Lelantus starts walking towards the bell as well although his hopes for this new place are not hopes of a safe haven but of it being the base of the bastards who stole thaux. Lelantus is on guard now and even a twig snapping might send him over the edge.
The walls of the village loom large In the shadows of the black sky. The light of the moon is all but bright enough for the party to see in front of them, though a set of torches at the front gate aid profusely in that as well. The walls themselves stand tall, sharpened logs lashed together, sunk well into the ground. They stand higher than Quartz. The village sits silent. Bells do not ring, villagers do not speak. The only sounds the party can hear are the crackling torchlight and the trudging of their own steps.
The gate is closed.
[I'm taking a break from the map, as a township would be a bitch and a half to illustrate.]
<ooc: did this take more than an hour? If not, I'm asking the owl to see what's on the other side.>
"It seems these folks have taken appropriate precautions. Fair craftsmanship" Quartz says, admiring the construction if the wall."
To Korbiña, he replies "Oh, uh, sure," and with that, he raps at the gate with his large fist.
A woman's voice comes, not from the gate, but behind you, and in Draconic no less. Only Korbiña and Asher can understand.
"P‐Please sers. She is not r-ready yet. I beg of thee. Spare her another year a-and thoust may h-have me...!"
The party members turn to find a young dragonkin woman standing on the path behind them. She is clad in a long grey blouse, with a maiden's bonnet upon her head. Her scales, though pink (or perhaps pale red in tone) seem extra flush, as if she's ill or anxious. The latter seems likelier, since she seems utterly terrified. Asher realizes without much forethought that she's barely an adult, more a child in her final molt to her adult scales.
Lelantus was on edge and seething with anger at losing his friend and rushes the girl as soon as he hears her but immediately stops as soon as he sees just how scared she looks. He doesn't understand what she's saying and hopes she speaks common as well and tries to speak with her" I'm sorry for attacking you. My friend was taken and so I'm on edge.have you seen any ugly little pieces of crap run by with a captive lizard folk?"
Korbiña looks several times between that pink girl and Asher, noticing similarities and dissimilarities... whispering to Asher "Is that one of your kind or a different spiecies?"
Then addresses the girl in draconic "Uhm... are you talking to us, or to someone else? Uhm... sorry... my name is Korbiña, how may we call you?"
She looks like a Dragonborn, but it's hard to tell. Her face is somewhat concealed in the black of the night.
Wiping away tears, Korbiña's words give her pause.
"A-Are thoust not t-those under ApfelB--"
A loud hiss arises from the brush aside the right wall. An elderly gentleman, also Dragonborn, hastens from the dark. He eyes the girl harshly, chastising her words.
"Fool of a girl! We do not speak His name so lightly!"
He further dresses down the girl's decorum. As he does so, more begin to emerge from the wood. Korbiña can see why it's hard to discern them. They all seem so gaunt, smaller. Finally, the eldest turns to the party, placing his hand across his chest and bowing deep, he starts with an apology, and in Common no less.
"Thou hath our sincerest regrets. Seems 'tis been an err. Thou art not an envoy of his Blooded, then?"
Lelantus jumps back when the new people come out of the wood but relaxes once the elder bows showing they mean no harm. lelantus puts away his daggers and bows back.
"You were expecting someone? Not too eagerly, by the sound of it." Quartz posits.
He inspects each dragonborn, wondering if the thin villagers are merely malnourished, or gripped by some disease - checking their eyes, fingernails, teeth, anything that might sway hus opinion ine way or the other.
"You were expecting someone? Not too eagerly, by the sound of it." Quartz posits.
He inspects each dragonborn, wondering if the thin villagers are merely malnourished, or gripped by some disease - checking their eyes, fingernails, teeth, anything that might sway hus opinion ine way or the other.
Medicine check 15
You find nothing significant, but their appearance is still most confusing. Their snouts appear longer and thinner, their features far sharper than most Dragonborn. The elder catches Quartz's stares, quickly discerning the reason.
With a gentle but stern voice, he replies, "Thine concern is heartfelt, but futile. Our fate is of the un-Blooded, and as such in greater service. We do not regret our standing. Now, verily unto our own discontent, thy eyes seem weary and thy bodies battered. Come." He leads the party around the wall, away from the main gate. Two villagers stand by an unseemly section of wall. One, on the eldest's command, reaches into a large open knot on the wall and twists. There's a muffled sound of twisting wood as the section of wall lifts away, revealing a sizeable gap. It's large enough for even Quartz to stroll through.
"Our tenets invoke an obligate hospitality, of this I offer thee. Let us see unto thy wounds and offer thee succor and sanctuary."
[As the party, one by one, sets foot through the wall, they unknowingly begin a new leg of their journey... at level 3]
(I'll be away tomorrow, so we'll treat this as a long rest. Adjust your sheets, get a sandwich, take a day off, whatever. I'll post again on Friday night or Saturday. This is going to be treated like a timeskip, so when I post again, a couple "days" will have passed, but in a perpetual night. Okay? See you all Saturday.)
"Right then, let's set off." Quartz agrees, and stsrts in the direction the bells and owl instate.
Lelantus starts walking towards the bell as well although his hopes for this new place are not hopes of a safe haven but of it being the base of the bastards who stole thaux. Lelantus is on guard now and even a twig snapping might send him over the edge.
The walls of the village loom large In the shadows of the black sky. The light of the moon is all but bright enough for the party to see in front of them, though a set of torches at the front gate aid profusely in that as well. The walls themselves stand tall, sharpened logs lashed together, sunk well into the ground. They stand higher than Quartz. The village sits silent. Bells do not ring, villagers do not speak. The only sounds the party can hear are the crackling torchlight and the trudging of their own steps.
The gate is closed.
[I'm taking a break from the map, as a township would be a bitch and a half to illustrate.]
[I don't know how to use the map anyway so your fine]
is there a bell at the gate, or any other appliance to make load sound?
If not Korbiña asks Quartz: "Maybe you would be the brst option to knock at this door?"
<ooc: did this take more than an hour? If not, I'm asking the owl to see what's on the other side.>
"It seems these folks have taken appropriate precautions. Fair craftsmanship" Quartz says, admiring the construction if the wall."
To Korbiña, he replies "Oh, uh, sure," and with that, he raps at the gate with his large fist.
Nothing.
A woman's voice comes, not from the gate, but behind you, and in Draconic no less. Only Korbiña and Asher can understand.
"P‐Please sers. She is not r-ready yet. I beg of thee. Spare her another year a-and thoust may h-have me...!"
The party members turn to find a young dragonkin woman standing on the path behind them. She is clad in a long grey blouse, with a maiden's bonnet upon her head. Her scales, though pink (or perhaps pale red in tone) seem extra flush, as if she's ill or anxious. The latter seems likelier, since she seems utterly terrified. Asher realizes without much forethought that she's barely an adult, more a child in her final molt to her adult scales.
Lelantus was on edge and seething with anger at losing his friend and rushes the girl as soon as he hears her but immediately stops as soon as he sees just how scared she looks. He doesn't understand what she's saying and hopes she speaks common as well and tries to speak with her" I'm sorry for attacking you. My friend was taken and so I'm on edge.have you seen any ugly little pieces of crap run by with a captive lizard folk?"
"Isz zihkrii, si iith naash i'sharaksa!"
To Lelantus and Quartz, it's gibberish.
"Please ser, for I am still a maiden!"
To Korbiña and Asher, it's a child on the verge of tears. To them, she is trying to sacrifice herself. Surely there's a mistake...?
Korbiña looks several times between that pink girl and Asher, noticing similarities and dissimilarities... whispering to Asher "Is that one of your kind or a different spiecies?"
Then addresses the girl in draconic "Uhm... are you talking to us, or to someone else? Uhm... sorry... my name is Korbiña, how may we call you?"
She looks like a Dragonborn, but it's hard to tell. Her face is somewhat concealed in the black of the night.
Wiping away tears, Korbiña's words give her pause.
"A-Are thoust not t-those under ApfelB--"
A loud hiss arises from the brush aside the right wall. An elderly gentleman, also Dragonborn, hastens from the dark. He eyes the girl harshly, chastising her words.
"Fool of a girl! We do not speak His name so lightly!"
He further dresses down the girl's decorum. As he does so, more begin to emerge from the wood. Korbiña can see why it's hard to discern them. They all seem so gaunt, smaller. Finally, the eldest turns to the party, placing his hand across his chest and bowing deep, he starts with an apology, and in Common no less.
"Thou hath our sincerest regrets. Seems 'tis been an err. Thou art not an envoy of his Blooded, then?"
Lelantus jumps back when the new people come out of the wood but relaxes once the elder bows showing they mean no harm. lelantus puts away his daggers and bows back.
"You were expecting someone? Not too eagerly, by the sound of it." Quartz posits.
He inspects each dragonborn, wondering if the thin villagers are merely malnourished, or gripped by some disease - checking their eyes, fingernails, teeth, anything that might sway hus opinion ine way or the other.
Medicine check 13
You find nothing significant, but their appearance is still most confusing. Their snouts appear longer and thinner, their features far sharper than most Dragonborn. The elder catches Quartz's stares, quickly discerning the reason.
With a gentle but stern voice, he replies, "Thine concern is heartfelt, but futile. Our fate is of the un-Blooded, and as such in greater service. We do not regret our standing. Now, verily unto our own discontent, thy eyes seem weary and thy bodies battered. Come." He leads the party around the wall, away from the main gate. Two villagers stand by an unseemly section of wall. One, on the eldest's command, reaches into a large open knot on the wall and twists. There's a muffled sound of twisting wood as the section of wall lifts away, revealing a sizeable gap. It's large enough for even Quartz to stroll through.
"Our tenets invoke an obligate hospitality, of this I offer thee. Let us see unto thy wounds and offer thee succor and sanctuary."
[As the party, one by one, sets foot through the wall, they unknowingly begin a new leg of their journey... at level 3]
(I'll be away tomorrow, so we'll treat this as a long rest. Adjust your sheets, get a sandwich, take a day off, whatever. I'll post again on Friday night or Saturday. This is going to be treated like a timeskip, so when I post again, a couple "days" will have passed, but in a perpetual night. Okay? See you all Saturday.)
[Cool! And... YAY! Level 3!]
Nice!
When staying at the village, if we have the opportunity, Korbiña would like to acquire a few things:
[All that 'n' more, m'dear. Will start soon.]