Tests and Trials Game Thread

"I do not know why the dragon does not know...but I'm happy she doesn't.   The story on finding it is long, but magic helped."

"Why does the dragon hunt you and your friends?"

((Ernos has been using Prestidigitation in various situations.  He's used it to warm himself up and to dry wood for the campfire at least.  But nobody's been saying the food's bad so he thought it would be rude to flavour it.  And I forgot prest could flavour stuff.))

Ernos picks up a loaf of bread and starts crunching, "So it wasn't just me thinking the food is strange?  Well, the progress is showing sure signs of learning...  Are you capable of tasting?  I could use my magic to teach you the flavours of things.  It could be used to shows the form of foods that aren't drawn in books, too."

((The Librarian isn't in the room but a golem is, if that is who Ernos is talking to?))

The Librarian will answer through the golem,

"No, I am not able to taste and my mouth is not well designed for consuming food like you do. I am better at swallowing things whole."

While this side conversation is happening the bugbear eats another apple and answers Jaq,

"She find. She take. Tribes hide from bugbear, bugbear leave. Tribe come out. Dragon come. She say tribes hers. Some say no. She kill. Tribes hide. She hunt."

"That is not good. "  Jaq says with a shake of his head.  "Do the bugbears have any chance of defeating her?   The dragon, I mean?"

"If all your tribes banded together is there a chance of defeating the dragon, or does she already have so many servants like those kobolds that it would be too hard?"

"Only dragon, tribe maybe win. Not only dragon. She have many now."

She shrugs,

"Maybe other tribes help. They hide. No find."

"Many? Many kobolds, or others too? Have you seen any undead around?"

"Many. Kobolds. Few bugbears. Some goblins. Some others."

She looks blanking at Kroshav,

"Dead? Many dead. Dragon kill. All over."

"Not dead dead... like zombies and stuff. You know... urrrrgggghhh.", Kroshav staggers about in a zombie impression.

The bugbear watches Kroshav with confusion then seems to understand,

"No dead. Drunk! Find drunks."

She gestures widely to indicate 'everywhere'.

"Not drunks, dead. Dead... see?", Kroshav mimes dying, falling on the floor, laying still.

He starts to groan, pushing himself upright, drooling and eyes lolling about in his head and he staggers towards Jaq, pretending go in for a bite before straightening up and wiping his mouth.

"Dead, but doesn't stay dead. Gets up and tries to eat people."

Performance(?): 6

Int: 12

The bugbear watches with fascination, chewing slowly on another apple.

"Mad drunk? Lots. Dragon bigger problem."

The language barrier seems to be pretty solid on this.

Kroshav sighs and helps himself to another apple. 

"Nevermind."

"Big place."

The bugbear states and seemingly once she is sure no one is going to contradict her she continues,

"Tribe hide here?"

The golem makes an odd drawn out noise before saying,

"May we speak in private, miss...?"

The bugbear just looks at the golem then around,

"What miss? What Private?"

Joe offers to take her away, a distance and then the golem continues,

"This is not a haven from dragons. I'm very uncomfortable with this. The books are put at risk the more that know about this location."

The golem drones but some of the worry does manage to leak through.

"Yeah...", Kroshav scratches his neck.

"I think unless we offer them some other option, they're gonna tell their clan about the Library when they leave."

"Are there other options? Killing the dragon?"

"A dragon is a powerful foe.  It has military, and as a green poison will work poorly...  Perhaps if it hunts the undead and they weaken each other."

"How would we know if the dragon hunts and finds the undead? If they meet I doubt they will advertise the event."

The golem stands silent for a few heartbeats,

"I do not like turning those in need away, but the their being here puts the books in danger. Likely more danger than that posed by the drow. I suppose I could incarcerate them with the drow, at least until the dragon issue resolves itself?"

(( sorry was on vacation and thought I would have decent internet but I was wrong on that front ))

After listening for a while and trying to follow the conversation Cladmir asked the librarian.

"If a dragon were to somehow try and attack this place, how safe are we?"

"That depends very much on how it would choice to attack. Should the dragon attempt to come down the stairs itself, I am not confident in my ability to defeat it. I am immune to a green's breath but they are in turn immune to my poison. In direct combat a dragon would likely best me, though the golems might tip things into my favor. Should it attack with support, which it almost certainly will do, I would be overwhelmed. Unlike the dead they will need to use the stairs on the surface, providing a choke point."

The golem's whole body turns towards the stairs,

"Though, given time they could potentially create another entrance."