The Undying Dragons - Campaign Thread

Solomona doesn't react. It's been a long time, and the lady is probably in need of the facilities. He says as much to Vonth, then adds:

"Oh wait, it looks like she's first going to say hello to that bard fellow that brought us here. That's sweet."

Avaria marches straight over to Soren.  Giving a slight nod to MDK, whether it is of approval or not is hard to say, and glares at her former friend.  "Where are we.  Tell me where in the world you have landed us and how to get where we want to go.  You owe us that much you ba$tard.  You owe ME that much, I trusted you from the beginning and this is how you repay me?"  She fumes, but tries her best to keep it contained.  She notices the few kobolds around and MDK but no one else.

(How far is the edge of the woods to the steps where kobold and Soren are?)

AT THE LODGE:

((Vonth notes that he and Solomona are about 40' from the bottom of the stairs. Avaria is 5' away. Marrin is up the stairs about 10'))

MDK looks at Avaria as she storms across the clearing. He doesn't release his grip on Soren even when the shifter gets close.

Soren turns his gaze to follow MDK's and his face changes slightly when he sees Avaria coming. It doesn't harden, nor does it soften. He looks more resigned to a situation he'd hoped to avoid than anything else.

Before the bard can speak MDK chimes in.

"He's is not takes-ing you anywhere. Nots until Talis gets back," MDK says. "But it's no secrets wheres we's are. You're abouts as close to the middles of the Deepwing Mountains as youse can gets. And as to getting wheres youse wants to go, well me's and the other ones of your groups has beens talking about thats."

Avaria does notice a rather oversized looking kobold up at the top of the stairs watching the proceedings. 

Soren looks back at Soren "I've done what I was hired to do. And now I'm leaving." Soren says before looking back at Avaria "It was nothing personal Ava. Good pay to deliver that chest here. If Jan would have just taken it out of that damn ring, none of you would be here."

Marrin leans in, puts on her old face and leans back out.

"Oh, Ava! Please help Soren back inside, we need to chat about some things. Make some deals. Oh and hello new guys, Von and Sol was it?"

She'll wave and gesture them all in but pauses and narrows her eyes as she appraises Ava's condition, 

"You look rough, do you feel okay?"

Relief visibly washes over Avaria's face as she sees Marrin.  She quickly looks around to see if Jan is in the vicinity as well, but doesn't see her and decides it is best not to ask.  Turning back to MDK and Soren, "No, you're not leaving yet.  Sounds to me as though we have some things to chat about.  Let's go inside."

She makes a gesture to say, after you, and either follows them into the lodge or helps MDK force Soren back in.  As she passes Marrin, "We um.. no I started a fight with Talis and then one of those red handed necromancers found us.  We left Talis fighting them.  I hated leaving, but well... we weren't doing so well, so we took the opportunity." she shrugs and Marrin can see the defeat in her friend's body language.

     Vonth rushes right up to MDK and Soren right along with Avaria.  Vonth is all but shaking with the desire to attack the traitor on sight but with MDK seemingly taking charge of them and Avaria apparently looking to talk to them, he decides perhaps he can put it off.  For a little while.  Instead, once alongside the group, Vonth reaches out to grab Soren's free arm (since MDK has a hold of one Vonth chooses the other) and attempts to get his own grapple on them before they can disappear again.

Athletics: 9

     Vonth's first grab is likely unsuccessful but if need be he will keep trying to get a hold of the bastard. 

((Given Soren goes along with the gentle suggestions and the not so gentle and Ava makes it up to her...))

Marrin, watches Ava approach and her brows rise when she says that she picked a fight with Talis AND that there are undead around.

"I think you made the right choice, head into the kitchen and Ula will get you fixed up. What do you think Talis' odds were? It would be convenient if she didn't make it back..."

When MDK makes it to the door with Soren she'll say,

"I guess Talis and they ran into some undead in the forest, so it might be good to let your people know about that. Oh, and Talis might be dead."

She will give Vonth a small nod of approval for his helping hand.

AT THE LODGE:

MDK looks at Vonth with a smirk on his scaly face when he sees the goliath misjudge the size of Soren's arm, allowing the bard to slip it free,

"Oh he's is goings to be as a good boy now," MDK says to the others while looking at Soren. "Aren'ts youse?"

Soren looks like he's contemplating his options and notes Marrin on the stairs, Avaria yelling at him, Vonth looming large, and then to MDK's iron grip. He also spots Solomona, but immediately decides there's no imminent threat there.

"Fine, we can talk, but I'm just a hired bard. What do you want to know? How much they paid me? Not enough." Soren asks. "Where I was supposed to bring you? Well, you're there. If I think they have the world's best interests at heart?"

At that Soren smiles and laughs.

He then moves along without resisting, even offering Vonth his free arm.

As MDK gets up to Marrin, the kobold nods and answers back in draconic "These ears work and your friend isn't the quietest. It would be best for everyone if she doesn't make it back but she's powerful and I don't think letting the other one get here would be any better. If we're lucky they killed each other. But regardless, we need to sort this out before anyone gets here."

Even before they get to the kitchen, Avaria can feel Ula's hand on her arm and a wave of rippling energy racing from the dwarf into the shifter (Heal 18 HP).

In the kitchen the cooks don't even pretend to be okay with the arrival of the group. They stop what they've been doing, mid chop and watch the party.

MDK ignores them and guides Soren to the end of the table.

Hammerdasher finally smacks himself on the head. "Spine of the Serpent. We don't call them the Deepwing Mountains. They're the Spine of the Serpent." He says. "We're at least a 10 day hard march from home, if not longer depending on how far south we really are."

Marrin gives Soren a smile as he walks by and follows along speaking to MDK,

"No, no she isn't quiet at all and like you say, better if neither make it here."

She gives the cooking staff a polite nod as they go through.

She sits beside Soren, but nods to MDK to take the lead and then looks over at Hammerdasher's outburst before sighing and turning to glare accusingly at Soren.

     As Soren seems to be so accommodating at the moment, and since it seems it would perhaps be impolite for Vonth to immediately try to decapitate the traitor as he would like to...  Vonth settles for stripping them of weapons.  Then of items and knickknacks and small pouches and such.  Vonth isn't well versed in the arcane or spell casting but he does know a little and thus enough to know that even the oddest powder or scrap of writing or such can be essential to casting a spell and he would like to strip any such from Soren.

     Assuming he can do this, he more or less just tosses everything across the table, out of arms reach at least.  Further if the table is big enough.  He's not looking to strip Soren down to his knickers or anything, but he does consider it.  Similarly with gagging the betrayer except he gets that the others are looking for answers...

Seeing no questions from MDK forthcoming, Marrin takes the lead, while Vonth disarms Soren.

"We would like to know the lay of things Soren, despite your claims of being a mercenary you're quite well informed."

She will comment to Vonth,

"Von, be sure to get his lute. Good man."

Then continue,

"Which locations are currently under influence and outright control of the undead cult? Who are some of their key members? Why did the dragon cult approach you rather than send a believer? What information about us and our plans did you share with Talis?"

     "Vonth," Vonth says in correction even as he nods and makes sure the instrument in question is not within reach.

Avaria stands still as Ula helps heal her.  She looks a lot better once she does, "Thank you, friend."

Seeing the cooks stop, and knowing about her new friend's fondness for food, she looks at them, "Food, now.  Bring it out here so we can eat it instead of you."

Knowing where they are at least helps put a small sense of ease on the Shifter as she was feeling so lost.  True, they were probably way behind now, but she wasn't sure what they could do about that.  

She turns around and heads to the doorway, "I'll keep a lookout while you all chat.  We don't need to be surprised by either of them."

IN THE LODGE:

The cooks have stopped all prep and are watching the proceedings at the table with their full attention. No amount of glaring or barking from MDK gets them to move back to work. The humans in the lodge may not have the same fear or respect for him that the legion of kobolds appear to have.

Soren watches with what looks like amusement as his lute almost disappears into Vonth's massive hand when the Goliath moves it to the other end of the table.

He then turns his attention back to Marrin.

"Those aren't mutually exclusive are they, my friend?" Soren says. "There are lots of whispers in this world and you just have to know where to listen for them. Everyone has something they don't share, even with their closest companions, right?"

Soren pauses and looks at Marrin for a long moment after saying that, a slight curl of a smile in the corner of his mouth.

"Have you heard from, Din lately?" Soren asks then nods at MDK. "He's probably talked to her more recently than you have."

MDK turns from glaring at the cooks to focus more on the conversation.

"Anyway, I haven't been in the desert lands for some time now, but I would suspect much of Mulhorand is there's now. And they'll be turning their eyes north and west now." Soren says. "They don't work like this lot. They don't have meetings and lodge retreats and secret passwords. They hear one controlling voice in their heads. But your friend, Godrick appears to be rising in importance. That ass Mak'ral that you met at the tower will have gained in power too."

He then looks over at Avaria and smiles.

"I hear they've a shifter hater gathering followers too."

Finally Soren laughs.

"Do you think any of this lot you've met here would have gotten as close to you as I did? Do you think they'd have even found you? After you stuck that chest in the ring, they had no way of tracking its power." Soren says. "But I wasn't paid to tell Talis anything about you just deliver the chest."

Solomona is a bit lost.

He wasn't expecting such antagonism toward Soren... maybe from the others, who perhaps had enough history with the bard, but certainly not from Vonth... and besides, how bad was it? They could have been brought to worse places.

Then there was the food. With the picnic ruined, he had been re-energised by the smells from the kitchen... only to find the cooks had stopped working just as they arrived. They didn't look like they were about to get back to it, nor did they seem like they would welcome an offer of help... so with his stomach rumbling, and nothing to say or contribute to the 'conversation' with Soren, he went outside and sat on the step.

It wasn't long after that Avaria appeared, having come to keep watch for anyone returning to the mansion.

Oh, hello again, Solomona says cheerily, although there is a little less pep in his voice. Did you find out what you needed from Soren? Then since there wasn't much else to do right now, Sol continued... not just to make conversation, but because for the first time he actually started to care... not about where he was in the world - that wasn't important to him - but about who he had gotten involved with, and what their goals were. Clearly they had goals, or they wouldn't be upset by Soren's betrayal. Sol was never really upset, because he never had goals. But he didn't like seeing other people upset either... it wasn't good for the uho. So at last he asks, and the questions come out in a bit of a jumbled rush:

Um... so where was it you wanted Soren to take you, anyway? What's the thing Talis and the others want from you? Why did that guy break Korda from the prison, and what does it have to do with you?

     Once Vonth is satisfied that Soren has been stripped of every weapon, focus, magical trinket, component pouch, instrument, and anything else Vonth suspects might prove troublesome, he finally straightens. That leaves him standing in a kitchen with a traitor, a collection of kobolds, and Marrin.

     His gaze settles on Marrin.

     “Are we keeping him alive for a reason?” Vonth asks.

     He then glances toward the lead kobold, as if checking whether they are the one objecting to the simple solution.

     His eyes return to Soren. 

     “His words do not seem particularly informative.” The statement is delivered with complete sincerity.

     As far as Vonth is concerned, Soren has already provided the most useful information he possesses: that he cannot be trusted.