[IC] Underdogs [a core dnd game]

Adokul listens to the group talk. It soon becomes apparent that communication will be a problem. He waits for a pause in the discussions before adding his thoughts.

"It has become obvious that as it stands we will not be able to communicate with Gnolls. Shaman, I do not know the exact extent of your magic powers, but perhaps if we were able to capture one of the Gnolls and bring them back here, perhaps you could get the information we need by force directly from his mind? Or at least cast some spells which will allow us to actually understand him? Of course the solution may be far simpler if any of you know of someone who can actually speak the Gnoll tongue? As to what we would ask them, the answer is simple. Who are they, where are they from, and what are they doing here"

Adokul said:

"But perhaps if we were able to capture one of the Gnolls and bring them back here, perhaps you could get the information we need by force directly from his mind?"

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Mogro looks perplexed at Adokul's suggestion, then glances to the others to see if they also find it strange. "If they do not want to harm us, what good would kidnapping do? That would make them then WANT to harm us I think?" His brow furrowed, it is obvious that the idea of capturing one of the gnolls is the exact opposite of what they should do.

Adokul said:

"As to what we would ask them, the answer is simple. Who are they, where are they from, and what are they doing here."

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After hearing this statement from Adokul, Mogro brightens considerably. He nods in agreement to this part of the halfork's response. "Yes, this is better. We go to talk to them peacefully. No kidnapping, no sneaking. We just walk there and speak to them about why they are here." The thought then returns that none of them actually can speak gnoll, and his brow furrows once more. "We just need a translator though."

Assaq scowls at Adokul, and addresses the shaman again. "Aside from the obvious, are there any specific questions the elders would like us to ask?"

To Mogro, he responds. "You intend to walk unarmed into the center of the gnoll encampment and hope they really are friendly? Perhaps you should leave your sword behind completely. Your family could use it to scar themselves at your funeral. I, for one, plan to do plenty of sneaking, and I think questioning one of them alone is an excellent plan."

Assaq said:

"You intend to walk unarmed into the center of the gnoll encampment and hope they really are friendly? Perhaps you should leave your sword behind completely. Your family could use it to scar themselves at your funeral. I, for one, plan to do plenty of sneaking, and I think questioning one of them alone is an excellent plan."

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Mogro's look to Assaq is one of surprise, not expecting the ranger to be this obtuse. "Yes, I think just walking in is exactly what we should do. How else do we tell them our intentions are good? Tell me, Assaq... if you were in a caravan on road, and during the night a gnoll somehow snuck up and cornered you when you were out making water... would you take that as a friendly attempt to find out what you were doing... or as an act of aggression?"

Mogro shakes his head in annoyance, forgetting that the others have not heard the stories and concepts of military tactics and strategy that his father tells him when he comes home.

"If five of us go to talk with them and they are friendly, we want to maintain honest and open dialogue. If we go to speak and they are not friendly, we will be captured and the others in town will come after us in a day or two.

But if we grab one of them, or corner one of them, or force them to tell us why they are here, or make any act of aggression against them... even under our belief that we are just defending our territory... they will take it as a sign of war. If that is the case... we might as well send all our soldiers out to attack them there right now."

Mogro crosses his arms. "I will not be part of that. If you want to kidnap one and force him to speak... you do it on your own."

"If we walk into their camp, and they are not friendly, we will not be rescued in a day or two, Mogro. We will be eaten. If we are lucky, they will kill us first. The reason that everyone was so surprised when you stood up to argue for restraint in the naga was that I know of no other time in the history of our people that one of us met with a gnoll and neither of them died. We do not know why Hussik was allowed to live. It might have been because these gnolls, unlike all others of their kind we have ever known are peaceful and friendly. Or it may have been because they prefer their meat to awake and screaming as they devour it. We do not know. Should our mission go poorly, if these gnolls are like the rest of their kind, this krel will need every blade, and to throw away two of our best fighters, the shaman's apprentice, and... whatever he is..." gesturing to Adokul, "...for the sake of a gesture, is madness!"

With an effort, Assaq calms himself. "But listen. I do not propose to kidnap one of their band. There is a way to contact them peacefully without undue risk. If we find one of their hunters or sentries, one of us can approach him, alone and unarmed but within call of the others, and request a meeting with one of their leaders somewhere away from either of our homes, someplace it would be impossible to approach with a large band, such as the top of a bare hill. If they refuse the meeting, we are in no worse a position than we are now."

Adokul listens to the others return to their bickering. Briefly he shakes his head in amazement at Mogro's naive suggestions, and narrows his eyes slightly as Assaq scowls at him. He wonders briefly why Assaq seems hostile towards him, especially since they seem to be in agreement, but shrugs it off very quickly. He is used to people acting hostile towards him.

"Assaq seems to be the only one of you with any sense." Adokul announces. "Mogro, if you want to sacrifice yourself as a Gnoll meal on a slim, and I mean VERY slim, chance that they are friendly, that is up to you. I am happy to do it your way first, but I think it is only fair that YOU are the one who puts himself on the line, since YOU are the one who has this foolish notion. Once you are killed or captured we can get to business and capture one of them and find out what we know. There is no reason why a kidnapping need lead to acts of aggression that would have otherwise been avoided. We simply must capture one without the rest knowing what happened to him. For all they would know, one of their numbers would have vanished without trace."

Ershe sighs to himself as the meeting immediately devolves into squabbling, with no heed paid to the old shaman.

"Abduction and interrogation?" he cuts in sharply on the back of Adokul's words, his voice low but firm. "These are acts of aggression. My father would have us take the path of the sword, and it seems you would put us on the path of the cloak and the dagger."

He holds the man's eyes for a moment, measuring and gauging him. When eventually he looks away, it's to Urdan that he turns.

"There'll be time enough to discuss this later. Let us not waste Urdan's time. We've asked enough questions, perhaps we should listen to some answers."

Adokul said:

"I am happy to do it your way first, but I think it is only fair that YOU are the one who puts himself on the line, since YOU are the one who has this foolish notion."

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Mogro shrugs and juts his chin out defiantly. "I have no problem going to see gnolls first. I will be happy to ride up on Champion as an envoy of people of this grel. If they then attack me for no reason, you will know you were correct and I will do my best to ride and get away." He crosses his arms and looks back and forth between Assaq and Adokul.

Ershe said:

"Abduction and interrogation? These are acts of aggression. My father would have us take the path of the sword, and it seems you would put us on the path of the cloak and the dagger."

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Mogro nods at Ershe's more mannered approach. "Exactly. Urdan said plan agreed upon at naga was for us to go to gnolls and assess situation... not to act out in a hostile manner ourselves. Apparently a warband is already being planned for that. If you two..." nodding to Assaq and Adokul "want to be a part of that warband and go to war... that is your choice. But I've been brought here to this fall because I believe in a peaceful beginning to this exchange, and that is what I intend. If you want to fight... wait until I have been killed by gnolls... then you can rush in with rest of bloodthirsty krel waiting at our gates."

ic - Underdogs

Urdan sits impassively as the discussion eddies and swirls around the room. His expression gives little away. Indeed, at times he seems to almost have drifted off.

Finally, after the silence has lingered long enough to indicate everyone has said what they want to say for now, the old shaman clears his throat.

"You are right. Communication may be a problem. But chances are there will a language shared, even if it is not gnoll or grell. If not, then you have to cross that river when you come to it.

"'What are the gnoll's intentions?' 'What threat do they pose to the krel? That is what the elders wish to know. They ask that you do what you can to find out. But do not take unnecessary risks. Even if you find out nothing, we are no worse off. You will have to decide for yourselves what risks are unnecessary."

The shaman smiles slightly.

"Which is always easier said than done."

The shaman falls silent for a moment. He stares into the fire.

"Hussik has explained to me how to find the way back to the gnoll camp. Hussik himself will not be going. The experience took more out of him than he wishes to admit. So I have told him he is needed here. Hussik spent a day and a night in the forest, alone and wounded, laying false trials and trying to ensure they could not follow him back here. A day and a night spent looking over his shoulder. He could have been home in a third part of that time. I don't think he expected to make it home.

"Chances are the gnolls have found the krel. If they have any decent hunters it would be likely."

With that the shaman falls silent, as if his thoughts have been pulled elsewhere.

[sblock=ooc]Don't want to cut anyone off. If you want to respond to something in the posts above, feel free to still do so.[/sblock]

Urdan said:

"You are right. Communication may be a problem. But chances are there will a language shared, even if it is not gnoll or grell. If not, then you have to cross that river when you come to it."

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Mogro frowns at this statement, as it seems rather short-sighted. "I speak a little Dornish... but that is all. What do rest of us speak besides Grell? If Hussik could not communicate with them, what makes us have a better chance? And if we can't communicate... it is not a river we have to cross when we get to it... it is a trip to that river that we shouldn't even take." Mogro looks pointedly at the shaman. "What languages can Hussik speak? If we do not have knowledge of tongues more than him, then there is no reason for the four of us to go. Without communication, we just risk making things worse."

Urdan said:

"What are the gnoll's intentions?' 'What threat do they pose to the krel? That is what the elders wish to know. They ask that you do what you can to find out. But do not take unnecessary risks. Even if you find out nothing, we are no worse off. You will have to decide for yourselves what risks are unnecessary."

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Mogro then looks at Assaq and Adokul on one side, and Ershe on the other... since this seems to be the dividing line on their actions with the gnolls. "Assaq... you said to approach one of guards or sentries by themselves and speak our intentions and request a meeting. Do you still think this? I would be all right with this plan, provided we can speak a common tongue."