G
Guest 11456
Guest
"What can you tell us about them? Numbers...equipment...any unusual abilities..." Zeta asks. For her part, the deal sounds good so long as the gremlins aren't too formidable a force.
It is hard to tell the number because they seem to come in go in a blink. The do not seem to have much in the way of equipment.
Hailey was not sure what skulks were and looked over at Olrich. She asked in soft voice out of the side of her mouth, “Do you know what skulks are?”
She waited for Sef to answer Zeta first, then asked, “Why did you all come here? Where does that pit back there come out? You said your dead leader helped climb up it. That implies that he has something special that you no longer can use, yeah?”
That is what our leader wished. The pit is how we got here. It goes to the Darklands. He was able to levitate us up the pit. Without that it would be difficult to traverse the pit.
The arcanist probes his memory for what he knows about peoples from the Darklands, and about tiny fey races for that matter. As it happens, he has read some decent accounts of the former, but his knowledge of jinkin gremlins might extend not far beyond having merely heard of them before. For the moment Olrich just gives a slight reassuring nod to Hailey.
Olrich recalls quite a bit of information about skulks. Most interesting is their tendency toward chaotic evil. These are not showing such an alignment at all wanting to work with the group.
[sblock=SKULK]Skulk
CE Medium humanoid (skulk)
hit dice 3
Special Attacks sneak attack
Languages Common, Undercommon
SQ camouflaged step, chameleon skin
Ecology
Environment any land or underground
Special Abilities
Camouflaged Step (Ex) Skulks can pass through forest and subterranean settings almost without a trace. Add +10 to the DC to track a skulk in these environments.
Chameleon Skin (Ex) A skulk's racial bonus to Stealth comes from his ability to change the color of his skin to match his surroundings, even complex or regular patterns like bricks and mortar. A skulk loses this conditional bonus if he is wearing armor, or if he wears any clothing that covers more than one-quarter of his body, as skulks can only change their own flesh, not things they carry. A skulk normally conceals small items behind his body; by putting his back to a wall and changing his front half, he can hide the item because observers don't have line of sight to the item.
Skulks are a race of cowardly and lazy humanoids that live on the fringes of society, stealing what they need and doing what they must—even committing casual murder—to survive. Their unabashed cowardice is perhaps their most widely known trait, but skulks don't see themselves as particularly craven. Instead, they view their dishonorable behaviors as the most expedient method of survival. They hate most other humanoids, viewing them as lazy and foolish, and think nothing of sneaking into a home, killing all the residents, and burglarizing what they can carry off without getting caught.
Skulks travel in small groups, rarely forming tribes of more than 16, for in larger groups bickering quickly leads to violent infighting. Murder between skulks is not uncommon, but they understand safety in numbers, and most frown upon treason within a group that is already relatively small, punishing traitors with a quick death. When possible, they set up camps in discreet spots near other settlements, commonly inhabiting sewers, caves, or forests—though their unsavory, murderous tactics often force them to relocate before local law enforcement, quickly alerted to their presence once the remains of a family of victims are discovered, finds them.
Skulks are roughly the same size as a human, averaging 6 feet tall, though they are significantly more gangly and nimble, and commonly weigh only 140 pounds. Skinny arms and legs help them sneak around obstacles and squeeze into narrow spaces. Skulks can live up to 50 years, though most die from violence long before that. Although skulks have racial Hit Dice, they generally advance in power by taking class levels. Rogue is a favorite choice among skulks, for their natural abilities at stealth and sneak attacks fit well with this choice, but they also excel in the roles of clerics, fighters and rangers who specialize in ranged weapons, and rarely as wizards (particularly illusionists).[/sblock]
Twist turned to Brath, but covertly eyed the opening in the wall. He tried to catch a glimpse through the opening of what was in the hallway. The ratling stood up straight and strained just a hair beyond his normal height to see through the opening, then walked back over to rejoin the group. "Why? Is it dangerous? Oooo! Will it give me a jolt if I touch it?!" Twist took a second look at the wall. His nose worked overtime. Curiosity unsated, the ratkin continued, "Is it magic? Will it kill me? What's behind it? Are those doors? Are they locked? You got a key? When do we get to look at it?" The questions came rapid fire.
Unfortunately there doesn't appear to be much to see through the opening. But it does appear to extend further into to the east. For his part Brath silently herds Twist back to the others.