IC: Dragon Campaign - Wyrmlinghood

[Eonn]

Khrakoa snorts, a wisp of smoke being blown from his nostrils.

"If the Tabaxi are not hostile, why are they acquiring so many dragon eggs? Perhaps the one you found was frightened and played dumb. Maybe, the remaining eggs should be tracked to see what is done with them. I cannot begin to imagine what a lesser race could plan to do with so many eggs."

[Deadguy]

Sotet scoffed at the remarks of her wounds before speaking on the plans the others were making. "I've secured a suitable domain. I have no need or desire to involve myself with these Tabaxi, nor do I particularly care what great mysteries the island holds. There will be centuries for such things."

She stretched her wings out, preparing to leave. "If you're searching for beach... the river that cuts through the jungle flows out to the sea. There should be beach there."

[Eonn]

"We are doing this for our mutual protection." Khrakoa scoffs. "Maybe in a century, such a potential threat would be beneath us, but if we do not do our diligence now we will not survive that long. So fine then, leave. Don't expect us to come to your aid. Maybe you don't need us though, after all it looks like you fought off a who legion of tabaxi last night."

Khrakoa then turns away from the black wyrmling. "It looks like Gold has gone off on his own. Or died. And now the Black one is being selfish, too. Just like I said, it's me and you." He smirks. "Let us each head our own ways for now, and see what we can learn. We'll meet up here again in say, a week, to trade information."

[Feathersnow]

Caej Zua'autl realizes that not only will she have to pay for supplies, she will have to pay for lodging. This indignity is far worse than simply following orders, but she bears it stoically.

She asks Metztli for help. I need a place to stay and supplies. Where would I go about buying them? She shudders at the word "buying."

[Esprit15]

Caej Zua'autl realizes that not only will she have to pay for supplies, she will have to pay for lodging. This indignity is far worse than simply following orders, but she bears it stoically.

She asks Metztli for help. I need a place to stay and supplies. Where would I go about buying them? She shudders at the word "buying."

"There is a marketplace in town where you can purchase most living supplies. I would expect that you would want to live outside of our town, perhaps create your own lair, but if you do wish for some sort of lodging..." the Yuan-ti seems to think for a moment before answering, "stables would probably be rather insulting, but I'm sure our arcanist guild would welcome you to share housing with their familiars. We don't really have inns here, and housing is very limited."

[Feathersnow]

Hmm... I suppose finding my own place in the wilds is the most practical.
I couldn't abide sharing residence with thralls and animals, and an appartment in the city, were it even available, sounds like it would cost more than I want to spend.

But I will need twine and salt. And a bag to carry it in.

Caej Zua'autl doesn't know how to cure tabaxi pelts, but is sure it somehow involves stretching and salt.

She thinks back to the caverns she traveled through with the Yuan- Ti and tries to recall if they are dry and have any out of the way branches she could hide in. Then she remembered the Orcs would be gobs from the cave by now, and it was very near the area she ordered to terrorize.

Getting her supplies, she resolves to go back there.

[Esprit15]

"Metztli can show you around to the market district."

Spoiler

Show

Things can be bought at standard market price, per the SRD.

The cavern has a few caves that led off and away as you followed the Yuan-ti into the cave that you could probably take up residence in.

You bid farewell to Itzcoatl. Before you leave, he hands you a small token, stamped with the same symbol as the coinage, and a single word on the back that you cannot read. "Something to let city guards know you are a friend. Some are a bit more... strict, than Metztli. It also will give you permission to speak to me so long as I am not in a meeting."

After collecting your supplies, you head out of the cave, and spot... several other dragons, to your surprise! One red, one black, and one blue. The black dragon appears to have several bad injuries that have recently healed over.

[Feathersnow]

Hail! You must be the other dragons I heard about from the orcs.

Did you claim this cave already? Because like it, but not enough to fight you for it. I've been hired by the Children of Merrshaulk to raid the outlyingTabaxi outposts. If you want to help me, you can have a share of the loot.

Do you know the Children of Metrshaulk? They live at the other end of that tunnel and are at war with the Tabaxi, which are some kind of cat? They might agree to pay you to be raiders too, but I can't speak for them.

Caej Zua'autl is very excited! She likes meeting new people.

[Eonn]

Khrakoa could not be more annoyed that there was yet another dragon he would have to compete with. However, he considers the newcomer for a moment before pivoting, putting on a pleasant demeanor.

"Greetings! Another egg has hatched, I see. No, if you wish to claim that cave then so be it." Khrakoa wasn't comfortable with the other knowing where he laired. At the same time, knowing where the other dwelt might prove advantageous. More importantly was this new faction, already in conflict with the Tabaxi. If Khrakoa was up for politicking, provoking the two could serve to draw the attention from either off of him. Fighting the Tabaxi? I hope the children you've met are prepared, they are supposedly plentiful in the area. The eggs the orcs were transporting were being brought to them too." The red dragon fluttters his wings, his gaze peering down into the jungle as he seems to ponder something. "I wonder what they plan to do with so many eggs? It is defiantly something worth finding out, if only they spoke a civilized tongue so that I might be able to seek out the answers myself."

He sighs dramatically. "Well, best of luck to you anyways." With that, he turns and flies off. He has yet to find a suitable lair, after all, so these next few days would likely be spent traveling along the mountain range.

[Deadguy]

Sotet seemed to care very little about Khrakoa's opinion of her was. She had just begun to flap her wings to fly back toward the jungle when Caej appeared from inside. She paused to listen to the large amount of words the new-comer voiced.

"You speak much... but, I've already shared I've no interest in the conflicts of others. I can tell you there is a river that runs to the sea beyond the jungle though."

She pointed a single claw in the direction of the river before taking off toward the tree-line.

[Xanyo]

Another hatchling, an unusual looking one. Another race, Merrshaulk? Hmm, ah. Ah, yes. Hmm.

Zaratii nods to the newcomer.

“You hatched latest, it seems, yet you have already found and made allies of a lesser race. I did not know the Yu- the Children were present on this isle. If you’re looking for cats to skin, I found one’s cabin that way,“ she indicates the direction with one wing, “Although I sniffed around and found little worth claiming. There is a trail though, leading towards the sea and, I presume, the Tabaxi. I was going to fly that way today, and see if I can find a cat worth talking to. I’ll be sure to keep the Children in mind if I am dissatisfied with the Tabaxi. At the very least I’m hoping they can tell me of any members of the greater races in the region. If they impress me, I’m considering aligning with them, to an extent. We should be sure to stay in contact, even if I do so.”

[Esprit15]

Khrakoa could not be more annoyed that there was yet another dragon he would have to compete with. However, he considers the newcomer for a moment before pivoting, putting on a pleasant demeanor.

"Greetings! Another egg has hatched, I see. No, if you wish to claim that cave then so be it." Khrakoa wasn't comfortable with the other knowing where he laired. At the same time, knowing where the other dwelt might prove advantageous. More importantly was this new faction, already in conflict with the Tabaxi. If Khrakoa was up for politicking, provoking the two could serve to draw the attention from either off of him. Fighting the Tabaxi? I hope the children you've met are prepared, they are supposedly plentiful in the area. The eggs the orcs were transporting were being brought to them too." The red dragon fluttters his wings, his gaze peering down into the jungle as he seems to ponder something. "I wonder what they plan to do with so many eggs? It is defiantly something worth finding out, if only they spoke a civilized tongue so that I might be able to seek out the answers myself."

He sighs dramatically. "Well, best of luck to you anyways." With that, he turns and flies off. He has yet to find a suitable lair, after all, so these next few days would likely be spent traveling along the mountain range.

You spend much of the day flying throughout the mountains, getting more of a feel for your future dominion. Several times you spot what seems like a promising cave, only to find it far too small for anything more than resting for the night.. Hm, that could be dangerous in the future - a place for enemies to hide and slowly advance on you. You make a mental note to find some way to deal with them when you are more powerful (than you already are, of course).

Toward the evening, you fly to the tallest peak you can find. Surely here would be somewhere fitting your nobility. You circle the peak, and about a hundred feet from the summit, you find a large cavern, probably thirty feet wide, with a wide ledge... surprisingly fit for landing on. You slow to a stall and allow yourself to gently touch down, surveying your surroundings.

Spoiler: Survival Check DC 15

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The cave, while initially appearing natural, has walls that are too smooth to be formed by processes in nature.

Spoiler: Search or Spellcraft DC 18 (Pick one)

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The walls were likely shaped by some sort of magical effect - there are no tool markings on the walls at all.

Spoiler: Spot DC 13

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There appears to be a moving light some distance into the cave.

Sotet seemed to care very little about Khrakoa's opinion of her was. She had just begun to flap her wings to fly back toward the jungle when Caej appeared from inside. She paused to listen to the large amount of words the new-comer voiced.

"You speak much... but, I've already shared I've no interest in the conflicts of others. I can tell you there is a river that runs to the sea beyond the jungle though."

She pointed a single claw in the direction of the river before taking off toward the tree-line.

You fly down, returning to your mangrove lake.

[Eonn]

In the mouth of the cave, Khrakoa hesitates. What kind of creature might cut it's way into the mountain stone in such a way? Well, what ever they were, at least they were civilized enough to make use of basic magic. The red dragon cautiously moves into the cave, going back as far as the daylight reaches.

[Esprit15]

In the mouth of the cave, Khrakoa hesitates. What kind of creature might cut it's way into the mountain stone in such a way? Well, what ever they were, at least they were civilized enough to make use of basic magic. The red dragon cautiously moves into the cave, going back as far as the daylight reaches.

The back of the cave you notice begins to slope and curve. Just as you think about stopping (when the light begins to disappear), you notice a flickering light further in, bouncing off the wall, and sounds of a scuffle. A hoarse voice shouts something in a tongue that you don't understand, "Teme-!" before a sound like several snapping branches silences it.

[Eonn]

Khrakoa braves the darkness and approaches the light as quickly as seems safe. If needs be, he can always make his own light, anyways.

[Esprit15]

Khrakoa braves the darkness and approaches the light as quickly as seems safe. If needs be, he can always make his own light, anyways.

You continue down, the walls becoming difficult to see. As you continue down, you feel the mountain surrounding you - the thought of being pinned under tons of rock surfaces in your mind, but you push it out. You see in the distance the source of the light - a humanoid, made of flame, bent over a rotted corpse with patches of fur, now well burned in many places. The humanoid stands up and looks over at you... it’s hard to read the expression, but its body language suggests possible confusion. It begins to walk toward you. The burning wound from it seems to intensify and subside in a pattern that suggests speech, but you cannot make heads or tails of what it is saying.

[Eonn]

"Do you speak the tongue of dragons?" Khrakoa says, though he doubts the odds. What could an elemental be doing here, he wonders. Was it native to the area, or was it simply summoned? He also tries to get a better look at what ever small creature lie dead on the floor, just so he may learn what was in the region.

[Esprit15]

Spoiler

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Give me a K: The Planes check

The elemental stops around ten feet from you, still looking at you with a puzzled stance. Slowly, like it was testing out the sounds, it tries to copy your words, the crackling of fire sounding almost like words. "Do-ak-o... Do-rak-o... Dorako..." it repeats, unable to imitate some of the sounds your mouth makes, before shaking its head. It pauses, before gesturing at you. "I-ke-ka-to *single sparking sound*?" it appears to ask.

Spoiler: Knowledge: Local DC 10

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The corpse is of a badly burned Tabaxi

Spoiler: Knowledge: Religion DC 14 or Heal DC 18 (Pick one)

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The corpse appears to have been dead for quite some time, and some of the ravages suggest that it had become some kind of undead.

Spoiler: If you rolled religion

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It was a ghast before it succumbed to the fire elemental's attacks.

[Eonn]

"Well this is going no where." Khrakoa mumbles, smoke curling from his mouth. He then takes a moment to look around the cave. Does it lead deeper? He was hoping to find some kind of civilization. Specifically, Kobolds, but anyone who could summon an elemental should know at least some Draconic.

"There anyone else here?" Khrakoa asks, using the light from the elemental to look around. As he passes by the corpse, he checks to see if it had any pouches or bags that may carry treasure. He doesn't go straight to grabbing anything, however, just in case the elemental had already claimed the loot. He wasn't about to start a fight over a few scraps of gold. "Who summoned you? Summon? Spell? Magic?" He mimes casting a spell, then lets out a puff of fire and points his snout towards the elemental.

This language barrier was growing frustrating. At least he was wise enough not to head into Tabaxi territory without speaking their language.

[Esprit15]

The Tabaxi body is clothed in little more than scraps of clothing - nothing of even a pittance of value. The light from the elemental does suggest that you are in a cave that goes deeper into the mountain.

The Elemental watches your miming, and after a few seconds, motions you to follow it. You continue down the spiraling cave. With only the elemental lighting the area, it's hard to make things out, but you do spot occasional evidence of prior life - large scratch marks on the wall, scuffs all over the floor, and occasional piles of destroyed wooden planks. Finally, the fire elemental leads you to what you realize is a room. In the corners appear to be shards of broken glass, and gems that have lost all of their luster. In the center, thirty feet by thirty feet, is a massive circle, runes of High Draconic carved in some of the spaces in it, though others are scratched out. Though you recognize them innately, the meaning itself is harder to parse.

Spoiler: Spellcraft DC 15

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The circle appears to be a summoning circle.

Spoiler: Spellcraft DC 23

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This one is specifically attuned to the elemental plane of fire.

[Eonn]

Khrakoa investigate the circle. He's aware what the general purpose is, though the specifics of the magics used seemed to escape him. Not being able to learn anymore from the circle itself, the dragon explores the room in hopes to find more clues as to who was working out of this cave.

Spoiler: OOC

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Search: (1d20+12)[19]

Also, does the cave lead deeper, or is this it?

[Esprit15]

Much like in the rest of the cave, you see scuff marks all over the ground, like metal tools were swung at it and dealt glancing blows... Or something as hard as metal, you begin to think to yourself as you notice your own tail leave a small scrape against the wall as you investigate the debris in the corners of the room. Digging around more in the piles of discarded spell components, you find it - a single fleck of a dragon scale. In the light of the elemental, it reflects a red far deeper than your own, but it's nevertheless unmistakeable.

[Eonn]

Khrakoa picks at a wall with his claw, wondering how the rock could be so soft. Maybe it was conjured, rather than cut from the stone of the mountain meaning there was empty space, a cavern, beyond. Either way, it gives him an idea.

Crudely, with a claw he carves an image into the wall. A humanoid (though he'd rather use a dragon figure, he thought this would be more accurate to what happened) standing over a circle using magic, with the circle spewing forth fire. Once the crude cave drawing was complete, he tapped his claw against the image of the caster while looking towards the elemental.

"Who? Who summoned you?"

[Esprit15]

The elemental shakes its head, and then wipes a flaming hand on your drawing of a humanoid. It draws a simple stick figure of soot over it: a body, four legs, a tail, a long neck, and wings. "I-ke-ka-to *single sparking sound* *burst of heat sound*" It then gestures to the small, red scale piece that you found.

[Eonn]

Khrakoa nods. It would seem that the dragon scale was more than a spell component after all. Still, the news of another dragon with a presence in the area was grim indeed.

"Ikekato..." The hatchling chews on the word. Could that be the name of the elemental's master? It would explain the elemental's behavior, if it believed Khrakoa to be affiliated with the red dragon who summoned it. A dragon would explain the nature of the cave he was now in. Room to land, fit for a dragon, and magically carved from the mountain? In retrospect, it was obvious.

Of course, this also complicated things for Khrakoa. Another dragon, a red specifically, would not take kindly to the wyrmling claiming territory it had already claimed. He thinks for a minute.

At risk of the elemental learning he was not an ally of this Ikekato, he scratches an image of many mountains into the wall. On the peak of one, he draws a small dragon along side a fiery humanoid. Above it all, he has a larger dragon flying overhead.

"Where?" He asks, hoping the elemental can decipher his simple phrases. "Where is he? What is his territory?"

[Esprit15]

Unfortunately, the elemental is not able to decipher what you are saying, and just looks around confused. You don't recall seeing much in the way of goods or anything of value as you walked in. Everything was either destroyed or basically worthless.

[Deadguy]

Once Sotet had returned to the mangroves, she landed in the shallowed. Despite the soreness of her wounds, she knew she'd have to do more to establish her domain by ensuring no other threats were close at hand.

The rest of the day was spent stalking through the underbrush of the jungle, circling the lake further and further in an outward circle.

---

Spoiler: OOC: Rolls

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Spot / Listen vs ambush (1d20+1)[7] / (1d20+1)[8]
Hide / Move Silently vs stalking (1d20+15)[21] / (1d20+7)[25]
Survival vs signs of other predators (1d20+1)[4]

[Esprit15]

Once Sotet had returned to the mangroves, she landed in the shallowed. Despite the soreness of her wounds, she knew she'd have to do more to establish her domain by ensuring no other threats were close at hand.

The rest of the day was spent stalking through the underbrush of the jungle, circling the lake further and further in an outward circle.

---

Spoiler: OOC: Rolls

Show

Spot / Listen vs ambush [roll0] / [roll1]
Hide / Move Silently vs stalking [roll2] / [roll3]
Survival vs signs of other predators [roll4]

Your circling ends up slightly aimless wandering away you lose sight of the pond, and you soon find yourself close to the river... You don’t think you were seen by anything, but- and that’s when you step in a brown, reeking pile of excrement, and see about 15ft away a black, furred creature, about five feet long, knee deep in the river, pawing at something in the water.

[Eonn]

Khrakoa sighs, though he did expect this outcome. What kind of dragon servant did not speak his language? Not thinking of another way to phrase the question, he tries something new. He sketches an image of a humanoid with a draconic face, horns and tail.

"Kobold." He identifies the figure. "Are there any here? Where?"

Finding kobolds would at the very least give him someone he can learn about the island from. And, if there is an established dragon in the area, the kobolds would certainly know about it as well. Most importantly, however, was that if the kobolds weren't already claimed by this other dragon, Khrakoa would suddenly have a very strong foothold in the region.

[Esprit15]

The elemental looks at the drawing, and gives a gesture which you assume to be a shrug. It appears to either not know what a kobold is, has not seen any on the island, or both.