Heroica RPG - Quest#102: Debts

[StickFig]

Matthias takes one look at the big snake and jumps behind Purpearl. "We want you gone, and we want to pass through this archway." Apparently the fright of the snake sobered him up impressively. The ranger turns to Ruffers and the Pig and whispers loudly through his teeth. "Sheesh, you two couldn't be quiet? And where did that frog go?" Peeking out from behind Purpearl but definitely not looking at the snake, he says to the party, "What do we think? I've asked that slimy thing to vacate the area but there's no guarantee it will and that frog wants it dead..." He leaves the implications hanging but surreptitiously begins to dribble powder into his cannon.

Edited June 15, 2014 by nstickney

[Purpearljellyblob]

Matthias takes one look at the big snake and jumps behind Purpearl. "We want you gone, and we want to pass through this archway." Apparently the fright of the snake sobered him up impressively. The ranger turns to Ruffers and the Pig and whispers loudly through his teeth. "Sheesh, you two couldn't be quiet? And where did that frog go?" Peeking out from behind Purpearl but definitely not looking at the snake, he says to the party, "What do we think? I've asked that slimy thing to vacate the area but there's no guarantee it will and that frog wants it dead..." He leaves the implications hanging but surreptitiously begins to dribble powder into his cannon.

Matthias gave Purpearl a sudden jolt of surprise as he darted behind her. Instinctively, she steadies herself and extends one of her arms in an attempt to protect Matthias.

"We can either kill it outright, or get it to tell us useful information before we set it free*"

*Also means killing it

[Chromeknight]

Nerwen continued, trusting that she could speak diplomatically for the party.

<We seek the favour of Hissvetia, we seek the passage through her domain, through the dark and the underground, into the building above. Will you grant us passage?>

Edited June 15, 2014 by Chromeknight

[StickFig]

*Also means killing it

<We seek the favour of Hissvetia, we seek the passage through her domain, through the dark and the underground, into the building above. Will you grant us passage?>

Matthias looks at Calmcacil quizically. "So, are we doing this peaceful or murder?" he queries, hoping none of the animals will catch his tone. "Master Russel thinks that frog's word was good enough, but I'm not especially fond of just crushing that..." the gnome shivers, and not from cold, "that slithering viper. I could probably be convinced, though," the ranger adds with another wide-eyed glance at the Hissvetian.

Edited June 15, 2014 by nstickney

[Chromeknight]

I would rather extract as much cooperation as possible without the threat of killing. Especially if this tunnel proves difficult to navigate or is guarded by more than a single snake. It has been my experience that violence will happen if it is meant to, few are the opportunities to avoid conflict.

Nerwen spoke gently, adding

Also, snakes are not slimy, they are smooth and dry to the touch. But slithery I will grant you.

Edited June 15, 2014 by Chromeknight

[StickFig]

Also, snakes are not slimy, they are smooth and dry to the touch. But slithery I will grant you.

Matthias simply shudders.

[Purpearljellyblob]

Seeing Matthias shiver in fear, Purpearl pulls out her wand in readiness, wavering it stealthily at the snake.

"Don't worry, Matthias, you're with us. As long as we create a controlled environment with plenty of positive reinforcements, your fear of snakes will be nullified before you know it."

[Zepher]

Matthias takes one look at the big snake and jumps behind Purpearl. "We want you gone, and we want to pass through this archway." Apparently the fright of the snake sobered him up impressively. The ranger turns to Ruffers and the Pig and whispers loudly through his teeth. "Sheesh, you two couldn't be quiet? And where did that frog go?" Peeking out from behind Purpearl but definitely not looking at the snake, he says to the party, "What do we think? I've asked that slimy thing to vacate the area but there's no guarantee it will and that frog wants it dead..." He leaves the implications hanging but surreptitiously begins to dribble powder into his cannon.

"I always attempt to draw out my foes in such a manner! There is no honor in a stab in the back!"

"It's just a snake," says XX mildly, with a sneer, as Matthias hops around in a terrified manner. "I thought you were a big bad cannon wielding gnome."

"I will not jusssssst leave. Thisssssss isssssss my home. Why sssssssshould I go? Who am I harming?"

Nerwen continued, trusting that she could speak diplomatically for the party.

<We seek the favour of Hissvetia, we seek the passage through her domain, through the dark and the underground, into the building above. Will you grant us passage?>

"I cannot sssssspeak on Hissvetia's behalf, sssssssshe is a goddesssssss and I am a mere sssssssnake. But if you are brave enough to crawl through the darknesssssssss I will not ssssssstop you. Thissssss issssss my home, but it isssssss anyone'ssssss land. I believe that Olegia belongsssssss to all." The snake stops for a moment. "The gnome hassssss threatened me. I do not wisssssssh to retaliate, but it doesssssss remind me. A frog named Ssssssssir Peter the Sssssssolid hasssss found me at my home and hasssssss harasssssed me for dayssssss. If you can make him promisssssssse to leave me alone, passssssage issssss yoursssssss. I do not like violence. I have not fought him sssssave for sssssself defenssssse, and even that makesssss me ssssssad. I cannot get him out of the area, but I want him gone sssssso I may live in peace."

[StickFig]

"The gnome hassssss threatened me..."

Matthias is indignant. "I've threatened you?!" he exclaims. "It seems the snake will let us pass, on condition we rid it of Sir Peter the Solid," he says to the others. "We can either find the frog and make him promise to leave, or make the slimy slithering menace leave."

Edited June 15, 2014 by nstickney

[Purpearljellyblob]

"It seems the snake will let us pass, on condition we rid it of Sir Peter the Solid," he says to the others. "We can either find the frog and make him promise to leave, or make the slimy slithering menace leave."

Purpearl shakes her head in disappointment, at the lack of mutual understanding in the party. She flips her wand as she speaks,

"I thought this was an easy decision for us to make, let's take a vote. Alexis, Matthias, Nerwen."

Edited June 16, 2014 by Purpearljellyblob

[Chromeknight]

Nerwen nods

You are right that we should decide this together.

The snake has not offered violence or evil. We have only Sir Peter's word that it is. Sir Peter will simply need to return to his order and report failure, I will not kill the snake without better reason than 'a frog said to'.

Nerwen sides with the snake.

[Masked Builder]

"The snake doesn't want violence, so I'm with him." Alexis is with the snake.

[Purpearljellyblob]

"Let's not forget Sir Peter the Solid did us a favour by leading us here, it's natural that we should return it. Let's not bite the hand that feeds us shall we? Besides, I don't trust a snake that dwells in our enemy's lair."

Purpearl's with Sir Peter the Solid.

Edited June 16, 2014 by Purpearljellyblob

[StickFig]

Matthias looks disgustedly one more time at the snake, but says simply, "I don't know the frog, and I don't know the snake, and our errand is only to get past that archway and into the mansion. I abstain from the decision." The gnome shudders once more, wanting to simply get on and pass out of sight of the frightening serpent. "Should we ask 'XX', Master Russel, and Sir Pigley, or keep this between the Heroicans?" he whispers to Purpearl, almost as an afterthought.

[Purpearljellyblob]

Matthias looks disgustedly one more time at the snake, but says simply, "I don't know the frog, and I don't know the snake, and our errand is only to get past that archway and into the mansion. I abstain from the decision." The gnome shudders once more, wanting to simply get on and pass out of sight of the frightening serpent. "Should we ask 'XX', Master Russel, and Sir Pigley, or keep this between the Heroicans?" he whispers to Purpearl, almost as an afterthought.

Purpearl whispers back, at the same time giving him some encouragement,

"C'mon Matthias, make it count. Tell you what, we'll fight the snake if you say so and take the tunnel by force. If not, we'll enter the tunnel peacefully."

[StickFig]

Matthias, clearly not excited about being put on the spot, gives Berthadhiell a wry look. The gnome ponders for a second, shaking his head as if to clear any lingering alcoholic effects, and looks around a second time to see if Sir Peter has shown up again. Not seeing the frog, he resigns himself to a decision. "You know how I feel about that wriggly nightmare," Math shudders, "and I don't feel good about breaking our word with Sir Peter, but he didn't even come with us. Let's leave the snake in peace."

Turning to Nerwen, the ranger says, "As a fellow paladin, do you have influence to ensure Sir Peter does retire from this mission?"

Edited June 16, 2014 by nstickney

[Purpearljellyblob]

Matthias, clearly not excited about being put on the spot, gives Berthadhiell a wry look. The gnome ponders for a second, shaking his head as if to clear any lingering alcoholic effects, and looks around a second time to see if Sir Peter has shown up again. Not seeing the frog, he resigns himself to a decision. "You know how I feel about that wriggly nightmare," Math shudders, "and I don't feel good about breaking our word with Sir Peter, but he didn't even come with us. Let's leave the snake in peace."

"Alright then, the party has spoken, Alexis, Matthias and Nerwen will proceed into the tunnel while I remain out here to deal with the snake. I'll play catch up later."

"I'm joking."

Kneeling down beside Matthias, Purpearl gently pats his back,

"It certainly weighs on me that I've to disappoint Sir Peter, but such is life."

Standing up,

"Now will someone do the honours and break the good news to the snake?"

[StickFig]

Matthias turns red as Purpearl pats him. "I'm a gnome, not a child," he says sullenly. "Even if I don't like snakes," he mutters.

Turning back to the coiling vermin, the ranger steels himself and screws up his courage. He steps out in front of the party. "Snake," he begins, the struggle apparent in his voice, "we will do all in our power to ensure Sir Peter bothers you no further, but we cannot promise that he or others of his order will not return when we are gone. Will you now allow us passage through this arch?"

[Zepher]

"What exactly are we debating? I've seen Heroicans murder humans left and right, but as soon as a snake and frog get into a disagreement there's a vote?" XX chuckles. "Some people."

"Russel Ruffers is not one to break his word, and now we've promised the snake one thing and Sir Peter another! I'm beginning to suspect we can't uphold both promises... I hope you know what you're doing, heroes!"

"The blind are leading the blind."

The snake speaks up.

"I will allow you passssssssage, yesssssssssssss. But you will have to deal with the frog for me. Will you do thisssssssss now, or after you have emerged?"

Edited June 16, 2014 by Zepher

[StickFig]

The ranger frowns as the 'extras' start to pipe up behind him - I knew this would happen, he thinks to himself. He turns his head back to the others, keeping the despised reptile in his peripheral vision.

Ignoring 'XX', Matthias addresses Ruffers and Pigley. "So what would you have me do? The snake is asking us the same favor Sir Peter did - each one wants us to remove the other. Are the Frog Paladins higher in your eyes than the rest of Orrik's creation? Do you have a good reason to pick sides? I wish you would tell me if you do."

"We can go through," the gnome translates for Fenral and Berthadhiell, ", but the serpent wants to know when we are going to deal with Sir Peter - before or after our errand in the mansion. What should I tell it? How are we going to deal with him?" he asks Purpearl.

Edited June 20, 2014 by nstickney

[Zepher]

"I don't turn down a fight!" exclaims the crab, "But I also don't attack the weak or peaceful. I have no quarrel with the snake, except I heard us promise that we'd attack him, for Sir Peter, and I never break a promise so I think we should attack the snake, but only if the snake attacks first! But it won't if we go deal with Sir Peter. But in that case we're kind of breaking our word. And I don't break my word, unless I have a very good reason to." Russel Ruffers is clearly entirely unsure of what to do, and is talking in circles. Pigley snorts at Matthias and at his friend.

"Morality, ethics - they're too high of concepts for me. I don't care what we do." He snorts again. "I believe in believing in things, either. I believe that people who do always end up breaking what they stand for anyway." He snorts a third time. "But I don't like fighting if I don't have to, and the snake doesn't want to fight, so I don't want to fight it. If Peter doesn't want to fight either, I won't fight him, and if he does, I guess I'll have to."

[StickFig]

Matthias wholeheartedly agrees with the crab, and halfheartedly agrees with the pig, but can't really see a good way out. Thanks, QM! Exasperated with indecision and tired of dealing with the vile snake, he makes a decision without waiting for further input. "Snake," he says, "we will deal with the frog if and when we return from our mission inside. It is the best we can offer, since we are limited in time and there is no way for us to find the frog again unless he comes to us. We are ready to go through now, if you will allow us."

To the other Heroicans, he says, "I've promised we'll deal with the frog once our task inside is complete. I didn't say what 'deal with the frog' meant, so I hope that someone," he looks pointedly at Calmcacil, then Fenral, then Berthadhiell, and finally at 'XX' for good measure, "can figure out a way for us to do so. For now, I want to go through and we can figure this out later."

[Purpearljellyblob]

"What exactly are we debating? I've seen Heroicans murder humans left and right, but as soon as a snake and frog get into a disagreement there's a vote?" XX chuckles. "Some people."

"Heh. That's not surprising, but a team isn't made out of one." Purpearl winks.

"We can go through," the gnome translates for Fenral and Berthadhiell, ", but the serpent wants to know when we are going to deal with Sir Peter - before or after our errand in the mansion. What should I tell it? How are we going to deal with him" he asks Purpearl.

To the other Heroicans, he says, "I've promised we'll deal with the frog once our task inside is complete. I didn't say what 'deal with the frog' meant, so I hope that someone," he looks pointedly at Calmcacil, then Fenral, then Berthadhiell, and finally at 'XX' for good measure, "can figure out a way for us to do so. For now, I want to go through and we can figure this out later."

"Conditions after conditions. That's a nice preview of who we're dealing with." Purpearl folds her arms in annoyance, and continues. "You know, we can always kill it and then convince ourselves that the snake tried to attack us first. It's all subjective. I find the snake's constant hissing a threat to my own personal safety, is it justifiable for me to adopt preemptive measures and attack it in the name of self defence?"

[StickFig]

Matthias rolls his eyes, but awkwardly, as he doesn't want to let the snake out of sight. "Let's just go through, already."

[Zepher]

OoC: I need a final call from you, Purpearl! I know Matthias said you moved forward and you'd deal with Peter later, but you get the final say. Do you want to attack the snake, go talk to Peter, go into the Mansion, throw Pigley into a lake to see if he'll float? Please bold the party's next move, and we'll be on our way!