Answering Khessa "I can't tell it for sure, but those are creature of the Underdark who live just for eating other creature. So, for answering your question, I don't believe the Cult is able to tame a creature like this. Is more likely that it was here before the Cult, they might exploited it for guarding the eggs, feeding him occasionally with prisoners or defectors."
"Well, all the better" says Khessa "Then they also will need to manouver around it, plus it will not be too motivated in getting us. So only the drake and the cultist to worry about. If only Zale could succeed in befriending the drake... Hey! Maybe you can tell the drake that Mr Sponge we threw before has not the trust of the cult anymore and was thus an offering of food from us to it? Or, again, this would seem to cruel to you, Nixi?"
Eric stands still, one hand on his friends shoulder, the other pointing in the direction of the creature. "Guys" he indicates "don't let your guard down, there is a Roper over there" you see that the expression of his face has changed, his legs are suddenly unwilling to move and his voice trembles.
occ: Can Eric spot where the drake is?
No, you can't (and neither can Zale), but with that roll you do notice, near the Roper) a pair of eyes reflecting some of the stone's light. It's a second Guard Drake.
(Sorry for not responding for a while. Busy day! I probably won't be on here tomorrow at all either. Happy Holidays everyone!)
Zale glances down at the drakes, then back at Eric. "I don't know what a roper be either, and I don't really want to tangle with anything if we can avoid it. Let's give something a try real quick though." She clears her throat then yells down at the drakes in draconic. "Come!" She's hoping she can them to come towards her so they can at least see how many there are. (and if they will actually listen to her.)
Khessa, upon seeing the first disappointing results of the approaches with the Drakes, waits for his teammates to play all their cards, but meanwhile begins to think: 'We can't leave the eggs at the disposal of the Cult. Zale and Calvin take pity on poor Drakes. Nixi takes pity on the poor cultist. I really wish that at least someone takes pity on us...'
"There is a bet we can do" Eric mumbles "We need at least to get rid of the drakes. We can either approaching them frontally or we could try to taunt them here, fighting away from the Roper once the drakes are down the Roper is likely to eat the corps and we can exploit the momentum to get away with the eggs" He exhales sharply "the bet is the Roper won't interfere with our fight and will be satisfied with eating the drakes. I know is hazardous but I do not have a better idea. anyone else does?"
"If we agree on the necessity to butcher the drakes," reflects Khessa pragmatically, but looking at Zale and Calvin, from whom he expects objections "maybe we don't even need to lure them here... Nixi knows a minor telekinesis spell that can transport small objects (that I could cast Light upon) a good distance. There's a very good chance we can light up the Drakes... And at that point, if we see them, we can massacre them with spells staying here safe..."
"Or perhaps, at that point," hypothesizes the blonde arcane warrior "we could also command the Drakes to obey us and let us take the eggs if they want to live... As long as they don't accept, we bombard them with spells... and we see what happens first: whether they yield to our demands, or they die. So the drakes could have a chance not to get killed".
"I don't mind those drakes being killed. actually I would advise not to let any creature connected to the Cult to endure" Eric answers "but I can understand the feeling of the other and I could be willing to save them until it doesn't endanger own one lives." The dwarf shakes his head " But sincerely, I do not see a reason why we should spare them" he looks toward the Dragonborns "you will never be able to tame those creature, they are twisted slaves of the Cult already, and nothing good can be derived from their existence"
Khessa quickly recovers from the pleasant surprise. The strange creature seems smart enough to learn a language (like Common) and communicate too! So maybe he's even smart enough to negotiate: "I can bring you a lot of food, if you like flesh, my friend! But would you do me a small favor in return? See those eggs? There must be a lot of them down there... Can you pass them all to us up here, with your long appendages? So that we don't have to come down? While we throw you the food down, so you don't have to come up? It's a fair trade, is not it?"
Zale shrugs, "I don't really care about them to be honest. I just figured it wouldn't hurt to see if we could use them to our advantage." She looks back at the others, "Since that doesn't seem to be the case, I am not opposed to disposing of them."
The dragonborn raises an eyebrow when the roper addresses them. She can't help but feel like this might be some sort of trap. Waiting for it to respond to Khessa, she tries to get a read on the beast.
Answering Khessa "I can't tell it for sure, but those are creature of the Underdark who live just for eating other creature. So, for answering your question, I don't believe the Cult is able to tame a creature like this. Is more likely that it was here before the Cult, they might exploited it for guarding the eggs, feeding him occasionally with prisoners or defectors."
"Well, all the better" says Khessa "Then they also will need to manouver around it, plus it will not be too motivated in getting us. So only the drake and the cultist to worry about. If only Zale could succeed in befriending the drake... Hey! Maybe you can tell the drake that Mr Sponge we threw before has not the trust of the cult anymore and was thus an offering of food from us to it? Or, again, this would seem to cruel to you, Nixi?"
No, you can't (and neither can Zale), but with that roll you do notice, near the Roper) a pair of eyes reflecting some of the stone's light. It's a second Guard Drake.
Player: Any Good Alignment // DM: Lawful Evil
None of the Drakes respond to your command.
Player: Any Good Alignment // DM: Lawful Evil
BTW did Kriv reach the stairs yet?
Player: Any Good Alignment // DM: Lawful Evil
Khessa, upon seeing the first disappointing results of the approaches with the Drakes, waits for his teammates to play all their cards, but meanwhile begins to think: 'We can't leave the eggs at the disposal of the Cult. Zale and Calvin take pity on poor Drakes. Nixi takes pity on the poor cultist. I really wish that at least someone takes pity on us...'
"There is a bet we can do" Eric mumbles "We need at least to get rid of the drakes. We can either approaching them frontally or we could try to taunt them here, fighting away from the Roper once the drakes are down the Roper is likely to eat the corps and we can exploit the momentum to get away with the eggs" He exhales sharply "the bet is the Roper won't interfere with our fight and will be satisfied with eating the drakes. I know is hazardous but I do not have a better idea. anyone else does?"
"If we agree on the necessity to butcher the drakes," reflects Khessa pragmatically, but looking at Zale and Calvin, from whom he expects objections "maybe we don't even need to lure them here... Nixi knows a minor telekinesis spell that can transport small objects (that I could cast Light upon) a good distance. There's a very good chance we can light up the Drakes... And at that point, if we see them, we can massacre them with spells staying here safe..."
"Or perhaps, at that point," hypothesizes the blonde arcane warrior "we could also command the Drakes to obey us and let us take the eggs if they want to live... As long as they don't accept, we bombard them with spells... and we see what happens first: whether they yield to our demands, or they die. So the drakes could have a chance not to get killed".
OOC: No. He stopped when Eric grabbed him and hasn’t moved.
"I don't mind those drakes being killed. actually I would advise not to let any creature connected to the Cult to endure" Eric answers "but I can understand the feeling of the other and I could be willing to save them until it doesn't endanger own one lives." The dwarf shakes his head " But sincerely, I do not see a reason why we should spare them" he looks toward the Dragonborns "you will never be able to tame those creature, they are twisted slaves of the Cult already, and nothing good can be derived from their existence"
(OOC Can we see the eggs?)
The two eggs you've noticed before are within your vision, though shaded.
By now the Roper had dropped the stone and it's now looking at the party. To everybody's surprise it speaks in Common: Food?
Player: Any Good Alignment // DM: Lawful Evil
Khessa quickly recovers from the pleasant surprise. The strange creature seems smart enough to learn a language (like Common) and communicate too! So maybe he's even smart enough to negotiate: "I can bring you a lot of food, if you like flesh, my friend! But would you do me a small favor in return? See those eggs? There must be a lot of them down there... Can you pass them all to us up here, with your long appendages? So that we don't have to come down? While we throw you the food down, so you don't have to come up? It's a fair trade, is not it?"
Make a Persuasion check for me, Khessa.
Player: Any Good Alignment // DM: Lawful Evil
Persuasion: 16
Zale shrugs, "I don't really care about them to be honest. I just figured it wouldn't hurt to see if we could use them to our advantage." She looks back at the others, "Since that doesn't seem to be the case, I am not opposed to disposing of them."
The dragonborn raises an eyebrow when the roper addresses them. She can't help but feel like this might be some sort of trap. Waiting for it to respond to Khessa, she tries to get a read on the beast.
Insight: 6
Nixi addresses the Roper. "I've heard that dragon eggs are quite tasty, you might want to give them a try..."
Calvin is as surprised as the others to see the creature respond. Although, it is rather difficult to read these emotions on a lizard's face.
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
Given the Roper imperscrutability, Khessa can not help but wonder: 'Did it actually understand me? Is it perhaps thinking about the bargain?'
Eggs? Bring food!
Player: Any Good Alignment // DM: Lawful Evil