"We didn't find anything we can explain" Alric resisting the urge to smack the tar out of the two thinking they are playing them for fools and watching over them for someone else. Not really here to help us.  Damn younguns'. He follows the others back to the monument it being our only solid lead.

As you four, plus Mal, saunter towards Livonia's Monument and Bright Feather the acolyte holds back to match pace with Alric. In a low, confidential tone to you (Alric), "Did I ever mention that I appreciate your honesty? Reminds me of stories of the times before the silver boom. We, the People, do need to know what's going on here, so what you find is important."

If you look at him, he still wears that hard-to-read half-smile you attach to those trained in spiritual mysteries. The words are reassuring at least, but the face is still a mask. (Desire an Insight check to see if his words are a lie?)

Old Graveyard

2:35 PM

Alric, Bright Feather, Caden, Hanalee, & Karnath

Bright Feather is still lost in a "fugue" of puzzle solving, not giving immediate reaction to the return of Alric, Caden, Mal and the two Shoshone Observers. {It seems like it is as direct as it says... swipe in the direction to reverse time... call out Livonia for that specific song. Oh! The monument & words face West, towards the mountain and sunset...}

Karnath is still decompressing at the Main Trail from her harrowing experience. Her reluctance to enter this graveyard is understandable considering.

Oh, and Hanalee is visibly coming up the Main Trail! Finally, it feels like almost everyone is together again. She's nearest Karnath, but naturally both can rush towards all of you in half a minute if necessary.

Acolyte & weaver stand near their charges, Alric & Bright Feather respectively, and after exchanging glances stay quiet, presumably letting the party get back to work.

What does anyone do?

Yes Alric will try Insight. Still having trouble with the room for some reason. Feel free to roll and I have a +2 for Wisdom.

"What I found is makin' no sense to me until I. . . " Alric pauses lookin for a word "Digest it."

(Insight (WIS) = roll 18 +2 mod)

The acolyte seems earnest about appreciating your honesty... and about needing your party's help. If you'd guess, it seems like the silence and mask is to prevent contamination of your findings. Perhaps your group is not the only ones who've been on this quest?

"The Spirits seem overly riled here. Not sure as to the why, But workin on it." Aalric offers what, to him, is a reassuring smile.

I currently assume Hanalee reads Karnath's fierce grimace as a sign to "leave me alone now" and joins with the rest of the group in the Old Graveyard. Let me know if otherwise.

(At this point of the mystery I react off you, the players. Share among yourselves any discoveries & plans. I'll field any questions directed to your tagalong NPCs. Time will pass & where you pay attention I will clarify your explorations.

I'll wait. )

Caden will relate to the group his experience in the grave yard. "I think we need to meet this mother those... things, talked about. Seems as if she knows whats on about here."

Alric nods. "You opened talkin' with them, I guess we could follow their trail and figure out how to talk with the larger group."

[Both Alric & Caden:

Feel free to roll Disadv Nature (INT) lore to discern what those creatures were and anything else you know about their kind. Unless you have Great Basin Familiarity in your background (basically you declare yourself a local like Hanalee is), you have a vague idea what these critters may be but not much besides rumors. Also, greater detailed questions are welcome, just likely harder to check.

It is Very Easy to guess what they are, but Easy on up to make more sense out of your recent experience. Ask away.

If you want to talk about it openly with everyone present go ahead, and one of you Alric & Caden can declare they are Helping the other (adding Adv thus canceling Disadv). It would also allow others listening to attempt this Disadv Nature check themselves, if they are so inclined. They may or may not inform you after of their knowledge, and your experience will no longer be secret, but that's the natural cost of sharing.]

Still cannot get to rollz. so roll for me. I think I will start unaided and my bonus is +0. I just want to know what Alric may know about them in general.He will share what little he does know.

From a quick, raw assessment (passive WIS check) of Caden, you'd guess he might be a shade more knowledgeable about lore and reasoning. Helping him might help you both more -- and there's a chance Bright Feather and Hanalee (or the acolyte & weaver) might overhear and add more knowledge.

Caden gets Adv atop Disadv (drifted into town, has a family elsewhere, likely not native to Great Basin?), canceling out for a straight Nature (INT) roll.

(Should other players choose):

• Bright Feather would roll Nature (INT) at Disadv, due to being from over the mountains in a far more forested region -- and not having experience with this encounter.
• Hanalee would roll Nature (INT), due to being a raised local -- despite no experience with this encounter.

[/COLOR]

Alric

You feel confident openly sharing your experience with Caden while the others are nearby. Maybe one of you here can make sense of these furry-scaled "children." Then once done, together you can move onto making sense of their message. (History check? Arcana check? Who to ask?)

Do you have any additional questions about these creatures besides identification? Now would be the time, from a PbP view. It would speed up discussion, providing IC knowledge to OOC quickly, I think.

Well Alric's list would be

What are they?

What are they known for Racially

Are they known to be spiritual/ ancestor worship /shamanistic as far as religion goes

How do they get along with others

are they territorial

How are they socially, will offered gifts help interaction for example


OOC - A stat block would be Nice jk

Good! Now we need Caden to roll d20, (unless he wants to delegate it to me as well).

Rolled a 20 in room.

[You explode in a fountain of knowledge. People take cover. Watch this space, I'll add answers to questions within this post.]

Caden, do you have any different questions you'd like to know about these creatures before I start having the IC-you answer them?
------------------------------

Caden puzzles out during discussion with Alric that they seem similar to a well known creature among the diverse "Easterners."

What are they? (Very Easy)

They are kobolds. They look different than what Caden is used to, but they got to be kobolds. Just like the Shoshone and Easterners are obviously humans but different.

Are they territorial? (Very Easy)

Isn't everything to a degree? Their concepts of shared space, or more precisely the lack of individual ownership of land, however makes them similar to the humans in this area. Who learned from whom this idea, no idea.

How do they get along with others? (Easy)

They are distrusted, like organized raiding coyotes in the night. They take things as you sleep and get feisty if you resist. And they are very well known for murderous traps protecting their underground space.

However they are also rumored for helping lost travelers get back to human lands. They have been known to trade, quite often really, and are surprising mimics of others' ingenuity. But all this is often on their terms for their paranoia is off the charts — very much like small, yappy dog syndrome, they continually fear being crushed.

What are they known for Racially? (Easy)

They are known seemingly worldwide for being an organized and ferocious underground pest along the edges of civilization. They breed fast and can live a bit longer than a human. But as they often live on the edge of multiple borders, they have far too many battles with other creatures whom they feel are always pressing in on them.

Some Eastern lands tried policies of eradication, some at significant cost. And while it bought a few years of peaceful abundance, often a denizen from deeper below the earth would rise up and terrorize the territory even worse. Other lands have found these devious critters make better neighbors than the truly monstrous things below.

What is the deal with the bones? (Normal)

Metalworking, though present here, is resource taxing at best in this region. The high desert makes life a struggle and an abundant need of charcoal/coal/peat for both foundries and kilns is known to cause conflict even among the organized Easterners here. As useful as metal objects are, large pottery urns holding water is even more precious.

These creatures are not known to have as vast trade networks. They usually hide underground, it is thus assumed there's breathable air issues from foundry smoke. And they dislike bright daylight and live on borderlands, thus guessing intense fires at night would likely draw unwanted attention.

That said, metal has been known to be among them. Most of it likely stolen or traded. Some so odd and alien in motif as to suggest metalworking at some unknown kobold time or place. What is common is the older they are, the more metal valuables they keep on their person.

The huge influx of Easterner dwarves and their ways has raised the eyebrows of plenty of natives, of several different races. There's definitely a sense of being used and soon to be discarded before the wrath of the environment. But many natives of all races are holding their peace, and only the most observant of Easterners (many criminals) are questioning why.

Are they known to be spiritual/ ancestor worship /shamanistic as far as religion goes? (Hard)

They are keenly observant and fantastic mimics. Their range of beliefs is broad, and more than a few have taken ideas or manners from nearby races and made them their own. They like patronage of large, ferocious allies and are prone to worshiping them if they are long lived enough — which explains some Eastern assumptions about them being dragon worshipers.

These lands don't work much the same way. From what is gleamed they seem to borrow heavily from the native Shoshone here. First, water serpents are roundly feared as the greatest of evils and no one seems to seek them as allies, even if any were openly known.

Second, from these three talking about spirits being a very real thing, and something to obey or fear, who knows how complex or real their beliefs are. These ones have taken patronage from one who tries to stop fear-eating and who knows if that will develop into a good thing for this tribe, let alone religious. One thing's for sure, they have taken sides and have a very real fear of something nearby underground.

How are they socially, will offered gifts help interaction for example? (Hard)

Socially they are very well organized and stratified. Self preservation does place high on their priorities, which leads to more than a few selfish attitudes. So yes, they would love gifts. In fact, they love taking frying pans, leathers, trail rations, and the like from Eastern travelers and settlers while they sleep and loudly declaim them to be gifts when caught in the act. The local human natives smile and don't comment much on that, who knows how familiar they are with that same problem.

However they are also paranoiacs, fast learning mimics, and thus well known tricksters. They have earned their reputation, in Eastern human eyes (maybe in Shoshone eyes, too), as untrustworthy mongrel beasts who'd bite the hand that feeds them as much as let it pet them. They are assumed to be erratic for all the most malevolent reasons, and only a fool who wants to be fed to their brood would go to their nest and parley without a platoon behind them.