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"Hell if I know, watch fer it's feelers, they took Gen outta the fight," Huril said, cleaning his blade and putting it away before turning to help the paralyzed Genevieve.
Jon closes on the short-legged svirfneblin, who, seeing the futility in flight, rounds on the sprinting paladin and swings a bronze handax, but misses wildly.
Spoiler
Jon can attack, it will take Huril 1 round and Tyr/Mika 2 to sprint to the spot
Jon pauses, blade high, ready to strike. "If you can understand me, you can still surrender and receive fair treatment. We don't know why you attacked, or even who you are. Was there a wrong that needs to be addressed? There may be a better solution that killing each other."
Spoiler
Diplomacy (1d20+13)[16] (includes +2 from patient optimist for diplomacy vs a hostile, can get 1 re-try)
The svirfneblin can't understand a thing Jon says, but he seems to read the pause in his attacks well enough. He guardedly backs off a few steps, and looks nervously towards the Paladin's approaching reinforcements.
Seeing his words are not understood, Jon lowers his blade, though he keeps ready. "Easy now, lower your weapon. No need to die today." He gestures with his empty hand, pointing to his foe's weapon, then the ground.
The gnome peers over his shoulder, looking for something in the gloom beyond the reach of Jon's light. Apparently he doesn't like what he sees, mumbles to himself in the strange reverberating language, and drops his bronze ax.
Jon moves around behind him, herding him back to the others to be bound. "Anyone have a way to speak their language?"
He looks to the guide. "You know any skraeling? He might understand that. If not, I saw we bind him and go deeper. Y0u can watch over him. Gag him too, some of them were spellcasters."
Seeing the gnome drop his weapon Mika stops and lets Tyr go ahead of her. She gives a small sigh and then jumps the realization that she is soaked and covered in goo, reveling her form quite well in her usually loose fitting clothes. She quickly reaches into her pack and pull out the Deathlurker's cloak and trades it with her current cloak. Never have I been so happy to have another cloak. She wraps the cloak tightly around herself.
With the clean and dry cloak on, she comes and joins the rest of the group. "He might know one of the elemental languages. The do know some powerful earth magic."
Mika will then proceed to say "Hello. Can you understand me?" In all of her languages. (Terran, Ignan, Aquan, then Auran in that order.)
The svirfneblin's eye's widen as he sees Mika pull out the deathlurker's cloak, but he quickly gains control of himself and forces his features back to their previously impassive state.
The group carefully observes as a slight sorceress begins trying to communicate. The gnome remains unresponsive, but his mouth twitches ever so slightly when she employs the consonant-rich tongue of the plane of earth. Whether he understands and is feigning ignorance or merely recognizes the language without being able to speak it is unknown.
"Eh, I say we gut him and get on with it. He'd do the same to us, given the chance," Huril said, crossing his arms as they attempted to be civil to the runt.
"We need to know what is going on. Do you want to risk an open war with them? Even if there were no other considerations, fighting an enemy of unknown strength should be reason enough to question him. Mika, can you try to keep talking to him, maybe get a response?" Jon stands behind the captive, occasionally straining his eyes into the darkness behind.
Jon can't see far enough into the darkness to make out what the gnome might have been looking at.
Mika, with her sharper eyes, can just make out that the chamber narrows again, until there's only a few feet of dry stone between the wall and the water.
After a minute, Genevieve coughs and sits up. "I really, really hate being the damsel in distress. Lord of drink be good, I will be the one saving your rumps next time."
Her one good eye shifts around, as she considers the situation.
"Well, alright then. Here, do not go far." She moves up to the group, and toasts them with her drinking mug. "Your health." A warmth spreads out from her...
Spoiler
Spending my last 2 channels. Everyone can heal (2d6)[10]
After a long pull she frowns and turns the mug upside down. Nothing comes out. "Just so you know, I have a single healing spell to my name, left for today. If we wish to continue, then that healing wand will see some exercise."
__________________
Awesome avatar by Kpenguin. ALL HAIL DOCTOR DIRE!
Mika will continue to speak in Terran. She will translate everything that the gnome says with the exception of insults.
"You know of the rock's language. Can you speak it? You will be safe if you speak. Our cleric even healed you along with us. We want to know what is going on down here. Why did other dark gnomes attack the town?"
Spoiler
diplomacy check (1d20+7)[12] to try to get him to talk.
I know Dwarf, it is a long shot, but maybe he speaks it? (in Dwarven) My friend here just wants to know a few things, we promise no harm will come from talking to us. [/end dwarven]
Genevieve sits on a nearby rock, and eyes the Svirfneblin distrustfully.
"Well, resolving this whole attack on the town thing peacefully would be nice. But if we don't have a way to get around the language thing, I do not see how we can do it. Hey Jon, you are the paladin here. Is this fellow evil?"
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Awesome avatar by Kpenguin. ALL HAIL DOCTOR DIRE!
The gnome eyes mika for a few moments, considering his alternatives, then answers tersely in strained terran. "All in the mountains is ours. You are in the mountains."
Mika smiles and says in common. "He knows Terran, at least a bit of it. Apparently they think that this mountain belongs to them. " Mika will translate all questions and answers except for insults or if a person doesn't want it translated.
She will then resume in Terran "The mountain? You are angry about all of the mining? Is that why your people attacked the village with zombies and the summoned creature? As revenge?"
"While they may have a valid complaint, their response was certainly improper. I fear for the odds of any peace being made with those who resort to necromancy before diplomacy. That said, I feel we must try. Can you ask him how the conflict started, if there were any attempts at peaceful contact?"
I may have to speak to their leaders. Not that I could...
"So they would claim any who trespass as salves. Lovely." Jon rubs his temples with one hand. I thought our slavers were bad enough.
He thinks for a moment. If we take him back to town, they will likely try to lynch him. We certainly don't have the strength to defend ourselves from them if we tried to make diplomatic contact ourselves...and we need to report all this, the sooner the better.
"Maybe we should send him back, with a message that we are looking for peaceful contact, set up a place to meet in a week or so with a representative from the town, see if we can sort this out. I am not confident they will be interested in peace, but we should try. What do you all think?"
"It is the best way to handle this, I think. If there are many of them down here, we do not have the strength to kill them all right now and so should not continue forward. If there are few of them down here, we owe it to them to give them a chance to talk before wiping them out. This way we get to see what the town wants to do, too. The town might not be interested in peace, eh?"
"Sure, we lose surprise. But we would have lost that anyway, if we continued on. This way it gives us a week to prepare, at the expense of giving THEM a week to prepare."
"Anyone else have any thoughts on this?"
__________________
Awesome avatar by Kpenguin. ALL HAIL DOCTOR DIRE!
"Fighting is not what I thought of when coming to this continent. If we can solve this with peace then it would be best. And I am sure that they will appreciate just a chance to talk. Even if all that they give is demands. It will at least be an attempt at peace. Which is better then nothing."
Mika will then ask the deputy "Are there any places which are considered holy sites or important between this mountain and the town that we can set something up at?"
The deputy shakes his head, "You'd have to ask the gnome. The mines haven't been here long enough to have holy sites, and the locals don't talk with us."
"You sure you want to let him go? We don't even know anything about them. The Sheriff, and her bosses, will be real upset if we waste this opportunity."
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Re: New World IC, Group 1
