he pulls a strip of meat from his belt pouch and holds it out. "Would you perchance, like some meat? Nothing too interesting about it, but it is all that I have at the moment." If the p.dragon doesn't respond in a negative manner, Garekk will step forward to offer it the meat.
Browman |
The pseudodragon flys over the Garekk when it sees the meat and snatches it from his hand in mid air. after it gobbles down the meat it speaks into everyone's mind, seemly speaking every language they speak simultaneously.
"Garekk, how interesting a name, I am Kelsaru. I can sense the savage strength within you, much like that one over there," Kelsaru indicates to Vorel. "What brings all of you into the woods armed for war?"
Vorelloex Vaecaesin |
"We are hunting for vile mages, and we are in haste. Follow suit if you will, but impede us or trick us and we'll gut you."
Vorelloex had his mind on one thing: vengeance, however misplaced.
Swift-Palm |
"Peace, Vorel."
Swift places a friendly hand on his shoulder.
"I do apologize for our friends rather... abrupt behavior. His heart is in the right place, but sometimes he does not convey his feelings appropriately. I shall introduce myself as well, Kelsaru. You may call me Swift-Palm. I am a student of fist and philosophy. You have noted well, we are armed for war. We wage war against the dark forces of this land. As Vorel has so aptly described, there are people who use magic for nefarious deeds, and we seek to stop them. Any help you might provide would be like a drop of clear rain in murky waters."
Voryn Chaldov |
"All we know is that there has been a ghoul attack at a nearby farm and that tracks lead to a certain cave. We suspect the tracks might be of the hooded man you've seen. If it is, he is a murderer, and it falls upon us to stop him, before he kills again."
I hope I recall events correctly.
Calistria the Courier |
Calistria is obviously enchanted by the pseudodragon. In fact, she hardly moves, staring at it the way a five year old girl might stare at a pink pony.
Finally, she manages to breathe.
"Oh my GODDESS!" Calistria squeals. "You are SO cute!"
Garekk |
Stifling a chuckle at Calistria's reaction, Garekk tries hard to maintain his demeanor as he responds to the little dragon. "We would be delighted to have your company, little friend. May I ask, How old are you? Were you around for the "troubled times""
Swift-Palm |
"Now, let's continue. The trail we had followed the first time lead us to a small cavern, which ended with a door, barring any further access to the cave. And thus we had decided to turn back. Whatever had decided to barricade itself in there was not going to come out without a fight."
Are we able to find our way back to the cave?
Garekk |
"I agree. There is no reason for us all to fall for one trap. I will open the door, but would someone else like to look for traps or anything?"
Vorelloex Vaecaesin |
"I will go forth. Help me break the lock."
His eyes burn with a golden fire. So close to what he deems exaction. He feels invincible, almost ancient. But Vorelloex knows not the depths of his subjectivity or the omens it brings.
He just wants to break a necromancer's skull in.
Vorelloex pulls his axe out of his beltloop and begins to try and break the lock with brute force.
what would I roll for that?
Calistria the Courier |
Calistria seems distracted. Perhaps it is because she is trying to convince their new psuedodragon friend that it would look very pretty with a pink ribbon around her neck?
Browman |
"I will go forth. Help me break the lock."
His eyes burn with a golden fire. So close to what he deems exaction. He feels invincible, almost ancient. But Vorelloex knows not the depths of his subjectivity or the omens it brings.
He just wants to break a necromancer's skull in.
Vorelloex pulls his axe out of his beltloop and begins to try and break the lock with brute force.
what would I roll for that?
it would be a strength check
Vorelloex Vaecaesin |
STR Check to break lock: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19
With the hook of his axe and the ardor of his arm Vorelloex tries to rip the lock apart.
Browman |
[dice=STR Check to break lock]1d20+4
With the hook of his axe and the ardor of his arm Vorelloex tries to rip the lock apart.
It takes three tries before the half elf is able to force the door open. You find a long passage that looks like it has been hewn out of the rock. It is extremely dark.
Kelsaru peers down the passage "it doesn't look safe down there"
Garekk |
"Worry not, little one. I would recomend that you not join the battle line, but with us, you are probably safer than alone."
Garekk leads the way down the tunnel, sword ready and waiting.
Darkvision.. I can scout at least a bit to know if it is safe for a light. And just out of curiosity, does the pseudodragon have any offensive capabilites?
Browman |
"Worry not, little one. I would recomend that you not join the battle line, but with us, you are probably safer than alone."
Garekk leads the way down the tunnel, sword ready and waiting.
Darkvision.. I can scout at least a bit to know if it is safe for a light. And just out of curiosity, does the pseudodragon have any offensive capabilites?
the tunnel is small and narrow but there is nothing dangerous. it goes for about 500 meters before ending at a ladder that goes up through a trap door.
the pseudodragon's attacks deal 1 damage and it's stinger can put you to sleep. But it isn't good at fighting.
Voryn Chaldov |
"Let me go first. Have a look at what's up there" Voryn whispers and silently climbs up the ladder. He very cautiously pushes the trap door slightly open, just enough so that he can take a peek.
Stealth: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18
Browman |
"Let me go first. Have a look at what's up there" Voryn whispers and silently climbs up the ladder. He very cautiously pushes the trap door slightly open, just enough so that he can take a peek.
[dice=Stealth]1d20+3
You find yourself in some kind of store room about 30 ft by 20ft, filled with food, spare clothes and a few simple weapons.
There is one door leading out of the room.
Swift-Palm |
"What do you see up there, Voryn? Is it safe for us to follow?" the monk asks in hushed tones.
He stands near the base of the ladder, trying to peer up and past Voryn.
"It's so very dark and gloomy in here. Mere mortals such as I have trouble discerning friends from foe. This does not bode well..."