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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Whizbang Dustyboots" data-source="post: 3360721" data-attributes="member: 11760">"...and the one-legged paladin says," Bufer says, "'Do not despair for me, sirrah, for I dost ride side-saddle!'"He glances around at the kobolds jogging along side him, a wide grin on his face. He actually veers a little closer to the nearest one, and elbows it gently in the ribs."Huh? Huh? Sidesaddle, get it? Huh? OK, now you tell one..."* * *Tucker helps Renraw and Wormy up, their shackles jingling quietly. The deputy moves with them to the area Katadid indicated.Emmerson follows, leaning in to mutter in Katadid's ear: "Question him.""Wormy," Kat says to the shivering kobold. "I have been asked. The paladin requests questions. I will now do so. I'm not particularly interested in what he wants to know, but I am interested in what I want to know. In return I will answer any questions of yours."Katadid has made a box of sticks in the ground in front of him. He begins arranging lines inside with smaller sticks, and his eyes focusing on his task."Shall we begin?"Wormy, who seems a little warmer in this spot of sunshine, turns towards Kat, tilting his head curiously."Ah, the interrogation! Do you intend to torture me, too, or is that saved until later?"Kat's lips purse and his brow furrows."If I have anything to say about it there will be none. However, the rest of my party is currently operating under the assumption that treating you well will guarantee their friend's safety." Kat's eyes narrow. "Contrary to popular belief, I am not that naive. As far as I am concerned the gnome knew the risks and reprisal would be hypocritical, but it is very possible the others may not see it that way when Bufer returns missing fingers after your priestess has conveniently transferred the gnome under someone else's 'wing.'"Kat sets a long twig in the middle of the square, bisecting it before speaking again."So I suggest we do this quickly before what is left of him finds his way back. First, what was your task in the barrow?"Emmerson watches the interrogation begin, but his attention continues to shift to where Bufer and the kobolds disappeared."I cannot remain here any longer," he says, gnawing his lower lip. "I'll check on Bufer."Tucker shakes hands with the paladin before he leaves."Don't get too close, and don't let them know you're there," he says. "Someone shadowing them might be taken as a violation of our treaty, and you don't want to be the one responsible for Bufer getting hurt. Lothian protect you both."Without another word, Emmerson sets off at run after Bufer and the kobolds.Wormy keeps whipping his head from Kat to Renraw to anyone else he can see, so that he can see the flaming hot poker -- or whatever other torture implement -- coming."We were picking up the bodies of our fellows. The scouts who found them hid them so that they would not be more disturbed by filthy grave-robbing gnomes and their friends, but they did not have what they needed to bring the dead back home to Green Mountain. I suppose you just eat your fallen comrades.""I see. Is that your question, then?" Katadid smiles slightly at Wormy's befuddled look. "You gave the supposition that we eat our dead. Would you like to know if we do? Remember, it is now your turn to ask me something."Kat picks up a stick and looks at it before holding it out to the cringing kobold."This is not an interrogation, Wormy. This is simply an exchange of ideas. A question for a question. It would be insulting to not give you something in return for your answers. Ask, please."Kat folds his hands and places them under his chin as the kobold looks thoroughly confused at the twig in his hands."There is much to learn from each other," Katadid says."The dead can learn nothing from the dead," the kobold scoffs.Kat shakes his head."Neither of us are either yet. Very well, the answer is no, we do not eat our dead. We tend to bury them. Some burn them in a ritual fashion. Perhaps other humans do it differently, but that is what we do. You can even see stones over the buried in our town if you looked." Kat puts another twig on the pile. "Do you know anything of a Tiberius who was to meet at these caverns?"Not understanding a word of the conversation between Katadid and Wormy, Hazel turns to Tucker."The kobolds have gone; why don't you head back toward town with Wormy and wait for Bufer? We'll all feel better when he's safe." She peers at the shivering kobold. "Probably shouldn't take him into town, though; it might cause trouble if anyone sees a kobold and gets the wrong idea.""As soon as Katy's done with his initial line of questioning, I think I'll do just that," Tucker nods. "Renraw's behaving himself so far, and I don't think a bit more minor hardship will do him harm."Do me a favor? You know what will burn best around here: Get me a decent bundle of kindling that will last through the night, if necessary. We don't know what time Bufer will be released, and I don't want Wormy to freeze to death if we're out in the woods all night. There's no way I'm taking him anywhere near town; we'll head to the north side of the orchard and wait there."Renraw overhears Tucker speaking with Hazel about the possibility of being out "all night" and suddenly grows very uncomfortable."No," he says. "No, there's no need to stay out here all night. I don't care what this Tiberius character has got, if anything. It's cold and I'm shackled to a thing with scales. In fact, I'm done with this, right now. This 'stakeout' was a horrible idea. That blustering, holier-than-thou Grant probably ruined it, anyhow, just like the half-wit's going to ruin the deal with the gnome. I hope you all enjoyed knowing him. Gods know I didn't have much use for a healer who didn't heal."He turns to Wormy and Katy."Continue this in transit. We're returning to civilization."* * *Pick says something and the other kobolds slow their march and begin looking around until she hisses something else, at which point they stiffly look straight ahead. She drags Bufer along faster than the rest of the group, looping his leash around the belt of one of the marchers, who loudly growls at Bufer before Pick slaps him on the snout. She then steps off into the underbrush and vanishes at the other kobolds keep marching.</blockquote>

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