Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars

[The Vorpal Tribble]

"Random or not, never hurts to take a gander and go on a bit of a walk-about." Mahogany says cheerfully. He offers his arm to Chesley and follows with the others beaming.

[The Demented One]

"Why thank you, sir." Chesley says, taking Mahogany's graciously offered arm. "Did you understand what the...the ma–the most interesting woman said? Something about the grave, some kind of metal, I thought. Is she trying to find some kind of buried treasure?"

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Vaajek walks in the head of the line, and as Chesley speaks the demon's ears suddenly flick, just like a cats and he turns his head to the side, looking over his shoulder as he walks. He then mutters something incoherent and looks forward again.

[The_Snark]

Sinan

"I'm afraid I didn't quite catch it either," Sinan says. "Still, we've nowhere else to go right now, eh? Lead the way, miss... do you know, I don't think I ever caught your name?" he tells Rabina.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

"Don't quite get the guist, not right off hand." Mahogany replies to Chesley. "Lands but she's got a mouth on'er. Several from time to time as a matter a'fact. Po'try and riddles is all well and good, but wouldn't mind a bit of plain speakin' about now. Not that I'm one to t'talk, alebit that I am anyhow."

[Shiny, Bearer of the Pokystick]

::It is a cutter, a cutter[!]a bleak blade and black handWill that be clear enough for you? Or should I try it again with smaller words?It is not so far not so fast not so deep but we will fall if we do not have the dreaming child-egg-wonder::

Rabina leads the way, with swift, sure strides.

[Ellas Aramond]

"You've picked an intresting bunch, Sinderra." Drann says to himself as he follows behind the others. "We can go to any place on Eberron at any point in history; and they decide to explore an ancient, hobgoblin run Sharn? Oh well. Lets get on with it then."

[The Demented One]

The tunnel Rabina finds is a treacherous causeway, designed by haphazard explorers picking their way through the ruins, not any engineer. The course is slow, each step taking minutes as you probe for a safe piece of rubble to rest your weight on. However, the hobgoblins using it have taken the care to mark most of the hazardous missteps with swatches of red paint, or something similar, and thus Rabina, and all who follow her, are able to make their way without misstep. The tunnel terminates suddenly, with a gaping chasm stretched out before it. The sky is blocked out by a precarious ceiling of rubble, held up by haphazard pillars and stalagmites, a seemingly impossible architecture, but the gaping hole within the earth seems to stretch forever downwards. On the other side, about a hundred feet away, their is a bank of rubble, guarded by what looks to be a band of six hobgoblins, all armed with blades of adamant. A heavy, ornate portal rests in a marble wall, the one seemingly stable structure in this mound of ruins.

[dyslexicfaser]

Gahz

Gahz picked his way gingerly, looking a little more uneasy with each downward step and precarious movement. He was far larger than most, and far heavier as well. And his shapeshifting would make him larger and heavier yet, not something he'd care to chance.

He spots the hobgoblins. "Ah, people!" He makes no effort to modulate his voice; he has long since grown past the fear of almost anything on the face of Eberron - it is rare that he meets a bigger fish in the pond than himself - and a handful of goblinoids simply do not rate. "I don't suppose they speak Common? No matter, I suppose. We do have a translator."

A small voice wonders if having Rabina as their spokesman is a good thing, but it is easily ignored.

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Sorry about being gone for a week. Let's keep this thing going, yeah?

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Mahogany peers out across the fissure and breaks into a grin.

"Ahh, Hobblers. Oh, they may seem stiff and grumpy as this back 'o mine in the early morn, but they ain't bad folks all told if y'givem a tippa the hat and some lip service. Now, they as like ain't seen folks as alike to we, though must be said few indeed hold a candle to you lot, can see right away you're no common folk, but man and his lot won't be crossin' over for awhile to these parts." he says, "Now I ain't got no airs t' speak of and not so much as like to scare a wee one, leastwise as long as I got my hair kept and m'face washed, so iffin we need t'talk, might look a bit less threatenin' if it were ole Mahogany to gab, eh?"

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Vaajek stares across the pit at the small band of warriors. The next moment he seems to instantly compress into nothingness, and at the same instant expand from nothingness across the chasm not too far from the hobgoblins, gripping his sword tight in his claw. He bellows with both his real voice and uses his telepathy on everyone in range, "Akku'Vaaska Tol'lok!"

Abyssal translation, but everyone understands because it's also telepathy.

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A more or less intimidating version of "Stand aside!"

OOC: Look, everyone, I'm ruining any sense of diplomacy we'll have.

[The Demented One]

The hobgoblins stare blankly at Vaajek - not in fear, but in utter surprise that a foe capable of such feats of magic would ruin the potential for surprise with a foolhardy battlecry. They almost immediately raise arms, and Vaajek finds himself faced with a tapestry of adamantine - three swords are at his throat, and one hobgoblin has a bow trained on his forehead. Two more, bearing a halberd and greataxe, sit back, guarding the bowman, and seeming to chuckle. The seeming leader, who bears a wickedly curved bastard sword, locks eyes with Vaajek, and threatens him in hobgoblin. "Nin shi yu ben de wo men shi qiang xu duo jian! Mo zi wei feng kuang de guo wang!"

For Any Speakers of Goblin

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"You fool, you attack we who are many and well-armed, we who hold a bastion of impenetrable strength and tactical advantage! Your blood shall appease the hunger of the mad king, unless you drop arms and pay obeisance!"

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Mahogany does a double take as the demon disappears and reappears. His eyes widen and he winces as the leader makes his demands of his Fallen comrade.

In the same language as the leader he calls out, "Nig tak takang angk tag wan lapcha so lox... chex uko lekme te ot poxe len tek..."

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Now come along brave leader, obeisance and all that talk... we're just taking a looksee and we'll leg it quicklike, no harm done..."

[The_Snark]

Sinan

"I believe you may be right, although do keep in mind that—oh dear..." Sinan stares at the demon as he delivers his declaration. With gazes naturally drawn to Vaajek's spectacle, it is easy to miss the exact means and moment that Sinan vanishes.

But nevertheless, he definitely isn't there anymore. In fact, he has somehow managed to cross the intervening distance completely unseen, his reappearance as hard to pin down as his disappearance as he taps the hobgoblin chief on the shoulder from behind.

"My dear sirs," he begins in Elven, although the meaning somehow reaches the hobgoblins (and Vaajek) as if it didn't even need the words, "I wonder if we might take the opportunity to converse before we do anything hasty?" He beams at the goblins, trying to appear as harmless and unarmed as possible, and hopes like the dickens that smiling is a token of good faith in old Dhakaan and not, say, a mortal insult.

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Rushed Diplomacy. Worth a try! (1d20+17)[22] The touch allows Comprehend Languages to work, incidentally.

[The Demented One]

The lead hobgoblin, startled, turns to face Sinan, raising his sword high. However, his hasty diplomacy seems to strike a chord with the warrior, and the look of hostility in his eyes is diminished. "Ni shi bu dong ma ni de tou men. Wo men hui guang hou, wei zou tian. Sai jian, hen cui bu mei you shen me!"

For Any Speakers of Goblin

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"You are not as a stupid as your friend is, I see. We will let you speak, but you must leave from this place. This is holy ground, and your very presence offends the star king!

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Vaajek speaks up again as his ears seem to flick a bit when the others speak. His voice seems supernaturally doubled and he only whispers, "Ni shi hui hao. Ni zhong ma ke he lao shi da...fei long zhang zi, he jin ju shui zhong wen mei guo."
He doesn't seem to take an offensive stance, his sword remaining low, but he hopes his point has been made.

Goblin tongues.

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"You best be careful of who you call a fool. You are well armed but your frail goblin bodies would fall like broken dolls in a bloody rain... I won't kill you yet, but keep your swords down and your arms will remain contently attached to your shoulders."

I don't intend for everyone to hear this, it's just meant for the goblins but if you're really good at hearing you just might.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Intimidate: (1d20+32)[51]

[The_Snark]

Sinan

"Ah, star king. Fascinating. I wonder if you could perhaps tell us a little more about who the star king is? We certainly don't want to offend, but I am rather curious about him, if this is his place."

Oddly, the Elven words resolve themselves into a completely different meaning for Vaajek, namely, "Do try not to offend our hosts any more, please. We want to know what this place is, after all, and they're hardly likely to tell us if we fight them."

[The Demented One]

As Vaasth speaks in the goblin tongue, a language with an exquisite vocabulary for making threats in, the leader seems to suddenly pale, his eyes beginning to tremble. He lowers his sword and takes a step back, and waves back his soldiers. The others form a loose semicircle, and would be cowering in abject terror if not for their training and conditioning as elite hobgoblin warriors.

The leader nods his head in dejection. "Zhou shan, tien tien ma bu hao. Hen cuai lo, shi shi ma dou tian." He trembles as he speaks, but he sees from Vaajek's glare that the demon would be more than willing to slaughter every hobgoblin he could find without any remorse.

Goblin

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"I see, you are a true master of auspicious warfare. All of our lives sacrificed would mean nothing to one as you, just a moment's trouble. We stand down and take our disgrace. But we shall remember this, blood knight. We remember."

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

He turns his head to Sinan and speaks in a booming, proud voice, "Offense is no longer and issue!" He grins then turns back to the hobgoblin warriors and speaks in a still booming but almost roaring voice, "Gui mao shi nia! Shui mai ji kua vakk maiju ni guo shinai!" As his passion flares, ash seems to swirl around him lightly.

Gobling tongues.

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"You are weak cowards! The only way to redeem yourself is through death at your own hands or death on the battlefield at my side!"

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Level+Cha check: (1d20+28)[40]

[The Demented One]

The lead hobgoblin, though clearly afraid of Vaajek, steels his courage and looks back at him with defiant eyes. He pounds his fist into the ground, seeming to relish the pain. "Bu. Wo mei you ri ben, zhong hai mei tou ri san no. Yi li, yu ting zhen me kuai le. Hao!"

However, for all his bravery, the warriors beside him do not all seem so certain. There are furtive glances between some of them, and a few goblinoid hands reach for their weapons, seemingly won over by the demon's speech.

Goblin

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"No. We may have been disgraced by our powerlessness, but we would never further our dishonor by fighting for one who serves no emperor or blade, one such as you. Shed our bled and rend our flesh from our very bones, but the day shall not come when I, nor any of the goblins who serve my blade, shall fight with a wandering abomination on the battlefield. Never!"

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

He looks around at his new loyal followers and then back at the frightened leader, "Gu muu... Sui mai vo gai moa, tsu nui fong ji ma noa..." As he says this he stands just a little taller and glares down at the goblin bowing pitifully before him.

Goblin tongues.

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"A weakling and a fool... keep your liege if you must, lay down your equipment and walk away..."

[dyslexicfaser]

Gahz

Gahz cannot understand a word said by either side, but he recognizes body language well enough. Sinan trying to be concilatory, and at least the general direction and effectiveness, if not content, of Vaasth's threats and terrorizing.

"Oh, damn it..." The druid has no fancy teleportation skills, and has to take the form of a giant brown barn owl and fly his way across the chasm.

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70ft movement speed, so a double move will get me across the cavern. Anyone who wants a ride is welcome to do so.

[Ellas Aramond]

"What are they speaking?" Drann asks, his face twisted in confusion. "It sounds like Ignan, but a bastardized version of it."

[The_Snark]

Sinan

Sinan waits as threats and boasts are exchanged, and interjects into an open point in the "conversation," sounding slightly peeved but doing his best to keep it out of his voice. "Excuse me? If we're all finished talking about who can kill who, may I inquire what this place is?"

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Vaajek sneers a little as he turns his head to Sinan, "Things are hardly finished here... though they may be soon..." He gestures to the three hobgoblins that have become his new allies, "You see these three have allied with me... and the remaining three have not, so they best leave their equipment and their post lest they leave their mortal bodies instead..." He grins.

[Shiny, Bearer of the Pokystick]

Rabina

Rabina snags a few pinion feathers (none too gently) as the druid transforms, weedling psionically.

::Come long flyer to stop the strange to not have the un-peace the warring ways::

Upon landing, she flares her nostrils, ruffling her veil. A brief scintillation of unidentifiable, actinic color slides across her head, and a slight breeze kicks up....a group of mote-lights, accompanied by a shriek from a suddenly visible cloud of ravening lamprey-shades, suddenly shape themselves into a lance of violet light, scoring the ground in front of vaajek and hobgoblin alike.

::We have posess need things of more importFOOL PREY MEAT THING THING THINGTo pursue to chase to have before falling before dying before leavingstop pleaseGo Run Proceed[!]::

At the end of the phrase, she gathers a cloud of motes around her once again; entirely prepared to score something less resilient than stone.

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Just a warning shot from her Quori field weapon. Nothin' to see here power-wise.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

The demon doesn't so much as flinch as the lance strikes the ground nearby. He looks at Rabina with a less than amused expression. "Kurra'ayus!! Gar'ral mhakaal kro Hol'kalax Mra'kkal K'vol!!"
Vaajek bares his teeth at her and takes a stance that makes him look ready to gut anyone that looks at him crossways. Ash seems to swirl and torrent around him as his silhouette becomes less distinct. The red of his eyes flares some, visibly brighter.

Abyssal translation

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"Treacherous witch!! Keep your broken mind from my affairs!!"

Intimidate: (1d20+32)[41]

[Shiny, Bearer of the Pokystick]

Rabina

::VaK'puj HaIJ'qu'nat'HAAGH'nk'tk'tham'KHAT'mar'ghat'ru! Yam'ya'geroost negh'ptakh fharr GHRAM'RAT!::

Abyssal Translation

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INSECT! Your insolence, pain shuddering skin-flaying insolent WORM HATRED BONEFIRE! Will crush, crush, always crush! FALL OBEY FALL!

Rabina hisses horribly, the sound somewhat resembling air moving through the lungs of a corpse- a not unapt simile.

Intimidate:(1d20+55)[67]