Copperheads: Betrayal and Strange Runes and Burning Dead, oh my (short update 02/12)

[arwink]

Thursday, August 24th, 508 AF, continued

Back in town, there is some discussion about what to do next. Reporting to the mayor is set aside for a time, in favor of learning more about the problems facing the town. Halgo's sudden connection between the mind-controlling dragon and the shards from the horses head has everyone on edge, and finding a way to the old mine that once served as Copperdeath's layer is quickly named the first priority.

It's quickly discovered that asking the local townsfolk yeilds little. The young don't know the way, and the elders that worked the mine are unwilling to discuss it in any way. Even Tokket becomes tight lipped on the matter, for all his rambling about the dragon and it's slayers.

With few other leads, it's decided that they will talk with Utrish, the village seer who predicted a quick end to the troubles. They ask for directions and quickly discover the seer lives on the very outskirts of town.

They follow the narrow dirt lane out of town for perhaps fifteen minutes when they spot the cottage. It's built low, with a slight lean to it, and the exterior is covered with marks and symbols. Halgo frowns at them for a few seconds as they approach, then struggles to keep from laughing.

"What?" Geoffrey asks.
"Those symbols are meaningless," Halgo snorts. "It's like something an amature does, first year apprentices can do better."
"What she try to do?" Blarth asks.
"Ward off evil," Halgo says. "Mind affecting magic, specifically. If I remember right, they originated from a cult of Chuldurn serfs several centuries ago." The dwarf rubs his chin in comtemplation for a few seconds. "If the timing's right, probably during that psionic purge Blarth was talking about."
"So their no danger?" Geoffrey asks. "Not even to Blarth?"
"None."
"Good," Geoffrey says bluntly. They hear the sound of a donkey braying somewhere behind the house. A woman's voice curses softly.
"Yip," Geoffrey commands. "Go check it out."

The kobold dissapears into the fields of corn surrounding the cottage. The others watch the breif rustle of the corn stalks for a few seconds, charting the kobold's swift movement, then slowly walk the long way around the building.

Yip scurries quickly, then bursts into the area behind the cottage. He sees an elderly woman hurridly loading clothing into a donkey's saddlebags, her face flush from exhertion. Yip dismisses her as a threat, then coughs softly to catch her attention. The woman looks up, and her eyes get wide when she sees Yip standing politely, his paws held up a gesture of peace. The elderly woman screams. Loudly.

"Kobold," she cries in alarm.

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

They still haven't quite got the hang of the reaction Yip gets from people, have they...

 

[Capellan]

They still haven't quite got the hang of the reaction Yip gets from people, have they...

What are you talking about? It's a great icebreaker

 

[arwink]

It's also relatively limited to the first copperheads Yip. The second Yip is a little more self-assured and dangerous, and it he takes kobold discrimination badly Given the vicious little blighter can actually do more damage than any of the Yips that came before him, it pays to be nice. Especially know he's developing a reputation as a hero...

As a side note, this SH is way, way behind the events of the game. I'm still detailing events of the first session, and in game time we're already on another continent. In an attempt to get up to date, there's probably going to be more than a few updates this week

 

[arwink]

Thursday, August 24th, 508 AF, continued

Geoffrey, Halgo and Blarth hear the old ladies scream as they the approach the hut. It's followed by a soft thud, and they immediately sprint to the cottage's rear. THey find the elderly woman throwing half-stuffed packs at an increasingly irate Yip, who dodges back and forth while he snarls.

"Stop it," Geoffrey orders, and Yip scurries quietly to his side. His tail is swishing back and forth angrily, and he glares at the elderly woman.

"He won't hurt you," Geoffrey tells the elderly woman. "He's bound to my church."

The lady grunts, then hurries to start picking up the scattered packs. She pays little attention to her visitors.

"You're Utrish, aren't you?" Halgo asks. "The Seer?"
"No," the woman barks.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure, do you think I don't know who I am?"

Yip nudges Halgo and Geoffrey, hearing the slight quaver in the woman's voice. She starts stuffing the packs on her mules, then pauses to glare at the four visitors.

"What do you want?" she demands.
"You going somewhere?" Geoffrey asks blandly.
"No, of course not." She rolls her eyes.
"Blarth think you going somewhere."
Everyone stares at the half-orc, slightly dumfounded.
"Idiots," the woman mutters under her breath.
"We just want to talk to you," Geoffrey says. "We need your help."
"Help? Nobody here needs help. All the towns troubles will be over in a week. Everything will be fine."
"Because they'll be dead?" Halgo asks.
"What makes you say that?" the woman asks.
"Well, the hurridly packed mule is a big clue," he shrugs.
The woman snarls at him. ANgry gazes are exchanged on both sides.

"Okay, I'm Utrish," the woman says angrily. "Yes, I'm leaving. Nobodies going to die, I've just got to leave town. A sick sister in Petrev, you know how it is."
"Is it that urgent you can't answer any questions?" Geoffrey asks.
"Of course it is," Utrish snaps.
"Because everyone's going to die," Halgo mutters under his breath. Geoffrey scowls at him.

"Listen," Utrish snarls. "I don't have time for this. Here's the deal, I'll sell you the last of my potion stocks if you let me go. Now."
"Sell?" Geoffrey asks.
"Fine, I'll give it to you. Here," she rummages in a pack and removes three vials.
"What are they?" Geoffrey asks.
"A potion of healing, a potion of charisma and a love potion."
"A love potion?" Geoffrey asks, amused. "What in hell are we going to do with a love potion?"
Utrish stares pointedly at blarth and raises her eyebrow.
"If you take them, I leave. Now," she demands.
Geoffrey shrugs and takes them.
"Fine then," he says.

THey watch the woman lead her mule towards the road. As she walks away, Blarth shouts "Can Blarth have your cottage?"
"Take what you want," she shouts back. "I'm not coming back."

Geoffrey and Halgo exchange glances.
"I'd say a week sounds right," Halgo says. Geoffrey starts muttering quietly about provincial mayors and their faith in seers instead of faith and steel. Then they hear the sound of blarth punching in the cottage's ricketty door.

"Cool," comes the cry from inside. "Blarth got new home."

 

[Lela]

Yep, everyone's going to die.

And, as always, Blarth has found something good out of it.

 

[arwink]

Thursday, August 24th, 508 AF, continued

A quick exploration is made of Utrish's cottage, in case she's left any magic items behind. Appart from a trio of black-furred cats, there's little else of interest and everyone trecks back to town after Blarth's had enough of poking around his new home.

"Whatever's going wrong, we need to get into that old mine," Geoffrey grumbles as they walk.
"How find?" Yip asks. "Townsfolk wont tell where."
"We need to make people trust us somehow," Geoffrey comments.

Halgo coughs slight to draw everyone's attention. He's holding out Utrishes love potion with a wide grin on his face.

"Yeah, that should do the trick," Geoffrey says. "All we need to do is make sure we give it to the right person.
"Actually," Halgo says, "All we need is a little of the effect spread over an entire room of people. It wont necessarily make them fall in love with us, but if they're even a little more favorable to us we should be able to talk them around."
"How are we going to make a room full of people swig a potion?" Geoffrey asks.
"Yip," Halgo explains. "We send him down to pour it into an ale barrel."
"You think it'll work?"
"It can't hurt. And what else are we going to use it for?"

It's a winning arguement. They report their findings to Mayor Hob. Through some fast talking, Geoffrey manages to get some news about an aging path on the outskirts of town. Although overgrown and hard to follow, the young priest gets the impression that it may lead to the old mine their looking for.

"Still think we should spike the ale?" Halgo asks as they head back to the Bell and Clapper.
"Maybe," Geoffrey muses. "We should be able to follow the path, but we should have a back-up plan in case it turns out we're on the wrong track."

 

[Lela]

Dangit, that love potion idea sounds great.

I might try that one of these days. . .

 

[arwink]

Thursday, August 24th, 508 AF, Very Late Indeed

"I don't care that there's two ale barrels. Don't do it," Geoffrey orders. Yip looks up at him, his red eyes wide and innocent looking.
"It safe," Yip argues. "Teach nasty-elf a lesson."
"No, you won't. You could contaminate a whole batch of ale. And he's a half-elf."
"Elf, halfelf. Yip not care. He do anyway."

Halgo stands guard at the doorway, an ammused look on his face. Blarth comes walking up behind him, chewing on a cold chicken leg left over from dinner. The half-orc peeks over the dwarven wizards shoulder and observes the arguement within.

"What going on?" He asks. Halgo smiles at him.
"We're getting ready to spike the ale keg."
"So? Let yip go do. Geoffrey not need to stop."
"Yip wants to add to the plan."
"Why?"
Halgo scratches at his short beard, trying to think of a way to explain things to the half-orc.

"You may have noticed our monkish friend isn't taking well to the predudices of the outside world," Halgo say slowly.
"Blarth notice. Blarth have same problem."
"And he's got a particular dislike for our barkeep, Tokket, after our arrival..."
"Blarth notice. Blarth smart like that."
"Well, he wants to take a bit of added revenge on Tokket by urinating in the second ale keg."
Blarth looks slightly confused.
"That not good. Blarth like ale. How Yip make sure blarth not drink ale with kobold wee in it."
"That's Geoffrey's objection as well. Yip doesn't seem to think it's a problem." Blarth's face goes dark, and Halgo wonders briefly if he should restrain the half-orc. He decides against it, but reminds the warrior to argue quietly as he storms into the room.

By some miracle, no-one notices the harsh whispers and grunts of the arguement, and after twenty minutes of solid threads Yip slowly slinks down the stairs towards the taproom with the love potion in his paws. He clambers over the bar without incident, and pours the purplish liquid into the first barrel he finds. When the vial is empty, he smells the pungent aroma of flowers rising up from the barrel.

"Hope that fade," Yip mutters to himself. He stares longing at the second barrel for the space of three breaths, conflicted between duty and personal vengance. Eventually it is the heavy thud of half-orc boots against the floor above that convince him to abandon the plan. Yip has roomed with Geoffrey and Blarth several times betfore, and recognises the sounds of the heavy, steel shod footware Blarth puts on when he's expecting trouble.

 

[Lela]

This group is psycho!