Jovial Jungle Jaunt (ToA)

Nenne regards Valindra with bottled contempt. "One's associates and motives, while immaterial to you, mean a great deal to me and to my friends. You shall have your answer tomorrow. I have nothing further to discuss with or around you this night." With that, she acknowledges her friends and immediately turns to leave.

Just before Funderburk reaches the cave exit Valindra hops into motion twirling the feathered ink quill in her fingers. A few syllables later and a flick of her wrist sends dancing motes of energy around her hand and a black, foul energy leaks out of her eyes for a moment. Nothing otherwise changes. The woman glares at the wizard and says, "It is rude to leave the party before negotiations have finished."

As Boosey sees Valindra start to cast a spell, the words form in his mouth for the spell silence.  Just before he reaches the critical moment he stops, and lets the magic fade away without going off.  "I don't know what you've just done, but rest assured my colleagues and I are going to discuss this amongst ourselves, before we come to any rash decisions.  We have much to consider, and I am sure you would agree that that would be in your best interests to let us do that."  He raises an eyebrow at the elf. 26 (Persuasion)

Funderburk glared angrily at the women. "Who said I am making negotiations? And who said you could start it?"

With that Funderburk brought forth his staff and slammed it on the ground. "I am going to rest. Then, and only then, will I tell you my answer." With that, Funderburk turned to leave once more.

Funderburk bumps into a barrier that he cannot see blocking the cave exit. Valindra waves at Boosey in the typical 'carry on' fashion and says, "Fine, fine. Talk away. I'll be over here. Waiting." She whistles and two mutated gorillas missing large amounts of fur come in through the passge behind her. She points to two spots in from of her and them move there staring blankly ahead. Parts of their ribcage pokes through their rotting flesh. Their skin sticks to the ground as they moved across the stone floor.

Funderburk puts his hands on the barrier. Knowing they cannot leave it. He looks up to the ceiling and gives a sigh.

"Well then. I guess we have no choice but to make negotiations."

Boosey gives Valindra a look of utter disgust.  "I suspect this elf could do what she wants with us if we're not careful.  She looks a little too smug sat over there, like a cat that got the cream."   The gorillas unnerve him too, and he lowers his voice.  "Allister, Nenne, Funderburk, Sthara - we need to make a decision on this. For what it's worth I believe what she says she wants to do with the soulmonger is true.  It's certainly a solution and one that sees us walking out of here with the knowledge of its location.  We may not get another chance at that, for one."  He looks over at the elf as she is watching him speak.  "I firmly believe this thing needs to be destroyed, it is a danger to everything as long as it exists, whatever safeguards are in place.  It will be used for evil, that I am sure of."  Looking back at the group he continues,  "Whatever we decide I think," and he changes his words "hope, she'll let us go.  How badly do we want this thing?"  He lowers his voice even further.  "We can deceive her, and destroy it when we find it.  If and when we do that there will be a reckoning, one we may do well to survive!"

Funderburk sunk his head while in the huddle. "I believe you may be right Mr. Gnome. And I agree with everything you have said." He looks at the elf. "We need to find out what she wants and where the thing is. From there, we may be able to destroy it. Even if we have to travel around the island itself, find that dragon, and have him breathe his breath upon it. We make the deal, then leave? Everyone agree?"

"Is it so terrible if this place, Thay welcomes the evil? It would no longer be in Chult and our people would be saved. It sounds as though this woman and her...mentor, as she said, would make the Death Curse dormant and use it for other reasons. Would that not be a better alternative?"

Sthara eyes the decaying gorilla, "It is clear she is not up to any good, but I believe it would be in the interest of finding and stopping this Soulmonger, whether we destroy or deliver it."

"Valindra and six other creatures in this place are all undead," Nenne spits. "And Thay is a country predicated upon the slave labor of undead. I am not at all comfortable handing an artifact of untold power to this would-be lich princess and her sometime mentor in Thay so that Szass Tam can use it to experiment on more twisted souls to his black heart's content."

"I will be frank with you," she says, balling her fists. "I would sooner see this entire cave in flames than provide her any aid. Yet, I find it doubtful we shall leave here unscathed unless we agree. That revolting falsehood of a living being-" she points to Valindra "- is a mage of a caliber I do not wish to test, and she views us as nothing but ants. She does not need us. She finds us convenient. If we agree to this, we agree to ally ourselves with a being of no redeeming worth, and we will almost certainly pay for it in ways we cannot foresee. She will be prepared for any treachery on our part, so if we do this, we must not delude ourselves into thinking we hold any advantage at all."

"What choice do we have.  The only way we get to know the location of this thing is if we agree, otherwise we could spend years searching this island.  I like this no more than you, but if we agree to this then betray her, that is a bridge I am prepared to cross no matter the cost.  There may be no advantage for us, but at least we will be able to face her on our terms," he gestures to the cave, "not here in her hovel.  That is worth something, at least."

"Make no mistake - betraying her wishes is non-negotiable if I am to take part in this," Nenne declares. "She intends to use us, and I will not be so willingly manipulated by an abomination. And if any of you intend to deliver the item to her, you will answer to me long before your rendezvous. I refuse to be responsible for augmenting a slavelord's unholy experiments."

Her mace scrapes against her armor as she pauses to glare at Valindra before continuing. "I caution against thinking we hold an advantage only because we have had exceptional fortune in defeating our enemies with wits and magic thus far. This undead wretch is not akin to anything or anyone we have encountered, and I have seen far too many friends die from overconfidence. I do not wish to lose any of you to it either, especially when I alone - of the five of us standing here - know what is waiting on the other side of the curse." 

Nenne's voice, which was strong with anger, falters. Her expression grows distant as a haunted look flickers into her eyes. "If you die, I am not sure I can bring you back whole, or at all." She pauses for a moment before mastering herself once more. "So my recommendation is we agree to her terms knowing full well we will betray her, we assume she expects this of us, and we prepare for a brutal battle when she inevitably decides we are no longer fun to play with."

Funderburk looks sadly at the group. With a sigh, he let's his eyes graze along tbe floor to Valindra herself. "It is decided then. We shall seek our information and hope what she asks is not hard at all. Or for the sake of it... not risky." He stands upright, "Let us continue valiantly then. Onwards. And let us hope trouble falls naught on us too terribly."

“The best choice to advance quickly is to agree and make up new plans along the way. We either continue on our path and try to find other clues that might take us months to locate the source of the curse or we take the opportunity presented to us. Remember that we had other paths presented by the amulet, it might take longer to find the curse but with less compromises to make.“ Looking at Nenne he adds „If we agree to help Valindra you think you have no honorable course to follow. In this case it’s time to think in a more pragmatic way. If we take the offer and agree to Valindra´s terms you have to break a promise. On the other hand, if you act on your word, you betray the tenets of your faith and your god.“ He makes gestures with his hands like a scale going up and down. „Don’t beat yourself up again if you have to make a difficult choice. Staying in a temple is easy, being out here, there is not just black and white.“

Boosey nods as Allister is speaking.  "Please Nenne.  I admire your determination to do right, and I agree with you wholeheartedly, but we are in a situation, now, that demands we bend with the wind.  Rest assured I will have no intention of handing this thing over to her, voluntarily.  Be wary though, as she may try to compel us to do so magically." 

He turns to Funderburk.  "I'm sorry my friend.  Your ideas are sound, but too high risk for us to try here.  We need this information, attacking her," and he looks round at the elf, "is not a good idea.  Not a good idea at all.  However," and the gnomes eyes narrow, "she has neatly side stepped an important question you asked earlier.  I wonder..." and he tails off.

He turns to the elf and calls over to her, speaking slowly and carefully.  "Tell me, Valindra, you know where the Soulmonger is and how to retrieve it, yet you haven't.  Why?

She smiles coolly it comes forward a few steps to tossle the hair on one of the gorillas, some of which comes off on her hand, before saying, "During my investigation of the artifact I became aware of your party your search. What is the saying? Don't look a gift horse in the mouth?  In a way that you to seek out the Soulmonger I would use you as a tool to pry it from," she grins wickedly, "wherever it lies."

Nenne rolls her eyes. "How trite." 

She turns to the group. "I appreciate the consideration, Allister, but for me there is no struggle. I have already told the abomination that I will be cordial with her if an alliance is beneficial. She does not seem to care either way, and judging by her words and behavior, she sees us as nothing but ants. In my eyes, there is no deception between us. I also believe that once we agree to be her errand boys, she will not harm us until our task is complete. And then she will cast us off or eliminate us like the insects she believes we are."

She scowls. "Let us just agree to this already and leave. Being in her presence makes me sick."

„I couldn’t agree more. No need to prolong the inevitable... unless we want to take a look at the crocodile and human statue first. Just saying…“

The gnome gives a mirthless laugh.  "That's not exactly a satisfactory answer, considering you want us to do all the leg work."  He thinks for a moment and shrugs.  "You say you are a liar?  How about a little candour from us all then, it might be a little refreshing.  You think we will agree to find the soulmonger for you.  You also think you know that we will never let you have it, and you think we will try to destroy it once we have it in our possession.  You also think that we wont walk away from here without the information we are looking for, which is why you are quite happy to wait and pet your gorilla.  So, I ask you quite simply, once we have this thing in our possession, what do you plan?"