Survivor's March (Open)

[Cadic's Devoted]

Ian, not quite sure what exactly is going on, as he failed to notice the two creatures, watches the others until suddenly the very short lived battle is over. "Well... that was interesting."

Shaking his head at the Cavaliers lack of interest in using his mount to help carry the stuff, Ian will move over and take Barths burden, settling it on his shoulder in a fireman's carry before moving out after Dom. "We need to get to these caves, and quick. Whatever that roar is, I don't want it catching up after the second one of these things that got away reports back."

[cOMMUNISMISFANCY]

[As a side note: My mount is a very slim, medium-sized creature built like a Cheetah, not some pack donkey to load down with our treasure. He's not any stronger or larger than you are and he's already carrying one heavily-armed rider. :-P ]

[The Lord of Blades]

Ian (now unghosted! Yay!) gathers up the creature finding it to be somewhat ungainly, but nothing he can't carry. The group moves ahead, not hearing the roar again or hearing any sounds of battle... in fact, you hear practically nothing; as though the forest emptied itself recently. You travel onwards for roughly 15 minutes, the odd silence broken only by the sounds of your passage no matter how desperately you try to cloak them as they are the only noises to be heard at all. Eventually, you find yourselves downhill from a cave-mouth. The opening seems to be about 30 feet wide, and a small mountain stream babbles out from its opening down the mountain steps and into the woods. This was the place mentioned by the guards as the tunnel, you're certain, and with a quick (and not too difficult) climb you reach the opening.

Unless said otherwise, you all quickly hurry inside as standing in front of it has you directly in view of the forest below (it is roughly 30 feet up with a small plateau area in front of it) is probably a poor idea. Inside, the cave narrows to only 20 feet wide, with the stream taking up 5 ft. on the left-hand side. It also slopes gradually upwards, but you can only tell from the outside, once inside you can't really notice it (unless you're dwarven). As you travel into the cave about 40 feet in you encounter a solitary Kobold leaning on a spear as it is sitting near a tiny fire that is fitted into a half-dome alcove in the wall opposite the stream. You can't see any smoke, so obviously it has a hole carved in the alcove to let the smoke out somewhere else. As you approach, it turns, catching a glimpse of you before you can hide (and indeed, it would've seen you had you barely even entered the cave at this point).

"Hm~mm~mm..." it turns back to the fire, obviously not caring for some reason or other. It prods the fire once with its spear making it pop quietly before it turns to you again. "Dis-tunnel-you-go-tru. Not-trubble-of-Skeeka-clan. No-many-laft-clan. Bad-bug-eated-many. We-no-trubble-you." and goes back to tending the fire, pulling out some greasy looking meat and starting to cook it.

Notes: You can interrupt him whenever you see fit, you can also choose not to enter the cave, this is just to streamline things more quickly.

OPTIONS [again, only suggestions and potential courses of actions, not 'set-in-stone' things that you HAVE to do, nor are they all even good ideas, they're just to help get your brains going and if you want, I'll stop posting them: please include a: "Yes - Options" to keep them or "No - Options" to get me to stop posting them; at the end of your next post, majority vote will win.]

1 - You could rest here, the kobold seems harmless enough, or you could kill/subdue it if you don't trust it.

2 - Wait and watch out of the cave entrance for pursuers, if any.

3 - Speak to the kobold, trying to gather information if you can.

4 - Press on past the kobold without talking.

[joelocaust]

Barth scurries into the cover of the cave. He pulls the machine scout off of Ian's shoulder and begins dismantling it to the best of his ability (also retrieving his dagger). Barth makes no attempt to hide it from the kobold. Over his shoulder while working, Barth says, "Bad bug, yes? Big bad bug? Tell Barth about bad bug? Barth maybe give you this..." Barth, having removed the insignia (or eye, or equally obvious piece of the scout that is useless to him), holds it up for the kobold to see.

Appraise: 7+3=10 (if needed, Search instead of 7+7=14)
Craft(Mechanics): 13+7=20
Disable Device: 17+7 = 24

[cOMMUNISMISFANCY]

Sir Tolman agiliy hops off Etore as they scramble into the cover of the cave. He listens warily to the Kobold, having learned that such creatures can be devious in nature. He also knows that time is of the essence. He waits until the kobold has finished answering Barth's questions before speaking himself,

" You are obviously much stronger and quicker than other members of the Seeka clan, if the big bug hasn't eaten you yet. I'll give you a bit of food and coin if you show us the fastest way through this cave and keep us out of the Big Bug's way. He shows some of the provisions he took previously as an offer of barter."

[Diplomacy 14+7=21]

(Yes, please keep providing options.)

[Cadic's Devoted]

Ian stalks into the cave and looks around, grunting when Barth comes over to get the body of the creature from him. Working his shoulder, he takes a look around the cave (Within say 50 feet of the fire) before finally settling in to wait, nodding gruffly to the kobold that the others seem to be taking a liking to.

(Yes, keep providing options. They help spark ideas.)

[The Lord of Blades]

The kobold looks quietly from Barth to his belongings and then replies slowly: "Bug is big... not why bad. Bug is bad by poison. Smell poison. No need trinkies, you keep. No help from trinkies. Bug sleeps in half-sun-cavern. Likes light. Fights bad in dark. Fights bad--but wins still!" He shakes his head, a depression filled movement. He then turns to Tolman: "Hm~mm~mm... no no, stronger-quicker is Tukka-kan, said would hunt badbug... not dead yet, so... guess goes well? No need food and coin. Skeeka clan dying, clanless kobold die easy. Save clan, Skeeka help, maybe even Tukka-kan help. No save clan, Skeeka die aroond you, not bother or attack, not help either. You no stay out of badbug's way, if badbug want find you, badbug find you."

The kobold is extremely morose, you find yourself doubting after seeing his attitude that he lived through strength or guile; instead, it is more likely he is stationed here, expects death, and is utterly depressed as a result.

OPTIONS [2 votes yes, 1 undecided (will count either way), Deian is super-ghosted (won't even be packmule) indefinitely unless he wants to play again.]

1 - This Tukka-kan definitely seems like he could use a hand, if he's still alive, agreeing to help him may even earn you an ally against the "Bad Bug". This is of course, if you choose to go after the creature.

2 - Going after the creature will earn you the aid of the Skeeka clan, likely speeding your passage through these caves immensely.

3 - Ignore the kobold, if his word is trustworthy, the Skeeka will ignore you as you pass through, but apparently the "Bad Bug" is not very discriminatory.

4 - Attack the kobolds, they are, after all, just more creatures in your way.

[cOMMUNISMISFANCY]

"Fine then, " says Sir Tolman, not waiting very long for the others to interject, "Can you lead us to Tukka-kan, we will aid him against the Bad Bug. I suggest you join us for the time being as well, there will likely be more creatures like the one my compatriate is dissembling not too far behind us. Standing guard here would likely be just as fatal as being Bad Bug's dinner."

He stands, waiting to see if anyone else has anything to add, or if the Kobold will lead them to Tukka-kan.

[joelocaust]

Barth looks wildly at Tolman. "Playing in caves with deadly- wait- no- dangerous bugs? Maybe it will- yes- save us the time of finding the army on the other side of this system. Of course, it could always cause us to meet them at the same time. Was this not a shortcut to keep us ahead of them? That is my goal. Yep. Definitely. Live. That includes avoiding armies and deathbugs wait- yes- deathbugs too." Barth quickly finishes his dissection of the machine and then begins navigating through the caves.

[lonewolf2017]

Dom looks a little confused. "What kind of bad bug? What dose it look like?"

[The Lord of Blades]

The kobold blinks at Tolman a few times, but then nods, scarfing down his meal raw, sliding a stone panel down to suffocate the fire, and then responding: "I lead you, but no safe here-there. Will be back, clan duty is here not there." He turns while he's walking to respond to Dom:

"Bad bug? Hmm, well, big, tight fights in tunnels too small, most is too small. Has horns. Sharp. Has a stink! Stink hurts to breathe. Looks like big beetle with arms and legs and horns and teeth. Very mean. Doesn't sleep, but eats a lot. Eats in battle! Eats kobolds... eats whatever! Past that, you see self! Maybe not! Maybe you lucky. Maybe Tukka-kan already kill it?" He waves the notion away but keeps going.

Eventually you pass by a few tunnels that have seen obvious signs of combat, large gouges cover the walls, gore is splattered about, unceremoniously left where it fell. There is a stench in the air, but it is only the stench of carrion and rot, nothing else. The remains appear to be that of kobolds and a few other cave dwelling races. As you travel you see a few kobold scouts, but the numbers of the dead far outweigh the living that you encounter.

After about 30 minutes of walking, your guide points you to a roughly fashioned and ill-fitted stone door. "Knock 8 times, then say 'Kashreet tek Hissat', Tukka-kan will know you as friend. He speeks your tongue more than me." He turns and leaves without a word after that, no doubt returning to his post and not stopping no matter what you call after him.

[Assuming you do as instructed and knock then say the phrase...]

The door jerks open suddenly and you are given a slight view of the room from the entryway... it is littered with weapons, armor, food, and crudely drawn diagrams. This is before a kobold fills the entryway and blocks most of your view. The first thing you notice is that he has a pair of red-scaled wings, second you notice that his eyes are two different colors, one is a dark gold shade while the other is vibrantly red. You can also see the red scales cover part of his body as they extend down from his wings. He stares at you for a moment, getting a measure of you as you stare at him. He is wearing a suit of splint mail, and at his side hangs a notably simple-looking mace. You can't quite tell if it his scales or if it is warpaint,... or maybe it is old blood, but there is red splashed on his equipment and body as well.

He stares at you for just a moment longer before saying: "Who're you? What're you doing here? The Skeeka Clan hire you? C'mon then, come in, no sense leaving you out there until the beast gets you." After he walks into his room he assumes a position of non-hostility, whether out of haughty superiority, friendliness, or simply not considering you a threat, you can't quite tell...

Inside the room is much the same as it was from the outside, only you can now see a simple animal-pelt bed... which you see move for a moment, only to realize there is a kobold female asleep in it at the moment, and from what glimpses you catch of her out of the pile of hides, she is currently naked. A gift to Tukka-kan no doubt...

[cOMMUNISMISFANCY]

Sir Tolman, pending any further complaints from his travelling companions, follows the Kobold to Tukka-kan's chambers, knocking eight times and saying 'Kashreet tek Hissat'.

Once safely inside the confines of the room, he explains to Tukka-kan that they need passage through the caves as quickly as possible. He also mentions that they will aid in killing the Big Bug if it means they won't face any other opposition as they travel to the other side of the mountains. He asks when they can begin their hunt.

[lonewolf2017]

Dom looks around and mutters something about damn tight spaces and switches from his bow to weapons more likely to be useful in the confines of the caves. Looking about he mutters more about never thinking he would be helping Kobolds. Then He smiles a big stupid smile (think almost cartoonish) and Looks at Tukka-kan, "So we hear you need some bug killers. Well I guess that what we are here for."

[The Lord of Blades]

Tukka-kan stares at you blankly for a moment then slowly looks around a bit and then finally replies: "Well, alright then. Now, I have an idea of where it is gonna be shortly. There's a cave about three levels up, called the half-sun cave because part of it's ceiling is opened up to the outside. I'm not sure how it happened, but it was only discovered shortly after the beast arrived. Don't let the other kobold's poor grasp of common fool you, this isn't an insect, it's a beast of some kind. They call it a bug because it wears armor fitted to its body, maybe it was born with it on? All I know is that the thing is a tough bastard to crack, I've lost three weapons on it from its shell, but fortunately I've discovered a way to take care of that..." he waves his arm at a lumpy pack, "Acid flasks, toss 'em on the beast and its shell loses its strength, though it is clearly magical or impressive in its healing as that shell will be at full strength again in a day or two and it won't show itself until it is in top condition. That's why I know it'll be there, I broke a spear off in its head, it should be resting that off and it favors that cave it staked out."

He pulls papers down onto the floor for everyone to see, spreading them out; each one containing maps and diagrams. Most are crude drawings and written in draconic slang (kobold language) but you can make the gist of it, he's outlining the layout of the region. "Now, we're not gonna fight it in its cave, hell nah, there's an open area two tunnels away from that with no exits but the one, if we get it in there, it can't flee when it gets wounded without going through some of us. We'll put our toughest folks there, maybe even some traps if we can muster 'em, though make sure they don't go off when it comes in. This damn thing is clever, it doesn't engage situations it sees as hopeless. That's why half the Skeeka are dead and why I came looking for it, because I'm not with that tribe, they're monster interested me so I'm here. Worst case scenario I pack up and leave... of course, that's really the 'worse' case scenario... worst is the thing kills me... but that isn't likely!" he clears his throat, done bragging, and continues:

"Anyways, we'll make this short and sweet and since you're new here, easiest for you. I'll go bait the creature out, it knows me and wants me dead in the worst way... so it shouldn't be hard to get it raging and following me. I'll dash into the cave, and this is important, don't attack it until I'm at the far wall! Do you hear me? I don't care if I'm spilling guts onto the floor, if you spring the trap early it'll force its way out. Once we're on the far wall, take it down, put someone or the traps back by the entrance, preferably both. Lead off with the acid flasks, I'll give each of you one, I've got six here... should be enough? Or the best shot can take a few more, but I want at least three people throwing them, I want good coverage on this beast."

He gathers the stuff back up and even packs away a few belongings. "I've got a safe area here and the nearby outside place is roughly safe... compared to some other areas, and like I said, it's sleeping off a spear-to-the-head. Anyways, rest here for right now. I'm gonna go do a bit of scouting. If any of you wants a turn with her over there," he jerks a thumb at the still-sleeping kobold on the 'bed', "then you're welcome to try, though something tells me that you'll have a bit of a rough time with her... ya know... language barrier and all... but hey, she is the tribe's -hero- prize for my sort. So... never know?" He lets out a screechy laugh and then picks up two javelins from the floor and opens the door to head out. "Yeah, but don't stray too far, if you encounter that thing without me, the best you'll be able to do is probably spook it off." He then stalks off down the caves, leaving the door open, knowing you'll close it if you need to.

-----

You're free to ask him any questions before he leaves. Also, while you rest, you are able to sort out your thoughts, reflect on past experiences, and finally draw strength from them. You are all now Level 2!

Barth, while dismantling the machine earlier (sorry for the delay on this!), you reach the following results:
-You remove the remaining intact eye, it seems like a replica of a gem (amethyst); counterfeit and false to be sure, but only to the trained eye.
-You remove much of its metal plating, but the process ruins the blackened wood and you're unable to salvage anything but wood-chips aside from the metal itself.
-Internally it is composed of numerous gears that are well oiled (in their contained system) until you open it, at which point it dribbles the fluid onto the ground and makes a bit of a mess, but you capture a good deal of it, enough to fill two flasks. It is extremely slippery, even more-so than regular oil, as though a specific lubricant fluid.
-Most of the gears are useless on their own, only fitting with their counterparts and you can't make sufficient sense of them to specifically take any of it for use as anything but metal shards.
-You attempt to unlock a chest-piece that seems to power the creature, but only activate a defense mechanism that incinerates the insides of it. It was far too complicated for you to tamper with. This portion fries the remainder of the creature, leaving it as only a burnt out husk. No further salvage acquired.

Oh, and if anyone who attempts to lay with the kobold, make a charisma check.

[cOMMUNISMISFANCY]

Sir Tolman listens to Tukka-Kan's plan closely, and pays extra attention to the details he has mapped out about the surrounding caverns. He attempts to plot a way for them to reach the exit on the far side of the caverns, so that if things go wrong, they will not be travelling blindly. Afterwards, he takes one of the acid flasks and studies it before turning to Barth and asking, "Say Barth, I'm not familiar with alchemicals, do I just toss it at him, or is there some sort of tinkering you need to do first?"

He then takes time to study the wooden longsword he has been carrying, but not using as well as making sure that Ettore is in good condition to continue traveling. He does not say anything if the others choose to have relations with the female kobold, but he does not partake, only saying that his heart is only for Nidalee if pressed.