Dragon's Egg - Act II

[Legendary Sidekick]

I nod to Mauve. "As you wish."

To the harpy, "As you wish! I'm talking to Mauve who turns into a fish!"

Hmm... I touch Mauve. "Mauve." I touch Alin. "Aliron." I touch my own chest. "Baldhart." I touch the harpy and smile. I repeat the process, again leaving time for the girl to say her name. Maybe it's what she whispered before. As long as what I'm doing keeps her calm, it's worthwhile, even if she doesn't understand.

Nissa... we still have the trogdolytes to deal with. Can we truly protect this miraculous little life? Can she really live among people and live like a person? How fast does she age? If she lives a full life, will I outlive her even with my shortened span?

The first step is to get her down, Baldy.

 

[Sparkie]

Moving On...

The punch doesn't surprise me. That I half-expected. It's Algernon's reaction that takes me off guard.

Before I can even react fully he's swinging me by the arm away from the conflict. I don't fight him. I've had enough. Mauve keeps shouting senselessly, and I turn away.

She's poison. She's rotten to the core, and she's affecting Baldhart's attitude as well. Everyone should be able to see it, the changes in Baldhart's demeanor since Mauve was 'taken prisoner.' And yet I'm the only one who seems to notice, or at least care. She's the type I'd challenge to a duel, were I not so capable of killing.

I notice Darin searching for something in the circular room. I approach him. "You've been good to me, dwarf. I appreciate it. I hope the dwelling of the All-Father is as good as you say. Watch yourself in the days to come. These people know no good judgment. Good-bye, Darin."

I walk to Cadell and present him with the gauntlet, as well as the bone with the cork in it. "I don't know if you will be able to use it," I say, "but I hope for the best."

There's a silence between us for a beat too long, then I say "I'm leaving. I don't have your rock-solid heart. I'm susceptible to emotion. Dangerously so. I can't risk further bloodshed, so I'm leaving. You're the only one here who might understand why, if you remember what I told you about... You know...

"I want you to know that I always admired you. I wish I could be half the warrior you are one day. Until that day dawns, just know that I'll be thinking of you and your welfare. Farewell, fy frind."

I make eye contact with both Ankari and Sir Matthew in turn, nodding to them as if in thanks. I do so too with Algernon, who has the strangest look on his face. Who knows what that one could be thinking?

I consider trying to speak to Baldhart, but quickly dismiss the idea. She and Mauve are thick as thieves these days, and I doubt she'd care what I'd have to say anyway. She'd just call me a coward, as she does to all who disagree with her.

I take out my lantern, light it, and head up the circular rise. There are other ways to fight the Taint, and if Betula wills it I'll find one...

 

[Ireth]

I take the gauntlet and bone in curious silence, then look at Rydh in surprise as he speaks to me of his intentions. I laugh despite myself and shake my head when he mentions my 'rock-solid heart.' "I am not made of stone, Rydh, nor should you seek to be. If I claim to be unyielding, it is only in terms of battle or under duress. Believe me, I can love and hate, laugh and weep just like any other. Your emotions are not a weakness."

I lay my stump on his shoulder and sigh. "I remember what you said. But we need you, Rydh. Think of how many times members of our company have almost died, and been spared only because of your magic. I think more than half of us may owe you their lives by now, and they would not wish to see you go either."

He bids me farewell, and I see the adamant resolution in his eyes. I lower my stump from his shoulder and bow my head. "If you truly wish to leave, I will not hold you here against your will. Iechyd i galon, fy ffrind. I will remember you."

 

[Steerpike]

You manage to get the child down safely. She appears to be very frightened, and her sense of fear seems to grow as she is brought down into the cavern and see the remainder of the party. She size of your group may be intimidating to her. The girl clutches the doll close and stares at you all in wide-eyed wonder. She speaks the occasional word, apparently to her doll, but you can't make out the language. The girl has a feral look about her, and as you get her among the group she seems to be able to take simple direction through hand gestures, but after being brought down off the ledge she has the wide-eyed look of a rabbit sharing a cavern is a pack of wolves.

Darin nods to Rydh and wishes him luck. "Should you find your way to the Drimmen-delve, speak my name at the gate. It is my hope that my people will prove hospitable."

He watches Rydh speaking to Cadell, and after they are done he walks over to Cadell, eyeing the gauntlet. "That looks promising," he says, motioning to the gauntlet. "It may be that I can do something with it that will keep until we reach the Drimmen-delve. Do you mind if I take a better look?"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"It's okay," I whisper, "no one wants to hurt you." I hold her and stroke her hair--once first to see if she likes it.

First thing I ask of those around me: "If anyone would be so kind as to carve up some trogdolyte meat, I'll cook. Sorry... I'm not trying to get out of doing the gross stuff, but she's clinging to me." Keeping my voice quiet and sing-songy, I go on, "She responds to women, it seems, but Alin, you're so good with her. Maybe if you stay close she won't fear men."

I hold her hand gently, and urge her to follow--or I'll carry her if she clings to me. In either case, I don't want her to see the dead harpies. Hmm... she pays attention when I sing, so...

"Keep looking this way / What is over there?
You don’t really care / so long’s you’re unaware
Do you feel the cold air? / Your little bottom’s bare
Let’s get you by the fire / and find something to wear"

...I march her over to the fire.

 

[Phietadix]

"I can carve it for you in a moment Baldhart, but first, there is something I must do."

I attempt to catch up with Rydh. As worthless as I am, I can at least try this.

((This assumes that Matthew is able to reach Rydh, and the Sparkie is willing to continue a little longer.))
"Before you leave Rydh, I'd like to speak to you about something."

 

[SeverinR]

"Wolf girl, play the flute for her, show her who it was making the music she liked. Careful around the fire. She isn't use to flames."

Do I sound like a nervous parent?
Once they are down, if I haven't found any more toys or useful items I will tuck the box and climb down.

"I have the box, it is trapped, so if it falls don't open it with your fingers. It has what I told you it has. Maybe a spell caster could check to see if the jewelry is magical?"
I adjust the grapling hook, to ensure it will come down when I need it. Then climb down the rope.

 

[Ireth]

I smile faintly and nod, holding the gauntlet out to Darin. "Feel free."

I look closer at the bone. There is a cork in it, wedged so tightly it seems irremovable. Or maybe not. If I can slide a needle between it and the edge of the bone, maybe I can pry it out, given the time and patience to try. It's likely there is a message of some sort inside, and that may be of use.

 

[Keitsumah]

My spine prickles with unease as they go near the fire, and i share that same fear of it was the harpy chick.

"I -I . . . um-" I swallow before i say anything stupid and Batos whines, setting his head in my lap and wrapping his tail around me when I sit down on a rock several feet away, trembling. Then i take a deep breath and assure myself that there is water all around -that the fire won't go out of control.

Still, i can see that my hands have gone clammy and pale, and it takes several tries before i can get up the courage to play the flute again. Closing my eyes, i block out the sound of the crackling flames and make up a trilling, happy tune. When i draw the harpy's attention to me and i open my eyes, a faint smile quirks my mouth, and i pull the flute away before singing:

"Hello there precious little bird/ I see you have never an elven song heard,
We are your flock/ we are your guardians,
Trust us and we will make sure you see many suns!"

My nervousness ebbs a bit and I elbow Batos out of the way so i can pull off my cloak.

"Here, use this." I say to Baldart, "It's a little wet, but if you dry it by the fire it should be fine to turn into a dress."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"Yes... that will work. And my singing sounds much better when you play the flute, ha!"

I hold the cloak up to the fire. Hmm... maybe I can drape it over the bars. It'll smell smoky, but... better than the stench in the other room.

"Fire is nothing to fear, my fine, feathered friend. I have another little winged friend that you may like to meet. Oh, she's only up to here on you!" I press her bellybutton. Then I realize, "Oh... Keitsumah! You have no idea what I'm talking about at all."

She's wounded, Baldy. She should rest. And your magic has not returned anyway, so I'll introduce myself later.

"You'll need to be patient, Keit. I... actually know a little magic. I've only done it once in my life--a few hours ago, in fact, and to be truthful the magic is in my body, but... I didn't cast the spell. You'll see!"

I look around the room. Something about Cadell's look. He's busy with Darin, but...

"Sir Cadell?" I call out. "Is Rydh feeling alright? I've never seen him so angry. I'm..."

Worried? Guilty? Betrayed? Fearful? Heartbroken? Confused? Abused? Anxious? Indifferent? Accepting?

"...concerned."

 

[Steerpike]

You can get the harpy close enough to the fire to just get to the edge of its warmth. Any closer than that and her eyes grow very fearful indeed and she starts twisting and squirming to try to get away. Once she settles down, she sits, clutching her doll to her chest. At various times when Keitsumah plays, the girl sings softly to the doll. All in earshot of the young harpy feel a faint sense of fondness for her then, though it is nothing overly compelling and it is easy to shake off. Her voice is pretty, but nowhere near the sonorous beauty of the adult. Still, it gives you a glimpse of the ability this child may some day possess.

Darin takes the gauntlet from Cadell and eyes it critically. He then examines Cadell's stump and nods. "If we can salvage a bit of leather, I can make this fit you. It won't be of the quality of the hand we will forge at the Drimmen-delve, but it will be serviceable, and you will be able to fight with it."

Snow continues to fall through the opening in the ceiling, though it comes in the form of flurries and the small flakes melt when they land. The air that comes with them is cold.

 

[Ireth]

I look up when Baldhart calls, and cannot help but wince as I reply.

"...Rydh is gone. I tried to dissuade him, because everyone knows how much we need him, but he was adamant. I'm sorry."

Darin speaks, and I smile at him. "Thank you very much."

 

[Nihal]

Once Baldhart is safe on the ground below I follow her down the ledge and back to the campfire. There is no sign of the cleric. Huddling inside my cloak, I keep an eye on the little harpy, curious and delighted by her song.

It doesn't last long. A question and an answer prompt me to my feet. I wander back to the other room and lean on the wall, crossing my arms. I can't believe the cleric really ran away! Somehow it makes me even angrier than his insults and my stomach heavy, as if I swallowed a thousand of rocks. I can't refrain from mulling over this situation, revolted.

 

[Ireth]

I wander over to the fire and settle down not too far from Baldhart and the harpy. Opening my pack, I find my sewing needle; holding the bone carefully between my knees, I wiggle the needle into it, trying to pry the cork out. Every so often I glance over at the little chick. What will happen now that she is with us? Could we teach her to speak our language? How quickly does she age?

She needs a name, I realize. But what would be fitting? She is such a curious thing, with her pretty human face and downy bird's wings... I smile as a name comes to me, and shift a little closer to the chick, smiling and singing to her as a few of the others have been doing.

"May I call you Branwen? You're a pretty thing;
Never have I seen a girl with little raven wings."

The more of us who can endear themselves to her, the better. I hope I am one of them.

((Critical success! Awesome!))

 

[SeverinR]

I move quietly and slowly to the fire, watching the child for signs of fear or panic.

I place the box on the ground and again use my dagger to open the latch(negating the needle trap) and open the box to show the group.

"The box contains 20 gold, a gold ring, a gold necklace with a string of pearls hanging from the center, an a rolled up piece of parchment tied with dirty string."
I select the parchment look in the circle of paper to ensure no traps, no hidden bugs, or other suprises, then if nothing I will undo the string and open the parchement away from me, in case there is some nasty power rolled into it.
[ew, that would be a neat little trap, dust of poison or sneezing and choking, etc rolled inside the scroll, technically not a mechanical trap, but very clever for important scrolls. Aliron likes that idea. Might work on dusty books too.]
If nothing falls from the parchment I turn it to see if it looks to be magical in nature, a map, or just some message or note.
If magical I won't try to read it, but pass it to the mage. If it looks to be in a foreign language I will also pass it, as my decipher roll is not good.
When you get a Chance, you want to look over the jewelry in the box?" I softly ask Mauve.

"Maybe try to communicate to the child of the evil lizards, so when we next fight them again, she won't be frightened by the attacks. I guess since she is accepting our help, we should name the cannibal crooner. Maybe Haho or Carricro? "

"No, I like yours best, I am a simple elven thief, with little sweet beauty to name from, I am from a world of gruff, cold, claw for everything you need, life. Why is every time I speak of my life, I find a connection to the childs?"
"In case anyones wondering how I know how to influence animals, I helped a animal trainer in the traveling show for a few months. After seeing the fingers he had missing, I decided it was not for me, as plain as the remains of the nose on his face. That reminds me of that one lesson, no matter how sweet the animal acts, never try to kiss it. They tend to think they are going to be eaten."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

I take in the news silently for now. The child can't see me agitated. Sir Cadell gives me the excuse I need to step out, and... what he does perks me up.

"Branwen? I love it!" I say to Sir Cadell. "Yes... keep making friends with her, I think she likes you."

((I'm not sure if Baldy's success is due to gender or Charisma being a prime, but you rolled a 21/natural 20--and while naming her at that! Awesome! I'm sure we're safe assuming the child does not fear Cadell.))

The elven knight was, apparently, closer to Rhyd than I ever was. He didn't even say goodbye to me. Did he leave because of me? I didn't ask for this!

"Sir Matthew followed Rydh. If he's leaving, I wonder how far Sir Matthew will follow. He offered to carve meat, but... maybe for now I'll just carve a single serving. Whatever that is. I don't even know how much the kid eats."


I pat Mauve on the shoulder as I walk by her. "We need him, but not his anger. It seems I lost his friendship before he left, but... I never knew he despised me until he spoke to me in that tone. Offended by the word 'coward?' Then he slaps you and flees? The truth hurts."


I grab the trogdolyte--the one I killed in a single blow with a knife--lift it overhead, take some steps from the bonepile, and hurl my fresh kill with a mighty throw!

((The die roller knows!))

It slams against the rocky wall! Did I hear a skull crack? Ha!

Satisfied that the meat is tender enough from the impact, I draw the harpy's blade and raise it high. I picture myself wildly stabbing at the corpse, its spattering blood washing away guilt, anger, and memories of a friendship ended abruptly for reasons unknown. But my hand stays.

What anger? What guilt? I have other friends here.


I calmly carve the meat from the corpse. I look back at Mauve as I toss away the scaly flesh that... may be edible, but no. Nothing but the best cuts when I'm carving!

"Cheer up, Mauve. We saved three innocent lives today. If Rydh has personal demons to conquer that blind him to your heroics, then that's a battle best fought elsewhere."

I stick in the blade, thinking back on the days with my Huntress friend. The best cuts! She always trusted me to carve her kills!

 

[Ravana]

The punch doesn't surprise me. That I half-expected. It's Algernon's reaction that takes me off guard.…

Who knows what that one could be thinking?

"I'll row."

 

[Keitsumah]

Batos snuck past Baldart after she was done with the meat and snapped up the other pieces, carefully licking away the blood off of his chops before heading back to me. But I know from his size that he needs a lot more food, and I haven't gotten him recently fed in days.

"Go. Fill yourself with the others you find." I say, waving him off. The wolf pauses and quirks his head, but the tempting smell of meat gets the better of him and he heads over to the pile of bones and dead lizards on the other side of the cavern. He is easy to spot, as his white fur stands out sharply against the darkness, and his cobalt blue eyes glow whenever he glances my way -reflecting the firelight.

Sighing, I press my hand to my side and walk over until I seat myself gingerly beside Baldart. "Branwen . . . an interesting choice." I say. One eye remains on the campfire though, and every time a log breaks open with a flurry of sparks I flinch.

 

[Ireth]

I smile at Keit. "I thought it would suit her." As I speak I continue to wiggle the needle in the bone. The cork is being more stubborn than I expected. I just hope the needle doesn't break.

 

[Keitsumah]

"I never said it wasn't. It's just . . ." I bit my tongue before the words came out. No one needed to know. Looking down, embarrassed, my fingers brushed over the scars on the back of my right hand, the firelight casting a flickering illumination over the ghostly remnants of what had once been whole.