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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Amaroq" data-source="post: 1403303" data-attributes="member: 15470">Issue #11: The Lizard Men and the Duck - Episode 2 of 5The lizard men seem to know the swamp extremely well, and they guide us around the dangers. The column moves much more quickly than we could by ourselves. We travel for about three hours with no incident, until we come to a stand of big weeping willow trees. The trees are not very tall, perhaps twelve to twenty feet, but they have numerous branches and the hanging willows make a curtain through which we cannot see. Hands of Fire parts the branches and leads us through the curtain into a clearing. There is a large tree in the center, its roots arching over a hole into the ground. The ground beneath our feet is as firm and solid as any we have encountered since entering the swamp, and the base of the tree is well above the waterline. The lizard men lead us to the hole, and from their gestures, it is clear that we will be going underground. The owl and the hawks make themselves comfortable in the trees above.  The lizard men climb down into a cave complex, and we follow them below. Their warren is damp and warm, but the soil surrounding us is strong and firm, not muddy at all. There is a pungent reptilian odor, which is comforting to some, but disconcerting to others. There are roots lining the walls and ceiling of the passage, but there is plenty of clearance for us, since the lizard men average seven feet tall. We walk down a hallway into a large cavern, well-lit by torches, with numerous smaller passages leading off from the sides. As we enter, we see that it is filled with many more lizard men, who greet the returning party with joyous clamor. We recognize women and children among them, which helps ease any tension even before Hands of Fire gives a clear introduction, gesturing at us.  Hands of Fire tells us there will be a big feast, but that he is going to take us to a place to rest first, and then we can talk to others of the tribe. He takes us into a small empty cave, where we settle down, setting down our packs and weapons, and relaxing a little. Several minutes after we are settled, an elderly lizard man comes into the cave. His skin is a paler grey than his companions, and he moves with the aid of a cane. He introduces himself as One Fang. He speaks very slowly, through Telryn’s interpretation. “One sees,” One Fang says, “That some of your people are sick and not at full strength. We have some potions that can help with that.” “We would be grateful for healing,” Telryn says.The elderly One Fang offers Stone and Telryn some potions. Telryn grimaces at the foul taste, but perks right up, as the healing spreads through his body. Stone also looks better, but still seems weaker than usual. Miriel says, “Telryn, tell him I offer to heal any of the lizard men who need help.” He relays her message in the strange sibilant language of the lizard men. “One hears stories,” One Fang says, “Of followers of the winged goddess. We have a strange sickness here and could use your help.” “I am as yet inexperienced,” Miriel says modestly, “But I will do anything I can.”One Fang leads Miriel and Telryn to a cave where a single lizard man lays deathly ill on a cot. Miriel examines him, and it quickly becomes obvious to her that he has the Slimy Doom. She explains, through Telryn, that this means that his insides are rotting and turning to slime. She has quite a bit of experience with this because there was a big outbreak of it in Lave last spring, and she knows very well how to heal it. She gives the aged lizard man information about the illness and the cure through Telryn, and eventually they determine what they need to heal him. Miriel continues to work on him, while One Fang leads Telryn back to ‘our’ cave.The young mage wants to go off to take time to meditate on his recent experiences, but as soon as he arrives, everyone wants him to translate. Goldpetal asks Telryn to ask for someone to teach him properties of local plants. Telryn explains the request to One Fang, who responds in the draconic tongue.“One Fang says that there are herbalists who would be willing to educate us,” Telryn translates. He tells how we are on a mission to wipe out the disease clan nearby, and the old lizard man refers him to the chief, who he says will very much want to talk to us as well.Chuck asks for a lizard man to assist him in a search for good wood to make a new bow with, but Telryn has difficulty translating that request, and after a frustrating minute, he tries a different question, asking how long we will be allowed to stay here.“He tells us that tomorrow is the big feast day,” Telryn translates, “And asks us to stay for the feast.”“Tomorrow is Denev’s day,” Goldpetal realizes. He asks a quick question in the secret tongue of the druids. Old Fang does not appear to comprehend, and looks to Telryn for a translation. The mage, of course, understood just as little, and looks at Goldpetal quizzically. “Ask them what god they worship,” the elf says.Telryn draws a breath as though about to embark on that question, but then pauses. “I… think that might be too personal of a question,” he says hesitantly.“Then ask about the feast,” Goldpetal says. After a brief exchange, Telryn translates. “One Fang tells us that it is in honor of the land,” he says. “The great spirits protect them all year long, so one day each month they honor them. I asked if ‘the great spirits’ refers to Denev, but he said that he doesn’t know who that is.”“May I speak to the shaman?” Goldpetal asks. Telryn translates, and laughs at One Fang’s response. “He says to assure you, ‘I am the man of medicine.’ ”“Ask about their history,” Goldpetal says. “How long have they been here? Did they know…”Telryn interrupts him. “I’m not going to translate all of that. I need to rest.”One Fang asks him a question, and we can only listen as he and Telryn interact. The mage takes the moment to tell Goldpetal, “He says, ‘One would expect that all your questions about the lizard people will be answered tomorrow at the great feast.’ “Also, I asked what the food is, and warned him that we might not eat the same food. One Fang comprehends this, and explained that they are roasting a big pig, lots of fish, some lizards, and some snakes.”“Ask if it would be offensive if we contributed food to the feast,” Paks says.One Fang shakes his head and looks concerned as he explains to Telryn. “Yes,” the mage says. “He would be very offended if we did. He says that the hosts must provide food for the feast day.”“Will it offend them for me to perform my rituals on the feast day?” asks Goldpetal.Telryn has one last exchange with Old Fang, and translates, “He says of course not. Now, I really am done – I need to meditate.”Paks offers, “Goldpetal, I would go with you, to protect you.” “I would appreciate that,” he answers, “Though of course, there are some parts of the ritual which you may not see.”Telryn gratefully goes off to meditate. Stone and Novalia also sleep. Several hours later, Miriel returns.“Where were you?” asks Chuck.“There was a lizard man who had the Slimy Doom,” she explains. “I worked on him for several hours, and I think he’ll pull through. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go rest.”The rest of us talk quietly amongst ourselves. Paks continues to study the elvish tongue under Goldpetal’s tutelage, and even Chuck learns a bit of it. In the evening, a lizard woman brings in some raw fish for us to eat. Miriel asks Telryn to explain that we generally prefer cooked food. When he translates this request, the lizard woman looks at us strangely, laughs, and walks away. Miriel cooks her share, but the rest eat it raw, and say it tastes better than they expected. All seven of us are gathered again in our small cave, and have just finished our evening meal. Paks looks at Novalia and asks, “Novalia, would you care to exchange stories with us?”“Yes,” Goldpetal adds, with a more ominous tone to his voice. “Tell us. Why were you wandering alone in the swamp?”“I’ll tell you,” Novalia says. “I grew up in Northern Vesh a few days’ walk north of Lave, in a small rural village you’ve probably never heard of. I was a farmer’s daughter, though I always found farming boring, and I wished for something more adventurous. When I was a teenager, I…” She breaks off for a moment, eyes clearly far away. She shakes her head. “I’d rather not speak of that. Suffice it to say that the Handmaidens of Tanil saved me from an unspeakable evil. In return, I went traveling with them. They taught me the way of the bow, the way of Tanil, and how to be good person. I appreciated this, but felt that I was being pulled in a different direction, somehow. They were a bit too preachy, and too… against men… for my tastes. I felt I needed to go fight real evil, not just male oppression. “At a freehold near this swamp, I met a group of ratman hunters, and decided to venture forth with them, as a minor healer and a fighter. Yesterday, our group was ambushed by the Brown Gorgers.”“Those fat ratmen?” asks Paks.“Yes,” she answers. “I was knocked unconscious almost immediately, and later awoke surrounded by the lizard men. I didn’t quite know what to think of them, and I couldn’t communicate with them. I insisted on giving them money, but they didn’t seem to know what to do with it. We started traveling, I thought to go to their home, when they were ambushed again. Many of the lizard men died, and the rest ran away, through the night. The ratmen caught us again shortly after dawn, and we made our last stand where you found us.“So, I don’t know what happened to my companions, though I fear the worst. Telryn, you can speak with them? I’d like to ask Hands of Fire where they are, and what happened, and to tell them ‘thank you’.”Paks tells her our story in some detail, leaving out some parts of it, but ending with our defense of Kratys Freehold and our plan to wipe out the Disease tribe. Novalia is aghast and impressed. She says, “I stayed Kratys Freehold myself, perhaps a month ago. That’s where I met the ratman hunters! Can I travel with you? I’d like to help against the ratmen, and then find my way back out of this swamp. I’ve been in the swamp for weeks.”“We’ll talk about it,” Miriel answers, “But I think any assistance will be welcome.”While we’re talking, a lizard woman comes in and offers us some wine. We accept it and taste it; it’s a sort of fermented berry drink. She delivers the wine and leaves, as we can’t communicate. In the evening, Paks takes Miriel aside, finding a quiet corner of the cave to ask, “How could I have healed Stone?  I’m no priestess.”“The artifact you held is a powerful one,” Miriel answers, “And it is not surprising that the goddess might work miracles through it.”“It wasn’t the first time,” Paks tells her. “In the tower, that first visit, when you were unconscious, I asked the goddess to heal you. I’m not sure if it worked, but your bleeding slowed, and you woke up moments later. Then, during the raid on SySy’s camp, the same thing happened. Milo was bleeding to death, and I asked Madriel to heal him, and I felt a healing power in my hands, and he woke up.”“The goddess does not work only through her priestesses,” Miriel tells her. “She has been known to answer a true prayer, from one of her believers, especially so for those in dire need.”“That’s just the thing,” Paks says, her voice a miserable whisper. “I’m not one of her followers.”“Paks, Paks,” Miriel says, putting her arm around the distressed woman. “You are good of heart, and surely Madriel sees that.” After a pause, when Paks says nothing, Miriel asks, “Are you the follower of another god?”“No,” she says. “My father taught me to respect all of the gods, but we never worshipped one above the others.”“So you are not dedicated to another?” the priestess asks.“No,” Paks whispers.“Then it seems Madriel has chosen you,” Miriel says. “Perhaps there is something special about you. Verenia has always thought that you carried a special blessing of Madriel.“Remember Verenia’s prophecy? About you, she said, ‘Madriel has chosen you. Tempered in a forge of trouble, are you worthy of the Redeemer?’  Madriel is often referred to as ‘the Redeemer’, in our religious texts.“Then, during the siege of the freehold, when you were injured, I came to your side. You were badly wounded, and I feared I was too late, but when I prayed for the goddess’ aid, just as I uttered the words, the sun reached your face, and I felt a great, divine power move through me, in a way that felt very different from a normal healing. It was a long and exhausting healing, to bring you back from so close to the verge of death.“I think that, for reasons beyond either of us, the goddess has taken a special interest in you.”Paks says nothing, but appears comforted by Miriel’s words, and the two women sit in companionable silence for a while, before unrolling bedrolls and joining the others in sleep.</blockquote>

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