(I'll be afk for a liiiittle bit, but if you guys wanna keep rping: Anything over a 10 is successful for those rolls. If you get 1 success: Poor condition / 2 successes: Good condition / 3 successes: Excellent condition... within reason, you did totally decimate this thing. So no eyeballs, the head is already in fair condition... lol. etc.)
(Feel free to do any rp to explain what you do with the materials, which could include storing/crafting. Also anything you want to do in this area of the kobold city of caves, or by the lake, before you leave. It's probably mid afternoon right now.)
(Either before leaving this area or once we get back, I'm planning on giving each of you a special scene too... Atriox was just first so he could get his funky black magic back. 😂)
Alrik approaches the corpse of the dragon and kicks it's foot, an old habit from fighting creatures who like to play dead that he hasn't been able to get rid of... stooping down, he examines the beast's underbelly, looking at the smaller, more delicate scales. He pulls out a knife and carefully begins cutting around the small scales, attempting to remove a large portion of them while keeping them intact and attached to the hide beneath. (19 survival! 11 medicine and a 15 arcana)
While he works, he glances over at Oredion. "Going after the larger scales, eh? They've got more rigidity and defensive purposes, that's for sure!"
Alrik, you meticulously skin the underside of the white dragon. Removing both hide and scales, you manage to dissect a rather large piece devoid of any scorching or damage. Cleaning it and drying it off, you carefully roll it up and tie it to keep it secure. It's in rather pristine condition and will make great material.
You see the kobolds moving the treasure and stop to observe some of the more unique items. The potions look somewhat unfamiliar, and both the water skin full of blood and the ring radiate a faint magical aura. Something pangs in your chest, like a... longing to keep some of this treasure with you. But you shake it away.
(Arcana check to decipher new information about those items, if you're interested in any. Great rolls!)
(So, I rolled arcana. I got a 14. I'd like to check and see what I know about the items he felt magic around, as well as take all the potions to have them checked out at a later date)
(Coooool, sounds good
Alrik, as you pick over the items you pocket the potions. You have a few contacts in town who could easily tell you more about them. The other two are quite strange. The water skin... you're not sure what kind of blood lies inside, but it still retains its warmth. It's almost like it is fresh, imbued with some strength. It makes your eyes dilate when you smell it, it sends your forehead tingling... almost like you want to do battle again. (It's almost like a rage enhancement, from what you can tell)
You carefully handle the ring. It seems a pretty little thing. A faint healing magic is pulsing in the gemstones. Holding it in your hand even fills you with vigor... strange little object. The longer you hold it the healthier you feel.
Alrik slips the waterskin into his satchel, making sure to take care and keep it from spilling. The ring he decides to wrap carefully in a bit of cloth and pocket, not yet sure of the magic within. "Hopefully The Enigma is coming... she'll be able to help me make heads or tails of what these are... if she ever stops fussing about my scar..." he chuckles
After the pain subsides Atriox shakes his head. He mumbles to himself
"I need to find out what this is inside me......"
Seeing that the the kobolds clearly like whatever happened though he decides to give them little show and roars as load as he can.
Afterwards he approaches the head and finishes cutting it off completely. The dwarfs handy work earlier made it much easier.
He looks to the kobolds. "Have this transported to the temple as well please. That is all."
The kobolds handle the head with relative reverence as they take it from Atriox. Several of them work together to move it. You feel a wave of exhaustion come over you again--not the first that's hit since you've given your speech.
You head over to the edge of the mountain, looking down at the working kobolds. You definitely have an army under you... now just to keep them in line, and keep them happy, fed, and maintained.
Oredion walks over towards the body of the dead dragon. Even in death the beast is still intimidating and breathtaking to look at. Oredion takes out his pickaxe he strung around his belt after breaking threw the walls of the cave and begins to pry the larger scales off listening to Alrik's suggestion. He gets what he can and moves on to the tail. Knowing he will need the pines on the end of the tail and the bone that goes with it to add spikes around his shield to attack with. He puts he pickaxe back into his belt loop and pools out his axe. He takes aim and with one strong strike down he chops the end of the beasts tail off.
"Ah these will do nicely! My shield will be wonderoues."
He looks at the Kobolds intimidationly. "You lizards got a forge?"
(Survival 19, Medicine 25, Dexterity 12)
Oredion, you bundle up your scales and the tail neatly. Your blades sharp, you've expertly removed them from the great beast. Joey peeks out of your beard, flicking his tongue and cycling through several colors. This whole adventure has had him a pure kaleidoscope again... too many emotions to process.
At the mention of a forge the kobolds look at each other strangely. They mutter in draconic, repeating the word "Forge" amongst themselves. One finally hops up, putting a claw on the scales you've harvested, giving them a sniff. She talks in a very thick undercommon. "Forge... nones. Steels from raids. We makes bones. Stones." She clicks her teeth together, making motions of threading. "Mends. hides." Pulling at her tunic, she stares at you with wide eyes. You get the idea that they mostly work with sewing armor, that no forge is run in this part of the mountain. They could perhaps be taught, or, help you create a hide cover for the shield. You could also instead take it through the portal back to Dragonshore, where you remember a blacksmith shop.
Etny decides is time to give her arrows an upgrade. She goes to the claws of the beast, and begins to saw the ends off. She intends to craft dragon bone arrowheads.
(15 Survival, 19 medicine, and 10 dexterity)
Etny... As the others finish their harvests, you carefully remove the claws of the great dragon. The strong bone is almost needle-like in sharpness--the white dragon's feet splayed and built for clinging to and clawing through the ice of great glaciers and mountain peaks. These arrows will be deadly to those they strike... you know you'll want to take special care to retrieve them when they've felled their enemies.
You sit back cleaning and filing the bones, and watch as the kobolds begin to take over the dragon's body... You're still unsure about this mass of monsters, even more so as they begin to butcher the entire entity they used to call their god. A great ripping and shredding fills the air as the muscle and sinew is pulled apart, both being eaten raw and carried back into the tunneling ice caves below. The air smells thick with the metallic tinge of blood. Often times they turn to leer at you, red dripping from their pale scales and teeth.
A long, slow struggle has been growing in Etny's mind. It is the kind of struggle she often puts off in the deeper reaches of her thoughts, focusing entirely on The Hunt, as that is what drives her to continue forward. But now...note that she is calmly carving and filing dragon bone arrowheads, she can't shake the feeling and dread of having to entertain these thoughts. Thoughts of Sossahl. Thoughts of home. Thoughts of mother and father, and their long absence in her life.
Was it just a dark fate that brought her here amongst all of the Einhycacht? That word...The Throat-Cutters it meant in her tongue. With a pang of guilt she thinks on the little Erocan, Tak Flame-Scar... Could she really be serious? Giving her loyalty to an Einhycacht who was one among many who was so very different from the rest, she could hardly believe herself! But...she couldn't shake the feeling of guilt. Was her prejudice for Einhycacht truly founded on blood, or was it a dark joke of the All-Mother's? Sometimes, she wondered that. Six years ago, a massive Einhycacht raiding party had barreled through her tribe's lands, pillaging, killing, burning, and kidnapping as they went. They had taken her parents mercilessly from her, and she has been Adobe ever since, hunting for them.
Etny stands from her work, stretching and relieving the tension in her muscles. She catches sight of the other Einhycacht butchering their former 'god.' Leering at her with bloody mouths and teeth, so full of bloodlust and malice, they almost seem like they mock her resolve. These were the Einhycacht she knew--the ones she hunted mercilessly. Not...Tak.... She sighs in disgust, both at the Einhycacht, and at herself. If only she'd been quicker on the draw, she would've slain her query, and been far away from here...from the Angakresh and his powerful friends.
And yet...there was something about all of this...some fate that wasn't altogether darkened. Whatever it was, she had the feeling that the All-Mother was teaching her something. Something valuable, something important. Etny was beginning to understand that one cannot wisely judge the actions of an entire race join one being.
Etny resolved within herself that she would try and be friends with Tak, and defend him at all costs, despite her deep-seeded prejudices against Einhycacht.
Etny goes looking for the kobold now.
Etny, you head down toward the caves below. The tunnels are dug beautifully into the ice, blue and white and even clear in places. They let in quite a lot of light, and surprisingly retain a good amount of heat. You would find it more beautiful perhaps, if not for the smell and the noise of the Einhycacht. It sets you on edge, and even more look at you as you hunt. You can't tell the intent behind the intense eyes.
Up ahead in a clearing of snow, you see the green one, Tak Flame-Scar, speaking with one of the blues. He looks like he is struggling to communicate his requests properly, but is puffing up his chest as best he can to seem bigger--more in charge. The blues are surprisingly toned, and don't seem very impressed with this strange outsider. But they do his bidding, more for the sake of the dragonborn who seems to lead Tak around.
A few sleds make their way off to the lake, being pulled by winter wolves. You see Tak shiver, watching them leave with supplies.
Etny approaches Tak, and crouches near him, so she us at eye level with him. "Tak Flame-Scar," she addresses him. "While you were gracious in accepting my apology earlier, I think I have some explaining to do." She pauses, watching the kobold with violet eyes.
He looks like he wants to back up a pace but refrains, standing his ground and meeting her gaze as steadily as he can. His shoulder still aches, especially after pushing it earlier when he leapt atop the dragon. But he sees her bloody bandages. She had it worse. He's not sure if he's happy or not about that.
"What explain?" His yellow eyes flicker with strange emotion. "Tak not surprise. Hunted many times. Humans try kill Tak. Dragonborn try kill Tak." He brushes the burned and melted scales with his hand as he wipes his nose, dripping from the cold. "Used to it, Tak not surprise."
"I unwisely judged you, Tak," she responds, "While I was bitter with my own hatred toward your kind, you yourself did not deserve it." She pauses again, thinking her next words carefully.
"Six years ago, your kind took my mother and father away from me in a raid that rivaled the greatest hunts our tribe had ever seen. Now they are gone, and I know not whether they be alive or dead. Still," she pauses again, "You did not deserve my hatred, Tak. You are too good for many."
The little kobold is taken aback. He looks away and licks his lips. He's not sure how to process this sincerity.
"Tak..." He stares at the other kobolds going about their business preparing their camp. "Tak did not try hunt humans unless great need. Til blue came to forest. Told us help. Chief made help. Tak good warrior... good listener."
He can't seem to meet her eyes again. "Tak not take lady family. But Tak... take others. Tak has killed. Tak shed blood. Humans and others. And Tak lost... everything. Try survive now. Not lose more." He exhales slowly. "Tak deserve hate for what done. Wish Tak take place of dead."
His yellow eyes finally turn back to her. "Tak not good. But Tak follow good. Perhaps do good sometime."
Etny eyes the kobold, her face a mask of mystery. Her violet eyes soften. "Tak, there is good and evil in everyone. The All-Mother knows your heart better than any. Someday, you will see the good in yourself." She rises then, and makes her way off.
Etny is strangely satisfied with what she has said, and yet, she is still filled with a strange bitterness. Oleah! These creatures are putting me at odds with myself!
---
Oredion turns to face Atriox.
"I do not feel I can teach these vile lizards the way of the blacksmith. They may be on are side for now but if your defeated they will gladly switch to a new chief. I will wait to use the the blacksmith's shop in town hoping he lets me craft there."
Oredion looks around wondering where Etny has gone. He has found himself strangely fascinated with her.
She is making her way through the twists and turns of the caverns jogging her way through, when all of a sudden, she rounds a bend that comes out into a large space. She almost doesn't see the Antrahtu--the dwarf--in front of her. She very nearly runs into him, dodging out of the way at the last minute, but barreling into a pile of armor sets and other supplies with a loud clatter.
"Gyaaaaagh!" CRASH, CLATTER, BANG
Oredion sees this and can't help but to laugh.
"For an expert Hunter who uses stealth. You sure know how to make a big racket."
Still chuckling Oredion goes over to help Etny up.
"I am alright," she says, raising a hand out of the pile of armor and supplies.
"To be fair," she calls out from beneath the pile, "I didn't hit you, Antrahtu, so I have that small victory for my dignity."
She accepts his help gratefully, the only real thing hurt on her being her pride. "Harra, Antrahtu," she thanks him.
"By the way, I never got your given name, and I imagine you wouldn't fancy being called 'Antrahtu' all the time."
Oredion helps her up still chuckling.
"Names Oredion, Oredion the Bronze but my friends call me Ore."
After helping her up Oredion notices how close he is and quickly backs up.
Hardly even noticing how close they were, Etny continues. "Oredion. I call you 'Antrahtu' out of respect...It is...part of my tribe's traditions. We only use given names for close friends. But if you are not opposed, I shall call you by Oredion. I will respect that." Turning her face away, embarrassed, she chuckles to herself. "Usually I do not make such blunders, but...I guess the only thing hurt on me is my pride and dignity."
Oredion nods understandingly. "That will work just fine Hunter. Well... I will be going to join the others now fare thee well." Oredion gives her his signature one eyed wink on the way out.(Also known as the blink.)
"Jahkarra, Oredion-Antrahtu," she nods to Oredion, resting a hand on his shoulder. "All-Mother be with you," she pats him on the shoulder then, letting him go. Etny notices his wink, and doesn't quite know how to react. Not knowing how to take such a gesture, she smiles kindly at him.
No comments:
Post a Comment