( 16164351 in the previous thread is where the conversation left off. This is exactly why I don't like leaving off during a conversation.)

Possible conversation topics:
Raik's feelings on replacement arms
Information on various cultures
Information on the H'runten's plants
Other conversation topics?

>>16220389
Information on various cultures.
What responses, if any, have the other nations and powers of the Underdark had to the rise of the Golgremet Empire?

>>16220268
>>16220389
Fuck year.

"Well...I'm not saying that /not/ having arms is useful, but..." Flex it. "...well, it's useful." Say bluntly.

"But, whatever fills your bowl. Let's talk about something less personal and more grave. Trade, specifically."

"Your aloe seems very useful. Our soldiers have enough destruction power; healing will always be in high demand."

"Maybe we can offer you some of our lesser produced goods in exchange for either seeds or a supply of the plant?"

>>16220430

"About the Golgremet," You say to him, as the sickly sweet scent of his pipe smoke filters across the room. "How have other cultures reacted to their rise to power?"

Raik's pipe bounces in his clenched teeth as he answers. "Mainly, either folded or gotten the hell out of the way." He pauses. "Though the exact circumstances of their rise are very murky. In essence, one month they were a medium size, well-established tribe, and the next they had tripled in size and were using more aggressive fungal weapon attacks on their enemies. Three months after they started rising, they came into contact with a Tengu troop that had been sent down below. According to my sources, you've already made contact with them." He puffs a cloud of smoke, grinning.

"As far as those who have resisted, a number of kobold tribes, a few troglodyte tribes, though an overwhelming number seem to have allied or surrendered." Raik crosses his legs. "Hard to blame them. The north's hunting has always been hard, and the Golgremet seem to have an abundance of food."

rolled 76 = 76

>>16220606

Bumping my post. :<

>>16220606

>>16220482

"Well... I'm not saying that /not/ having arms is useful, but..." You flex your right arm, the metal nails clicking on your palm. "...Well, it's useful." You say bluntly.

Raik shrugs, reaching to grab a small metal box with his foot off of one leg, setting it down on the ground. "I can understand that. I mean, I did break a leg once when I was younger." He reaches up with both feet at once to pull a small pair of stone-handled picks from his leg-strappings. "Not being able to walk around was grueling. I was bored to tears." He sticks both pins into the box, and you can hear the pins of the lock clicking. He looks over at you, away from the box, as he continues. "I'd imagine that's the best comparison I can give to my experience. Then again, I knew I'd get it back." You hear the lock make a decisive click, and Raik opens the box, displaying a marked dexterity as he turns it around with one foot. Inside is a small bit of copper jewelry, a ring with an iconographic bat on it.

"As I've tried to explain, I have no real experience with having hands." Raik closes the box, putting his things back. "It's... Well, it seems like it would be a big change." He shrugs, puffing on his pipe once again. "And after having spent quite some time figuring out how to be myself, I don't know who I would be after I had arms." He pauses for a moment, shaking his head. "I guess I'm saying that I don't know, and that I'm a bit scared of such a big change." He tilts his head to one side. "I guess it's a bit hard to explain to anyone else."

"Whatever fills your bowl. Let's talk about something less personal and more grave. Trade, specifically." You say to him.

He pulls the pipe from his mouth. "Ah, right, I feel dumb for being so caught up in my own thoughts instead of what you came here for. Let's talk trade."

You look over at the small, spiny plants. "Your aloe seems very useful. Our soldiers have enough destruction power; healing will always be in high demand. Maybe we can offer you some of our lesser produced goods in exchange for either seeds or a supply of the plant?"

Raik nods. "Sure. We have either open for trade, and some useful poultice recipes for the as well. As far as growing your own they have very strict growing requirements. Plenty of moisture not just in the soil, but in the air as well." He gestures with a foot to the room. "Like the stuff in the air now that's putting out my pipe." He hastily puts the pipe to his lips and takes a few puffs. "Ah, that's better. So, what kind of lesser produced goods would you be offering?"

>>16220953
"Magic weapons and items, mostly. Some ioun ore, both raw and processed. Our big seller, of course, being our prosthetic."

NAJA and lineguns are still off the table, however. As much as we need the money, they represent far too great a risk of the Empire getting their hands on to allow them beyond our control.

What kinds of lesser produced goods, indeed?

Your main goods are: Weapons, NAJA, Ioun goods, Magic Items, crops, ores, clothing, parchment, and even some surfacer goods.

Of lesser, I would think gems, jewelry, armor, alchemical goods, maybe some of the surfacer goods as well.

>>16221151
"Are you per chance interested in surface luxury? We have a few recreational items used by the gnolls and orcs above; playing cards mostly. They're large, but their art and quality are superb."

>>16221176
>>16221086

"Magic weapons and items, mostly. Some ioun ore, both raw and processed. Our big seller, of course, being our prosthetic." You explain to him.

"All seem reasonable." He nods. "I doubt anyone else in the whole clan has the same reservations that I do about a prosthetic. Matter of fact, my friend Niethul who fought in the kolak earlier had his leg modeled after this other kobold's in town who got quite a bit of work done in the caverns." He nods, looking over to a few of the plants in the room. "I think the weapons would be a definite plus. Our Er'laki have had some demand for something like that for some time now, but we won't buy in the Brotherhood since the other factions control the suppliers."

"Are you per chance interested in surface luxury? We have a few recreational items used by the gnolls and orcs above; playing cards mostly. They're large, but their art and quality are superb." You say to him.

Raik makes an assuring grunt. "Gambling isn't encouraged, but I like a good game of strategy as much as the next 'bold." He gestures out with both his feet. "Keeping my cards on the table's kind of annoying, though. So I usually play board games."

>>16221252
"Well, I'm sure we can scrounge something up. Cities and Humans is my personal favorite..."

Meta jokes everywhere.

"We can begin trading of these goods relatively immediately; how long will it take for you to get a surplus of aloe to trade with us?"

>>16221315

You shrug. "Well, I'm sure we can scrounge something up. Cities and Humans is my personal favorite..."

Raik narrows his eyes a bit, shaking his head. "I haven't played it. If it's a strategy game, I play a lot of those. Minemaker I learned while I had my leg broken, and I haven't dropped it since."

"Well, it has, erm, strategic elements." You say, trying to explain the concept, but failing to find words. "I suppose it involves a bit of acting as well?"

"Sounds complicated." Raik nods.

"We can begin trading of these goods relatively immediately; how long will it take for you to get a surplus of aloe to trade with us?" You ask him.

"We have a decent stockpile." He says. "Probably enough to bathe a small army in." He points over to the plants growing in the garden. "Not bad tasting, if you'd care for a sample. Good for stomach aches as well."

>>16221315
Sounds good; seconding.
After this, if the chief is finished fighting with the Cave Fangs, we should talk about our missing diplomat.

>>16221541
Take a bite, then comment appropriately.

Also OP, I've started college again, and I have class early tomorrow. I'm going to bed. Sorry I couldn't stick around more. D:

>>16221541
>Probably enough to bathe a small army in
"More likely than not, we'll probably need all the medical supplies we can get, with the upcoming war.
"We'll need to buy more from the Church as well."

>>16221614
>>16221557
>>16221619

(I have as well, had a class about 12 hours ago.)

"More likely than not, we'll probably need all the medical supplies we can get, with the upcoming war." You mention to him. "We'll need to buy more from the Church as well."

"The Church..." Raik pauses. "We can offer similar stock to theirs. We just don't have as much."

You much on a bit of the aloe. The skin is relatively bitter, but the pulp and juice is a bit sour as well. The watery juice washes away most of the flavor, leaving your mouth with a pleasant tingle.

>>16221681
"That's what I'm afraid about; depleting your stock completely. This coming war is going to be one of extermination, if the stories of the Empire's leader are true. We will need large amounts of healing supplies, both herbal and magical.
"Please understand that we need to keep our options open."

"That's what I'm afraid about; depleting your stock completely. This coming war is going to be one of extermination, if the stories of the Empire's leader are true. We will need large amounts of healing supplies, both herbal and magical." You spread your hands out a bit. "Please understand that we need to keep our options open." You look over at the doorway, impatiently. How long is this battle going to take?

"I know." Raik says, taking a drag off of his pipe. "It seems like he's been quite a while. Nothing to do but wait, I suppose." He nods over at you. "You had another reason for coming here."

"You caught me." You say to him. "I'm looking for our last diplomat."

"Ah, I remember him." Raik says, puffing his pipe. "Nice guy. Seemed awfully paranoid."

>>16221858
"Well, it's not paranoia if they're really out to get you. And considering that he's disappeared, I suppose he could have used some more paranoia."

>>16221959

"Well, it's not paranoia if they're really out to get you. And considering that he's disappeared, I suppose he could have used some more paranoia." You ask him. "Did you him? Do you know where he went?" You ask Raik.

The shadow knight's nose filters out a fair bit of smoke. "I have seen him. Didn't catch the name but he was definitely a caverner. And he kept looking at us funny. Surprised when we offered him a meal."

"Do you know where he went?" You ask him.

Raik shakes his head, removing his pipe from his mouth. "I haven't, but all the same I know who will." He empties out his ashes on the ground with a tap of his foot. "Think about it."

>>16222108
Could he be referring to that agent of the Cave Fangs that we met, and had a fight with?

>>16222108

You do think on it for a while, though your head is full of trade deals. You pause for a few moments, before Raik sweeps the ashes into the nearby soil with his foot. "You've already met with the church, I can tell that much at least. Your break-in to that secret prison of the Cave Fang's was well documented, and you obviously didn't find what you were looking for."

"How do you figure that?" You ask him.

He smirks. "Call it intuition. That aside, you have the following information: The Cave Fang don't have your man. The H'runten don't have him. Which means-"

"The Church?" You ask him.

"Yes. Or, I could be lying." Raik says, lighting another match. "But, then, I wouldn't be telling you any of this."

>>16222304
The problem is trying to investigate the Church. They'll be on guard now, after what happened to the Cave Fangs.

But, we could use the negotiations with them, for our GRU agents to poke around.

>>16222335

"We could continue negotiations, get some of our GRU agents to poke around." You say to Raik.

"Some of us wouldn't be opposed to taking a look around ourselves." Raik says, pointing at you. "We've had a long history, and a lot of friends have gone missing too. With your raid revealing that it was mostly city folk, a few of us reached the only remaining conclusion."

You bridge your fingers. "So, you're saying my man's not the only one?"

"Nope. And likely some other Cave Fangers as well." Raik looks deep in thought. "Matter of fact, we got quite a few attacks on us as well when the Cave Fang had Bral KerVonom abducted."

"Who's that?" You ask him.

"He was their head technologist. Had a hand in just about everything." He nods. "Rumor was he was trying to produce a lot of things, and that he was fiercely jealous of the Crystal Caverns. He was very reclusive, hid behind guards and wards our best scryers got headaches from looking over." He shrugs. "Last thing I heard before the disappearance was that he had managed to reproduce something involving ioun ore."

>>16222545
"This Bral, did he look something like [insert description of the maddoc we took hostage from the Cave Fang prison/lab]?
"Well, if we find anything, we'll let you know."

>>16222586

"This Bral, did he look something like a adult, cold-faced bold with a pair of spectacles?" You ask him.

Raik shakes his head. "I'm afraid not. Bral's fairly old, around 80 or so. I saw him once a few years back." He finally lights his pipe again, puffing on it once. "Who you're probably referring to is the assistant they got to take over his work. Wouldn't want to be that guy. One thing Bral was known for is not writing anything down. His assistant probably has to try for everything from scratch."

"Well, if we find anything, we'll let you know." You say to him.

He holds up a foot. "If you'd like some assistance, to be blunt, I was offering. As far as infiltration goes, we have a number who've been inside church walls, myself included."

Before you can answer, you hear a warning shout from out near the back hallway, and your scales stand on end.

Raik turns his head towards the sound, letting his pipe drop to the ground. He looks over at you. "It appears we have a bit more to accomplish, aside from political maneuvering." He stands, his right foot slipping behind his knee and then swiftly returning with a short, thin dagger. "I'd suggest we keep back, somewhere near here. This area is well fortified."

You hear the sizzling sound of a wave of fire travel through a hall near the main room where you had eaten, and you can see orangish firelight bathe the room from the doorway.

"What?" Raik says in confusion. "The Fangs wouldn't risk any-"

>>16222648
"If you could brief my agents, then, on the layout and security measures of the Church, that would be very helpful."

>>16222755
Explosives, or Fireball spells, I guess.

Well, first thing: cast Invisibility, and scout ahead, and see what's going on.

>>16222801

"I'll be right back." You say.

"Wait, where are you-" Raik begins asking, before your spell is completed. You disappear, and the kobold looks around for a moment before sighing. "Of course you'd go do something dangerous on your own. Never mind the guy who's here to watch your back."

He grumbles as you make your way around one corridor, looking over to see a few badly burnt bodies of a few H'runten people, a few still groaning in agony as a group of green-robed kobolds in full armor fight with a diminishing number of other H'runten. It's plain that the assassins are outmatched by the front ranks of kobolds in plate, their daggerblows failing to find purchase betwixt the armored mail. The two-handed swords of the armored kobolds, however, cut into the bare flesh and bone that the H'runten bear so proudly, the last few springing from behind hidden walls to stab a couple of the armored warriors at the base of their spines.

There is a huge flash of fire, and suddenly those remaining H'runten warriors are screaming, their charred bodies writhing as hot embers of their flesh begin to slowly cool. You recognize it as magic immediately. Divine flames of the gods. And you now see the caster, as his group rounds the corner, unimpeded by any more of the sentries. He wears the cloak of a priest of Kurtulmak, but something about his gaze looks horribly off, a wild, maddened look of a man who is doing something he does not want to. His robe is tattered, and splattered with blood. His greenish scales darkly contrast red, hateful eyes. His outstretched hand is still crackling with the remnants of the divine fire he had just unleashed.

>>16222892
First, cast Greater Invisibility on ourselves in order to be able to attack without becoming visible.
Then, cast Black Tentacles to trip up the grunts, and the highest Summon Monster spell we know.
Then, spam Ricocheting Lightning until we're out of slots.

>>16223002

You chant another, more prolonged invisibility spell. As you do so, the priest and the others appear to hear you, and seem to get a good idea of where you're standing. The priests casts a spell to purge invisibility from around him. However, you don't care, and you call forth writhing black tentacles from the walls and floor, entrapping the soldiers in the hallway. The cleric halts, evading one of the tentacles before attempting to dispel your newest spell. Your next attack sends lightning blasting through several of the soldiers, their bodies shaking as the mighty crackling passes through their bodies, and winging the priest. The priest seems to look straight at you, and then you feel an incredible heat envelop the area around you. You fall to the ground, trying with all your might not to scream as you feel your body being immolated by the fire.

This is not going as planned.

>>16223002

Throwing a summoned monster in that mess, by the way, would likely only get him grabbed. And the priest is too far away for you to summon it next to him.

>>16223100
Shit, not good.
Cast Protection from Energy (Fire), can then give him a taste of his own medicine: cast Delayed Blast Fireball right at his feet, then duck behind cover before it goes off.

>>16223225
Rather, perhaps we should Dimension Door and beat a retreat? This is not going well, and we need to link up with our party. I think that takes priority than our bruised ego.

>>16223258

You concentrate, trying to focus through the pain of fire burning twice as hot as the laws of reality dictate they should be. You focus on the room you were just in, and see the surrounding world rush by in a blur as you land back in the gardens, your body still very much aflame. You roll on the ground, only stopping once you are sure that the intense pain throughout your body is simply from the burns, and not from the fire itself.

Raik looks down at you, angrily. "And here I thought you were supposed to be smart. Leaving by yourself to go blow things up with next to nothing in the way of information is a good way to get yourself killed."

You hear a glass vial rolling across the stones at you. You can smell the familiar spice of a healing potion long before you have the thing in your burned hands.

Raik adjusts the straps on his right foot holding a curved, dagger-like blade over his foot. "Now, let me do my job, magistrate. I can't protect you if you go throw yourself on their swords like that." He pauses, looking over to the main hallway. "I suggest we group up with your other compatriots. We stand the best chance if we co-ordinate something with what little time you may have bought us."

>>16223335
"Needed to know what force they brought. Heavily armored infantry, backed up by a cleric for magic support.
"Lead the way."

Find our party, and try to get some kind of coherent defense.

>>16223385

"Needed to know what force they brought. Heavily armored infantry, backed up by a cleric for magic support." You say to him, as you stand

"Sounds like the church to me." Raik says, the anger in his voice replaced with a tone of cold professionalism. "And with magic support heavy enough to send fire near up the hallway..."

"Lead the way." You say to him.

Raik stalks silently out to one corner, his back against the wall as he crouches low, peering around the corner. "Whatever you did, they're not near yet." He nods you forwards, and you meet up with a very disgruntled looking Tayn and a relieved Turen.

"Magistrate, when I heard that sound from the corridor, I thought..." Turen says, shaking his head. "Well, thank the ancestors you're still OK to walk."

Tayn has his arms crossed low across his stomach. "I don't know much about warfare, but I do know this: If they can keep us pinned in here long enough to receive backup, they'll have won. And from the sounds of things, they've managed to get through quite a lot of the defenses."

"Everyone, in case you're not aware, we have come under attack by the Kerlan." Raik says, looking around the room to the other H'runten warriors there, as well as your fellows. "There are church officiates in the groups of attackers. It seems the Cave Fang are not alone in their plotting. However, they likely planned to co-ordinate this with their first wave of Cave Fang. That means their battalion is alone!"

"They want to take us by surprise, let's show them what real surprise is like!" Jeklam shouts, the rest of the kobolds rallying behind him.

A few sentences and some illusions later, your men wait with the H'runten in the shadows, covered by an image of your locations without you in them. A tense silence fills each kobold, many clutching knives close to their chests, almost like a silent prayer to the gods of death.

Tayn and Jeklam are both in front of you, Jeklam crouched down low like a hunting cat, and Tayn poised to leap into action as well, his knees bent deep and his hands in a claw-like position.

You can see Raik and a few of the other H'runten off near one corner of the room, each of them readying a variety of weapons, with a few climbing up onto the walls.

The enemy approaches, many of them looking battered by your assault. The demoralized group looks around in confusion.

"I don't get it, where are they?" One of them says to the priest, who approaches the edge of the room. Just a bit further, you think. Just a bit further, and you can envelop them in a huge blast of freezing cold, signaling the attack.

"There must be a secret passage somewhere." The priest says. "Go, check the walls and floor. They can't have left so quietly."

>>16223733
Woosh. Unleash the freezing power of the elements upon their asses. After that, use a spell on the priest to disrupt his line of sight. Shape stone the floor around him so he can't see our allies. He'll break out of if probably at once, but it'll buy us time to get close.

Also, I'm back, OP. I can post every now and again between classes if you're up for it.

>>16225182
Agreed. We stick to the plan this time.

Bumping for OP to return and grace us with more Kobold awesome-sauce.

>>16225182

You say a few strong syllables, and an icy blast fills the area where the attackers now stand.

Before they can recover, all of the remaining H'runten warriors in the room rush out in a sudden charge, cutting into the armored warriors in vicious arcs, the knights wailing in pain as slim daggers pierce their enemies' metal hides.

You swiftly close off the priest from the rest of the group, not wanting a repeat of last time.

Tayn and Jeklam each focus on taking down some of th stronger looking opponents. Jeklam grabs one larger kobold by the arm, leaning back and throwing him down to the ground before delivering a swift kick to the warrior's chin. Tayn's opponent rushes towards him, and Tayn dodges each blow. Tayn slowly rears back a hand, and then with the sound of shearing metal, you see a fist-sized hole appear in the warrior bold's armor. The kobold looks at Tayn in surprise as Tayn pulls his stuck hand free, and the kobold collapses, clutching his shattered ribs.

Raik moves quickly towards the fray, leaping at one of the warriors and landing on his shoulders. With his knees bent, the shadow knight flicks his foot across the kobold's neck, and you can see blood begin to leak down as Raik cartwheels off of his falling foe.

Turen remains ready to distract the priest, should he find his way out of the stone prison.

You wait until you will be sure not to catch any of the H'runten in the area, and then soften the stone floor into a soupy mud. Most of the warriors are buried up to their thighs, while some fall bodily underneath it.

The rest of the fight is over quickly, with few casualties on your side. The engulfed kobolds surrender, and a few moments later, yourself and Tayn wait outside of the stone bubble you constructed over the priest.

You lower it, and Tayn goes to attack- But no one is inside.

"Hm, he got away somehow." Tayn cracks his neck. "No matter. We can find out a lot from what prisoners we have."

The H'runten help those prisoners who they can out of the stony mud, and Raik takes up the leadership position, telling them how to organize their attackers.

"There could be another group, so stay sharp!" He raises his voice up over the buzz of conversation. "Scouts who are left, go stand watch at the entrances, and stay hidden. Let them think they have an advantage if there are more."

"Attack from both sides?" Jeklam muses, smiling to himself. "If they send more, it means they press their advantage. We stand no chance unless we acquire reinforcements eventually."

"It's like an adaptation of a pincer formation." Turen says, nodding. "If they breach one line of defense, the remaining forces can meet up to crush the other."

Raik looks over at Turen. "No matter what the battle, the Zal won't lose. We just need to worry about defending ourselves."

You see a few of the H'runten dragging the enemy bodies back towards the back entrance.

>>16228071
Get any of our remaining wounds looked to, and have our party help with the defenses.
We shouldn't just leave, because we've got negotiations to finish, and interrogation results to hear.

>>16228159

You have your people assist. Jensen goes to stand guard at the front, while Tayn and Jeklam assist with the prisoners. Turen stays nearby you, taking out a few healing potions you had brought along. Raik walks over during a break in the ordering.

"Listen." He says, rather suddenly. "I'm sorry for snapping at you, but I'd really rather not have my first charge die on me today." He sits down, cross-legged, and adjusts the straps on his foot-mounted weapon with his free foot.

>>16228195
"No, you were right. I got cocky, I had an open shot, and it turned out to be not enough to take them down.
"Now, do you have any scouts free to check up on what's going on with the main force?"

>>16228250

"No, you were right. I got cocky, I had an open shot, and it turned out to be not enough to take them down." You admit. "Now, do you have any scouts free to check up on what's going on with the main force?"

Raik looks over to one of the H'runten, and barks out the order you just gave him, along with a leg-gesture towards the door. The scout swiftly leaves.

"I might as well apologize then." Raik nods. "I'd forgotten to do even that. Guess that's why I'm not a leader." He scratches his leg with his armored foot. "At any rate, the prisoners seem oddly vacant-headed. None of them are admitting that they remember even coming in the door."

>>16228328
"Odd. I wonder..."
Snap off a quick Detect Magic cantrip, and see if there's any magical residue, specifically of the mental domination type, on the prisoners.

Alright guys, I'm gonna be out for 2 hours. Let's try to not get ourselves burnt to a crisp just because we're a hotshot 15th-level sorceror.

>>16228386

"Odd. I wonder..." You cast detect magic on the prisoners, and see a powerful spell's essence fading. It does seem to be of the charm type. "As I suspected. It seems they were all charmed."

"That's even more odd, sir." Turen says, putting his hand to his chin. "They should remember something, even if they were dominated. Though dominating such a large crowd would be very powerful magic."

Raik grasps his left foot with his right, and you hear the sound of joints cracking. He flexes the foot shortly thereafter. "It could be fungal." He stands up, stretching his right leg as he does so.

"Then why would it show up as magic?" Turen asks.

"I'm not sure." Raik shrugs his armless shoulders, looking back towards the prisoners. "But from what I can tell, they're not lying. A few of them knew me, but had no idea you and your group were here."

>>16228451
"Could someone have been manipulating them into attacking us here, in order to weaken the the factions of the Brotherhood with in-fighting? Or am I overthinking it, and they were given something to erase their memories so they can't give up valuable intel under questioning?
"Do you know of any fungus or mold that could do something like that, especially from the Deeps?"

>>16228451
"Perhaps if I had a word or two with one of them..."

Let's get into a conversation with one of the prisoners. Drill them: Who are you? What's your rank? How did you get here? What's the last thing you remember doing?

While we're doing this, let's get a better idea of /what/ kind of charm it was by doing some more complicated and revealing spells; hopefully those will turn up some new details.

>>16229725

"Could someone have been manipulating them into attacking us here, in order to weaken the the factions of the Brotherhood with in-fighting? Or am I overthinking it, and they were given something to erase their memories so they can't give up valuable intel under questioning?" You ask him.

"It could be either." Raik grimaces. "They're of little use to us now."

"Do you know of any fungus or mold that could do something like that, especially from the Deeps?" You ask him.

"I do, but this would have to be very delicately distributed." Raik nods. "Usually it makes the person very suggestible, but they also remain that way for the rest of their lives. In addition, they wouldn't be able to fight very well at all. This seems like a very precise dose. Moreso than any herbalist I've ever seen."

>>16230119
"Raaah~, this is getting us no where..."

"Wait a minute, what about that cleric? Do you think he was under the spore's influence?"

>>16229761

You go over and ask a number of the prisoners. While most are incredulous, they seem mainly confused. They tell you their names, ranks, some within the church, and others within the Kerlan.

Most remember having dinner before waking up here.

One of the most outraged prisoners gestures to a long gash down his arm. "This really hurts! How are you going to pay for this?"

>>16230401
"Shush; be thankful they didn't kill you yet."

>>16230401
Ask where they had their dinners. If their last meals were eaten together, it's possible they were all dosed by a single source.

I might be overestimating them, but this might have been a sabotage mission by whatever intel agency that the Golgremet Empire has. Without more knowledge about their inner, core workings, we don't know how sophisticated they are.

>>16230425

"Shush; be thankful they didn't kill you yet." You hiss at the offended looking kobold.

"It hurts..." He whines.

You walk back over to Raik and the others. "Raaah~, this is getting us nowhere."

"True enough. I don't think we have enough information to indict anyone but the Kerlan." Raik muses, his foot up atop his knee. "And while they may be capable of this, it doesn't make a lot of sense."

"Wait a minute, what about that cleric? Do you think he was under the spore's influence?"

"No, unless this herbalist is even better than I already thought he was." Raik nods. "He could well have been in his right mind."

>>16230373

>>16230762

When you ask them to detail their dinner, you find that yes, the meal was together.

>>16231206
Where was it? We need to find that place and look for clues as to who was behind this.

>>16231239

At a tavern you have passed a few times near the church quarter, called the Bat's Guts. You remember it for its grotesque sign above the doorway.

They also, admit, with a bit of pressuring, that there will be guards from the Kerlan there.

>>16231355
Once this current situation has been dealt with, does Raik and his fellow shadowknights feel up to taking a look at the Bat's Guts tavern?

Once that's said, we need to wait on that scout to get back from the main fight, to see if we need to go and reinforce, or if they have it covered.

>>16231390
This.

Also, we should find out anything we can about that cleric. Someone that powerful is bound to know what the details of the attack are.

>>16231401
>He wears the cloak of a priest of Kurtulmak, but something about his gaze looks horribly off, a wild, maddened look of a man who is doing something he does not want to
Actually, reading his description again, it seems that the cleric was dosed with the stuff too. We should mention that to Raik.

>>16231390

"Raik, once we're done here, could you look into something for me, along with a few friends?" You ask him.

After a brief explanation, the kobold nods. "Bat's Guts. It's a common hangout for them after they're done patrolling." He shrugs. "We can see what's up there after this, sure. Right now, my duty is to protect you from any more attackers."

>>16231599

"There was something odd about the priest as well. Something about his eyes." You say to Raik. "I'm fairly sure he was on the stuff as well."

Raik's expression turns grave. "If you're right about this, that means whoever's controlling them has something very dangerous in his possession: A means of control enabling the controlled to behave smartly, maybe even avoiding normal detection."

Turen comes back over, a small book in hand. "It looks like something as simple as a charm person spell. That could just be there to throw us off."

>>16231944
"Yes, this level of memory editation and control is beyond that of a simple charm spell.
"Alright, Raik. We'll wait until the fight's over. But once it is, we'll need to move fast, I doubt that the controller will be gracious enough to leave clues as soon as word of this assault's failure reaches them."

>>16231984

"Yes, this level of memory editation and control is beyond that of a simple charm spell." You sigh. You can feel it in your stomach: This is going to be a big problem.

"Alright, Raik. We'll wait until the fight's over. But once it is, we'll need to move fast, I doubt that the controller will be gracious enough to leave clues as soon as word of this assault's failure reaches them." You say to him.

"Right." Raik nods to you. "We'll be investigating the kitchen first." His bottom lip raises, and he looks away. "Though, that sounded a lot less silly in my head."

"Hey, someone's coming!" Jensen rasps. You look out the front, seeing the H'runten scout with a few other warriors headed your way. They appear mostly not wounded.

"What's the battle status?" Raik asks the scout.

"All clear. Most retreat." The scout looks over the room. "No more attacks?"

"How you fight?" One of them asks you.

Jeklam grins over at him. "He asks how battle went."

>>16232122
"I got a little too greedy, and tried to take more than I could handle.
"Now, we need to hurry. I think I know the place well enough to teleport there."

We need to make haste. Does Raik have any objections to going right now?

Raik walks over, pointing over at his scout. "He says my father led the troop to a swift victory. Though there was something worrying."

"What was it?" Turen asks.

Raik pauses. "They didn't appear to know the attack on this temple was coming."

Turen looks baffled. "If it wasn't co-ordinated... Then what just happened?"

>>16232212
"I don't know. But that makes securing the Bat's Guts all the more important; we need to know who was behind the attack, and why."

>>16232350

"I don't know. But that makes securing the Bat's Guts all the more important; we need to know who was behind the attack, and why." You respond to Turen.

"I'll get on it then." Raik says. "I'll have someone send a message your way when it's captured." He walks over to a few of the other H'runten, and then the group leaves.

In the following hour, you are left waiting once again. You can feel a bit of irritation at being attacked, and at not knowing exactly who it was.

Tayn seems to feel similarly, looking over at the captured soldiers as though he waits for one of them to give him an excuse to vent his frustration.

You find yourself halfway through an incantation to a lightning bolt when you hear the guards at the front jump up, rapidly chattering while pointing spears at an approaching creature. You are relieved when you see Tarthis standing on the outside of the building, and he tilts his head around the corner to look at you.

"Wow, a private party? I'm impressed. You Caverns folk must've learned how to cut loose while I was away." He quips.

>>16232675
"Hardly. It appeared at first to be a joint Church and Cave Fang attack, but there are some things that don't add up. They're getting check out now.
"How were things on your end?"

>>16232742

"Hardly. It appeared at first to be a joint Church and Cave Fang attack, but there are some things that don't add up. They're getting check out now." You nod at the guards, and they let him in. "How were things on your end?"

"Not bad." Tarthis says, "Raik I ran into, and he told me about most of it. I was looking for you to tell you the traps are done, so I figured I'd just follow the sounds of combat."

"Weren't you scared of getting caught up in the battle?" Turen asks him.

"What? Are you kidding?" Tarthis laughs. "Kid, I used to down drow for a living. A bunch of disgruntled thugs are not going to scare me."

Tarthis sits down next to you. "But yes, operation mansion is a go go. Lots of fruit that I tested with and cleaned up shows that everything is in working order." He looks around. "So, who are we going to be sending in to have the greatest and last experience of their lives?"

Welp, heres a small bump.

If I don't get anything, then I will see you next week!

What.

What is this?

I was kind of hoping for something like a command but... OK!

"I'm not sure yet, but rest assured, it's on the plan, still." You say to him. "Our target may have changed. I'll tell you when I figure it out."

Tarthis shrugs, clicking his fingers together. "Well, I have nothing else to do till then. What was Raik doing out anyway?"

"What do you mean?" Turen asks.

"Well, y'know how he can get." Tarthis chuckles, then looks at your expressions. "Maybe you don't. Anyway, he's spent a decent amount of time staying in H'runten territory. I know why, but it's personal." He scratches the back of his head. "At any rate, I'm just looking for something to do right now. The ladies' traps are all in fine maintenance, so I have no reason to go see them." He scoffs. "Honestly, it's like I sabotage myself."

>>16234158
Unless we go to the Rat's Guts ourselves, there isn't much more we can do until Raik returns. We can ask to see if the Chieftain is available to continue our trade discussion where we left off.

>>16235038

(last post before I hit the hay for a bit)

You ask for the chief, and he arrives a short time later. You see a grim look in his eye, and his words are as harsh as you expect.

"Many of my people died here, today." He looks through the hall. "And yet, I do not even know who to kill for it."

"We're trying to figure that out right now." You say to him. "Raik and a few others-"

"Yes, I had a messenger tell me as much." The older kobold sighs. "Trade talks bore me, but I will entertain them if you entertain my old storyteller's urge."

You nod to him. "Very well. A bit of give and take, yes?"

The chief nods. "True." He shakes his head. "I recall a tale that is from a long, long time ago, back before the ancient troglodyte empires rocked the foundations of the world. It was a time of the great tribes, and one where a kobold named Mern lived. Mern was a miner, much like any other kobold. He one day uncovered a strange statue, one made completely out of white marble, depicting a dragon. Marn thought this was his special treasure. So, he refused to let anyone see it, and he hid it behind false walls of mud. Even when dwarves came to ransack his village, Marn kept it hidden.

"The other kobolds mocked Marn, saying he was good for nothing. Marn wanted to tell them about his statue, but he knew that if he did, they might steal it. So, he kept it secret from them, and bore their insults." The Zal gestures out with his hands. "Though he knew he could prove them wrong, he was afraid of losing his precious treasure.

"Then, one day, the troglodytes came, taking slaves. And Marn knew of no good places to hide, save one." The chief says, holding up a finger. "The cave where he kept the statue. So, he rounded up the village and took them there, and there they hid for a few days until the trogs had given up and left. In the time after, his treasure became something that the whole village looked on in wonder, and none dreamed of defacing it or stealing it." The chieftain smiles. "So said my father, his father, and all those back to before the egg."

>>16235388
>>16235390
"...and what was this statue exactly?"

>>16235390
"And so Mern's fears were unfounded, for his fellow villagers were too awestruck by it to conspire against him. I see the wisdom in the tale.
"But his was merely a treasure that could be defaced or taken, not one which could be turned against him, and threaten his life.
"Our secrets are valuable for our lives depend on them.
"Now, for trade. We can trade you magical weapons and items for medicines and herbs. Cave aloe, and any anti-toxins and antidotes you may have. Anything to fight the black fungus that the troglodytes use would be valuable."

>>16236384

"...and what was this statue exactly?" You ask him.

"What isn't it?" Zal Tromar makes a circular gesture with one hand. "Love, a pleasant memory, a deep secret? It can be all of these things, or none of them." He smiles, softly. "It was one of my boy's favorite stories when he was a wyrmling. I couldn't get away without telling it at least once weekly."

"And so Mern's fears were unfounded, for his fellow villagers were too awestruck by it to conspire against him. I see the wisdom in the tale." You say to him. The Zal appears more bemused by this declaration than anything. "But his was merely a treasure that could be defaced or taken, not one which could be turned against him, and threaten his life. Our secrets are valuable for our lives depend on them."

"What is life without the truth of oneself?" Zal Tromar says simply. "A hollow egg with its contents spilled across the ground."

"Now, for trade. We can trade you magical weapons and items for medicines and herbs. Cave aloe, and any anti-toxins and antidotes you may have. Anything to fight the black fungus that the troglodytes use would be valuable." You say to him.

"Our anti-fungal plants are something we are strapped on." He admits. "We could give you plants, but we have trouble making it a large enough harvest as it is. In addition, the herb is only effective if it is taken before being attacked or right after." He gestures out to the room. "I can hardly tell my men that the caverners deserve life more than they do, now can I?"

The Zal pauses for a moment. "Rather, that may be a bit melodramatic. Without the herb, my men who come into contact with those using the black fungus will die, or in all likelihood require removal of the infected parts." He shakes his head. "And if we have to purchase all of those prosthetics from the crystal caverns, aside from the kind of leader I'd be for allowing such a thing, we would become poor with the strain."

>>16237439
>>16237687
"Ah, but what of your current weapons?" Find a place to stroll with him. "If I may talk of your people..." Pause for a moment. "Indirectly, of course."

Get into story-telling mode.

"...Let us take the mushroom spore. It is a fleeting fungus, living in whatever crevice it can manage, hidden by the greater flowers that loom above. Buried deep beneath the earth, they are robbed of the warming rays that the flowers above them get. When the predator comes, the flowers are the first to be taken. With their hunger filled, the predator walks off in search of other flowers. There's a reason why the oldest plant in cavern are the deep mushrooms, after all; they are always overlooked. However, the greatest threat to this mushroom comes when the gardener arrives. He finds the fungus unwanted for his foreign plants. Seeing the strange soil, he first uproots the flowers above. Satisfied, he checks below for possible stragglers, and stumbles upon the mushrooms. With the mushrooms gone, he plants his strange flowers, free of the previous plants influence."

Look carefully at him, then shrug.

"That's my tale of the day. Words to the wise, and all that...."

Interject as you see fit with the text, OP.

>>16237687
"The anti-fungal plants, what kind of environment do they require to grow? Rather than selling us the finished product, we would still be willing to purchase the knowledge and base materials to grow our own."

>>16237831
I see where you're trying to go with that tale, but it's still a bad business decision for the H'runten.
They give up the one thing that protects them from the black fungus, only to lose limbs and soldiers to it, and then they have to purchase prosthetics from us. No matter how you slice it, that's a losing proposition for them and unfairly weighted towards us.

>>16237960
For the moment, yes, but we'll be the ones having the most soldiers on the front lines. We understand that they're not stand-and-fight types, so if we do enter an alliance with them, we'll stick to our strengths. We'll shoot 'em up, and they'll sneak around to take care of the more charismatic Troglodytes. Plus, once we discover a cure for the insta-death fungal, we'll happily share the antidote with our allies.

We should probably let them know that fact, too.

>>16238001
Maybe. But the Golgremet Empire has their own shadowy military intel group, and that one uses black fungus liberally.
Any conflict that the the H'runten have with the Empire will have them be exposed to the fungus.

Simply seeing it from their perspective, it's just not worth it.

>>16237831

"Ah, but what of your current weapons?" You walk with him into the garden, as the H'runten are still cleaning up bodies in the other rooms. "If I may talk of your people..." You let your words hang as you search the room for an accurate metaphor. "Indirectly, of course."

You gesture down at one of the many groups of mushrooms in the garden. "...Let us take the mushroom spore. It is a fleeting fungus, living in whatever crevice it can manage, hidden by the greater flowers that loom above. Buried deep beneath the earth, they are robbed of the warming rays that the flowers above them get." You gesture over the flowers, letting the shadow of your hand fall over them. "When the predator comes, the flowers are the first to be taken. With their hunger filled, the predator walks off in search of other flowers. There's a reason why the oldest plants in the cavern are the deep mushrooms, after all; they are always overlooked." The Zal nods slightly at this. "However, the greatest threat to this mushroom comes when the gardener arrives. He finds the fungus unwanted for his foreign plants. Seeing the strange soil, he first uproots the flowers above." You look down at the mushrooms. "Satisfied, he checks below for possible stragglers, and stumbles upon the mushrooms. With the mushrooms gone, he plants his strange flowers, free of the previous plant's influence."

Zal Tromar crosses his arms, his brow furrowed.

You look carefully at him, then shrug. "That's my tale of the day. Words to the wise, and all that..."

"I must say, whoever told that story to you was a lot more heavy handed than my father was." He laughs, smiling. You can't help but think of his words as a joke you would have made a long time ago. "But the effort is noted." He plucks one of the mushrooms with his hand, and points to the cap's bottom. "After all, the best way to get rid of spore-ridden soil is to throw it away. And then, the mushroom will still grow.

"But, if you really want this alliance, you will have to give us more than a reminder of the threat of annihilation." The Zal's eyes are like cold stone for a moment. "More than the thought of vengeance."

>>16237841

"The anti-fungal plants, what kind of environment do they require to grow?" You ask him changing the subject for the moment. "Rather than selling us the finished product, we would still be willing to purchase the knowledge and base materials to grow our own."

The Zal seems to think on this for a moment, then inclines his head towards the deeper parts of the garden.

You see that there is a slender passageway down below the lit stone walkways of the garden, hidden behind a bushy fern. You walk down deeper, the Zal and the passage outlined in dim white. You see a room carpeted on each wall with mushrooms of all kinds.

"This is out fungus farm. Those that cannot grow with the herbs, anyway." Zal Tromar points to one of the far walls. "There is one way we keep their spores from ascending up the small passage." He reaches into the wall, and pulls out a small, wiry creeper with bushy leaves. "This is the garvek. It is a plant with roots that do not extract water, nor mineral from the soil, merely to cling." He brushes something clumpy off of one of the leaves. "Its leaves, something in them draws away spores in the area. This is how it feeds. Light and dry air will cause it to die within hours." He shakes his head. "Its growth has always been slow, and each leaf is needed for its own use on a creature. They must be harvested before they feed, and kept far apart form each other." He places the plant back in the wall. "Truly a challenge for any farmer."

Well, that's all I had.

In addition, Gargoyle Quest will be starting late tonight, and I will be out of here in a couple of hours.

Man, this message really sucks.

>>16238323
Alright. Not much to work with, but we'll manage. See you next week, VKO.

>>16238387

What?

No, no I'm not going yet.

Just hurry up and post is what I'm getting at.

God damn it.

>>16238411
Oh, OK.

"Is there any other way to treat the black fungus?
"Given the difficulty of growing garvek, we may need to develop a magical solution to the problem.
"But yes, back to an alliance...we can trade you magical weapons, armor, and equipment. But that's something that you could get from any other nation that has a few wizards. And the prosthetics, while useful, are something that only a handful of your people would need.
"There are other items...that we have only just begun to give to our allies. Tell me, Zal Tromar, have you seen Crystal Cavern weapons in action?"

We've started equipping our trog allies with lineguns and grenades; I think it's time to put our money where our mouth is, and start offering weapons for alliances.

>>16238537

"Is there any other way to treat the black fungus?" You ask him.

"Usually, we try to wash out the wound and remove bits of the plant if it's within the hour." The Zal shakes his head. "It softens tissues into mush near the site. The veins fuse with muscle and ligaments, swelling up." His face turns grim. "The only way to stop the injured from dying after that is a quick amputation. Since most of the nerves are already dead, the survival rate can be quite high. Naturally, a strike to the body or head, however..."

"Given the difficulty of growing garvek, we may need to develop a magical solution to the problem." You say to him.

"We do not have a lot to gamble with, here." The Zal says to you. "But what you do with your plants is your business."

"Yes, back to an alliance... We can trade you magical weapons, armor, and equipment. But that's something that you could get from any other nation that has a few wizards. And the prosthetics, while useful, are something that only a handful of your people would need." You say to him.

"Or hopefully only a handfull." Tromar looks back at the creeper in the wall.

"There are other items that we have only just begun to give to our allies. Tell me, Zal Tromar, have you seen Crystal Cavern weapons in action?"

"With my own eyes, no." He says, looking over at the mushrooms. "However, I have heard much of them. Those would be expensive as well."

>>16238639
"Certain arrangements can be made. The price of a thing, after all, is based upon how low the seller is willing to go.
"But before we discuss this further, perhaps a demonstration is in order."

I want a demonstration of lineguns and grenades set up. Something to show how easily lineguns can be handled, their ruggedness, and their range and power. Also, the usefulness of our different types of grenades.

>>16238639
Nod.

"Expensive, yes, but I'm sure that we'll give a greatly reduced price to our allies. After all, our success' are mutually bound."

>>16238728

"Expensive, yes, but I'm sure that we'll give a greatly reduced price to our allies. After all, our successes are mutually bound." You nod to him, slowly. "Certain arrangements can be made. The price of a thing, after all, is based upon how low the seller is willing to go. And, for our soldiers, weaponry, armor, and medical technologies are supplied by the state."

You recall one of soldiers a while ago talking about his injuries not being covered by the state, and inwardly frown. Why was that, exactly?

"But before we discuss this further, perhaps a demonstration is in order." You say to him, sending a message to your allies back at the inn.

They come packing rifles and weaponry, and set up a few training targets. The H'runten who are drawn to the sizzling cracks of linegun fire stop and watch in fascination as the paper targets are cut to ribbons. You shape some of the stone into a small statue of a dwarf, and then use a pair of grenades to reduce it to a featureless knob.

"I cannot deny their effectiveness." The Zal says, after some consideration. "Loud, and they would certainly show our allegiances." He gestures over to his people, most with weapons in hand. "Not useful as far as espionage, but we are far from one-trick serpents. We could certainly find a use for them."

>>16238820
"It is true that the lineguns especially, are not as useful in your style of fighting, except perhaps in an ambush where overwhelming power at the start is all that is needed. But I'm sure that some of the other weapons, such as our grenades, can be useful in the field of sabotage and traps.
"You do not need to give me an answer right now. It can wait until Raik reports what he has found at the Rat's Guts tavern."

Yes, when we next get back to the Caverns, we need to check in on why certain procedures and prosthetics are being withheld from our soldiers. This is not as according to our communist military state.

>>16238820
I assume we have some form of proto-silence firearms (or at least the yearning for such a gun). Are we utilizing stuff like flint-lock rifles or what? I forget.

"It is true that the lineguns especially, are not as useful in your style of fighting, except perhaps in an ambush where overwhelming power at the start is all that is needed. But I'm sure that some of the other weapons, such as our grenades, can be useful in the field of sabotage and traps." You say to him.

"For our guards, I could think of few better things." The kobold says. "These lineguns seem powerful enough that they would give us quite the stopping power in tunnels or indoors."

You do know of ways to silence the weapons, the easiest being a silence spell. But, the H'runten mostly likely can figure that one out without you telling them.

"You do not need to give me an answer right now. It can wait until Raik reports what he has found at the Rat's Guts tavern." You say to him as the two of you head back inside.

"Ah, yes." The Zal snaps his fingers. "It was Raik who asked for that story. That must be why I thought of it." He grins, drifting back to another time.

>>16238924
Magitech in the lineguns. The bullets use ice which is magically melted and converted into steam. The steam is the propellant.
We've just started putting semiautomatic versions with detachable magazines into production, and we're researching gunpowder versions right now.

A silenced version would be as simple as enchanting a linegun with a Silence spell. Expensive, but definitely worth looking into for equipping our GRU agents.

>>16239008
Honestly, I can't think of anything else until Raik comes back.

>>16239038

Zal Tromar sits down with you in the main hall, at the now empty table. "That story I told you, I confess, is an analysis technique." He shrugs. "In your case, it told me nothing more than I already knew. It involves the suggestion of value, and allows one to get an analysis of his target's motives." He drums his fingers across the table. "Yours were plain enough."

"I try to keep things honest with potential allies." You say to him.

The Zal nods. "I've made a habit of telling it to my children, as my father did before me. I always said that the statue had the power to bring back the dead." He smiles. "My mother died when I was much younger, and that to me was the most precious thing in the world. My father always said 'But then, why would Marn hide it?'" His voice grows more quick and harsh for a moment. "My children have had various answers. My daughters claimed it was beautiful, or enchanted and my sons that it held great power, or was very valuable." He holds up a finger. "Save Raik. He said, when he was eight or so, that the statue was Marn's true self."

The old kobold looks over at the door, impatiently. "I asked him why he said that, almost right away. It was an answer I would have expected from one of our trained infiltrators, knowing the metaphor used." He glances down at his hands, clasped against one another. "He said that Marn was afraid that the others would deface it, and mock it most of all. So he did not share his true self with others until he was sure there was no other option, and let them think what they wanted to until then." He looks over to you. "An attitude I hadn't expected from a child, especially one I thought of as needing more attention because of his injuries.

"He has tried to go outside of our clan many times." The Zal says. "I always worried about him, not that he couldn't take care of himself, but simply that the common folk would only see what he didn't have, instead of what he did." He looks over to you, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "He never said a thing, but I could always tell they had belittled him, and that none had given him more than the slightest chance. Even here, I doubt he would have gotten enough training without my intervention to become Er'laki."

He looks you in the eye. "However, I saw that his mood has perked up quite a bit in these last hours, in spite of the battle. I'm afraid that though I took him in, I've never understood what he's gone through. When I heard of the limbs the Crystal Cavern had, I was ready to send him there myself, but his brothers told me that it seemed like he didn't want to go."

He sighs, leaning back on the stone bench he occupies. "I thought for a year or so that he was foolish, but-" He stops himself, looking away to some corner of the room. "I just want him to live well. And I confess, seeing that you had lost a limb as well, that you might talk to him in a way that I can't."

>>16239148
"An insightful answer, suggesting that the Raik at that age knew the fear of exposing one's true self to other, and the need for honesty for true working relationships.
"I admit, surprising for someone at that age."

>>16239338
"I can understand his situation a little. I had to prove that even with a mere replacement, that I am just as good as I was before I lost my arm.
"But the difference between Raik and I, is that I received a prosthetic in order to replace what I had lost. But to Raik, receiving new arms would challenge what he has defined himself as; a kobold with no arms, who is the equal of anyone with arms.
"That is a personal choice, to redefine oneself."

>>16239340

"An insightful answer, suggesting that the Raik at that age knew the fear of exposing one's true self to other, and the need for honesty for true working relationships. I admit, surprising for someone at that age." You respond to him.

"I won't pretend I know what's best for him." The Zal says. "But I always told him that at the end of the story, everyone marvels at the statue Marn was hiding. But, I think that people can be cruel more far easily than they can be admiring of someone whose appearance they find disturbing." He wrings his hands. "I don't know what his hang-ups are, but I suppose I never will."

>>16239396

"I can understand his situation a little. I had to prove that even with a mere replacement, that I am just as good as I was before I lost my arm." You say, gesturing with the prosthetic. "But the difference between Raik and I is that I received a prosthetic in order to replace what I had lost. But to Raik, receiving new arms would challenge what he has defined himself as; a kobold with no arms, who is the equal of anyone with arms." The Zal looks at you intently, and you can practically see the pieces start to click together in his head. "That is a personal choice, to redefine oneself." You say to him.

The Zal looks like he has a lot to say, but before he can, you see a H'runten scout rush in the door, and he heads over to you and the Zal. "The area's secured. It looks like the trail goes back fairly far, but we managed to find someone not on the stuff. He's being prepped for questioning, and we've sent a messenger to the Kerlan telling them who we've captured."

Tarthis looks over at your from the ground, where he was tinkering with a few small mechanical devices. "Is this the kind of questioning with a lot of shouting, or the kind where I can claim I didn't know my creations were being used to avoid jail time?"

>>16239493
"A little of both..."

Observe his mechanical device.

"Enjoying yourself?"

>>16239666
"A little of both..." You say, looking at his device as the gears begin clicking together. "Enjoying yourself?"

"I always do." Tarthis says, loading a pebble into a small chute and pressing a switch on the invention. The gears wind, then click, and the pebble flies out about 20 feet. "I mean, you have to love what you do for a living."

You head over with a small group, and the Zal sends armed guards with you. Tarthis follows along behind. You head to the gory-signed tavern, noting the number of armed Kerlan a few blocks down, staring your way as you head into the tavern.

You notice right away, the kobolds bound and gagged on the floor, most still in serving tunics. A few appear to have tattoos marking them as former slaves or prisoners. The Er'laki around the place wave you past the bar, and you nearly trip over a few flipped tables and chairs, plates and stone spoons littering the ground.

The kitchen is rife with the smell of filth, and you feel your nose curl as you enter. Numerous pots and pans, unwashed, lay in every available corner, and some you thought were bags or something else appear to be covered in a greenish blight. A number of Er'laki are here as well, these ones cloaked. One larger kobold is bound to a chair, and his clothing, though stained and beat up, tells you that he was in charge here. Raik stands off to one side, his pipe lit. You suddenly wish you had something to make the bad smell go- ope, prestidigitation.

You now smell only lilacs and sunshine.

>>16239698
Send Turen and Tayne out to get a scroll of Detect Thoughts, if we don't have one already. Get basic information out of the prisoner until then.

Then, once we can start reading thoughts, we'll get to the real questions: Who is he working for, who put the stuff in the food, who did the measurement of the doses, what are their intentions.

>>16239766

Tarthis looks over at you as you approach the prisoner. "So, anything dramatic? Am I a sadistic trapmaster who gets his jollies off of torture? Am I the bad guard to your good guard? Am I a construct back from the grave, half-kobold and half-machine?"

You narrow your eyes at him.

"I guess I can just wait until you're done deciding." He crosses his arms, looking off to one side. "Hah, this place looks like the college's kitchen. But with more people tied up."

The prisoner's gag is removed, and you walk over to him. He glares at you from underneath a heavy brow.

"Who do you work for?" You ask him, simply.

"I ain't tellin' ya nothing. They'd kill me if I said." He responds, his accent marking him as a northerner.

>>16239698
Soothing...

Let's drill this owner.

"So...it's come to our attention that you had some special guests not too long ago. Care to illuminate us on that?"

>>16239892

"So... It's come to our attention that you had some special guests not too long ago. Care to illuminate us on that?" You say to him.

"Nothing special about 'em. They come here all the time." The kobold responds.

>>16239857
"Your accent...northerner. Threat of death upon failure or talking. Precise usage of difficult to handle psychotropics.
"You don't have to tell me any more than you already have.
"But, there is a process for these things. And we must be thorough.
"Now, let's start with your name."

Play mind games with him, until we get that Detect Thoughts scroll so that we can get the info we need from him just thinking.
But the important part is getting confirmation that he's working for the Golgremet Empire.

>>16239857
Are we above torture? I hope so... D:

"Well, here's the thing."

Try to appease to his reason.

"We trailed the fungal spore back to you. Now that means two things for you. One! We let you go after you deny any knowledge and whoever did this kills you because of the CHANCE that you might tell. Two! You tell us, and we protect you for your knowledge."

Sit back.

"I think the choice is rather simple."

>>16239915
>>16239931

"Your accent...northerner. Threat of death upon failure or talking. Precise usage of difficult to handle psychotropics." You pace in front of him. "You don't have to tell me any more than you already have."

The kobold's face goes white.

"But, there is a process for these things. And we must be thorough." You pull one of the downed chairs up, and sit in front of him. "Now, let's start with your name."

"K-Krem." He says, seeming a bit more nervous now. It's a fairly average name, one you might hear anywhere.

"Well, here's the thing, Krem."

"We trailed the fungal spore back to you. Now that means two things for you. One! We let you go after you deny any knowledge and whoever did this kills you because of the CHANCE that you might tell. Two! You tell us, and we protect you for your knowledge."

You lean back in your seat. "I think the choice is rather simple."

"You'd do that?" He says, shakily. "But, but they said they'd find me! They said they'd do me in if I said anything." He looks around the room. "And I'm not the only one! These guys did all of this stuff too! They poisoned those guards! I just read them the letter!"

>>16239931
>Above torture
You need to read the archives, then.
We played grenade roulette, grenade cricket, and "How Many Lights" with a drow patrol we caught way back in the first 2 sessions.

>>16240113
"Krem, Krem. Let me tell you something: letting us know that we have other prisoners that have the same knowledge as you, just lessens your value to us. Now that the free lesson of 'How to Survive Capture and Interrogation" is over, let's get back to our questions.
"Did you destroy the letter? Or do you still have it? And how many of the guards were poisoned?"

>>16240113
Lean in to him.

"Tell me some names, Krem."

>>16240298

I was going to mention this.

AT any rate, I must be out for now. We can save these questions for next week.

>>16240315
Ok. Let us know here when you start gargoyle quest up and running. :D