Dragon's Egg - Act IV

[Legendary Sidekick]

((I meant Nissa mentioned paladins have auras, like at some point when she was in Baldhart's head for seven years telling her all kinds of religious stuff. Paladins must've come up, with Baldy having some knowledge of the Inquisition.

I didn't mean she was with Baldhart mentioning auras aloud. That may be where the confusion came in.))


Baldhart

"Two beautiful ladies stare at you and you ask why?"

Wait.

"Uh… nun's vow. I was joking. Probably not a good joke to make in my underwear."

 

[Ireth]

((Oh, oops! My bad, I misread the post. Not sure what to do now. ._.; Liadan is devoted to Cadell, she would not stare for the sake of staring. But without the aura comment her action makes no sense.))

 

[Keitsumah]

Batos

I give Baldhart a glance but concede with a huff, heading over to Tarlack to allow him on my back again. You did not have someone offer money for you like you were some kind of animal. I'd like to see you live as a wolf for the majority of your life! If Tarlack climbs onto my back, I allow him to direct me where he pleases for the time being. But one comment about buying me again and he's off my back faster than a hare down it's tunnel.

Other than that I sing a low elvish tune under my breath, not quite a howl but loud enough for those with sensitive ears to hear.


Keitsumah

I glance over toward Cadell and Liadan and see the book. I was able to descipher the portal. Maybe I can descipher this.

"Can i take a look at it?" I ask after heading over to them, holding out one hand. If they pass it to me i kneel behind the altar opposite where the drow will enter, so a stray crossbow bolt wont hit me, and flip through it's pages:

And it is complete and utter gibberish to me.

 

[Philster401]

(How about we just go with it unless we all just delete last dew posts or LS could modify he post to say something about aura.)

 

[Ireth]

((Cadell put the book in his pack, so I doubt it was visible anyway. We've moved a bit past that, time wise.))

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

((I ain't saying nothing about the aura! Baldhart just decorated the room with dead bodies before claiming to have heard her goddess talk while standing in her underwear in the path of readied arrows, and what she's hoping to accomplish is to convince Zoran she's not crazy. She's on thin ice! If she admits she's trying to see his invisible aura, she might as well stick a banana in her ear or tell Zoran to pronounce her name "Batshit." As in "batshit crazy."))

 

[Philster401]

((I honestly didn't even think about Zoran thinking Baldhart was crazy I just accepted it as the truth without thinking. ))

 

[Ireth]

((Posts edited to speak of markings or holy symbols, etc. rather than auras.))

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Baldhart

The silence is long. Long enough for a walk to the cells. I wonder who will come first, Nissa or the enemy...

((I am 99.44% sure that Nissa will miss this battle, since the drow will run and Nissa will not outpace the children so she is ready to protect them in case there comes a need.

Baldhart's well aware that Nissa will enter the south door, so she's not concerned about grabbing the wrong person so much as she's wondering when the day will come that she and Nissa fight side-by-side.))

 

[SeverinR]

Aliron:
Moves to a place for greatest arrow. (I think I used the bolts to poison his arrows, as many as possible.)
He takes aim for a planned shot in the doorway.

Bressel:
Stands near the door but staying clear of all the missile shots. If any charges into the room, he will strike them.
"If you toss the first one to me, you can pull another or give chase if need be." He offers.

 

[Steerpike]

Masama watches impassively as Baldhart arranges the drow corpses, then takes up a position opposite Baldhart as the group waits for the drow to come through the door. After a moment, when Baldhart leaves to make her poison-sleep rag, Masama chuckles deeply, turning to the arches in the group:

"Not much for sitting still, that one." He nods his head to where Baldhart is working on her rag.

Tarlack seems pleased that Batos is allowing him to remount. He approaches cautiously, then makes a rather inelegant bow to the wolf, saying something in the kobold tongue. Then he swings back onto Batos' back, this time in a far more graceful manner than he did the first time around. It seems that he is getting the hang of riding.

More time passes as the group waits. Tarlack seems to have given up hope of directing Batos, so just positions himself wherever the wolf wants to be. The kobold chieftain seems perplexed when Baldhart and Liadan take turns giving Zoran long stares. Tarlack squints his eyes and stares at Zoran as well, then cocks his head to the side and tries staring that way. Seeing nothing unusual, even with his head tilted, Tarlack looks back to Baldhart and Liadan, frowning slightly. After a moment, the kobold shrugs and goes back to watching the door.

A short time later, the double doors start to swing open. There is no sign of Nissa from through the southern doors, so the drow have arrived first. An ebony arm can be seen opening the door, and Baldhart grabs at the drow. The dark elf tries to wrench away from her grip:

Opposing Grapple [1d20+2] = 8+2 = 10

It's no use, as Baldhart pulls the drow bodily into the room and wraps him up. A second, startled drow stands in the doorway behind the first. There is no sign of any kobolds. The drow in the doorway reaches for his sword, but before he can complete the action arrows streak toward him from Cadell and Liadan. Both arrows find their mark, and the drow slumps immediately to the stone floor.

Masama, who was tensed to spring at the dark elf in the doorway, relaxes and turns to Baldhart, eyeing the big woman as she deals with the struggling drow.

"You may as well stop struggling," Masama tells the wide-eyed drow. "She does not let go easily."

The drow does not heed this advice, and continues to squirm and kick in an attempt to get free.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

((This^ is the attempt to sleep the drow—the STR check that accompanies the readied action. I forgot I pre rolled a 15, and I figured I needed a check to get the rag over his face--winning the grapple alone shouldn't do the trick. How about we just run with the fail and Baldy has to let go of the rag to deal with the struggle?))

I try to get the rag over his face, but it's no use. I need to use both hands or I'll lose him.

I want to call on Masama for help, but his words inspire me. "You and I are gonna talk, creep!"

I lift the drow overhead and say, "Are you gonna answer my question, or do I need to deal with your kicking and screaming?"

I step toward the edge of the balcony as I ask this.

 

[Steerpike]

The drow continues to struggle with Baldhart, even as she starts to lift him:

Opposing Grapple [1d20+2] = 20+2 = 22

Putting all of his strength into his actions, the drow tries to wrench away from Baldhart, the force of his motion causing Baldhart to have to readjust her grip to keep hold of him. As Baldhart moves toward the edge of the balcony, the drow goes slack, either due to the fear of being thrown over the edge or because he realizes he just put as much strength as he could muster into breaking free and is still being held.

Also, for the first time the drow seems to notice the corpses Baldhart arranged, and a hiss passes through his lips. In the chaos after opening the door he wasn't able to get a good look at them, but he does now.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"Ah, yes… that is the work of my hands you see."

I move to the edge, keeping him held overhead. I can hurl him over now, but first… serious question.

"You can't steal a soul. It's not possible. What does the knife really do?"

 

[Steerpike]

The drow surveys the dead bodies again, then twists his head downward to get a look at Baldhart. "It looks like you'll kill me anyway," he rasps. "If you want information, you let me walk out of here and I'll tell you what I know. Otherwise, you can go to the Abyss."

 

[Ireth]

Cadell

My eyes narrow as I look at the drow. "No matter what we decide to do with you, you'll tell us what we want to know first." I don't want any risk of this drow escaping and leaving us in the dark, metaphorically or literally.

 

[Philster401]

"I agree, I do have one other question also are you able to translate the book Cadell has?" Zoran says.
"Could you show him the book, Cadell, that is if you think it is a good idea?" He says looking at Cadell.

 

[Ireth]

Cadell

I nod and pull out the book, moving warily toward the drow. "If you can translate this, mind you tell the truth about what it says. We'll be able to tell if you're lying." I'm not certain of that, but I don't let it show in my face or voice.

I open the book and hold it at arm's length where the drow can see it. "Read it. Out loud."

 

[Steerpike]

The drow narrows his eyes at the book. "Of course I can read it. Give me your word I will be released unharmed and I'll tell you what it says."

 

[Ireth]

Cadell

I glance at Baldhart for her opinion. She's the one who has the real power to say whether the drow lives or dies. Though it would be easy to misconstrue his words and throw him over the edge anyway... He would be released unharmed, and the harm would come afterward, quite suddenly.