spyscribe
First Post
Part the Fifty-First
In which: Anvil gets tired of all the talking.
It’s hard to really blame Anvil. He has been incredibly frustrated up until now, being largely ignored or looked down on by the hostile members of the Council, who seem to think that even a simple conversation with the Miyen Kai is too dangerous to be allowed. He has traveled far, and been made to ride blindfolded through thick woods for a full day and a half to get here. And he has never quite been the most diplomatic member of the party.
Even so…
“You are all cowards,” he says to the Council. “If it is Kettenek’s will that the Miyen Kai come with us to Dar Pykos, then it shall be done, and you have no power to prevent it. And if you,” he says to the Breath, “have not the wisdom to see that, then you are surely not worth of the office you hold.”
Eva’s jaw drops. Dennis winces.
The Breath’s eyes flash. She sits up tall. “Then let my decision be heard, human. I rule against you. You shall not speak to the Miyen Kai. You shall not walk on holy ground. You shall be taken from here, and escorted off Miyen lands. And if you are ever found here again, you shall be put to death. This Council adjourns.”
Reyu opens her mouth, attempting one last desperate effort to reason with the Breath. But the Breath rises and leaves the tent. The rest of the Council follows.
Reyu closes her eyes.
“Wow,” says Hue. “Even I knew that was dumb.”
**********
The party is escorted back to the teepee they had originally been put in. Their weapons are returned, and they make preparations to leave.
“Now, what?” Lira asks, glumly.
“Um, maybe we should contact Professor Alexandra. Maybe she can use some magic to get us there or something,” Thatch suggests.
However, before they get any farther with this line of reasoning, they have a visitor. The Finger of the Miyen Nation enters their teepee. He looks around at all of them.
Reyu greets him. “Honored father. How may we be of service?”
The Finger eyes her carefully. “As the war-leader of the Nation, I am bound to warn you against ignoring the ruling of the Council and taking matters into your own hands. The holy lands are regularly guarded by the best hunters of the Miyen. They patrol in bands of four, which move in a circular pattern, surrounding the home of the Miyen Kai, which is located near the rocky outcroppings a day and a half north-northwest of here. Do you understand my… warning?”
Reyu blinks at this seemingly horrid on-rush of needless exposition. But, deep in the eyes of the Finger of the Tribe, she thinks she detects just the faintest glimmer of a smile.
“Indeed,” Reyu says. “I believe we do.”
********
A plan is quickly hatched. The Finger has given them directions relative to their current location. Unfortunately, none of them know exactly where they are, having been blindfolded on the way in. Hue, after what appears to be a little prompting from the Ferret, suggests that if the Ferret were to nibble a hole in his bag to look out, Hue could cast an illusion on the bag so that none of the elves would notice. There is a brief discussion as to whether or not Hue and the Ferret have the attention span for the difficult hours of concentration this will take (it is quickly decided that the Ferret probably does, and Hue will be okay if the Ferret keeps him focused).
Seeing few other options, this plan is enacted. The elves escort the party back out of Miyen lands, and the Ferret keeps careful track of their route.
“Look,” Benedic says quietly in Common, while they have stopped for the night, “I should be able to figure out where the Miyen Kai is. But getting there may be a problem. I don’t think the Finger’s gonna be able to tell his hunters to let us cross their holy lands.”
“We may have to fight our way there,” Thatch notes.
“I would… prefer not to fight our way through against my sistren. We may end up with the entire Miyen nation chasing us, and that is not likely to… facilitate our mission,” Reyu adds.
“What about the dwarves?” Lira suddenly pipes up.
“What about the dwarves?” Anvil demands.
“Well, didn’t Zrod say that the dwarven caves ran all through the foothills? Even as far as the Ketkath?”
“Yes.”
“So. I bet the elves don’t patrol underground.”
***********
“Hmmmmm,” says Zrod, looking carefully over his map.
The journey out of Miyen lands proved uneventful, and after a day and half on horseback the party was finally allowed to remove their blindfolds, once again in unclaimed forest. Within a few days, they made their way back to the dwarven caves, where they met with Zrod Cavebreaker. They explained their request, and provided him with the directions they had gathered from the Finger and the Ferret’s watchful vigil.
“Can it be done?” Anvil demands. “Can we reach this place underground?”
Zrod scratches his beard. “Well, the good news is that it isn’t in goblin territory…. The bad news is that it’s beyond goblin territory.”
Benedic’s eyes narrow, and Lira thinks she hears a small hiss escape his mouth. Thatch smiles as he fingers his sword, and reflects on the similarities between fighting goblins and reaping wheat.
“So it can be done,” Anvil notes.
“Yeah.”
“Then Kettenek’s will demands we—"
“Yeah, yeah. We know,” Eva cuts in. She seems, if possible, even less pleased at the notion of travelling through caves then she did of travelling through forest.
“Gonna be rough travel. Hopefully, we can avoid any goblins we come across, but if they notice we’re there, we may have to fight out way through,” Zrod continues.
“We?” Reyu asks.
“Well, yeah. You’re going to need a guide. These tunnels go on for miles, and they’re full of all kinds of critters. Cave snakes, ropers, stirges, goblins, wild lizards--”
“Goblins. Wild lizards,” Eva repeats, looking slightly sick.
“Yup. Good eating, them.”
“The lizards or the goblins?” Lira asks, unable to help herself.
“Lizards,” Zrod says, looking surprised. “You eat goblins?”
“Well, no, but then I’ve never eaten lizard before, either.”
“Here,” Zrod says, and produces a piece of what appears to be gray leather. Lira looks at it skeptically. “Lizard jerky. Try some.”
It takes her quite some time to tear a chunk off with her teeth. It takes longer to chew and swallow it.
Zrod looks at her expectantly.
“Mmmmm,” she says. “Hearty.”
(“Make your Con check, please,” says the DM)
In which: Anvil gets tired of all the talking.
It’s hard to really blame Anvil. He has been incredibly frustrated up until now, being largely ignored or looked down on by the hostile members of the Council, who seem to think that even a simple conversation with the Miyen Kai is too dangerous to be allowed. He has traveled far, and been made to ride blindfolded through thick woods for a full day and a half to get here. And he has never quite been the most diplomatic member of the party.
Even so…
“You are all cowards,” he says to the Council. “If it is Kettenek’s will that the Miyen Kai come with us to Dar Pykos, then it shall be done, and you have no power to prevent it. And if you,” he says to the Breath, “have not the wisdom to see that, then you are surely not worth of the office you hold.”
Eva’s jaw drops. Dennis winces.
The Breath’s eyes flash. She sits up tall. “Then let my decision be heard, human. I rule against you. You shall not speak to the Miyen Kai. You shall not walk on holy ground. You shall be taken from here, and escorted off Miyen lands. And if you are ever found here again, you shall be put to death. This Council adjourns.”
Reyu opens her mouth, attempting one last desperate effort to reason with the Breath. But the Breath rises and leaves the tent. The rest of the Council follows.
Reyu closes her eyes.
“Wow,” says Hue. “Even I knew that was dumb.”
**********
The party is escorted back to the teepee they had originally been put in. Their weapons are returned, and they make preparations to leave.
“Now, what?” Lira asks, glumly.
“Um, maybe we should contact Professor Alexandra. Maybe she can use some magic to get us there or something,” Thatch suggests.
However, before they get any farther with this line of reasoning, they have a visitor. The Finger of the Miyen Nation enters their teepee. He looks around at all of them.
Reyu greets him. “Honored father. How may we be of service?”
The Finger eyes her carefully. “As the war-leader of the Nation, I am bound to warn you against ignoring the ruling of the Council and taking matters into your own hands. The holy lands are regularly guarded by the best hunters of the Miyen. They patrol in bands of four, which move in a circular pattern, surrounding the home of the Miyen Kai, which is located near the rocky outcroppings a day and a half north-northwest of here. Do you understand my… warning?”
Reyu blinks at this seemingly horrid on-rush of needless exposition. But, deep in the eyes of the Finger of the Tribe, she thinks she detects just the faintest glimmer of a smile.
“Indeed,” Reyu says. “I believe we do.”
********
A plan is quickly hatched. The Finger has given them directions relative to their current location. Unfortunately, none of them know exactly where they are, having been blindfolded on the way in. Hue, after what appears to be a little prompting from the Ferret, suggests that if the Ferret were to nibble a hole in his bag to look out, Hue could cast an illusion on the bag so that none of the elves would notice. There is a brief discussion as to whether or not Hue and the Ferret have the attention span for the difficult hours of concentration this will take (it is quickly decided that the Ferret probably does, and Hue will be okay if the Ferret keeps him focused).
Seeing few other options, this plan is enacted. The elves escort the party back out of Miyen lands, and the Ferret keeps careful track of their route.
“Look,” Benedic says quietly in Common, while they have stopped for the night, “I should be able to figure out where the Miyen Kai is. But getting there may be a problem. I don’t think the Finger’s gonna be able to tell his hunters to let us cross their holy lands.”
“We may have to fight our way there,” Thatch notes.
“I would… prefer not to fight our way through against my sistren. We may end up with the entire Miyen nation chasing us, and that is not likely to… facilitate our mission,” Reyu adds.
“What about the dwarves?” Lira suddenly pipes up.
“What about the dwarves?” Anvil demands.
“Well, didn’t Zrod say that the dwarven caves ran all through the foothills? Even as far as the Ketkath?”
“Yes.”
“So. I bet the elves don’t patrol underground.”
***********
“Hmmmmm,” says Zrod, looking carefully over his map.
The journey out of Miyen lands proved uneventful, and after a day and half on horseback the party was finally allowed to remove their blindfolds, once again in unclaimed forest. Within a few days, they made their way back to the dwarven caves, where they met with Zrod Cavebreaker. They explained their request, and provided him with the directions they had gathered from the Finger and the Ferret’s watchful vigil.
“Can it be done?” Anvil demands. “Can we reach this place underground?”
Zrod scratches his beard. “Well, the good news is that it isn’t in goblin territory…. The bad news is that it’s beyond goblin territory.”
Benedic’s eyes narrow, and Lira thinks she hears a small hiss escape his mouth. Thatch smiles as he fingers his sword, and reflects on the similarities between fighting goblins and reaping wheat.
“So it can be done,” Anvil notes.
“Yeah.”
“Then Kettenek’s will demands we—"
“Yeah, yeah. We know,” Eva cuts in. She seems, if possible, even less pleased at the notion of travelling through caves then she did of travelling through forest.
“Gonna be rough travel. Hopefully, we can avoid any goblins we come across, but if they notice we’re there, we may have to fight out way through,” Zrod continues.
“We?” Reyu asks.
“Well, yeah. You’re going to need a guide. These tunnels go on for miles, and they’re full of all kinds of critters. Cave snakes, ropers, stirges, goblins, wild lizards--”
“Goblins. Wild lizards,” Eva repeats, looking slightly sick.
“Yup. Good eating, them.”
“The lizards or the goblins?” Lira asks, unable to help herself.
“Lizards,” Zrod says, looking surprised. “You eat goblins?”
“Well, no, but then I’ve never eaten lizard before, either.”
“Here,” Zrod says, and produces a piece of what appears to be gray leather. Lira looks at it skeptically. “Lizard jerky. Try some.”
It takes her quite some time to tear a chunk off with her teeth. It takes longer to chew and swallow it.
Zrod looks at her expectantly.
“Mmmmm,” she says. “Hearty.”
(“Make your Con check, please,” says the DM)
