Lucius Cypher

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

“Right, the Oracle. Hah, but what to ask? It gives pretty vague wanders before.” Pylia says as Buddy and Shortfang got to work digging into the nearby wall. Eventually Pylia figured a decent question. “Alright, why don’t we ask it how we can survive these trogs? We have the key to defeat them, but we need to try and survive u til the right moment.”

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

Skinwalker shook her head, motioning to her team. It was her and four other kobolds, so a total of five. "Five kobolds enough. You need his strength." She said simply. Buddy looked towards you and nods as if agreeing with her. Pylia however was still worried, looking at you with concern. "Are you sure you want to do this? Even with all four of us I just... This is going to be insane, Sylvia." Shortfang put a hand on Pylia's forearm since he was too short to try and touch her should. "Trust mom! She know what she doing. We just be brave, and we beat trogs!" Buddy nods. Pylia just sighed as Skinwalker clapped her hands. "Okay. We go. Let's go!"

If there was nothing else to discuss, Skinwalker would lead your team from the tunnel to where they'll split off and try to intercept the trogs. You arrive to a narrow hall that goes to a much larger bridge, with the sewage water just inches from touching the bottom of the bridge. Shortfang would send Syfr with his mother to rely the signal; when the owl squawks, that'll be the signal for her and the team to release the water. There was no sign of the trogs so far, but Skinwalker says they'll have maybe ten minutes before they show up. Thus they'll have no time to waste and need to make whatever preparations they can now to get ready for those trogs. With one last word for luck, Skinwalker's group leaves you and the others behind.

Pylia just sighed and looked around. "Alright well... If we're going to have to hold this location, why don't we build some fortifications? Maybe move some stone into walls or something. If those trogs know how to use javelins, then we'll need cover and lots of it." That's when Shortfang smiled, looking at the stone walls. "Shortfang know earth moving magic! Help break rock, and Shortfang make barrier!" Buddy simply took out his axe and javelin, ready to use either for the coming battle. His axe had a small mattock like head on the reverse side of the axe, so it'll be effective for digging up rock. Looking at you Pylia took a deep breath. "If you have any idea to make sure we survive what's about to happen, do it. I'll help you however I can."

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

Skinwalker nods and explains, though she does so entirely in Draconic, since that's the language she knows best. Fortunately Pylia translates it more or less word for word for you so you can understand. "Not too far away is a sort of... Bridge, going over a channel. Past that is a sewage gate that is holding up a lot of water, enough water to easily sweep over the bridge. If we can time it right we can wash the trogs away with the sewage water, taking out a large swath of them all at once. The difficult part however is keeping them on that bridge since it's only about thirty feet long, so the trogs aren't going to stay on them for very long. So they need... Someone to distract them, to stand their ground and keep them from going pass the bridge while one of them tries to get to the sewage gate, and activate it just in time to wash away as many trogs as possible. However is that there's no short path to get to the sewage gate and it requires a lot of strength to move."

On the ground Skinwalker has drawn out a rough sketch of the area. Pylia continues to translate. "So Skinwalker plans to take her team to the sewer gate and try to get into position to open it. However they won't do so until we give them the signal. Meanwhile, we'll get to the bridge and try to hold off as many trogs as we can, try to get as many of them onto the bridge as possible. We don't need to fight them, we just need to withstand them." Pylia gulped hearing this plan. She whispered to you. "This sounds like a terrible plan. Us against all those trogs... I'm not a fan, honestly." Skinwalker continued to talk and Pylia quickly tried to catch up with translations. "Their chief is a prideful one, but also very cautious. We need to make sure he doesn't realize this is a trap, and see if we can't lure him into sending his warriors straight towards you, all of them. It would only take a few seconds for the flood of water to knock them all away. Afterwards, that ought to help cull their numbers and then they can go directly after Venomfang themselves. If they try to just attack him while he still has warriors, his warriors would protect him with their lives, or worse, they might try and make a run for it towards the Black Claw tribe. We don't have the numbers to stop them if the assassination doesn't work, and even if it does the remaining trogs will still go to the Black Claw tribe and attack Shor's team. This is the best way to try and take out as many as they can, without too many risks."

Taking a deep breath while rubbing her eyes Pylia seemed exasperated. "Gods. This plan isn't sounding any better."

You are the Mon

@Zanavy

Tis a fair criticism. Frankly I think it was a bad idea to have you guys start directly at level 1, since that doesn't really give any of you all any particular abilities, not to mention naturally everyone is just kinda following my NPC's around. I'll do my best to fix this, and I'd hope that what's about to happen in the forest will give everyone more of an opportunity to do some more open world stuff.

I suppose at this point I may as well say it plainly, the rain itself is a very unusual thing, and "passing" this area involves solving why there is still rain going on. Figuring that out and naturally defeating the boss responsible will end the rain, give some insight about how and why you all came here, and at least a direction to go. What you do with that information is naturally up to the players.

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

Yeah for those guys I had simply planned on the parents names sounding similar to the children, but then things got weird. I’m thinking of renaming one of the kids, maybe Andrews goes by Derrick or something just so I don’t get them confused with other NPC’s.

If you got questions feel free to ask! Obviously plot related stuff will need to be investigated IC, but suffice to say find the right NPC and they’ll tell you want you wanna know, possibly without a fetch quest.

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

The group accepted the decision. The kobold scout would be able to guide you to where he last spotted the chief, and hopefully they haven’t gotten much further than that. As you all travel north, the kobold explains what other intel they have on the Trog Chief. He goes by the name of Venomfang, and unlike most trogs he’s actually quite smart, which extends to his warriors as well. They’re disciplined though still rather savage, and they make use of poisoned weapons. Hearing this Pylia handed out the two antitoxins she had made yesterday to you and herself, since they’re likely going to attack the two of them.

Additionally, their warriors number at around thirty. The kobold knows there’s no way they can take all of them on head on, and hope to use the traps to weaken their numbers. Skinwalker has a plan too, so the kobold will take you to her first so they can discuss. Finally, they know Venomfang has magic abilities, though they aren’t certain about the exact nature aside that he can conjure fire. Unlike most chiefs he hides behind his warriors and doesn’t fight up front, so getting to him will be more difficult. But at the same time they’re certain that taking out Venomfang will do a lot more damage to the trogs morale than other tribes, since they’re more reliant on his guidance to fight.

Eventually you would reach a small tunnel that you’ll need to crouch to get through, though the kobolds can move just fine. The scout leads you to Skinwalker and her party, who were crouched around a small campfire. Seeing you and the group she smiles. “Hello. You ready fight, yes?”

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

Ah right missed that bit. Cool, so one berry. I’ll get to posting ASAP!

Btw we’ve been at this for a while now and I just wanted to know, what are your thoughts too far? Anything in particular about plot, characters, battles, loot, etc? I’ll admit this has so far been one of my more successful 1x1 I’ve ever done.

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

Go ahead and roll for short rest Healing if you want it, you also have three good berries good for 12 HP worth of healing. I will be posting soonish.

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

Longstrider strike her chin as she ordered her guards to take the body away for sake keeping. She just sighed and looked towards you. “A likely story, however we still have no proof that the cultists have allied with the troglodytes. The trogs do not need a particular reason to have anyone down here killed, friend or foe, and without more proof all this deadman proves is that he was a victim of the trog’s hospitality. I would suggest you go out and find more evidence, Sylvia, if you intend to build a stronger case.” One of the guardsmen came over to whisper something to Longstrider as she sighed again and headed back to the stone building. “I must leave. Rest if you must, but do not be idle. There are still many battles to be fought.”

Longstrider would leave, allowing the group to rest. It doesn’t seem like Shor or Skinwalker’s team came back from their mission, however during your rest a kobold scout who was with Skinwalker finds you and reports an update about the situation at the Toxin Croak. The scouts have spotted their leader, a purple troglodyte with magic powers, and they were mobilizing east. It seems like they’re going to go aid the Black Claw tribe. The scouts have put hazards in the way to slow them down, but the scout urges that you leave as soon as you can and try to deal with the trib before they reach the Black Claw and overwhelm Shor and his party.

Hearing this news Shortfang loads a crossbow bolt for his light and hand crossbow. “We attack chief en route! They never see it coming. Take out chief and whole tribe break like Jabrani. Save Shor, than go fight Black Claw!”

Pylia was mending the damage to her shield when she suggested her idea. “We should Attack their base instead, that will give us a chance to grab anything useful, and when the word reaches the trogs that their home is under attack they’ll abandon their allies to defend their home anyways. Plus if they sent their warriors to aid the Black Claw, then that means there shouldn’t be too many guarding their home.”

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

Longstrider looked at this corpse, then at you. “I am surprised to hear that you are aware of my people’s talks with the people of Elysium. I suppose Shortfang made that known to you.” Longstrider looked at Shortfang who seemed oddly bashful at the look. The grey scale simply sighed. “I understand your concerns, but know that our situation is a complex one. The grudges between the Sewer Dragons and the humans of Gransys is not going to be an easy one to amend, and with all of these troubles coming, we cannot afford to deny allies where we can.” Longstrider used her cane to poke the body, looking at his face and around his body.

“Not to mention, a dead body isn’t exactly proof that the cultists are working alongside the troglodytes. If they were, why would the cultist be dead, among creatures who are suppose to be their allies? It does not surprise me that the cultists may have been down here and attacked by the trogs. After all, they came to see us, and may see the cult as a new enemy due to offering us aid.”