Because most of you only told me how to handle the goblin situation I took some liberties with your character's actions after the goblins were pacified. I put nobody in any danger that they didn't ask to be put in.
All Elves:
Dinner is postponed on account of the impending arrival of potentially hostile strangers. When mealtime does come two goblins and a dwarf are merrily dining with you. They explain through the translation efforts of Disaed that the valley is home to a rare plant that grows nowhere else, and that after this fortress fell a century and a half ago, three goblin families moved in to gather the rare and valuable royal reed fiber. The three family's fought each other tooth and nail for several months until Urist Steelsoul, a dwarf born in this very fortress and captured by the goblins in his youth, arrived in the valley with a small salvage team in attempt to pillage wealth from the abandoned structure. Urist taught the three families how to cultivate the plant for themselves, and eventually united the once waring factions under his own rule.
The meal consists of plump helmets and jam. The hunting party had offered their catch, a large wolf, but Slende made a big fuss about accepting potentially poisoned food from strangers, so plump helmets were chosen for the feast instead.
-10 servings of plump helmet
-5 servings of fisher berry jam
Ochita:
The young sorrowborn Disaed whispers a cunning plan into your ear that would easily render the intruders harmless or even friendly. As much as you'd like to knock the green skinned weirdos out and perform medical experiments on them, you decide that with the deadly Terraspirit attacking soon any plan that minimizes injury in the short run is indeed a good plan.
You run outside to a cliff that overlooks the intruders and focus on the ground beneath their feet. The rock magically erodes into sand, which begins to suck the hunting party in. You watch as Disaed talks to the trapped newcomers and pulls them out one by one.
Immediately after dinner you round up all the elves and bring them into the mint which Karratan refuses to leave. You quickly bring them up to speed on everything you know about the Terraspirit.
The monster will become hostile just before dawn, or if provoked before then. It's lifeforce is restored by any attempt to use Geomancy against it. If it comes in contact with somebodies head it can attempt to feed off their memories to restore and transfigure itself. Unless the victim of the memory draining assault is a trained mage they will likely suffer psychological damage as a result of having a hostile intruder inside their head. The spirit may not appear to take damage from attacks, but it will eventually vanish from existence if overwhelmed by attacks and general aggression.
After giving the lecture on what you are up against you lie down in the mint to sleep. You instruct Karratan to get the others on the off chance that you are wrong and the spirit becomes hostile early while you rest.
Your leg injuries are now healed
Caboose:
You and most of the others head out to capture the goblins by force should Disaed fail to pacify them. While you wait a thought enters your head. A demon's power only extend from itself and it's followers. In theory this means that there was no possible way that Argus Bloodripper could have known about the hunting party. You spend some time thinking about the implications of this knowledge but you fail to come up with a reasonable explanation as to how Argus was able to tip you off.
Once it becomes clear that the hunting party is friendly you return to the fortress. You sit in front of one of the glowing engravings and pray to whatever god is depticted upon it in hopes that the deity chooses to reveal itself to you. Eventualy the engraved letters seem to re-arange themselves into a language that you understand. Reading the newly translated peice of art reveals that the god you are in communication with is Ekast, a dwarven deity associated with War, Fortresses, and Jewels. He most often takes the form of a male dwarf. He is pleased by the ritual sacrifice of captured prisoners in his name, and the dedication of fine Jewlery to him. He grants favors to those in good standing while they are fighting, working with gems, or building.
You then spend some time questioning the voices in your head. Argus Bloodripper claims that he is an omnipresent being who knows everything, and that you should not find the fact that he knew of the hunting party suspicious. You press him a bit more on the topic and his tone shifts to an angry one. He begins to threaten your safety so you decide to drop the topic and go to sleep in the hospital.
You have gained a level in blood magic
Disaed:
You explain your plan to the old geomancer and run off to meet the hunting party. When you arrive you see that Ochita has done his job and the poor creatures are up to their knees in quicksand. You aproach them and identify yourself in the common goblin tounge before offering them help. They accept you offer and you help them up one by one.
The first of the hunting party you rescue is a young goblin, in his late 20's or early 30's. He identifies himself by a name that would be unpronounceable in any tongue other than goblin. When you point this out he sheepishly informs you that he goes by 'Towercap' in other languages.
Towercap has been trained as a warrior and is as strong as an ox. He easily helps you rescue his companions, a frail elderly goblin by the name of Gars and a female dwarf who identifies herself as Mill Steelsoul, daughter of the groups leader Urist Steelsoul. The hunting party is greatful that you saved their life, and even more grateful when you offer them the opportunity to dine at the fortress. When you arrive before the fortress gate you convince the strangers to leave their arms outside.
The hunters offer to prepare the wolf they caught for dinner but Slende objects fearing that the strangers will attempt to poison her. Thankful that none of the guests seem to understand elfin tounge you inform them that you would rather serve a traditional elfin meal of mushrooms and jam. Gura accepts on behalf of his group.
Sometime after dinner Towercap aproaches you. He has heard of the upcoming battle with the terraspirit and wants to repay your kindness by leading a combat drill to warm up the elve's fighting spirit. To do this he requests permission to retrieve his shortblade from outside. After some consideration you grant his request and decide to participate in the drills yourself. You find him very skilled with a shortblade and at dodging. By watching and sparring with him and Slende you feel more than ready to turn your own weapons on the Terraspirit. After the demonstration you go to the hospital and rest up for the upcoming fight.
You have gained a level in short blades
You have gained a level in dodging
Selande:
You sneak up on the quicksand trapped hunting party and ready yourself to strike should they turn hostile to Disaed. You instantly recognize the dwarf as the same female who you encountered in the long house. Once it becomes clear that the hunters are grateful for the rescue you sneak back to the fortress.
Back at the fortress you are appauled when Disaed anounces that the guest will provide dinner. They could be trying to poison you! At your objection the diplomat agrees to feed the strangers from the group's food supply.
After dinner Mill, the female dwarf aproaches you an looks you in the eye. "The viper from the basement if I am not mistaken" she remarks in human, a language you both understand. You are quite taken aback by the statement and demand to know how she figured your identity out.
"When I was a little child my father would take me through this fortress and into the cavern to dig up cave wheat. During one of these trips I wandered off alone and was attacked by a great bug made out of red stone. I outran it but the dust it released from its scales poisoned me. The goblins knew the cure for the dust but the antidote they gave me altered my mind and brought me in tune with nature. I can easily identify other beings with close ties to the natural world."
Through a combination of pleading and threatening you convince Mill to keep your secret from the goblins.
Sometime later you hear that one of the goblins has been allowed to bring a weapon into the fortress to lead a combat drill. You find the idea absurd, but it is too late to stop it. Instead you draw your dagger and join the demonstration, leading it alongside Towercap so you can keep an eye on him; He is at least your equal with a short blade and by teaching alongside him you feel that the others now better understand the art of elegant weaponry.
Towercap abruptly changes the demonstration to one of dodging by pelting all present with bits of gator bone from the butchers shop. You are then allowed to attempt to pelt him so he can demonstrate his superior dodging technique. You feel you have learned something from this demonstration.
You have gained a level in dodging
Dusk:
You sneak out to beat up the hunting party should Disaed fail, but eventualy return to the fortress without incident once it becomes clear that everything is fine.
After dinner and Ochita's briefing you decide to try and start a conversation with one of the goblins who appears to be about your age. You don't speak human or goblin, and he dosn't speak elfin, however you both know the tongue of the Snakemen which you use to communicate. He introduces himself as Towercap and exchange information about each others families.
His father was from the Grandcheeses clan; a poor family from a nearby goblin tower who made cheese and potash to eek out a meager living before moving to the valley to seek their fortune. His mother was of the Neerocks; a nomadic goblin tribe with some sludge elf blood in their veins. The Neerocks settled in the valley once they heard the dwarves were gone. Upon his birth Towercap was removed from his parents by Urist and placed under the gaurdianship of a couple from the Swiftbolts; a goblin family of high birth, exiled from the capitol tower when they fell out of favor with the new demonic overlords. Urist felt that with parentage from two of the three families and upbringing from the third Towercap could marry his daughter Mill without snubbing anyone. He is scheduled to marry Mill in three years, on her 50th birthday, if no suitable dwarf can be found by then.
You have gained a level in negotiation
During the conversation you mention that the spirit following Ochita will become a powerful enemy before dawn. Towercap offers to whip you into shape for the fight and runs off to ask permission to retrieve his blade from outside the fortress walls. Sometime later he begins the demonstration. You grab one of the copper daggers and join in. By the end of the session you feel you have learned alot.
You have gained a level in short blades
Karratan:
You choose to ignore the goblin situation and hide away in the mint to begin construction of a new smelter. You work hard for hours, skipping dinner and only paying half attention to Ochita's speech on the Terraspirit. Eventually your construction is complete. The smelter is not quite as beautiful as you designed it to be, but it should function fine. You grab a quick bite to eat before falling asleep in the hospital.
-1 Serving of cave caviar
+1 Smelter (in mint)
You have gained a level in furnace work!
Zrallin:
After dinner you sit down in the dining hall with Gars, the goblin elder, for a discussion and a drink. You ask Gars about the village beyond the valley, and although he is curious as to how you know of it's existence he gives you answers.
"Its a human village. They used to trade with us until they were conquered by a berzerker warlord from across the sea several years ago. Now they attack us from time to time, but between the ballista we constructed on the beach and our champion Horace they have not been able to enter the valley. Urist thinks they will launch another attack during the harvest next month. Alot of our good soldiers are tied up outside the valley so we may be in a bit of trouble if they do. But Horace kills humans as if they were flies, so I have no doubt we will survive."
Gars also sugests that a trade be made, as one is unlikely to be an enemy of a trade partner. Eventualy you come agree to trade the wolf that the goblins brought down for the goat killed by Caboose. "Hopefully" Gars says with a grim smile "a small symbolic trade such as this will ensure peace between our people."
-1 goat corpse
+1 wolf corpse
You decide to set about butchering the wolf right away. You are able to extract enough meat from the animal to feed the fortress for a single meal and them some.
-1 wolf corpse
+12 wolf meat meals
+9 units of wolf fat
+9 units of wolf bone
+5 units of wolf pelt
You have gained a level in processing
You attend the training drill hosted by Towercap and Slende but learn nothing substantial.
Miriam:
You refuse to participate in a diplomatic situation that may end in a non violent fashion! You storm into the forrest in attempt to take out your fusteration on some poor woodland creature. Unfortunately for you it is dark, and you can't track anything. After some time searching you get hungry and dig up the first small plant you see, and wolf down its roots. Suddenly your stomach gurgles and next thing you know you are covered in puke. You return to the fortress in a foul mood and wolf down enough alligator meat to make up for lost calories. You then participate in the dodging demonstration that the young goblin is leading to blow off steam.
-2 servings of 'gator meat
You have gained a level in dodging
After the drills you fall asleep in the hospital.
The goblins leave taking the goat with them. They promise to send somebody to make sure the group survived the fight with the spirit around lunch tomorrow. It is now midnight. The next turn will end at dawn with a boss fight.
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Topic: Elfin Refugees - Rage Against the Dying of the Light (Read 30979 times)