[LPF] About a Cow

[GlassEye]

The kobold answers Aelspeth in flat, hissing tones. It doesn't take much skill if any at all to tell that the kobold doesn't expect to live out the hour.

"Rhyvos ui achthend. Desta achthend loupon ternesj. Petissei duil tenpiswo drong ghoros munthrek.

Lauth petissei. Kiri lauth. Austratir-Dirise-Siyanci ui pliso vur thesekic. Darastrixiejir lexiri re loex. Si mi loex."

[sblock=Draconic]Cow is food. Better food than stone. Kobolds lair here long before human.

Few kobolds. Too few. Flying-Whip-Knives is master and watches. Dragonblood speakers are dead. I am dead.[/sblock]

 

[ealt]

Arradon Delgaran

[section]
Arradon draws his dagger from the coals. The tip glows near white hot, a thin wisp of smoke trails behind it as he walks purposefully towards the kobold. He addresses Aelspeth, "Is it telling you what we want to know?" His voice is as hard as iron; his eyes are harder still.
[/section]

[sblock=Action]
Ready intimidate to trigger if Aelspeth says the kobold is holding back info.
Intimidate: [roll0]
[/sblock]

[sblock=Arradon Delgaran Mini-Stats]
Arradon Delgaran
AC: 15 (12 flat-footed, 13 touch)
HP: 13/18
CMB: +1 CMD: 14

Fort: +1
Reflex: +6
Will: +0

Bluff: +9
Diplomacy: +7
Disable Device: +10
Perception: +7
Sense Motive: +4
Sleight of Hand: +7
Stealth: +8

Initiative: +5

Sneak Attack: 1d8 (Dagger) 1d4 (Hand Crossbow)
Hidden Blade: +1

Feats: Blind-Fight

Current Weapon in Hand: Masterwork Dagger
Current Conditions in Effect: None
Temporary items in possession: None
Items not currently in possession: None
Items depleted: Wand of CLW (1 Charge)
[/sblock]

 

[MerryMortician]

Aelspeth Noromiel, Emergent Conjurer

Aelspeth can no longer hide her reactions from playing vividly across her face. Her brows furrow and she turns to Arradon, troubled. Aware the kobold may well speak Low Landellian, she addresses the other elf in their ancestral tongue. "It--" she begins but then pauses and glances at the kobold as if to confirm. "Rather, he is answering all my questions but his responses raise only more questions. I believe there is no reason to hurt him--he is cooperating fully. He says the kobolds have laired nearby longer than this farm has stood. It sounds as though the tribe may be dying out. I shall ask for more detail on that matter. Is there anything in particular you want to know?"

After Arradon and Barnibus have a chance to speak up, Aelspeth returns her attention to the kobold. ”Widegoa ekess anyui sia visidarkic vur wux nomag sjerit jaseve nomeno goawy takh. Sia kiabili vur si geou itrewic wer rhyvos spical. Yth tiliw svent wux shio usv yth tiliw sweekmon vin mahtelii."

"Svabol shinalta ekess wer darastrixethe lexiri? Ui wer vrant starving? Tepohaic creolnali tisvelk shinalta ekess astahi?

[sblock=OOC]I can’t find a resource to translate Elven. There are incomplete dictionaries I could comb through but I’m just not that dedicated. Oh well.[/sblock]

[sblock=Draconic]”Continue to answer my questions and you may yet leave this place alive. My companions and I will retrieve the cow. We could kill you all or we could seek an alternative solution.

What happened to the dragonblood speakers? Is the clutch starving? Has some other tragedy befallen them?”[/sblock]

[sblock=Aelspeth Mini Stats]Aelspeth
HP: 13/13
AC: 13 FF: 10 T: 13
CMB: +0 CMD: 13
Fort: +2 Reflex: +4 Will: +4
Special: Immune to magical sleep, +2 on saving throws against Enchantment
Perception: +2 S. Motive: +0
Initiative: +3
Conditions in Effect: ---
Weapon in Hand: Longbow (19/20)
Shift: 5 ft, 7/7 remaining
0 Level: Acid Splash, Detect Magic, Ghost Sound, Mage Hand
1st Level: Grease, Unseen Servant, Color Spray, Color Spray
Consumables: Wand of CLW -1
[/sblock]

 

[ealt]

Arradon Delgaran

[section]
Arradon's eyes stay glued to the kobold, "Ask him about patrols, defenses, and the general layout of the lair. Have him sketch us a map. I don't want to go in blind." As an after-thought he quickly adds, "Ask about the dagger too. Where it came from for a start." His manner is very business-like, there is no malice nor compassion in his voice.
[/section]

[sblock=Arradon Delgaran Mini-Stats]
Arradon Delgaran
AC: 15 (12 flat-footed, 13 touch)
HP: 18/18
CMB: +1 CMD: 14

Fort: +1
Reflex: +6
Will: +0

Bluff: +9
Diplomacy: +7
Disable Device: +10
Perception: +7
Sense Motive: +4
Sleight of Hand: +7
Stealth: +8

Initiative: +5

Sneak Attack: 1d8 (Dagger) 1d4 (Hand Crossbow)
Hidden Blade: +1

Feats: Blind-Fight

Current Weapon in Hand: Masterwork Dagger
Current Conditions in Effect: None
Temporary items in possession: None
Items not currently in possession: None
Items depleted: Wand of CLW (1 Charge)
[/sblock]

 

[GlassEye]

Jezz, standing not too far from the interogation in his barn, watches as Aelspeth speaks first elven then draconic. He frowns and leans on his shovel. The threat posed by Arradon to the kobold seems not to bother him at all.

The kobold flinches away from Arradon and looks to Aelspeth. "Wux wharac. Vaecaesin geou svent ve usv shashti-munthrek geou. Mobi ui thric takh ihk ve tenpiswo usv persvek duil. Vur rhyvos ui gethrisja. Sonea vur gethrisja. Gethrisja hefoc wer lexiri, loex ini Austratir-Dirise-Siyanci, ternocki slugea stoda."

[sblock=Draconic]"You lie. Elf will kill me or dirt-human will. There is no alive for me here or in lair. And cow is gone. Ate and gone. Gone like the Speakers, dead by Flying-Whip-Dagger, scales flayed off."[/sblock]

[sblock=OOC]MM, I don't blame you for not piecing together a post in elven at all. I've done that before and it was incredibly time-consuming and not at all worth the effort. The way you've done it with a change in text color and a reference to the language is perfectly acceptable.

Also, since only half the party is involved in this scene I would like to wrap this up as soon as possible and move along.[/sblock]

 

[MerryMortician]

Aelspeth Noromiel, Emergent Conjurer

Aelspeth translates Arradon's questions for the melancholic kobold and then conveys his answers to the three men in Low Landellian. She can't shake the feeling this conflict might be resolved without eradicating a whole tribe of kobolds, yet this one seems too spiritually broken to be much more help. As troublesome as kobolds tend to be, they are a semi-intelligent species trying to eke out a living much the same as the "civilized" races. As the conversation continues, she casts about. Now where has Darwin gone off to? He's usually not far...

[sblock=OOC]I was thinking about that last night as I was blearily drafting my last post. I'm still getting used to how long this type of scene drags out and never expected to totally exclude party members for days on end. GlassEye, if there's no chance for reasoning with the kobold tribe then I'm happy to paraphrase the rest of the interrogation and advance. Aelspeth is now under the impression the kobolds have begun raiding after falling on hard times and she would prefer to peaceably resolve what has become a conflict of territory in her mind. I speculate some internal strife within the tribe and a possible regime change may be the root of the problem, in which case we just need to kill this Flying-Whip-Dagger character.[/sblock]

[sblock=Aelspeth Mini Stats]Aelspeth
HP: 13/13
AC: 13 FF: 10 T: 13
CMB: +0 CMD: 13
Fort: +2 Reflex: +4 Will: +4
Special: Immune to magical sleep, +2 on saving throws against Enchantment
Perception: +2 S. Motive: +0
Initiative: +3
Conditions in Effect: ---
Weapon in Hand: Longbow (19/20)
Shift: 5 ft, 7/7 remaining
0 Level: Acid Splash, Detect Magic, Ghost Sound, Mage Hand
1st Level: Grease, Unseen Servant, Color Spray, Color Spray
Consumables: Wand of CLW -1
[/sblock]

 

[GlassEye]

Unfortunately, despite Arradon's wishes the kobold's skill at mapmaking seems non-existant. Its map is a confusing scribble of overlapping circles and odd splotches that may mean something or not. He seems unable to adequately explain it.

Aelspeth manages to relay that the kobold tribe hardly qualifies as a tribe. Members of the tribe are few, cut down by the raid (five years back by Jezz' reckoning) that left only a small number of survivors who were out of the lair at the time. They seem to be too few and disorganized to maintain patrols and barely manage a few raids on the local farms. He is vague about defenses, and only repeats a phrase translated as 'The dead and the small ones watch over us.'

Their leader is the one it refers to as 'Flying-Whip-Dagger' and the feeling is that it is new to power and more of a tyrant than leader. However, the dagger came from it.

Jezz seems to be getting pretty impatient but expresses it only in frowns and shifting weight from one muck-encrusted boot to the other.

[sblock=OOC]I'm pretty old school when it comes to evil humanoids. You can make whatever judgments you want from that.[/sblock]

 

[ealt]

Arradon Delgaran

[section]
"If that's all we're going to get, it's time to end this." Arradon tightens his grip on his dagger; his gloves making an audible creak. He reads the disdainful expression on Aelspeth's face. His voice comes as barely a whisper, "You know we can't let it live. I'll do it. Go meet with the others."
[/section]

[sblock=Action]
Execute Coup de Grace unless someone intercedes
Damage w/ Critical:[roll0]
Sneak Attack:[roll1]
[/sblock]

[sblock=Arradon Delgaran Mini-Stats]
Arradon Delgaran
AC: 15 (12 flat-footed, 13 touch)
HP: 18/18
CMB: +1 CMD: 14

Fort: +1
Reflex: +6
Will: +0

Bluff: +9
Diplomacy: +7
Disable Device: +10
Perception: +7
Sense Motive: +4
Sleight of Hand: +7
Stealth: +8

Initiative: +5

Sneak Attack: 1d8 (Dagger) 1d4 (Hand Crossbow)
Hidden Blade: +1

Feats: Blind-Fight

Current Weapon in Hand: Masterwork Dagger
Current Conditions in Effect: None
Temporary items in possession: None
Items not currently in possession: None
Items depleted: Wand of CLW (1 Charge)
[/sblock]

 

[MerryMortician]

Once it is clear the kobold no longer has anything of value to divulge, Aelspeth notes Farmer Jezz's impatience and moves to the barn door. Standing with one shoulder in the sun and one in relative shadow, she looks back. Her lips part at Arradon's whisper but whatever words she may have been about to offer catch in her throat. A choked sound escapes and she whips her head abruptly away. Walking toward the house in the light of day, she tries desperately to push aside persistent visualization of what would happen next.

Inside the house, Darwin comes gamboling out of the bedroom. As his mistress crosses the threshold, he stops. The golden haired monkey cocks his head and digests the empathic waves coming off Aelspeth, then scampers under the table, between Autumn's legs, and leaps into Aelspeth's arms to deliver an uncharacteristic hug. She smiles wanly at the room full of life, what with children running amok and Goody Jezz speaking warmly to the druid.

How queer are the ways of the gods.

[sblock=Aelspeth Mini Stats]Aelspeth
HP: 13/13
AC: 13 FF: 10 T: 13
CMB: +0 CMD: 13
Fort: +2 Reflex: +4 Will: +4
Special: Immune to magical sleep, +2 on saving throws against Enchantment
Perception: +2 S. Motive: +0
Initiative: +3
Conditions in Effect: ---
Weapon in Hand: Longbow (19/20)
Shift: 5 ft, 7/7 remaining
0 Level: Acid Splash, Detect Magic, Ghost Sound, Mage Hand
1st Level: Grease, Unseen Servant, Color Spray, Color Spray
Consumables: Wand of CLW -1
[/sblock]

 

[GlassEye]

Jezz grabs the kobold by the tail and swings the dead body into his wheelbarrow. He gives Arradon a nod and tilts his head towards the door where Aelspeth just recently departed.

"I'm afraid those ladies be a little too soft-hearted to do the job I hired you to do. I'm countin' on you to do what's hard that they can't, else I might as well start walkin' back to the Dunn Wright now."

He nods again and wheels the barrow out of the barn and sets off towards a corner of the nearby field.

---

If everyone is ready to set off Autumn can easily lead the group to the trail she found earlier during her walk. The trail probably started off as a game trail but over time, and use by humans, became wider and more worn. It leads to a stream-fed pool just about perfect for swimming on hot summer days.

Wading the stream at a shallow point the adventurers can continue to follow the trail as it passes through woods that eventually thin out to an open meadow. At the far side is an elongated hill with a scattering of small trees growing over it. On one face it appears as if erosion has caused a thirty foot section of the hill to fall away and reveal a shallow cavern.

This must be the kobold lair although closer inspection is required to know for certain.