Securing a rope to one of the stalagmites further back in the cave, the party descends into the refuse pit. The junk of the cultists covers most of the floor, accumulating in piles over two feet tall in some places. Luckily, the cultists avoided dumping anything that would stink the place up, leaving normal trash; broken pottery, rotted baskets, mouse-chewed ropes, discarded clothes, worn boots, tattered books, cracked lamps- that sort of thing.
However, a foul stench hangs in the air, and seems to hang in the air around the Troglodytes. It's really hard to describe, but it's reminiscent of what would happen if a skunk were to live on a diet of nothing but rotten eggs, and it sets one's stomach roiling.
Once everyone is down in the pit, the Troglodytes begin explaining their mythic tradition eagerly, with much gesticulation.
Pointing at a rough cave-painting of a frog...
expelling a roundish shape from its rear, while eating, the Troglodyte speaks enthusiastically, "Nomeno ui laogzed, oupilir wer vrantvrak di wer waere. Nomeno jahus ghoros mobi jahus waere, shar laogzed jahus still nugriup, zyak jaci sonea wer vrantvrak."
"This is Laogzed, laying the egg of the cave. This was before there was cave, but Laogzed was still hungry, so He ate the egg."
Mid-speech, Johanna and Arwen, who were standing closest to their hosts, begin to feel the brunt of the smell.
(Johanna's Constitution Save against poison, with Advantage: 18+3
9, Success!)
(Arwen's Constitution Save against poison: 10+2, Success!)
While it's
truly foul, the two are able to tough it out and avoid a social faux pas. They should be fine for as long as it takes, but they'd prefer to get out of here quickly. It doesn't look like their hosts have similar intentions.
"Hur hak jaci oupila vur sonea coi tenamalo vur tenamalo halkvri jaci jahus gliiwr. Jaci tira nomeno ghoros mobi jahus tairais, tagoa jaci sonea batobot kiri, zyak coi claxon vi drong tairais ihk jacion ekess itrewic gliiwr." The Troglodyte, seemingly finished at this glyph, looks to the party with a questioning look (at least, that's
probably what it is: it's hard to tell with reptiles).
And then he laid and ate it again and again until he was full. He did this before there was time, because he ate that too, so it took a long time for him to get full. "
Author
Topic: D&D 5e: The Tyranny of Dragons. IC Thread: A Much Delayed End. (Read 122489 times)