FR PbP

Rinn fills in Silenus on the happenings of the night. Pointing out the webs, and where the dragon, giant spiders and ash zombies were. 

Once he's finished his morning routine, Rinn nods, "Let's head out." He waves to the mule as they leave, "Stay safe, and quiet little fella."

You feel pretty confident this new stable, the barracks, will be safe for the mule for now though it will certainly need mucking out later. 

Are you taking the path toward the south to go around and up to the tower or to the west to cut across the town to the river or just straight up the hill to the tower ignoring the path?

Are you visiting any of the buildings?

Silenus has an extra spring in his step, excited about the prospect of meeting a real dragon. He's so excited he hasn't considered the possibility that the creature is hostile and that a rogue and a barbarian taking on a dragon on their own might be a bit foolhardy.

If Rinn doesn't suggest any other route, Silenus would just start overland straight up the hill, ignoring the path.

If there were any spots that Rinn saw spiders or ash zombies he'd suggest dodging around them, but otherwise will just follow along, keeping an eye out.

In no time, you reach the tower. There are dead large arachnids laid out around the tower. 

Silenus checks out the large spiders, poking them with hit boot.

"Dudes, when a dragon moves in it's totally the right thing to do to move out," Silenus says to the dead creatures.

He looks around for a doorway into the tower, and if he finds one, he opens it and takes a look inside.

You quietly open the cottage door. This must have been a living and office single room long ago. The tower is an attached single room with a 40-foot-high ceiling. A 5-foot-wide staircase circles the interior, rising to the now-opened rooftop that allows the dragon easy access to its new home. Heavy wooden beams and stair supports crisscross the tower interior.

The dragon is laying along a staircase; one eye watching as you enter. Its curved jawline and the crest that begins near its eyes and continues down its spine, reaching full height just behind the skull. It has no external ears, but bears leathery spiked plates that run down the sides of its neck. It has a coloration pattern of greens, browns, and grays that would make it hard to make out in the forest and probably in this tower if you hadn't already been expecting to see it.

The dragon is clearly aware of your presence and is watching you, but doesn't appear alarmed or aggressive at the moment. 

Silenus breaks into a broad smile when he sees the dragon.

”Whoa. Hi dragon dude. Totally cool spikes there.“ Silenus says. “I’ve always wanted to parlay with someone like you. Before I forget, could you leave the famers and towns in the valley alone? They’re freaked out by you and I think they might be getting aggro about it. They’ll start planning to get rid of you.”

The dragon starts rumbling, like a cat purring, that builds into a chuckle then a full laugh!

While raising its head to turn it twards you in its long neck, in Sylvan, the dragon says, "You have me confused with someone else, young fawn. I hunt the forest and river. Though lately, dinner has walked in the door." ((If you don't speak Sylvan and do speak any form of Elvish, DC 10 History or Nature to understand. )) 

Just as you are processing the dragon's words, you hear a person call out from the cottage entrance, in draconic, "My lord! Is all well?"

The dragon shifts its head slightly, mumbling in Sylvan, "Speaking of which."

Then to Silenus in Sylvan, "Pardon me just a moment, would you?"

And in draconic, "Come in. Bring no hostility to my visitors."

You see a tall humanoid figure in robes with a hood fully covering their head and face briskly stride in. They look at you, Rinn, and pass walking forward to stand about three feet (1 m.) right of you, Silenus. 

(( What is your behavior in this maybe three minute interaction. ))

Silenus nods and smiles, more amazed to be this close to a dragon than he is frightened by it.

"Gnarly, sounds like there's another dragon in the neighbourhood then," Silenus responds in Sylvan. Then he looks at the newcomer and raises an eyebrow. "Dinner?"

Silenus thinks for a moment.

"Don't want to, like, get in the way of this, but those spiders outside reminded me of something," Silenus continues in Sylvan. "Do you know a bad dude called the Black Spider? He's been causing trouble."

The tall humanoid bows.

In draconic the dragon commands, "Remove the garments."

The humanoid straightens and drops there robes, belts, weapons, and bracers, revealing a tall athletic female form with long, jet black, tight dreadlocks, greenish skin with small tight scales and long claw like finger and toe nails. 

The dragon's tongue flicks out like a great snake. In draconic, "Aw... Yuan-ti. Good. I have use of you."

In Sylvan, the dragon says, "You may address me as 'Venomfang'. I do not know 'Black Spider'. I have heard of them. I believe they are searching for a powerful item. I would be interested in finding their prize."

"If I may, my lord", the Yuan-ti says in a slightly hissing Sylvan, "Favric received a missive from this, 'Black Spider'"

"You are?", Venomfang addresses the Yuan-ti in Sylvan 

"Olsihla, my lord."

"And Favric is?"

"The human male leading the Cult of the Dragon"

(( What are you two doing? ))

"Venomfang? That's an awesome name. Very dragony," Silenus says. "Hmm. A powerful item? Any idea what it is?"

He looks around for Rinn.

"Hey Rinn, that Black Spider dude," Silenus calls. "Do you know what they're looking for?"

Venomfang sounds like it's purring, "I do not know. Olsihla, accompany, this one. Learn what you can. If you obtain the item or knowledge of it, return. This may be a useful alliance."

The Yuan-ti, rerobes and addresses Silenus, "If you would follow me? What is your name? The other one you called 'Rinn', correct?"

Before he leaves, Silenus looks very seriously at Venomfang.

"Are your scales rough or smooth, dude?" Silenus says, not quite bringing himself to ask what he really wants, which is to touch the scales.

He smiles at the Yuan-ti dragon assistant. 

"Silenus," Silenus says, "but you don't get the whole name. I've totally made that mistake before. Fey can force you into all sorts of bad situations once they've got the whole name. You don't look fey, but still."

He walks along, ignoring the question about Rinn, not sure if he's hiding and watching again or not.

"So what's this super secret thing we're looking for, and where do we start?"

The dragon actually laughs, head thrown back. "They are much like Olsihla.", is all it says.

As you begin exiting the cottage, Olsihla answers your question, "First, we will visit Favric. Hopefully, he will have some actionable information. I have only heard him mention the missive."

Once you are well away from the cottage, Olsihla continues, "I do not know what this Black Spider seeks. I do know finding out will ingratiate us to lord Venomfang." 

The path meanders does the hill south some two hundred feet (61 m) to a T in the road facing a ruined storefront.