The Die is Cast

[at]

"Smell food above?", translates Moriana

[harknail]

Vadania thinks for a moment, decides she doesn't have a problem with the dragon eating dead Khan. So she asks Moriana to translate "We'll get you some food."

Then she asks Neera, "Could you go get one of the Khan bodies?"

Neera looks at the dragon a bit, realizes there isn't going to be a fight, sighs, and responds, "Gotha." The goes to fetch a body.

[at]

The dragon peers after Neera, seemingly trying to track her movement as she clambers up the side of the false pool to begin her short trek out into the desert.

Vadanias impression is that the dragon is of reasonable intelligence but very young, probably lacking any meaningful contact with other species. It seems likely it does not entirely know what it wants or needs beyond an instinct for survival and has little reference for the strength of others beyond its own parent and the food it was brought.

[crazydave]

Brenner isn't sure what to make of this, so he won't act.

[harknail]

Vadania decides to wait until the Dragon has had some food before trying to continue the conversation. Thinking about it, perhaps it would be a good idea to retrieve all the bodies to keep the Khan convinced that the dragon is still alive. But that would mean that they would continue to sacrafice people. She cotinues to ponder the issue while waiting for Neera to return.

[at]

Neera treks out to the edge of the salt flat, pulling a couple of the Khan back past the concerned ex-prisoners before signalling down to Vadania of her return.

Below the dragon has moved little and spoken less, prodding at a few of the items in its nest but keeping its eyes firmly on Vadania.

[at]

(poke - as I know the post notifications are erratic)

[harknail]

Vadania has Neera bring the bodies inside and give them to the dragon. While not fond of seeing humanoids getting eaten, such is the cycle of life. If just left than scalvagers would eat them, the only difference is that she's seeing it happen.

[at]

The dragon cautiously and somewhat awkwardly drags the khan back beneath the cover of the wreckage towards the rear of the cave, and then half nudges and half throws some of the metal weapons and trinkets from the middle towards Vadania. It doesn't appear intent on eating the khan in company nor does it have much of a grasp on value or currency - the value of the items vary greatly in Vadanias estimation. Likely the dragon has no experience of trade.

[crazydave]

An interesting reaction. Perhaps we can try to negotiate for passage?

[harknail]

Vadanial will look over the random items the Dragon offered, to see if there's anything useful. Even if it's not directly useful, it would be worth bringing back to use to restock consumable magic items. Perhaps the Dragon will offer more in exchange for more food. Not that the tiny Dragon could really stop them if they decided to take whatever they wanted, but Vadania just wasn't that greedy.

[at]

Pulling the items out of the magical dampening field she quickly finds that all but one are mundane, and wonders if the dragon itself could even tell the difference within its lair.

While the exact nature of the magical item cannot be quickly determined it is a matched pair of gloves, a greenish leather with gold chains and bars across the top engraved with the symbols of the five magical elements.

[harknail]

Vadania isn't going to complain about the offerings. Instead she will ask (through translation) if the Dragon would like some food.

[at]

"More food? Yes, More food"

[harknail]

Vandania asks, "Neera, could you bring a couple more?"

Neera shugs, "Why not." She then heads out to get a couple more bodies. The baby dragon isn't worth fighting, but maybe if it grows a bit...

[at]

While the dragon may grow it seems to be stashing its new food for now, content to trade bits of its nest that it can't eat for things it can. If the party has ambitions beyond trinkets it appear to be they who hold initiative in this arrangement - though just what can one ask of a baby dragon?

[harknail]

Vadania will ask if they can look and pick what they want in return for more food.

[at]

Though difficult to read Vadania gets a sense of suspicion from the dragon at her words, perhaps wondering if it is being taken advantage of or if its treasure has greater value that it anticipated.

After a moments thought the dragon replies, "one food, one thing. One thing.". The dragon taps at the items before it with its tiny claws, perhaps testing the waters to see what type of item has worth.

[harknail]

Vadania agrees to one thing for each one food they bring if she gets to pick the thing.

The dragons worry that it's being taken advantage of isn't exactly wrong, but it's not exactly right here either. Oh one handle bodies or something the Dragon could easily retrieve for itself after they leave, on the other hand the group could easily kill the Dragon and just take everything. This is a middle ground where the group get some valuable goods to help them fight the demons, in the young Dragon gets to live with a supply of food. Both are getting something valuable to them for something otherwise worthless.

Vadania does hope that she doesn't someday regret letting the little Dragon live to grow up to be a major minutes...

[at]

"Agreed", the tiny dragon pulls back towards a raised collection of broken carts and other debris to gain a vantage point of Vadania as Neera lowers the next Khan body down.


(search and appraise checks are appropriate here - along with an idea of what Vadania is looking for amongst the pile, i.e. weapons, gemstones, spellbooks or scrolls, etc)

Nov 17, 2022 22:34:25 GMT -5 harknail said:

Vadania does hope that she doesn't someday regret letting the little Dragon live to grow up to be a major minutes...

(well you do all qualify for the 'dracon cohort' feat next level )