Fro asks, "Will he eat rations, I have some of those. How many can he carry across at a time? Once you get us all on that side, you are free to leave."
She pulls some rations out of her pack and tosses it to the frog.
The huge head emerges just enough out of the water to snap up the rations, then it settles back. Lids cover the bulging yellow eyes partway, giving a sense of contentment. The man gives another whistle and the backside of the frog rises to the surface of the pool. It appears you’re meant to climb on and stand or crouch on the frog’s back. There’s enough room for 1 person at a time.
Fro will climb on the frogs back, handing the bandit to Faloniir and Cyro to watch. "I will go across first, then I would send the bandit, then you guys come in any order you want. Then when we are all across, the bandit can come back across and leave." Fro looks at the bandit. "Sorry, I just can't trust you."
The man gives an injured look when you refer to him as a bandit. Fro, you’re able to settle onto the frog and it ferries you across the pool, staying surprisingly stable at the surface of the water while making powerful strokes with its legs. You hardly get wet. The murky water swirls around you in the middle of the pond, not giving any clues as to what’s down below, or how deep it is. Old Croaker is as strong and stable as a boat. Once you get off, Old Croaker immediately returns to the other side and the bandit goes across without difficulty, and then Cyro.
"You are free to go, back across the pond." Fro watches him leave and then tries to determine what is making the dull orange glow. She looks around on this side of the pond. Is there another passage?
A warm rush of heat comes from a massive fire burning in the center of this cavern, its smoke venting up through a narrow stone chimney. The flames illuminate a rough painting of a five-headed dragon that dominates the far wall. A bedroll is spread out beneath the mural. A stack of firewood is piled up on a side wall. Near the crackling blaze, a dwarf bundled in a heavy cloak sits on a stone chest beside an elf whose face is covered in dragon tattoos. The dwarf’s face is streaked with pulsing blue veins. The pair appear to be in deep meditation and have not noticed your approach.
"Hello in the cave. We do not mean you harm and we are not looking for a fight." Fro walks into the light with her battleaxe in hand. "We met your sister Tulgi, she told us where you were, we are just investigating the sickness that seems to have you in its grasp as well."
Hulil (the dwarf) opens her eyes. So does the tattooed elf, and it's he who steps forward and questions you:
"Tulgi sent you, did she? You're investigating the sickness? What do you know about it?"
As he speaks, his eyes glitter in the firelight as they dart back and forth, seemingly trying to spot every little detail about each of you. It's a little unnerving.
Faloniir steps forward and says, "Yes, she did. We know that it takes a few weeks to kill so there may be time to save the infected. We don't know what's causing it, but we're fairly certain it was one of the items that were stolen from Pelc's in Palebank Village. We've had the dagger inspected and deemed safe and one of your associates told us he held a scroll case and has not yet fallen ill. Whatever remains is likely the cause. We have people in Palebank researching all they can about this disease and if we find a cure, we'd be willing to share it with you all. But first we need to know what you know. How many more items are there? Where are they now? How many of you are sick?"
Hulil glares at you darkly, Faloniir, as you speak, but her expression grows angrier and angrier as you go on. Finally she gets up off of the large stone chest, throws up her hands and shouts,
"Bah, you know even less about it than we do! You're useless! I know exactly what cursed me, it was the blue vials. Whoever handles 'em gets cursed. I figured it out by making my men each hold a different item. It was young Raegrin that got the blue vials, and it was him that got the curse. No one else handled 'em, no one else has it. And who's doing the research, Elro? Fat lotta good that'll do. This is an Aeorian curse, it'll need an Aeorian cure. My best chance is to return home to Shadycreek Run, where the Uttalots are strong, and see what Aeorian artifacts we've collected that might give a cure."
Faloniir will let the woman bluster and when she's finished he will say, "Do you still have the vials?" If she does not, he'll ask where they are. He'll then turn to Fro and Cyro and say, "If she wants to leave, I say we let her. It doesn't sound like this is contagious. But only if she relinquishes the vials."
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(Short rest passes without incident)
(I made another post at the end of the last page)
Fro asks, "Will he eat rations, I have some of those. How many can he carry across at a time? Once you get us all on that side, you are free to leave."
She pulls some rations out of her pack and tosses it to the frog.
The huge head emerges just enough out of the water to snap up the rations, then it settles back. Lids cover the bulging yellow eyes partway, giving a sense of contentment. The man gives another whistle and the backside of the frog rises to the surface of the pool. It appears you’re meant to climb on and stand or crouch on the frog’s back. There’s enough room for 1 person at a time.
Fro will climb on the frogs back, handing the bandit to Faloniir and Cyro to watch. "I will go across first, then I would send the bandit, then you guys come in any order you want. Then when we are all across, the bandit can come back across and leave." Fro looks at the bandit. "Sorry, I just can't trust you."
”I’ll be on after the bandit!” Cyro says as he polishes the bandit blood off his arrow.
The man gives an injured look when you refer to him as a bandit. Fro, you’re able to settle onto the frog and it ferries you across the pool, staying surprisingly stable at the surface of the water while making powerful strokes with its legs. You hardly get wet. The murky water swirls around you in the middle of the pond, not giving any clues as to what’s down below, or how deep it is. Old Croaker is as strong and stable as a boat. Once you get off, Old Croaker immediately returns to the other side and the bandit goes across without difficulty, and then Cyro.
Faloniir will cross when it is his turn to do so.
With everyone now across, and the bandit standing meekly on this side of the pool with you, what will you do next?
"You are free to go, back across the pond." Fro watches him leave and then tries to determine what is making the dull orange glow. She looks around on this side of the pond. Is there another passage?
”I have not made it down here yet. You’re as clueless as I.”
There is a passage with an orange glow emanating from deeper on. It pulsates with the familiar pattern of fire.
Fro will cautiously move down the passage toward the light.
Faloniir follows Fro with his bow drawn.
Cyro follows the other two, holding two shortswords. (That can happen without a feat because they are both light weapons.)
A warm rush of heat comes from a massive fire burning in the center of this cavern, its smoke venting up through a narrow stone chimney. The flames illuminate a rough painting of a five-headed dragon that dominates the far wall. A bedroll is spread out beneath the mural. A stack of firewood is piled up on a side wall. Near the crackling blaze, a dwarf bundled in a heavy cloak sits on a stone chest beside an elf whose face is covered in dragon tattoos. The dwarf’s face is streaked with pulsing blue veins. The pair appear to be in deep meditation and have not noticed your approach.
"Hello in the cave. We do not mean you harm and we are not looking for a fight." Fro walks into the light with her battleaxe in hand. "We met your sister Tulgi, she told us where you were, we are just investigating the sickness that seems to have you in its grasp as well."
Hulil (the dwarf) opens her eyes. So does the tattooed elf, and it's he who steps forward and questions you:
"Tulgi sent you, did she? You're investigating the sickness? What do you know about it?"
As he speaks, his eyes glitter in the firelight as they dart back and forth, seemingly trying to spot every little detail about each of you. It's a little unnerving.
Faloniir steps forward and says, "Yes, she did. We know that it takes a few weeks to kill so there may be time to save the infected. We don't know what's causing it, but we're fairly certain it was one of the items that were stolen from Pelc's in Palebank Village. We've had the dagger inspected and deemed safe and one of your associates told us he held a scroll case and has not yet fallen ill. Whatever remains is likely the cause. We have people in Palebank researching all they can about this disease and if we find a cure, we'd be willing to share it with you all. But first we need to know what you know. How many more items are there? Where are they now? How many of you are sick?"
Hulil glares at you darkly, Faloniir, as you speak, but her expression grows angrier and angrier as you go on. Finally she gets up off of the large stone chest, throws up her hands and shouts,
"Bah, you know even less about it than we do! You're useless! I know exactly what cursed me, it was the blue vials. Whoever handles 'em gets cursed. I figured it out by making my men each hold a different item. It was young Raegrin that got the blue vials, and it was him that got the curse. No one else handled 'em, no one else has it. And who's doing the research, Elro? Fat lotta good that'll do. This is an Aeorian curse, it'll need an Aeorian cure. My best chance is to return home to Shadycreek Run, where the Uttalots are strong, and see what Aeorian artifacts we've collected that might give a cure."
Faloniir will let the woman bluster and when she's finished he will say, "Do you still have the vials?" If she does not, he'll ask where they are. He'll then turn to Fro and Cyro and say, "If she wants to leave, I say we let her. It doesn't sound like this is contagious. But only if she relinquishes the vials."