[IC] Chapter 2-6: But Your Eyes Don't Agree

[Lugar]

Lugar shakes in his boots and looks to tiny Toot to save them all with his words. Somehow the idea of fighting this dragon just got real, and real terrifying!

[Toot]

The dragon emits a low growl, as if amused by the development.
"Let the squeaker walk forth and parlay, then," he says in a much friendlier tone.

Private to Toot + Merri

The voice reminds elf and jermlaine of a cat playing with a mouse. He's very good at fainting friendship but some are capable of seeing through his attempt.

'WHAT!' Toot thinks to himself.  He never once thought in his long life that a Jermlaine's skill at grovelling would get him into parlaying with a Dragoon.  'Now what the fuck is Toot suppose to do?' He thinks.  Toot was well aware he was no silver tongued dandy like that sloppy-turd they left behind.  'God-dammit, Toot hate Gnomes!' He thinks while gritting his sharp teeth.

Toot shivers as he carefully peeks one eye around the corner.  He waves weakly as his strength quickly drains away at the sight of the Dragon.  With a knot in his stomach bigger than he is, Toot says, voice cracking, "H... h... hello.  M... m... me, To... Toot, m... m... master dragon.  M... may me ask yo... your n... name, emerald n... nightmare?"  Toot knew he didn't have a chance of eloquently persuading the dragon to not eat them up.  So he chose to use his genuine terror and survival instincts to convince the dragon that he sincerely wants no trouble from the creature.  

[Toot is readying to dive back behind to corner to gain cover if the dragon attempts to attack.]

[DM Surranó]

OOC -- I'm not really willing to do the NPC-NPC talk... but role-wise, it's what makes most sense... for now. Feel free to butt in

"Walk forth, I said." Koriolis says, irritated by Toot's ignorance of the fact that Shanna has already addressed the dragon using his name.
"You want to parlay? Then let's do so."

"With your approval, may I inquire of the origin of these wonderful glyphs?" Shanna asks, her insatiable thirst for the arcane surfacing again. Zelgadis looks alarmed at the loremaster.

After a momentary silence, Koriolis notes,
"With my approval."

Zelgadis sighs in a bit of relief, stands up, and dismisses the protective barrier but does not give up his defensive posture.

"You think they are wonderful?"
"Intriguing."
"Intriguing?"
"I'm a curious type." Shanna says, failing to notice what Koriolis is willing to hear.

Koriolis scoffs angrily.

[Toot]

OOC -- I'm not really willing to do the NPC-NPC talk... but role-wise, it's what makes most sense... for now. Feel free to butt in

"Walk forth, I said." Koriolis says, irritated by Toot's ignorance of the fact that Shanna has already addressed the dragon using his name.
"You want to parlay? Then let's do so."

[OoC: Sorry for missing the name.  I did do a quick search but I was tired and missed it. ]

"M...my appologies, great Koriolis.  While co... cowering before your towering mag... magnificents, the abject te... terror me felt stu... stupefied me to the po.. point where me could hardly sp... sp... speak.  It was only by mu... mustering every ounce of strength that m... me could, that allowed me to utter a w... word at all!"  Toot does what the dragon tells him to do and takes a few steps toward him but remains close enough to the corner to dive for cover if Korilis so much as twitches in an attempt to attack.  "Me companion ca... can speak much more el... eloquently than me can on this matter.  She not a... as stoopid as most big people."

[DM Surranó]

Koriolis waits patiently for Toot to finish the stuttering monologue, apparently getting fatter by every ounce of terror he managed to extract from the tiny creature.

"Really? He pauses for a moment that seems like eternity before turning from Toot to Shanna.
"Then let's talk about curiousity. Why are you so... curious about these... wonderful... intriguing... glyphs?" While speaking, he savours the words 'curious', 'wonderful', 'intriguing', as if contemplating which one fits best here.

Shanna apparently doesn't notice herself having transformed from duly respectful to blatantly informal.
"They are very finely carved, and distantly resemble to some runes I've seen before, but they are neither Elvish nor Drow, and not even Higardi. I've been contemplating that maybe they were Hela--"
The dragon interrupts her with an elemental roar that causes thousands of tiny mineral or metallic objects jingle and rattle in the cavern behind him.
"They are mine. Just like all the artwork around my lair. Including all that you've seen around the waterfall."
"Oh, all of those are nice and--"
"Nice, you say?"
Shanna realises her situation just now, and hesitates.
"Well, I mean--"
She blushes, and falls silent, lowering her gaze with a slight bow, as if an attempt of apology.

[Toot]

When the dragon roared, Toot pokes his head out from behind the corner again and stammers, "Sh... she means glorious, Most Abundant Nightmare.  I... I mean the artistry... the magnificent lines... it.. it's sublime epic poetry for the eyes.  It's no wonder why lower creatures like ourselves could not understand their stunning complexity.  Please... I beg you, tell us more about them.  Sharing but a crumb of inspiration of their meaning."

[DM Surranó]

"Surprisingly well said, especially coming from a poor excuse of goat turd," the dragon replies, apparently satisfied by the flattery. "I guess you deserve an answer. I shaped all of those stoneworks. Part decoration, part history, part present. But most of them are wards. I don't like uninvited visitors, and those who pass them are worthy of my presence... yes, this is a compliment you better feel thankful for."

After some pause, he continues, while lazily turning around and stalking back to the far end of his lair. His gait is graceful like a cat's, and his steps are lighter than Lugar's ... when he really means to be quiet, that is.

"I live here alone, ever since I parted with my mate and our young. That tentacled thing you saw-- it's not a flayer, more like a stalker But if you want to learn more you have to look deeper."

As he reaches the end and turns around, looking intently into the party members' eyes, the team can take in the full scene. Gold, gems, and various items crying out loud to be magical are arranged into a neat nest about 25 feet across. The walls are decorated with all kinds of colored shapes. But most prominently, there's a ten-foot wide hole on the floor, right where Koriolis was standing when the party arrived. Looking at it from the current distance it seems to be artificial, with smooth and vertical wall. How deep, it's hard to tell from here.

Ooc - leaving some time for retro reactions as well. Will update roll20 maybe tomorrow, more likely on Monday.

Tapatalkkal küldve az én ALE-L21 eszközömről

[Lugar]

Lugar was surprised he wasn't dead yet, though that possibility was still eminent. He was only slightly relieved to hear that the symbols did not mean Mind-Flayers, but what these "stalkers" were eluded him.  Besides, he had other things occupying his attention at the moment. Koriolis' treasure was immense and he could hardly control himself looking at the lustrous  golden trinkets.  [url=[1d20+4] = 14+4 = 18]Appraise[/url] Does anything stand out to his dwarves sense of value?  

Lugar had enough sense to keep his mouth shut, his words just didn't seem to sway the dragon.  At least they had someone in the party who was a pro at groveling. He waits for Toot to speak and Silent Giant to lead the way to the deep pit.

[DM Surranó]

Lugar estimates the hoard to include over ten thousand coins, dozens of various gems, and several objects of art, some of whose may be over a thousand gp worth. The grand sum must be well beyond twenty thousand, even if none of them are magical.

Tapatalkkal küldve az én ALE-L21 eszközömről

[Lugar]

Did we have a chance to investigate the dripping and rumbling from the northern passage?  Could dwarven depth sense and underground direction determine if it is underneath the waterfall?  

Lugar prys his eyes away from the golden horde beneath the mighty dragon Koriolis.  "Ooh I could be king under the mountain with that pile of treasure!"  He thinks to himself, beard whiskers twitching.  Lugar looks at the stone markings along the wall.  What does he see?  Does he perceive any hidden magical traps? [url=Search[1d20+10] = 6+10 = 16]Search[/url]  He then looks at Shunna and Torin, and makes eye movements at the stone markings along the wall, hoping they get the hint to take this time to examine them.  All lthe while he gets an uneasy feeling of being led into a carefully crafted trap, no doubt to steal their riches and add them to his horde...