Nothing registers to Auriel's senses within the immediate vicinity.
OOC: How is Auriel/the party investigating the wings? Approaching from the water on the keelboat, moving onto land to look up close, or just taking a more detailed look from your current location?
"Dragon... or no Dragon. Things won't settle down here without whatever at the top put in it's place. In either case, we need to approach it as a coordinated effort and at full strength." Uragum takes a breath and closes his eyes for a moment in thought and then opens them. I've got about five of my heavier spells in me. If had had an hour, I could get back up to my full strength, spell wise... Waiting an hour gambles lives. I vote we press on..."
OOC: How is Auriel/the party investigating the wings? Approaching from the water on the keelboat, moving onto land to look up close, or just taking a more detailed look from your current location?
OOC. To not leave this unanswered here, Auriel's idea is: move the keelboat up to the island where we saw the wings and the big lizard boy, tie it so it does not go wandering off (preferably, in a spot where branches and similar can hide it from view, if possible). Then, set foot on the island and go investigate. If the wings are very deep in the island, I wouldn't go straight for them, but first look around the huts and the ground in search for possible tracks or whatever clue or sign of danger that could be around.
Carl steps off the boat, wary and moving cautiously. He asks his invisible rower to move forward 60 feet and if he spots anything, he asks it to pick it up and bring it back to them. If he gets close to some of the wings, he will return with them for the party to investigate. Similarly, if it encounters a lizardfolk body, he will drag it over for them to have a look. “It don’t look right. I’ve got a crawlin feeling coming up my skin….”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Drawing closer to the trees on the island, it becomes apparent that they are each crudely crafted effigies of a dragon. Those pulled down by the large lizardfolk spotted a moment ago have been smashed upon the ground and torn.
Carlthuzad sees a number of lizardfolk bodies among the ruined huts as well; these bodies, similar to the structures of the huts, have also been eaten away by acid to varying degrees.
Sylyra pauses and closes his eyes, taking a couple of deep breaths. Speaking with his eyes closed, he says, "It's almost as if they were either betrayed by that which they worship or its competition."
As they watch the bodies up close, Auriel whispers in his mother tongue "Naira na...". It was one thing to fight a bunch of lizardfolk in order to free their captives, and another thing entirely to see so many slaughtered like this.
"This is horrible..."
He offered a silent prayer for those poor souls, and when Sylyra mentions that the lizardfolk could have been betrayed by that which they worshiped he says:
- Rolk thought the attack on Scalecrusher was what kicked off the kidnappings, right? Perhaps they are trying to appease the creature - despite the obvious signs, seeing the druid's previous reactions to the word "dragon" the eladrin refrains from using it - or redirect its wrath to other victims, and that is why they are kidnapping so many people. In any case, where do you guys think the big fellow went? To that larger island over there?
Auriel will take a look trying to ascertain that the big lizardfolk isn't in the current island anymore. Then he will approach the other shore to try to inspect the next island from afar. Does it show signs of having been sprayed with acid? Is there any perceptible movement over there? Also, does the water seem navigable despite the eddy? (Perception: 21)
Carl says “Likely so, those people were likely to be sacrifices. If they are fighting amongst each other to try to appease this black dragon… perhaps we should sit back and watch. And then deal with the aftermath. But if there are any other hostages, we must free them.”
Carl closes his eyes for a moment and focuses his eyes and his mind on the patch of water between them and the next island. He first creates a water fountain, then a big 5 foot hand of water, pointing to the next island, casting shape water to do this. He gives a side eye at Sylyra as he does so, eager to demonstrate his growing magical prowess and secretly seeking the irascible elf’s approval.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
In the center of the massive, slowly swirling eddy is a long island that appears to be taller and larger at one end. From your vantage point, you can see two distinct encampments of lizardfolk. Each has a ragged banner with different markings on them. You can just see the top of a third banner hidden behind a cluster of six massive drums in the center of the island. Destroyed wooden huts and crude fortifications sit on a low mound around the drums, and down into the water.
Two large wooden cages lashed together from tree limbs dominate each encampment. One appears to contain humanoids. Animal-like sounds from the other ones imply they hold livestock. Each cage has tall poles with winged decorations similar to those on the outer island.
About a dozen lizardfolk roam each encampment. Some are guarding the cages, while others work on large rafts at the water's edge. The lizardfolk seem more interested in keeping an eye on the other groups than watching for other dangers.
Sylyra drags along behind the others, clearly forcing himself to keep moving. He makes no reaction to Auriel or Carl. When the group stops, the druid stops about halfway through the first island. He doesn't appear to be too curious about the larger island at this time.
@DM: As the group looks across at the big island, where are we in relation to it?
OOC: The group would currently be past the northeast section of the island. There are smaller islands all around this eddy though, so it would be very feasible for the party to navigate to the outer islands surrounding any part of the large island in the center.
After taking the situation in Auriel curses quietly, then says:
- This is going to be complicated. There are lizardfolk working on the rafts and guarding the cages, but there could also be more of them inside the huts too. So unless we can confirm that they are empty, I'd say we should land as far from the huts as possible, but near the trees so we can hide quickly in them right after we land. If we manage to hide and free the first group of captives, they could help us cause diversions and perhaps even help attacking the rest of the lizardfolk of the island. So - he grabs a stick from the ground and scribbles a few lines in the dirt - how about doing this, as a first step...?
- ... then we could go clockwise freeing the rest.
Hex listens intently as Auriel explains his plan, nodding along. "That does sound like a good plan but I wonder if we could convince the lizardfolk to stand down or fight with us. We could avoid a lot of bloodshed and save our resources. They obviously don't like their new leader, maybe we can convince them to revolt. And if that fails, we'll stick to your plan and take them out one by one."
- Any of you speak their language? If that's the case, then by all means, let's try that, yes. We can try our luck with the ones guarding the prisoners, which - best case scenario - should be the first group of lizardfolk we meet following this route.
If Sylyra is still showing no reaction, the paladin will turn to him:
- Hey, I don't know what's haunting you, and you definitely don't have to say it, but we need you on this.- Auriel fixes his eyes on the druid's and then asks - Are you with us, Sylyra?
He is not trying to sound harsh, but understanding to what the druid might be feeling. But above all this, he wants to sound firm. Not only the kidnapped lives, but their own, depend on the whole party acting in unison.
Uragum turns his head to the side causing his neck to snap and pop and he rolls his shoulder a bit. "I might be able to talk to them. Depends on if they know Draconic," Uragum says as he looks back to Sylyra knowing he is sensitive about dragons. "Many magic tomes are written in the language so made sense to learn it. All that said. I've been told I'm not the most personable guy. Think my ruggish good looks makes them jealous." As he makes his joke, he grins menacingly.
While Auriel is laying out his idea of the plan, Sylyra's head swivels back and forth between watching the eledrin and scanning the other island and the sky around it. The longer Auriel talks the more Sylyra's mind clears. When the paladin addresses him directly, Sylyra pushes his hood back and gives Auriel a weak smile. "Of course." He sounds like he's trying to be suave, but his voice is still a little timid. "Your plan makes as much sense as anyone's." He looks at Hex. "These tribes are at each other's throats. It's not going to be easy to make friends. None of them are going to want to appear weak in the other tribes' eyes."
"I might be able to talk to them. Depends on if they know Draconic," Uragum says as he looks back to Sylyra knowing he is sensitive about dragons. "Many magic tomes are written in the language so made sense to learn it. All that said. I've been told I'm not the most personable guy. Think my ruggish good looks makes them jealous."
Sylyra's smile warms as he winks at the wizard. "Let's give it a try. Who knows? Perhaps you're their idea of beauty, big guy." He unconsciously searches the sky once again. "If they want a fight, we'll give them a fight. Whatever we do, let's just be quick about it."
Hex raises her hand as Auriel asks if anyone could speak the lizardfolk's language. "Rolk said they speak draconic and I know how to speak it well enough but..." She turns to look at Uragum with an exaggerated smile and places a firm hand on his shoulder . "I believe in you, big guy. I'm sure you'll do great. I'll just be standing very far away with my bow, ready in case anything goes wrong."
Auriel, who had half expected a harsh reply from Sylyra, is relieved to see the positive response and that the druid seems to be regaining his confidence. He nods to him and places a hand on his shoulder for an instant, as a silent sign of support. He then chuckles with Uragum's joke and adds:
- I'll be close to you when you speak to them, Uragum. Not that I'll be of much help, since I can't speak Draconic, but this halberd will be quick to act in case things go south.
Carl fumbles into his pack for a moment and pulls out a book, thumbing through it quickly, on a mission of his own. “I’ve got it… I think this can help…”. He ritually casts comprehend languages and says “I can understand their speech, for a bit, if I read right. Otherwise, I’m ready. Let’s go ahead with your plan.” He nods to Auriel and makes ready.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Sylyra stops scanning the skies long enough to give Carl and his book a curious look, but he doesn't say anything ... yet. He turns and begins marching back toward the keelboat, ready to get underway.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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Nothing registers to Auriel's senses within the immediate vicinity.
OOC: How is Auriel/the party investigating the wings? Approaching from the water on the keelboat, moving onto land to look up close, or just taking a more detailed look from your current location?
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
"Dragon... or no Dragon. Things won't settle down here without whatever at the top put in it's place. In either case, we need to approach it as a coordinated effort and at full strength." Uragum takes a breath and closes his eyes for a moment in thought and then opens them. I've got about five of my heavier spells in me. If had had an hour, I could get back up to my full strength, spell wise... Waiting an hour gambles lives. I vote we press on..."
OOC. To not leave this unanswered here, Auriel's idea is: move the keelboat up to the island where we saw the wings and the big lizard boy, tie it so it does not go wandering off (preferably, in a spot where branches and similar can hide it from view, if possible). Then, set foot on the island and go investigate. If the wings are very deep in the island, I wouldn't go straight for them, but first look around the huts and the ground in search for possible tracks or whatever clue or sign of danger that could be around.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Carl steps off the boat, wary and moving cautiously. He asks his invisible rower to move forward 60 feet and if he spots anything, he asks it to pick it up and bring it back to them. If he gets close to some of the wings, he will return with them for the party to investigate. Similarly, if it encounters a lizardfolk body, he will drag it over for them to have a look. “It don’t look right. I’ve got a crawlin feeling coming up my skin….”
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Drawing closer to the trees on the island, it becomes apparent that they are each crudely crafted effigies of a dragon. Those pulled down by the large lizardfolk spotted a moment ago have been smashed upon the ground and torn.
Carlthuzad sees a number of lizardfolk bodies among the ruined huts as well; these bodies, similar to the structures of the huts, have also been eaten away by acid to varying degrees.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Sylyra pauses and closes his eyes, taking a couple of deep breaths. Speaking with his eyes closed, he says, "It's almost as if they were either betrayed by that which they worship or its competition."
As they watch the bodies up close, Auriel whispers in his mother tongue "Naira na...". It was one thing to fight a bunch of lizardfolk in order to free their captives, and another thing entirely to see so many slaughtered like this.
"This is horrible..."
He offered a silent prayer for those poor souls, and when Sylyra mentions that the lizardfolk could have been betrayed by that which they worshiped he says:
- Rolk thought the attack on Scalecrusher was what kicked off the kidnappings, right? Perhaps they are trying to appease the creature - despite the obvious signs, seeing the druid's previous reactions to the word "dragon" the eladrin refrains from using it - or redirect its wrath to other victims, and that is why they are kidnapping so many people. In any case, where do you guys think the big fellow went? To that larger island over there?
Auriel will take a look trying to ascertain that the big lizardfolk isn't in the current island anymore. Then he will approach the other shore to try to inspect the next island from afar. Does it show signs of having been sprayed with acid? Is there any perceptible movement over there? Also, does the water seem navigable despite the eddy? (Perception: 21)
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Carl says “Likely so, those people were likely to be sacrifices. If they are fighting amongst each other to try to appease this black dragon… perhaps we should sit back and watch. And then deal with the aftermath. But if there are any other hostages, we must free them.”
Carl closes his eyes for a moment and focuses his eyes and his mind on the patch of water between them and the next island. He first creates a water fountain, then a big 5 foot hand of water, pointing to the next island, casting shape water to do this. He gives a side eye at Sylyra as he does so, eager to demonstrate his growing magical prowess and secretly seeking the irascible elf’s approval.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
In the center of the massive, slowly swirling eddy is a long island that appears to be taller and larger at one end. From your vantage point, you can see two distinct encampments of lizardfolk. Each has a ragged banner with different markings on them. You can just see the top of a third banner hidden behind a cluster of six massive drums in the center of the island. Destroyed wooden huts and crude fortifications sit on a low mound around the drums, and down into the water.
Two large wooden cages lashed together from tree limbs dominate each encampment. One appears to contain humanoids. Animal-like sounds from the other ones imply they hold livestock. Each cage has tall poles with winged decorations similar to those on the outer island.
About a dozen lizardfolk roam each encampment. Some are guarding the cages, while others work on large rafts at the water's edge. The lizardfolk seem more interested in keeping an eye on the other groups than watching for other dangers.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Sylyra drags along behind the others, clearly forcing himself to keep moving. He makes no reaction to Auriel or Carl. When the group stops, the druid stops about halfway through the first island. He doesn't appear to be too curious about the larger island at this time.
@DM: As the group looks across at the big island, where are we in relation to it?
OOC: The group would currently be past the northeast section of the island. There are smaller islands all around this eddy though, so it would be very feasible for the party to navigate to the outer islands surrounding any part of the large island in the center.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
After taking the situation in Auriel curses quietly, then says:
- This is going to be complicated. There are lizardfolk working on the rafts and guarding the cages, but there could also be more of them inside the huts too. So unless we can confirm that they are empty, I'd say we should land as far from the huts as possible, but near the trees so we can hide quickly in them right after we land. If we manage to hide and free the first group of captives, they could help us cause diversions and perhaps even help attacking the rest of the lizardfolk of the island. So - he grabs a stick from the ground and scribbles a few lines in the dirt - how about doing this, as a first step...?
- ... then we could go clockwise freeing the rest.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Hex listens intently as Auriel explains his plan, nodding along. "That does sound like a good plan but I wonder if we could convince the lizardfolk to stand down or fight with us. We could avoid a lot of bloodshed and save our resources. They obviously don't like their new leader, maybe we can convince them to revolt. And if that fails, we'll stick to your plan and take them out one by one."
- Any of you speak their language? If that's the case, then by all means, let's try that, yes. We can try our luck with the ones guarding the prisoners, which - best case scenario - should be the first group of lizardfolk we meet following this route.
If Sylyra is still showing no reaction, the paladin will turn to him:
- Hey, I don't know what's haunting you, and you definitely don't have to say it, but we need you on this. - Auriel fixes his eyes on the druid's and then asks - Are you with us, Sylyra?
He is not trying to sound harsh, but understanding to what the druid might be feeling. But above all this, he wants to sound firm. Not only the kidnapped lives, but their own, depend on the whole party acting in unison.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Uragum turns his head to the side causing his neck to snap and pop and he rolls his shoulder a bit. "I might be able to talk to them. Depends on if they know Draconic," Uragum says as he looks back to Sylyra knowing he is sensitive about dragons. "Many magic tomes are written in the language so made sense to learn it. All that said. I've been told I'm not the most personable guy. Think my ruggish good looks makes them jealous." As he makes his joke, he grins menacingly.
While Auriel is laying out his idea of the plan, Sylyra's head swivels back and forth between watching the eledrin and scanning the other island and the sky around it. The longer Auriel talks the more Sylyra's mind clears. When the paladin addresses him directly, Sylyra pushes his hood back and gives Auriel a weak smile. "Of course." He sounds like he's trying to be suave, but his voice is still a little timid. "Your plan makes as much sense as anyone's." He looks at Hex. "These tribes are at each other's throats. It's not going to be easy to make friends. None of them are going to want to appear weak in the other tribes' eyes."
"I might be able to talk to them. Depends on if they know Draconic," Uragum says as he looks back to Sylyra knowing he is sensitive about dragons. "Many magic tomes are written in the language so made sense to learn it. All that said. I've been told I'm not the most personable guy. Think my ruggish good looks makes them jealous."
Sylyra's smile warms as he winks at the wizard. "Let's give it a try. Who knows? Perhaps you're their idea of beauty, big guy." He unconsciously searches the sky once again. "If they want a fight, we'll give them a fight. Whatever we do, let's just be quick about it."
Hex raises her hand as Auriel asks if anyone could speak the lizardfolk's language. "Rolk said they speak draconic and I know how to speak it well enough but..." She turns to look at Uragum with an exaggerated smile and places a firm hand on his shoulder . "I believe in you, big guy. I'm sure you'll do great. I'll just be standing very far away with my bow, ready in case anything goes wrong."
Auriel, who had half expected a harsh reply from Sylyra, is relieved to see the positive response and that the druid seems to be regaining his confidence. He nods to him and places a hand on his shoulder for an instant, as a silent sign of support. He then chuckles with Uragum's joke and adds:
- I'll be close to you when you speak to them, Uragum. Not that I'll be of much help, since I can't speak Draconic, but this halberd will be quick to act in case things go south.
With this, he stands and points to the keelboat:
- Shall we, then?
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Carl fumbles into his pack for a moment and pulls out a book, thumbing through it quickly, on a mission of his own. “I’ve got it… I think this can help…”. He ritually casts comprehend languages and says “I can understand their speech, for a bit, if I read right. Otherwise, I’m ready. Let’s go ahead with your plan.” He nods to Auriel and makes ready.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Sylyra stops scanning the skies long enough to give Carl and his book a curious look, but he doesn't say anything ... yet. He turns and begins marching back toward the keelboat, ready to get underway.