Adventure: Food of the Gods (DM: ryryguy, Judge: renau1g)

[LadyLaw]

[sblock=insight]1d20+4=21[/sblock]

Although she makes no outward sign of change, Azryah is glad that she ignored the offered bowl when she catches on to the dwarves attempt to keep the lich from drinking. She has no doubt that there is something wrong with the drink and ups her resolve to keep an eye on the attitude of her companions that did sample the beverage.

 

[ryryguy]

Bwarli looks startled, then stares at Jynxx.

[sblock=telepathy to Jynxx]Nothing wrong with the zocalti, but - yes, he will react badly. It is hard to explain, he... he wants it but will not like it, he is irrational...[/sblock]

 

[Mewness]

Hulgrimi lowers the bowl. "Oh yes, good thought, Bwarli!" He turns back to the group. "I do like to read the news from Daunton but we haven't had a new Screamer in months. I don't suppose any of you might have brought one?"

Looking a little confused, Papolstaanas sets down his half-drunk bowl of zocalti and digs into his pack. "I-I have one, I think, sir, um, Your Honor," he says, finding a folded copy of the Screamer from his day of sightseeing in Daunton. "Kaeysari and I needed to find out when the shows were starting, a-and..." He is about to hand it directly to the head man, but then suddenly decides that this might be considered disrespectful and extends the paper toward Bwarli instead.

The kobold then looks around a little nervously, fidgeting, unsure of whether he should drink the rest of his drink, which he doesn't hate, actually. He wonders why the head man is not responding to Cillani's requests. Perhaps the proper honors are not being observed. He tries to think back to what Laeleg said...

ooc--assuming nothing untoward happens for a few moments and nobody actively tries to shut him up:

"Um, Your, Your Honor, you see, it's like this, we came to make an, I guess an official request. The owner of a plantation not far from here asked us to retrieve at least 5 bushels of zocalti, and we promised to do so. It's imp-p-portant, you see, for a religious ceremony in Daunton. But the zocaltipapatlaca stole the crop, 7 bushels, and murdered the plantation workers. So w-w-we have come to ask for the, the right of r-redress against va-, against vassals, t-to be comp-, compensated for the loss. That is why we are here.

"I hope, I hope I say nothing that... that offends you. We are desperate, and we were told of your customs by someone named Laeleg, a servant of Ci-Cic-Cip--the First Man. But perhaps we have misunderstood your ways, and if that is true, I hope you are not angry with us..." Papolstaanas falters a little, wondering what sort of gesture to make here, and finally settles on bowing very deeply.

[sblock=rolls]Insight (for the boss drinking zocalti): 1d20+1=7

Diplomacy: 1d20-1=13. Not terrible, so a reasonably coherent speech by Papolstaanas's standards [/sblock]

 

[ryryguy]

[sblock=Papolstaanas, Kaeysari]You're feeling no unusual effects from the drink so far...[/sblock]
[sblock=Azryah]You're observing no unusual behavior on the part of Papolstaanas or Kaeysari so far, unless you count Papolstaanas putting together a mostly coherent speech.[/sblock]
Bwarli accepts the paper from Papolstaans gratefully and hurries towards the throne, handing it up to Hulgrimi. The headman puts down the bowl on the arm of the chair to accept it. He sits and begins paging through it. Bwarli turns back with a big smile on his face.

Papolstaanas makes his speech: "Um, Your, Your Honor, you see, it's like this, we came to make an, I guess an official request. The owner of a plantation not far from here asked us to retrieve at least 5 bushels of zocalti, and we promised to do so. It's imp-p-portant, you see, for a religious ceremony in Daunton. But the zocaltipapatlaca stole the crop, 7 bushels, and murdered the plantation workers. So w-w-we have come to ask for the, the right of r-redress against va-, against vassals, t-to be comp-, compensated for the loss. That is why we are here."

The smile freezes on Bwarli's face as the kobold asks for the zocalti flat out. Not understanding his words, Urtamklatl remains oblivious.

The headman looks up and puts down the Screamer. "Right of redress against vassals, you say?" He says a phrase in Magari, which causes Urtamklatl to perk up. She looks puzzled.

[sblock=Magari->Dwarven]It's in hard to understand formal language again, but one word is definitely "vassal", so you'd guess he just repeated "right of redress against vassals".[/sblock]
"Well... but, these zocaltipapatlaca are not my vassals. I didn't even know about them until you told me! Although..." He turns towards Urtamklatl and rattles off a string of rapid-fire Magari. She responds in kind, and they have a brief conversation. The word zocaltipapatlaca is repeated several times.

[sblock=Magari->Dwarven]Hard to understand again, but they repeat that phrase you think is "right of redress against vassals" Hulgrimi seems to be asking her opinion, and there are words you'd associate with legal matters (not an area Chaku is familiar enough with to fully understand, but he can at least recognize it). At the end you can clearly understand: he asks the current price of zocalti in the village, and she tells him it goes for 10 gold pieces per bushel.[/sblock]

After their conversation Hulgrimi turns back. "All right, my esteemed servant has reminded me, the zocaltipapatlaca do still hold a charter from the Great King, and as his representative, that does make them my vassals when they operate in my area of authority. I guess that makes sense." He waves a hand as if such matters don't really matter to him. "So very well, I will compensate you for the lost zocalti. A hundred gold coins from my treasury. That more than covers the cost of seven bushels." He picks up the paper and starts reading again. "What a wild business in the Opera House!" he murmurs. "I really want to see an opera some day!"

Bwarli, who looks like he's been holding his breath ever since Papolstaanas finished speaking, slowly exhales in relief. But then he looks around at the visitors. Conflicting emotions play out on his face, then he seems to reach a decision. He closes his eyes.

[sblock=Bwarli -> Jynxx telepathy]"I will try to help you, but please, you must remain silent now and ask your friends to stay silent too!"[/sblock]
ooc: Everyone please read that telepathy block... I'm trying to push on to the end of this scene, so I'm going to take the liberty of assuming that Jynxx does relay it on (though of course it's up to you whether or not you comply with Bwarli's request).

-continuining shortly-

 

[ryryguy]

Bwarli, with his eyes still closed and his back to the throne, raises his voice.

"Honored Ancestor. I believe that coin is not a sufficient redress in this case. Our visitors need actual zocalti - as the small one explained, that is what they were sent to retrieve. And since all the commoners' crops have just been tithed in tribute to the Great King, there won't be enough for them to purchase down in the village. Please, Honored Ancestor. I humbly suggest that you compensate them with - " He pauses and grits his teeth, then turns to face the throne and bows his head. "I humbly suggest that you compensate them with seven bushels of zocalti from your own storehouse."

The headman's copy of the Screamer snaps up, held taut in front of his face, obscuring it. His hollow, cold voice drifts softly from behind it.

"My zocalti, you say?"

"Yes, Honored Ancestor. Your zocalti."

Urtamklatl gasps. Apparently she understood at least the tail end of this exchange.

Hulgrimi puts the paper down carefully. He does not raise his voice, but the cheery, somewhat manic note it had before has vanished. His words come out in a flat monotone.

"That is out of the question. I will not give up any of my zocalti. It is one thing to share a drink with guests, but - no. I must keep my supply close at hand. I cannot risk running out."

He sweeps the room with his glowing gaze. The eye glows have gotten darker and redder. Outside the room, claws scrape against stone as the watching wights shuffle their feet.

"Is this why you brought these people here? A ploy to try to get me to part with my zocalti?"

"Honored Ancestor, I - "

"Don't think I haven't realized that you and Urtamklatl have been trying to get me to stop drinking it. Oh yes!" He continues speaking at length in Magari. He does not raise his voice, but his tone is cold, cold as the grave. In fact, the temperature in the room is dropping perceptibly. The two dwarves wince repeatedly as they listen in silence to his words.

[sblock=Magari->Dwarven]He is pretty much ranting, accusing them of going behind his back to get rid of his zocalti, conspiring to keep him closed up in this "boring pyramid", constantly nagging him about his duties...[/sblock]
He drops briefly into Allarian: "I thought, finally, something happening, new and interesting people to talk to, a little excitement in the garden, but -" then switches back to Magari.

Dark energy begins crackling in the air around Hulgrimi as he stands. Bwarli keeps his head bowed, shaking. "And what of these worthless excuses for cooks you keep bringing in, these incompetent fools? Have you finally found one that can make a decent bowl of zocalti?"

Suddenly, he takes up the bowl from the arm of the chair and drinks deeply.

- continuing -

 

[ryryguy]

The headman lowers the bowl. His face is slack, the glows in his eye sockets a dull brown. The crackling aura has vanished.

[sblock=Perception DC 20 (active)]You can just barely see droplets of what is presumably zocalti beading around his throat. Apparently, it has leaked a bit through his pores - or whatever passes for pores on a lich.[/sblock]

He drops the bowl. He doesn't throw it down, just releases it, and it falls down from the platform all the way to the floor and cracks into several pieces. "Terrible," he says, then sighs. "This is the worst yet. Absolutely vile. And this cook came in all the way from the homeland? I can't believe it. No one - no one will enjoy my zocalti if I can't. I'd rather see it rot!"

Hulgrimi slumps down into the chair. "No. Another new cook. Next time, it will be better. It has to be..." He despondently picks at the pages of the Screamer, riffling them, but not really reading. He seems to have forgotten the people in front of him.

Urtamklatl is looking daggers at Bwarli. Sharp, poisoned daggers. But he ignores her burning gaze with an air of long practice. "We should go now," he whispers to the group. "Let's talk outside."

ooc - sorry for the long NPC speeches, one more bit of exposition coming up, then should be back to more normal adventuring mode...

 

[OnlytheStrong]

Jynxx smiles warmly, "We apologize for any hard feelings we may of caused. Thank you for your generous gift to us Honored One." Jynxx bows deeply and follows Bwarli outside.

"Honored One, if I may be so bold as to offer some potential help?" Jynxx waits patiently to see if the lich will accept his help.

**if so**

"I admit that I do not know much of zocalti, yet I offer to use my rank in my homeland to help you find the cook you so desire. With your grace, I shall contact my parents and tell them that I have made a promise to you." He offers a quick wink, "If a thousand cooks must come to this place, you will find the one you desire."

 

[Mewness]

Papolstaanas, already regretting his words, only regrets them the more after seeing the reaction. He watches mutely, his eyes widening in fear as the head man starts drinking the zocalti. He almost stumbles in his haste to follow Bwarli out of the chamber.

[sblock=perception check]1d20+6=25[/sblock]

 

[ryryguy]

[sblock=ooc]Jynxx's post is kind of out of order I think, I'll assume he addresses Hulgrimi before leaving the room. [/sblock]

"Honored One, if I may be so bold as to offer some potential help?" Jynxx waits patiently to see if the lich will accept his help.

The headman looks up at the bard and nods listlessly.

"I admit that I do not know much of zocalti, yet I offer to use my rank in my homeland to help you find the cook you so desire. With your grace, I shall contact my parents and tell them that I have made a promise to you." He offers a quick wink, "If a thousand cooks must come to this place, you will find the one you desire."

"It feels like there have already been a thousand," he says sadly. "Would a thousand more make a difference? But if you are somehow able to find someone... I would be very, very thankful."

[sblock=ooc]So Jynxx and Papolstaanas have indicated they are following Bwarli out. I'll go ahead and proceed with that. I'm worried I might be pushing things too much and making you feel too much like spectators, if so I apologize... but I'm trying to move things along so all can participate. And please don't hesitate to "rewind" a bit in order to interject comments, actions or reactions.[/sblock]
Back in the corridor, Urtamklatl starts scolding Bwarli in rapid Magari. They go back and forth a little bit, then Urtamklatl throws her hands up in the air and stalks off. She enters one of the side doorways and slams the door behind her.

[sblock=Magari->Dwarven]Urtamklatl is hard to understand since she is going a mile a minute, but some familiar words are easy to pick out: "idiot", "fool", "kill us all", "outsiders", and "shame".

Bwarli speaks much more slowly and clearly. In fact it seems possible that he is intentionally trying to make it easier for a Dwarven speaker to understand him.

"They - " indicating the party "- were about to ask him for the zocalti directly. It's why they came here! Better for me to do it first."

"Let's not pretend. You saw how <something> he is. <something> our pride. Maybe these 'outsiders' can help us!"

And just before she stalks off: "I know you don't care about him. But he is unable to carry out his duties, and I know you care about that. So if you won't help, at least get out of the way while I try to do something about it!"[/sblock]
[sblock=Insight DC 15 (active/passive)]Bwarli's final comment seems to have stung the older dwarf. There is shame under the surface of her anger.[/sblock]
Bwarli sighs. "Let's walk, and speak as we go." The pair of wights falls in behind once again as you proceed down the tunnel.

"I am very, very sorry for my Honored - my great uncle's behavior. I know how strange he must seem to you - I was schooled in Daunton, so I have some idea how you must see him. This all must be very strange and distasteful!

"But, Hulgrimi was once a good man. Before he 'retired', he was a distinguished scholar, and also a brilliant military strategist, who served the Great King faithfully. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that his 'retirement' has not sat well with him.

"In life he was a staunch traditionalist. Not a reactionary like those insane zocaltipapatlaca. But he took the old ways seriously. He was a serious man! And he was considerate of others. He didn't lord his position or wealth over anyone. Not that he was a saint, but...

"He 'retired' only four years ago. It quickly became clear that more had changed than just his body. He became easily bored. He was seized with a wild thirst for the new and different. During life he had never left the Valley of Bone, but he accepted the position of headman here - a demotion - because he thought this Isle would be someplace exciting and different.

"Well, it's different I suppose, but not all that exciting. The villagers don't know quite what to make of him - they fear him I suppose - and he neglects his duties. He spends most of his time brooding in his inner chamber.

"This business with zocalti is the worst part of it. Before 'retirement' it was one of his few indulgences. He drank five, even ten bowls of it per day. But since 'retirement' he has been unable to enjoy it. I guess maybe that part is because of the change to his body - he no longer needs to eat and drink at all to survive, so maybe food and drink can no longer bring him pleasure? I don't truly know. But he stubbornly keeps trying, and makes himself miserable."

He shakes his head. "Again, I apologize for what you have been put through here. Though I knew there was a problem, I truly did not see how bad it had become until today. But there is no denying it. My great uncle is in the grips of a full-blown unlife crisis!"

 

[OnlytheStrong]

Jynxx nods solemnly,"I am sorry for any hardships we might of caused, and for the seeming situation you are enduring. He does seem like a good man though, perhaps simply frustrated with the way things have become. I fear I speak out of turn, since I am extraordinary new to the situation."