"Hmmm... interesting."Nate ponders the situation for a moment, thinking about how we could potentially use this Lizardfolk to help us get into the castle.
"Soar can you ask it if it knows of any alternate entrances into the castle? Perhaps a secret hole, or tunnel that they've figured out? Does it know how many 'dragon kneelers' there are in the castle?"
"And who are these Bullywugs?"
Nate then looks over at the falling asleep Nub.
"I think we should tie up this lizard overnight until morning."
Jalt just looks at the lizardfolk as he’s being interrogated by Soar. He’s amused and quite taken aback by how well she speaks Draconic that he doesn’t even interject. He trusts her to handle this unless the lizardfolk starts acting indignant.
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Hoard of the Dragon Queen - Jalt Rhogar - Dragonborn Cleric (9)
Soar nods to Nate and Jalt and the napping Nub, and turns back to the lizardfolk. "We, well, we obviously got on the wrong foot. You thought we were enemies, and we thought you wanted to slaughter us. We had a disagreement, and there were losses. Happens all the time. You survived because you're smart. My name is Soar. What's yours?"
She's trying to win him over, despite the terrible smell of the remainder of his BBQed former coworkers. It's a setback, to be sure, but Soar's still got her eye on the prize, and she's not squeamish, and she's still convinced they can win allies.
"We do not like the dragon kneelers! We call them the dragon cult. They're cruel and mean and not friendly. We've been fighting them for, well, a long time now, across the whole world. We've tracked them here. We're trying to find out what they're doing, how long they've been here. We want to stop them. You've seen a bit of what we're capable of. Think of what we'll do to the dragon kneelers. Perhaps we could work together. You're not mud and filth to us. Maybe we could even pay better than the dragon kneelers."
She points to Nate.
"My friend here wants to know if you know any different entrances into the castle, that the dragon kneelers don't watch or don't know about? And let's talk numbers. How many of the dragon kneelers do you think are in there? How many people could live off the food you've been hunting for them? How many members does the Scaly Death clan have? And tell me more about the bullywugs, who they are, how many they are, what they can do, and why they are filthy."
She's getting ready to take her shift, so the others can rest. Can she really make sure he's secured well?
"I'd also like to hear more about this order. Did the dragon kneelers describe us? Or was it more general, to kill anyone you find?"
The Lizardfolk eyes Soar for a long time before answering. My name is Snapjaw, he finally says. No! Not pay! We won't work for... he glances over at Nub. But... work together, yes? An alliance. To fight the dragon kneelers and the bullywugs? Freedom for my clan?
The dragon kneelers - they don't watch anything. We watch the entrance. Only one, I think. But we watch it. We... and the bullywugs. He spits at the word. How many dragon kneelers? Don't know. Maybe thirty? Maybe more or less. The castle is big, though. Not all in one place. We bring food for more than a hundred - lizardfolk, bullywugs and dragon kneelers. My clan, we are... maybe thirty? A little more. Many are guarding Borngray, the best warriors, his personal guard. Many dragon kneelers stay on the top floor, with Rezmir the near-dragon. The bullywugs hide beneath the castle with their fool chief, Pharblex.
The bullywugs are just... they are cowards, but they are many. More than us. And we have no leader, since Pharblex killed our shaman. Pharblex has magic, like the turtle mage, I think. Powerful. We... we came to work for the dragon kneelers. We didn't know about Pharblex, and then... it was too late... we didn't... he trails off, clearly very angry and frustrated about something.
Soar makes sure Nub is awake for this, as she translates what Snapjaw is saying, asking the lizardfolk to pause from time to time to make sure she's getting the details right to her group. This is not Soar's strong suit but she's working hard.
"Well? What do you think? An alliance? Somehow he still wants to work with us. Jalt, do you trust him? Nate, do you think this would be a wise thing to do to help realize our goal here? And Nub, am I forgetting anything? I'm not great at strategy, but it seems like we could work with them to take down the bullywugs, who seem cruel and no fun, on our way to getting into the castle and to the cultists. Seems about thirtyish of them. And Rezmir's there. Someone important called Borngray. And then the bullywugs' leader, Pharblex. Who killed Snapjaw's clan's leader. It seems better than nothing, to me. Jalt, do we have those cultist robes still?"
She tells Snapjaw in Draconic, "My team needs to confer, but we'll consider your alliance proposal. Do you think your clan could sneak us in?"
Shall we shift this to the morning, so that Nub is awake? Soar can secure Snapjaw, though he says he won't try to escape, and there will be someone on watch through the night.
Nub was really really tired and popped back into his shell. All attempts to wake him are initially met by grunts and mumbles, though you manage to wake him. He listens to what Soar suggests and agrees fully, whilst nodding back off to sleep.
You all spend the night sleeping in or under the canoes, and there are no further disturbances. You awake, having completed a long rest.
Snapjaw has been quiet through the night, thinking on his situation and what you have said. In the morning, you resume your questioning and discussion with him. He responds to your earlier question: Order was to kill anyone. They didn't describe you.
Sneak? Into the castle, maybe. Some parts of the inside, yes. Others, no. Not if the dragon kneelers know your faces. Hard to say. But we can fight. I can... I can try to talk to my clanmates. Join you in fighting the bullywugs, yes?
(can we complete a long rest, or would it not have been 8 hours since the fight at night?)
"Soar, I wonder where Snapjaw's clan hideout is? Do we trust him to go back to them and talk to them? It seems they are really not fond of the 'dragon kneelers' so I believe what he is saying. Maybe first we should get a first look at this castle and then come up with a plan for entry while Snapjaw here talks to his people. He could show us the castle right now."
Nate, you've seen bullywugs. Big, ugly, frog-like humanoids, cowardly unless they have a clear advantage of numbers. It's rare that they would have any magical abilities.
Soar asks if the clan’s hideout is close to the castle, and where things are roughly.
She proposes this to Nate, Jalt, and Nub. Supporting the lizardfolk against the bullywugs and the cult. But sneaking in first. The lizardfolk being the distraction if needed.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
[Can Nub make a nature check to also see what he knows about bullywugs from growing up not too far away? If so 17. Same for lizardfolk if allowed: 12.
OOC I feel from what you (DM) wrote that the Snapjaw respected Nub because of his "power" at incinerating the rest of the lizardfolk, rather than being upset/angry. I'm trying to see if Nub knows anything about lizardfolk relating to this (are their leaders the 'strongest in the clan', is it a klingon kind of society etc.).]
Nub, you've also seen bullywugs in the swamps around Waterdeep and Neverwinter. You recall what Nate does, plus that they commonly fight with spears but also have a nasty bite. And you have a clearer memory of what they look like:
You know that Lizardfolk have limited technology and often make war with neighbours in order to acquire iron or steel weapons, armour or other items. The leader is not always the physically strongest or magically most powerful, though this is often the case. Rather it's whoever has shown the best leadership skills. Each group usually has a shaman or other leader, and that without such a leader a clan can sometimes die off or split up and join other clans. They are also swamp-dwellers and their knowledge of their environment is second to none.
Jalt, you get a sense that Snapjaw wants one thing above all others - to free his clan from what he clearly regards as a form of captivity in the castle, under the thumb of the cultists and bullywugs. He sees you as a group of powerful heroes who might be strong enough to make this happen, and it's giving him hope. But he's troubled by how easily and brutally Nub slaughtered the other Lizardfolk, and he casts wary looks in his direction from time to time.
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"Hmmm... interesting." Nate ponders the situation for a moment, thinking about how we could potentially use this Lizardfolk to help us get into the castle.
"Soar can you ask it if it knows of any alternate entrances into the castle? Perhaps a secret hole, or tunnel that they've figured out? Does it know how many 'dragon kneelers' there are in the castle?"
"And who are these Bullywugs?"
Nate then looks over at the falling asleep Nub.
"I think we should tie up this lizard overnight until morning."
Jalt just looks at the lizardfolk as he’s being interrogated by Soar. He’s amused and quite taken aback by how well she speaks Draconic that he doesn’t even interject. He trusts her to handle this unless the lizardfolk starts acting indignant.
Hoard of the Dragon Queen - Jalt Rhogar - Dragonborn Cleric (9)
"Ive heard it both ways."
Soar nods to Nate and Jalt and the napping Nub, and turns back to the lizardfolk. "We, well, we obviously got on the wrong foot. You thought we were enemies, and we thought you wanted to slaughter us. We had a disagreement, and there were losses. Happens all the time. You survived because you're smart. My name is Soar. What's yours?"
She's trying to win him over, despite the terrible smell of the remainder of his BBQed former coworkers. It's a setback, to be sure, but Soar's still got her eye on the prize, and she's not squeamish, and she's still convinced they can win allies.
"We do not like the dragon kneelers! We call them the dragon cult. They're cruel and mean and not friendly. We've been fighting them for, well, a long time now, across the whole world. We've tracked them here. We're trying to find out what they're doing, how long they've been here. We want to stop them. You've seen a bit of what we're capable of. Think of what we'll do to the dragon kneelers. Perhaps we could work together. You're not mud and filth to us. Maybe we could even pay better than the dragon kneelers."
She points to Nate.
"My friend here wants to know if you know any different entrances into the castle, that the dragon kneelers don't watch or don't know about? And let's talk numbers. How many of the dragon kneelers do you think are in there? How many people could live off the food you've been hunting for them? How many members does the Scaly Death clan have? And tell me more about the bullywugs, who they are, how many they are, what they can do, and why they are filthy."
She's getting ready to take her shift, so the others can rest. Can she really make sure he's secured well?
"I'd also like to hear more about this order. Did the dragon kneelers describe us? Or was it more general, to kill anyone you find?"
The Lizardfolk eyes Soar for a long time before answering. My name is Snapjaw, he finally says. No! Not pay! We won't work for... he glances over at Nub. But... work together, yes? An alliance. To fight the dragon kneelers and the bullywugs? Freedom for my clan?
The dragon kneelers - they don't watch anything. We watch the entrance. Only one, I think. But we watch it. We... and the bullywugs. He spits at the word. How many dragon kneelers? Don't know. Maybe thirty? Maybe more or less. The castle is big, though. Not all in one place. We bring food for more than a hundred - lizardfolk, bullywugs and dragon kneelers. My clan, we are... maybe thirty? A little more. Many are guarding Borngray, the best warriors, his personal guard. Many dragon kneelers stay on the top floor, with Rezmir the near-dragon. The bullywugs hide beneath the castle with their fool chief, Pharblex.
The bullywugs are just... they are cowards, but they are many. More than us. And we have no leader, since Pharblex killed our shaman. Pharblex has magic, like the turtle mage, I think. Powerful. We... we came to work for the dragon kneelers. We didn't know about Pharblex, and then... it was too late... we didn't... he trails off, clearly very angry and frustrated about something.
Soar makes sure Nub is awake for this, as she translates what Snapjaw is saying, asking the lizardfolk to pause from time to time to make sure she's getting the details right to her group. This is not Soar's strong suit but she's working hard.
"Well? What do you think? An alliance? Somehow he still wants to work with us. Jalt, do you trust him? Nate, do you think this would be a wise thing to do to help realize our goal here? And Nub, am I forgetting anything? I'm not great at strategy, but it seems like we could work with them to take down the bullywugs, who seem cruel and no fun, on our way to getting into the castle and to the cultists. Seems about thirtyish of them. And Rezmir's there. Someone important called Borngray. And then the bullywugs' leader, Pharblex. Who killed Snapjaw's clan's leader. It seems better than nothing, to me. Jalt, do we have those cultist robes still?"
She tells Snapjaw in Draconic, "My team needs to confer, but we'll consider your alliance proposal. Do you think your clan could sneak us in?"
Shall we shift this to the morning, so that Nub is awake? Soar can secure Snapjaw, though he says he won't try to escape, and there will be someone on watch through the night.
Yes we still have the cultist robes. But who among those in the castle aren’t aware of who we are...unless Nub and Nate use them.
Also remember Jalt carries manacles in cases like these!
Hoard of the Dragon Queen - Jalt Rhogar - Dragonborn Cleric (9)
"Ive heard it both ways."
Nub was really really tired and popped back into his shell. All attempts to wake him are initially met by grunts and mumbles, though you manage to wake him. He listens to what Soar suggests and agrees fully, whilst nodding back off to sleep.
Happy to zip forward to the morning!
You all spend the night sleeping in or under the canoes, and there are no further disturbances. You awake, having completed a long rest.
Snapjaw has been quiet through the night, thinking on his situation and what you have said. In the morning, you resume your questioning and discussion with him. He responds to your earlier question: Order was to kill anyone. They didn't describe you.
Sneak? Into the castle, maybe. Some parts of the inside, yes. Others, no. Not if the dragon kneelers know your faces. Hard to say. But we can fight. I can... I can try to talk to my clanmates. Join you in fighting the bullywugs, yes?
(can we complete a long rest, or would it not have been 8 hours since the fight at night?)
"Soar, I wonder where Snapjaw's clan hideout is? Do we trust him to go back to them and talk to them? It seems they are really not fond of the 'dragon kneelers' so I believe what he is saying. Maybe first we should get a first look at this castle and then come up with a plan for entry while Snapjaw here talks to his people. He could show us the castle right now."
(OOC: It's within the rules that you get a long rest, even if it's interrupted by a short fight. The fight was about eighteen seconds long. :) )
Does Nate know anything about Bullywugs? He can't stop saying that in his mind. bullywugs
Nature 17
If he doesn't know, he'll ask Soar and the others if they know what they are?
Nate, you've seen bullywugs. Big, ugly, frog-like humanoids, cowardly unless they have a clear advantage of numbers. It's rare that they would have any magical abilities.
Soar asks if the clan’s hideout is close to the castle, and where things are roughly.
She proposes this to Nate, Jalt, and Nub. Supporting the lizardfolk against the bullywugs and the cult. But sneaking in first. The lizardfolk being the distraction if needed.
Snapjaw explains that the castle is about a day’s walk to the north-west, and that the Lizardfolk are mostly camped just outside the castle gate.
[Can Nub make a nature check to also see what he knows about bullywugs from growing up not too far away? If so 17. Same for lizardfolk if allowed: 12.
OOC I feel from what you (DM) wrote that the Snapjaw respected Nub because of his "power" at incinerating the rest of the lizardfolk, rather than being upset/angry. I'm trying to see if Nub knows anything about lizardfolk relating to this (are their leaders the 'strongest in the clan', is it a klingon kind of society etc.).]
Insight to see if Jalt believes Snapjaw: 8
(He better even know what Snapjaw had for lunch! lol)
Hoard of the Dragon Queen - Jalt Rhogar - Dragonborn Cleric (9)
"Ive heard it both ways."
Nub, you've also seen bullywugs in the swamps around Waterdeep and Neverwinter. You recall what Nate does, plus that they commonly fight with spears but also have a nasty bite. And you have a clearer memory of what they look like:
You know that Lizardfolk have limited technology and often make war with neighbours in order to acquire iron or steel weapons, armour or other items. The leader is not always the physically strongest or magically most powerful, though this is often the case. Rather it's whoever has shown the best leadership skills. Each group usually has a shaman or other leader, and that without such a leader a clan can sometimes die off or split up and join other clans. They are also swamp-dwellers and their knowledge of their environment is second to none.
Jalt, you get a sense that Snapjaw wants one thing above all others - to free his clan from what he clearly regards as a form of captivity in the castle, under the thumb of the cultists and bullywugs. He sees you as a group of powerful heroes who might be strong enough to make this happen, and it's giving him hope. But he's troubled by how easily and brutally Nub slaughtered the other Lizardfolk, and he casts wary looks in his direction from time to time.