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

[LadyLaw]

Azryah had been waiting for Jynxx to jump into the conversation, since he seemed to do that. However, since he had remained oddly silent, she decided it might be best to say something after all.

"Yes, the bridge was destroyed by those zealots." There is a gleam in her eyes that says she is still filled with a certain level of rage about the situation. "We dispatched them, but it was dark, and I know nothing of fixing bridges, so there was little we could do about it. However, if you know who we should talk to about getting it fixed, I'll certainly make mention."

Her voice calms and the fire in her eyes retreats. She returns the the normally clam and pristine look of her race.

"That not-withstanding, however, I don't think you'll see many children from Newhill for a while. With the dessimation of the plantation and the threats from the zocaltipapatlaca their parents are all quite frightened, as my kobold friend here mentioned," she indicated Papolstaanas with an empty hand. "Apparently there are some in the village who think along the same lines as the zocaltipapatlaca, and so the villagers fear for their childrens' lives should they send them out."

 

[ryryguy]

ooc: Yeah I was kind of expecting a speech from Jynxx too... It's been a while, I'll poke him and see what's up.

Hyza reacts to Azryah's speech with concern mixed with puzzlement. "That sounds horrible," she says. "I've never heard of these - zocaltipapatlaca? Zocalti, ah, 'papatlaca', um - 'shakers'?" She looks at Jaronel, who nods in approval of her translation. "But they sound horrible! I hope the Newhill children are safe." She glances reflexively at the children peering curiously around from behind her. Judging from their clothes, they are likely from Daunton, except the tiefling and one of the boys. They wear silky fabrics, which you saw some people and dragonborn wearing at Fulcrum-shore. Presumably, they are from the Kingdom of Jade side of the island.

The teacher looks around. "But, I still don't understand why you are here. Jaronel said you are working for Silverships? What business do you have with me?"

 

[Mewness]

[sblock=ooc]Charm also hasn't posted in a while (and Cillani's sheet hasn't been updated to 2nd level, either)[/sblock]
"Well it's sort of a weird story," Papolstaanas replies. "You see we're trying to find some new way to make zocalti in order to pl-to please Hulgrimi, who has sort of strange tastes or lack of them being undead and all, and Jaronel s-said that you made it in an interesting way, and we, we need some ideas. I suppose that sounds sort of like a weird thing to be doing what with all of these other, um, problems..."--Papolstaanas looks a little guilty here, as though he feels like he has done something wrong--"but it's actually really important, al-although we're kind of hoping to get to the other problems as well, after we persuade Hulgrimi to let us have enough zocalti for the Silverships order. B-but we really can't do that without Hulgrimi's stock of zocalti, be-because the Silverships plantation was burned."

After this garbled explanation, Papolstaanas lapses into a brief silence and fidgets nervously with the silly fringes on his armor.

 

[OnlytheStrong]

Jynxx pulls off his hat and scratches his head, "I would love to explain in every detail what has occurred, except at this point the situation doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. I would suffer to say that my friend here," he makes a small motion to his kobold companion, "has the main points down. To explain it further would take both a great deal of time and a varying measure of patience, as our story backtracks upon itself."

Jynxx replaces his hat, "These thugs we have encountered are but one of our many peoples. Rest assured that we have the intention of correcting the problem, but our main issue is pressing in nature. We have come for zocalti, as we have been paid to do little but escort our package back to the person who has purchased it. I never would of assumed that we would of encountered such fighting..."

He stops abruptly, as though a sudden thought had struck him dumb. [sblock=ooc]

Sorry lol. I got a promotion (and actually have to be sent to a facility about 3 hours away from here to train for 14 weeks). I have been busy with handling that stuff. It's insane. I'll try to check on here more often. [/sblock]

 

[ryryguy]

Hyza listens to the kobold and the kalashtar. From her expression, their words have not done much to lessen her confusion. "Ah... well, about zocalti, I don't actually have any right now. I'd gladly let you have it if I did. Some of the parents from Newhill would occasionally give me some as tuition for their children. I gather it's quite valuable in the Valley of Bone, but there's not really a market for it in Fulcrum, so I tried to use it as a refreshment. It's pretty nasty stuff really though, and most of the kids didn't really like it. But I found if I mixed it with milk, that sort of... smoothed it out a bit. Still not all that great tasting, but much more palatable. Most of the kids would drink it then. I think it might have some minor medicinal effects too, they seemed a bit more focused after the drink breaks."

Castofle listens with interest. "Milk, yeah... might cut the acidity a bit! But wouldn't they have tried that in the Valley? Hmm, never heard of any kind of dairy in the Bonite cuisine, so maybe not."

Jaronel bounces up and down, excited. "T'at's right! Not really any cows back in the Valley, not the same kind anyway. Meat cows, ya, but I never heard about anyone getting milk from them. Milk from goats, ya. But not cows! So I t'ink maybe this could be a new t'ing for the headman!"

The teacher looks at the pasture down at the end of the slope. Three black-and-white cows stare back, chewing placidly. "You're welcome to some milk from my cows. I'm not sure but I think these may be the only dairy cows in Fulton at the moment, a halfling family had some as well but I heard they took ill and died a few months ago." She seems distracted, continuing to gaze down at the pasture. She snaps her fingers. "You know, I just realized... Just a moment."

She walks to the corner of the garden, bends over, and lifts a heavy object with a grunt. She holds it up, and Jaronel recoils - it is a stone statuette of a figure clutching a zocalti pod, twin to the one that had been left behind at the plantation. "I found this down in the pasture this morning. I have no idea how it got there... thought it would make a nice decoration for the garden. But that's a zocalti pod he's holding isn't it? I didn't recognize it earlier. How strange! This thing turns up and now you people asking about zocalti... She looks over at Jaronel, whose face has gone white. "Uh - should I be worried?"

 

[OnlytheStrong]

Jynxx looks at Chaku, [sblock=telepathy] "A warning of an incoming encounter I would assume. We would do well to advise her to leave or we will have to stand a guard for tonight... I do not like the thought of losing more time, but I cannot bear the thought of her blood on my hands."[/sblock]

"May I see the statue milady?" Jynxx asks with a surprising mixture of politeness and force. It was almost as if he had left her no choice, but did not want to come straight out and say it.

[sblock=ooc]

I'd like for Jynxx to take as much time as possible to exam the statue. If there is nothing too special about it... well I'll think of that when we get there lol[/sblock]

 

[Mewness]

"I found this down in the pasture this morning. I have no idea how it got there... thought it would make a nice decoration for the garden. But that's a zocalti pod he's holding isn't it? I didn't recognize it earlier. How strange! This thing turns up and now you people asking about zocalti... She looks over at Jaronel, whose face has gone white. "Uh - should I be worried?"

"Y-yes," Papolstaanas stammers. "You-you should. The zocaltipapatla--papa--those people, they left one at the pl-lantation where they, where they massacred everybody... And they, they don't like the chi-, the children coming to your school. Is there anywhere you can go that's... that's safe?"

 

[Mezegis]

Yes, adds Chaku in his deep bass, This totem is a threat. These people kill anything they don't agree with, and right now, it seems you and this school are what they don't agree with the most. Take any child that stays here with you, and go to Fulcrum, there would be the least likely place for an attack. They will burn everything they can, so take anything of value. Stay there until one of us comes for you. We came here to fetch some zocalti, but it seems now we're here for a bit of vengeance, and justice. Hefting his maul over his shoulder with ease, the goliath smiles a wicked grin, "And I for one, have no problem with vengeance..."

 

[OnlytheStrong]

"Perhaps we forget out place. We not trying to control what you do milady, or force your hand in any particular fashion. What you are trying to do, what all teachers try to do, is very important. You bring knowledge and light to an otherwise dumb and dark world; and so, we feel as though we should help. If you would allow, I would indeed follow my companions suggestions, as I feel this is a rather abrupt warning. I believe they do not allow much time to pass before an attack occurs."

Toying with the plume of his hat, Jynxx begins to apparently speak to himself. "We have little time left to finish our ordeal... but the destruction of a school... Perhaps our own little trap? It is, as I understand it, not too hard to ambush those who would do the same, if u know of their coming... But again... little time..."

 

[ryryguy]

Hyza hands the statue over to Jynxx, who takes his time examining it.

[sblock=Jynxx]The statue looks nearly identical to the one that was recovered earlier. The bottom of the statue has a thick coating of mud, apparently from where it was left in the pasture.

Focusing your arcane vision, you detect a fading magical aura on the stone. The remnants of the aura are concentrated in the mud. You think it may have discharged into the ground that it was placed on.

[sblock=Arcana DC 20]The arcane effect is rather exotic and not something you can specifically identify, but there is a definite "flavor" of summoning to it.[/sblock][/sblock]
In response to the warnings, Hyza seems shaken but determined. "All right," she says, "I won't take any chances with the children's safety, so we will all return to Fulcrum for the time being. Would you mind escorting us back at least to the main road? As soon as you are ready to leave, that is - did you still want some milk from the cows?"

[sblock=Vacation]I leave later tonight for a week's vacation. I'll have a computer, but not sure about internet, and won't have map tool in any case, so I think it's just best to suspend the game until I get back. Please feel free to make any roleplaying or planning posts in the meantime.[/sblock]