The Undying Dragons - Campaign Thread

Solomona nods, then turns to Talis and suggests hopefully:

Two teams? Good idea. How about me, Vonth, Avaria, Ula and Hammerdasher go this way, and you, Soren, Maelgot, Sorvic, Kusphia, Trespin, and the kobolds and the drakes go that way.

((I think that'd take one HELL of a persuasion roll...))

AT THE LODGE:

((A Nat 20 might get you a friendly chuckle on that one))

Talis smiles at Solomona's blatant attempt to separate the locals from the visitors.

"I suspect that might mean if you find the one with the chest first that you might not return," Talis says. "That would put you, and us in grave danger. And would make it difficult for me to send you on your way to stop Godrick Hargrove."

She looks around and nods at the odd kobold about who appears to be doing some gardening, window cleaning and the like.

"They won't be coming. They have work to do here," Talis says before adding. "And someone needs to be here in case your friends decide to come back and look for you."

There's still no sign of Soren. He may be avoiding the group. Sleeping late. Already collected his payment and left. The party doesn't know.

"You three should go with Trepsin. He'll keep you safe in the woods," Talis says, indicating Hammerdasher, Ula and Geffroi.

"You four can come with us," she says to Vonth, Avaria, and Solomona.

The Major Domo Kobold comes back outside and says something quietly to Talis. A few moments later, the party sees the two perytons take flight, circle around the clearing twice before heading off.

Trepsin waves at the dwarves and Geffroi to follow. Hammerdasher looks to the three party members with a raised eyebrow.

"Seems like it's this or watch them hunt the others down."

IN THE WOODS:

The two harpies drop Marrin down on the forest floor. It's a bit of a rough landing as they almost have to fall through the trees to get past all the branches. But besides a few scrapes, Marrin finds herself on her own two feet more or less unharmed.

The harpies seem a bit puzzled by the threat Marrin leaves them with. Why would their new friend do that to them? But they take a few clothes offered and take flight.

Marrin waits several moments but doesn't see them again.

     Vonth grunts, noncommittal, and shifts his gaze to Avaria.

     He waits.

     It is her party, her decision to make.

Jan reaches out to K,

<There, in the distance... I think that's where Soren brought us here, does that line up with what you can recall of your flight? How are you feeling? Do you have a few more hours of flying in you, or do you need to rest?>

Marrin mutters to herself,

"That should at least confuse the trackers."

She turns a slow circle and tries to orient herself towards the cliffs before heading off, generally, in the direction of the lodge.

(Survival rolls from Jan and Marrin - Jan's is at advantage)

Solomona smiles and shrugs, ready to set out on the bush-walk regardless...

Did anyone bring trail mix?

Survival: 5

Marrin strides confidently in the direction she is going. Whether or not that is where she wants to go, well that's not as important. 

Avaria sighs and nods to Hammerdasher.  She walks over to Geoffroi and whispers in his ear, "If you have trouble with that one, fire is needed to take him down."

Then, turning back to Talis, "When we go after Godrick Hargrove?  I thought you were going to assist us in that task."

Either way, she's itching to get moving, and is ready to head out.

Jan Survival: 8

     Seeing Avaria satisfied with the split, Vonth offers no objection. He gives her a single nod of acceptance, then turns his attention to Talis, ready for her to lead the way.  He makes no reply to the comment about trail mix.  The wide one should have grabbed some Kobold bread if he was hungry...

IN THE FOREST:

Satisfied that her two charmed harpies have gone off to leave a trail of false breadcrumbs, Marrin heads on her way, not necessarily wanting to be in the same spot she is now when the charm spell wears off.

With a sense of urgency, she plunges into the woods. She knows the river is behind her as she can still hear it. And she knows the general direction of the lodge, but was it more northerly or southerly from where she is now? 

Counting more on luck than any true sense of pathfinding in the woods, Marrin heads off.

((Perception roll and a second Survival roll please))

IN THE HIGH SKIES:

Jan and K’ seem to have slightly different ideas about where they should be headed. While K’ does need to take a bit of a breather, Jan takes over the navigating. But after K’ rests for a bit, his gravely grinding chirps and whistles signal his agitation.

He grabs Jan’s face and points it in a direction about 45 degrees off the direction Jan had been heading and points at a couple of more wispy smoke plumes.

Jan’s pretty confident now on the route back to the lodge.

But at the same time she spots two large creatures take to the skies from that point. Given how they fly, she’d guess it’s the same deer-birds she saw before.

AT THE CLEARING / WOODS:

Geffroi nods his understanding to Avaria, then turns his gaze to watch Trepsin, the four-armed troll.

“You be careful, lass,” Hammerdasher says to Avaria. “No hopped up, green tetrapod is going to get the better of us. But that lot look dangerous.”

Ula lets some magical energy run across her knuckles to echo Hammerdasher’s statement.

The two dwarves, the fledgling wizard, Trepsin and the ambush drakes head off into the woods, in the same general direction Avaria, Vonth, and Solomona remember Marrin and Jan heading.

Talis watches them go for a moment before turning to the lodge, leading the group around the side of the house. Everyone walks along the well-worn path that leads past the outbuildings; the smaller of the two is a stone outbuilding with a mossy roof and no windows. The solid oak doors at either end are 9 feet tall; the whole thing resembles a small barn.

The larger is of similar construction, but longer, and with higher doors. It’s the building the kobolds dragged the dead trolls into. It gives off ‘stable’ vibes.

Between the two is a stone walled well, with a hoist and bucket.

Talis continues past these and heads along a pathway that leads into the woods at the back of the lodge.

Two of her men, Maelgot and Sorvic, push ahead of the group. The third, Kusphia, brings up the rear.

Talis takes a deep breath of mountain air and smiles.

“Now, yes I said I would assist in your fight with Godrick Hargrove,” Talis says as she walks, “but assist does not mean I will travel with you to confront him. There is so much else to do once the chest is recovered.”

After a few more paces she asks “Do you have any way to signal your friends? Sending Stones perhaps?”