I would just like to know more specifics about them. What exactly are they? Are they common to the area? What was the deal with the bones?

Stuff like that.

Repost of post #540's answers.

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. They also keep other fast breeding, intelligent, vicious creatures along the borderlands in population check.

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.

That bone on a thong is obviously a pacifier of some type. That tooth necklace, likely decorative jewelry showing bravery or status. That sharp bone knife, a sharp bone knife.

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.

Bright Feather snaps out of her daze.."I've got it, just point West like so...don't forget the mountain...she looks at the weaver and acolyte.."You two should be helpful what's Livonia's song? Tell me now because sunset arrives quickly".

After Caden's overwhelming breakdown of Eastern kobold understanding, the acolyte looks to Bright Feather and shrugs while answering, as if stunned from Caden's exposition, "'They Call the Wind Moriah'? Because we sure don't."

The weaver elbow him and gives him a sharp look. He looks back at her, flinching in question, "What?" She eye him sternly and whispers, "It is hard enough as it is without you being sarcastic." "I'm not..." they bicker more quietly and let you think.

Review of what Alric helped you discover on the monument:

"'Caress as if to turn back time, and call out your loved one for a song.'

"'They Call the Wind Moriah.'"


(Since this will devolve into a pixel bitching "guess what I'm thinking!" puzzle, I'm going to speed things up due to Bright Feather's amazing roll of 24.)

Bright Feather, you feel that the word 'caress' means much here, and probably has the monument as a stand in for Livonia. The epitaph is on the monument's East face, and to read it one has to stand to its East and face West, basically its 'front'. Facing this front, and the Western Mountains, stroke the top of the monument 'from the West to the East' in a motion akin to gently beckoning someone over.

'Caress as if to turn back time' is a gentle stroke of the rock, from out to in, from West to East, as if beckoning to come closer -- and to reverse time.

The latter part says to 'call out your loved one for a song'. Well, the loved one is Livonia. And assuming that strange statement below is a song, then it should go together.

Say, "Livonia, sing to me 'They Call the Wind Moriah'."

Aw. Sentimental.

Alric stands watching never having been good at riddles.

"Hope bright knows what she is doin"

Old Graveyard

(Assuming Bright Feather does the above... Sorry everyone if I spoiled your puzzle solving fun. )

2:35 PM

Alric, Bright Feather, Caden, Hanalee (npcs: acolyte & weaver)

Sunset will be around 8:31 PM further down the mountain, near the valley floor.  Up here so close to the peak's shadows it will be around 5:30 to 6:00-ish. Time being 2:35 PM, you have a few hours, but Bright Feather's comment brings up a good question of whether 3 hours will be enough?

Upon Bright Feather finishing the gesture and request, a song lilts from behind the monument (West side), and an Eastern woman walks around from there into view. She's more of a handsome woman, if one gets that meaning, but her countenance is that of patient kindness. She approaches all of you in a slow pace, singing.

"Way out west, they got a name,
For rain and wind and fire,"

(Anticipating something, yet not necessarily this, it still catches you all off guard. But the surprise round is over. Actions?)

Karnath

A silence of anticipation falls in the directions of where your friends are in the Old Graveyard. You hear Bright Feather say something, a request of some sort but not all that clear from this distance. A new voice, singing, comes from where they are.

If you turned around to look you'll see a woman, who from out of nowhere before your notice, is present and now sauntering towards your friends, singing.

Alric makes a gesture to ward off evil and steps back. He watches Mal's reaction who often has a better sense of people than himself. Quite frankly his is frightened

Round 1

Alric - warding off evil and stepping back, watches Mal for a reaction.
Bright Feather - frowns and says, "it should have worked, this place is very dangerous but we promised to help". Watching warily looking at the guys questions filling her eyes.
Caden -?
Hanalee - ?
Karnath - ?

I'll assumed dazed and confused after the end of the weekend. Let me know otherwise until then!

Old Graveyard, round 1

"The rain is Tess, the fire's Joe,
And they call the wind Moriah..."

She saunters in front of the epitaph and leans back onto the monument. Her hands are behind her, head in a slight upturn, eyes hooded looking straight ahead, distant. Peace plays upon her face, a genuine seeming one.

Alric steps back and makes a gesture to ward off evil.
Mal sniffs in her general direction, cocks his head to the side, then cranes out his neck flaring his nostrils and sniffing deeply. He's still heeding Alric's training.

Does she have anything supernatural in the sense of ghostly about her?

I will use my perception (+4) to see if she is leaving impressions on the ground, is she moving the grass as she walks etc. And still watching Mal for a reaction.

(Alric, you use your Round 2 action to examine her, roll Investigation (INT). You are trying to make sense of your obvious perception.

Mal looked a little surprised when she appeared. His Round 1 action was to sniff at her direction as she came among your group. He seems confused, cocking his head to the side and then craning his neck out, flaring his nostrils, like he wants to disobey your good training to get closer and sniff her in earnest. (If you release Mal's obedience, as a free action, he'll do his own thing. And then I'll roll for Mal's Investigation (INT).)

Nope I like Mal safe but he's not losing it.

I rolled a mighty 9 with no modifier.




"Stay right there Mal til we know what it is!"  Mal shuffles a few feet closer and takes a closer look.

Caden, moves his hand to the hilt of his sword. He pauses to see if he can take in any details of the situation.

Rolled an 18 for investigation or whatever the relevant skill is for figuring out what's going on.

Round 2


Alric - It looks like an adult female human. It sounds like an adult female human. After that new graveyard, though...

Spoiler

She's really into her song. Doesn't seem to pay us mind. How did she get here so fast with no one noticing?

Mal turns to look at you, whimpers once as if from struggling against his curiosity, but heeds your command and gets closer while minding distance. He turns back to face the woman. He's trying to inhale the woman across the distance, you notice.
Bright Feather - ? not responding.
Caden. Hmm...

Spoiler

Yeah, that's an illusion. Good one, though. It's not responding to personal space just right, however.

That and Mal still seems confused, possibly due to lack of scent. Confusing an animal is one thing, but it'd have had its hackles up if it was a stranger thing. But that lack of self-consciousness moving among people is either the sign of the truly forlorn, or an illusion. And the forlorn don't confuse animals like that.

Must have cost a bit to attach one to this large grave monument. You could tune out the illusion now. But from your underworld experience people don't go through this entertaining illusion effort without expecting that it would be heeded. Does not seem like a trap, though.

Hanalee - ? not responding.
Karnath - ? not responding. still on the Main Trail observing the strange new woman approach her friends, singing of all things.

What is everyone doing for Round 3?