Swamp Trek III: The Search for Ter-raen

[jkason]

Weel Naxel, human cleric

[sblock=Weel and Karl go to Swamp Castle]Weel opens his mouth a moment to speak, closes it, re-thinking, then starts again.

"My name is Weel, and this is Karl. My companions and I were actually trying to find you ... well, your people. It's ... Phyrah but it's complicated.

"At first we were looking for a guide to find a pay ... urn. An urn. But then we found out a human group had entered the swamps to avenge our friend Gildrim's death. Only Gildrim isn't ... that is, wasn't dead. He was with us. And so we wanted a guide and to warn you and also hopefully show the humans that Gildrim was fit and they could all just go home.

"And in all that looking for people, we forgot to look out for ... it was a pyra ... no, hydra. That. Five heads. In the deep water where Gildrim couldn't get out in time, and Richard got stuck, too, and ... well, now we can't show anyone that Gildrim's fit and fair, because now he really is ... " the cleric pauses, and this time it's clear he's not confused about which word to use, but just can't bring himself to say it.

"But when your folk caught us, I thought we could at least warn you about the beliggerant treefolk. Town. Town folk.

"And then, Phyrah willing, I just want to find the road back to Orussus."[/sblock]

 

[Scott DeWar]

throught out Karl nods to what Weel is saying and occasionally puntuates with the occasional 'yes, sir' in the end he saimply adds, " I am sorry for what the town fold are doing. All I want is to get back to Orussus as well."

He then leans a bit to Weel and asks, "Can you do anything for his wounds?"

 

[jkason]

Weel Naxel, human cleric

He then leans a bit to Weel and asks, "Can you do anything for his wounds?"

"Oh!" Weel says, as if suddenly poked. "Phyrah, in my self-pithy ... pity. that. I didn't even ... I have some small power to heal wounds. I can ... you're hurt, yes?"

 

[Trouvere]

[sblock=Gildrim]Gildrim emerges from the water with his wounds stinging. He downs another expensive healing potion and begins to feel dwarven again. With nothing else to do, he casts about for the trail left by Karl and Weel.

OOC: Richard's CMW 2d8+3=14; 20 HP.[/sblock]

 

[covaithe]

ooc: As you may have read elsewhere, I'm less than a week away from an intercontinental move. Stress levels are rising fast, so I'm going to put this game on hold (officially, as opposed to the unofficial stasis of the last week) for the next two weeks. I promise I'll be back to finish this.

 

[Scott DeWar]

I am expentantly waiting.

 

[covaithe]

ooc: Thanks for your patience, guys. The move has gone well so far, and while there is still more to be done, I think things have calmed down enough that I can declare myself back to normal posting status, more or less. Onward!

[sblock=Gildrim]After wasting an hour following a false trail that led into a crocodile wallow, Gildrim backtracks and finds clear traces two pairs of humanoid feet leaving the island to the north towards another grassy hummock, and sets off quickly through the swamp. It is nearly impossible to find traces of their passage in the still swamp water, but by assuming that they continued the practice of moving between bits of dry land whenever possible, and with a bit of trial and error, Gildrim is able to follow the trail, albeit with painful slowness. After several hours, nearing dusk, he runs across a place where, judging from the depth of the bootprints in the mud, they stopped for several minutes. Near one set of bootprints is a deep, round indentation with a sloping groove away from it, as if someone had dropped a mace there and then picked it up. There are several fainter tracks there from clawed, spread-toed feet such as lizardfolk have. The trail away from that islet takes a sharp turn from the direction Karl and Weel had been traveling, turning eastward toward the river. Gildrim attempts to follow, but the trail avoids dry land thereafter, and Gildrim's skills are not equal to the task.

An hour after sunset, with full darkness falling fast, Gildrim hears a quiet hissing sound behind him. He glances around, and sees half a dozen lizardfolk in the process of encircling him, javelins in hand but not yet poised to throw. Seeing that they are discovered, one of them approaches and addresses Gildrim in draconic:

"Drop your weapons, stranger, and come with us. Do not resist, or you will be killed," the leader asserts.

[sblock=Sense Motive DC 20]The lizardfolk are eyeing your heavy armor warily. They look tired, and not especially confident that they can take you, should it come to a fight.[/sblock]

[/sblock]

[sblock=Karl and Weel]The lizardman blinks impassively as he listens to Weel's torrent of words, but his mouth opens in a silent hiss when you get to the part about Gildrim. "Thees Geeldrim. He was a companion of yours? Can you describe heem? Do you know where he ees now?" he asks, eyes glittering.

At Weel's offer of healing, he blinks silently for a second, considering, but then shakes his head slowly. "Your offer ees kind, but I cannot accept. You see, your warneenk ees too late. Last night, others of your kind fell upon one of our veelages. They burned it, and keeled many of my people. Few escaped, but some made their way to other veelages, and the hunters gathered together. We fought the raiders. Some we keeled, more we captured. Their fate ees een the hands of the Elders now. As ees yours. Eef you are not one of those responseeble, then the Elders may decide to accept your aid. But eet ees not mine to decide."
[/sblock]

 

[Scott DeWar]

"so, we are your prisoners?" Karl nods in understanding. "Weel, I think we need to submit our selvs as prisoners to these most noble of peoples." then to the lizard man he says, " I have but one request that I can think of. Please keep us seperate from the attackers. I am not party to their ideals."

 

[Trouvere]

[sblock=Gildrim]Tired and sore, with great half-healed bite marks marring his flesh, Gildrim is more relieved than worried to see the warband, but nevertheless keeps very still.

"Fekiikiri, tilsin sthyri! Qe doegel mrith douta neri!" he calls. "Wux ossalur mrith jennu ohhu. Si jahus vorqir ihk wux. Si mi vi thurirl vur lotoc ekess ocuir wux."

He carefully presents his greatsword hilt first to the leader and begins the lengthy process of divesting himself of his other weaponry. "Arominak Gildrim Nerixen," he announces. "Nakta astahi algbo; nomeno belhal ekess vi bensvelk sthyr, vur si tepoha coanwor ekess jennu nirescholii ekess ehtah trian caexi."

OOC: Sense Motive 1d20+8=11[/sblock]

 

[jkason]

Weel Naxel, human cleric.

[sblock=The New Adventures of Karl and Weel]

The lizardman blinks impassively as he listens to Weel's torrent of words, but his mouth opens in a silent hiss when you get to the part about Gildrim. "Thees Geeldrim. He was a companion of yours? Can you describe heem? Do you know where he ees now?" he asks, eyes glittering.

"Well, he was very gruff and was sometimes hard to understand, but then I can be, too, I'm sure, and ... well, he was a dwarf, and he had black hair, and his beard, now that I think about it, always looked a little burnished, er, burned. Yes, on the ends.

"As to where he ... well, I'm afraid I think he's in a Hydra's stomach. Stomachs? Do they have as many of those as they do heads?"

As he hears about the attack, Weel's shoulders slump and his eyes widen at the destruction that's been wrought as the four adventurers tried to make their way through the swamps.

"so, we are your prisoners?" Karl nods in understanding. "Weel, I think we need to submit our selvs as prisoners to these most noble of peoples." then to the lizard man he says, " I have but one request that I can think of. Please keep us seperate from the attackers. I am not party to their ideals."

Weel straightens up at his companion's assertion and nods. "I'm just sorry we were too late to warn you or stop them," he adds. [/sblock]