Chapter Nineteen: The Fate of the Tribe of the Kobolds of the Silver Sun!

[Dannigan]

Captain Hesperus Kaerri jaydude Psychie Sherwood Silanon

Oscar's little black eyes blink and blink in thought as his four furry paws help him swiftly cross the floor and keep up with the rolling crystal ball. Then, with a single hop, he is up on top of the crystal ball, facing opposite the way the ball is traveling, his paws moving with the ball. But little by little, he uses his little paws to alter the crystal ball's momentum by slowly padding in the direction he wants to go.

While this is happening, everyone watching gets a brief but very clear look at something beyond Oscar - it is a seated robed figure with handsome elven male features with his nose in a book while his hands are rubbing some kind of oil along a staff-length piece of glimmering wood. Those who have met him recognize Shalin the Sorcerer.

Spoiler: Special note for Silanon.

Aldrin the Seer, however, feels an odd but highly familiar sensation - the feeling that he would gain from paying attention to both elf and the partially-crafted staff that the elf has buried his attention to.

When Aldrin has received "little pushes" like this, he has done well to listen to them or he has had serious reason for woe when he hasn't. It isn't like the powers at be are saying, "Do this or suffer," but instead a far more compassionate, "Look at this to aid you; there is something here that will help you avoid pain/strife/emotional harm, etc."

Most of all, these feelings have never been wrong. But that does not make them easy to follow along to. In this particular instance, the choice - observe or don't observe - could not be easier. In past instances, Aldrin has had to build up the faith in these feelings from unseen sources. Faith over pride (which nearly all creatures have) or faith over what appear to be facts (which, in all cases of these feelings-from-afar, the "facts" turn out to be something other).

The choice to follow or not these guiding feelings are his and his alone. Which does Aldrin choose? To simply watch the happenings or to observe?

And then the scene is gone as Oscar regains control of the crystal ball, and with care and focus, he begins to guide the ball to wherever it is he is taking it.

All the while he has been listening to (Chaotic Good) Luna explain how the (Good-aligned) Wayward Wanderers have made a promise to "poor" (Lawful Evil-aligned) kobolds to enter the war-struck city of (Lawful Neutral Good) Highwind. His first question - a very logical one, you might agree, given his perspective - is:

"Miss Callen, are you certain you and the rest of the Wayward Wanderers have not been Charmed or otherwise magically coerced?"

 

[Sherwood]

Luna frowns, wondering briefly if Oscar is right. "While it is possible, I highly doubt it. If I were Charmed, it would also have to affect all of the Wanderers, and a paladin of Millekki to boot. These are not the typical evil kobolds that parents use to scare their children when they are bad. They are genuinely good, and are in need of help."

 

[Kaerri]

Spoiler: Kaerri Rainshadow, Shadowdancer

^{Art by Peritwinkle}
Character sheet
Hit Points: 99/99
Armor Class: 27
Touch Armor Class: 17
Shadow Illusion: 3/3
Shadow Call: 2/2
Shadow Jump distance: 80/80 feet
Defensive Roll: 1/1
Rogue Talent Resiliency: 1/1
Stinger -- uses of Slow remaining: 3/3
Charm of Bastet -- uses of Cat's Grace remaining: 1/1
Action Points: 14

Kaerri smiles, not her usual half- (at least) mischievous grin, but a warm, even sisterly smile, at the sight of Shalin. He appeared busy with his staff, but she didn't see any of the signs usually visible when he didn't want to be interrupted, so she called out, "Hi, Shalin!"

As the view shifts away from the gray-elven sorcerer, her more accustomed expression takes over.

"Two -- no, three points to consider, Oscar," she adds to Luna's answer. "Firstly, besides the aforementioned paladin (her name's Alisa, by the way) we've got a full-blooded elf and two half-elves here. Not immune to Charm and such, but pretty darn resistant, especially Oreleth. Second point, even if the spell or whatever got past that, I've got a pretty slippery mind -- and a certain trident who doesn't approve of me being under someone else's control -- so I'm likely to wriggle free sooner or later." She pauses slightly, but decides to leave that ability of Wave's vague, for the moment.

"Thirdly, and the most verifiable on your end: all of these kobolds are the same tribe as the few that were already permitted in Highwind. They're called the Tribe of the Silver Sun, and they want to worship the silver dragon Charmsring. One of those few is with us, actually, his name's Nitwit." She pauses and looks around. If she sees Nitwit in the room, she'll beckon him over to stand next to her. "Gromash knows about 'em, and more to the current point, someone pretty high up must've allowed those few into Highwind in the first place, though I haven't heard who yet. So, there's a sort of precedent now, though I s'pose there's bound to be a difference between three kobolds on specific assignment and fifty-odd kobolds in need of refuge."

 

[Dannigan]

Captain Hesperus jaydude Kaerri Psychie Sherwood Silanon

Luna frowns, wondering briefly if Oscar is right. "While it is possible, I highly doubt it. If I were Charmed, it would also have to affect all of the Wanderers, and a paladin of Millekki to boot. These are not the typical evil kobolds that parents use to scare their children when they are bad. They are genuinely good, and are in need of help."

Oscar listens with care as he walks the crystal ball along with equal care. He speaks as if he is citing facts as opposed to sharing any personal opinion. As always, his voice and inflections are deep and thoughtful-sounding without a hint of judgment.

"Kobolds do more than scare troublesome children; they serve only the most foul of masters. They delight in butchering their enemies which are many, they have made torture an art form among their people, and they especially hate faerie-kind and gnomes, both of whom call Highwind home. (O.O.C. note for Sherwood - At Luna's level of skill in Monster Lore, she has probably heard what Oscar is conveying since she was an acolyte. As far as you know, besides the Kobolds of the Silver Sun, his description fits every kobold Luna has ever read or even heard about - normally, they're diabolical and vicious! Worse than goblins because they are team-oriented, many would say.)

Luna stares at the image in the rolling crystal ball with more than a bit of amusement tinged with vertigo. Trying not to laugh or get dizzy, she says, "Um, friend Oscar, can you lend us your knowledge regarding a small problem we have? We were able to rescue a tribe of kobolds from the tyranny and degradation of a bunch of evil storm giants, but now the tribe has nowhere to call home. Plus we just learned that Highwind has laws preventing these poor guys from entering the city. We have to help them; we promised."

Oscar nods once as if confirming Luna's words. "Indeed, Highwind does possess such laws. I am in a small way partially responsible. I have had a hand in correcting, amending, and updating Highwind's city laws - I agree with nearly all of them."

Kaerri smiles, not her usual half- (at least) mischievous grin, but a warm, even sisterly smile, at the sight of Shalin. He appeared busy with his staff, but she didn't see any of the signs usually visible when he didn't want to be interrupted, so she called out, "Hi, Shalin!"

This causes the Gray Elf to suddenly sit up and look all over Oscar's study! Shadowdancers can be anywhere! Is Kaerri in this very room? Oscar taps the crystal ball as it passes by alerting Shalin to the source of Kaerri's voice. Immediately Shalin brightens! He has just enough time to scribe three joined Elven sigils in the air before the crystal ball rolls onward.

Spoiler: Does your character speak Elvish?

The joined sigils spell out this message: "Sweet greetings, Kaeritha!"

As the view shifts away from the gray-elven sorcerer, her more accustomed expression takes over.

As Kaerri lists her points, Oscar seems to make a mental note of each. Nitwit is called from the kitchen and comes a'running, his little bare reptilian feet smacking against the wood floor of the Wayward Wagon as many of his brethren watch him with anticipation. Silently, he moves up to the crystal ball, peers at it uncertainly, and then waves a greeting with a toothy grin.

As she speaks, his travel on the crystal ball comes to an end as the glassy sphere reaches the edge of a brown and furry, cozy-looking rug. Now that the ball is halted, Oscar hops off and is gone for a moment. He returns with something that looks like a large, thick towel. He listens with this cloth in his little teeth as he walks around the crystal ball and when he is done, it appears the crystal ball is now quite secure from rolling off into bedlam again.

"Agreed, Kaerri. You do not appear to be Charmed. However, begging your pardons, I have but one small test of my own to ask of you. Wave?"

The gold and green trident in Kaerri's hand flares shiny droplets of magical energy briefly in answer.

"What is your prime function?"

Wave's voice is mighty and clear as he righteously exclaims, "Death or disfigurement to all who do not convert to the worship of Poseidon!"

Oscar nods once more and performs an ursine bow. "I am adamantly satisfied; you are certainly under no Charm spell. Wave, I thank you and your exalted deity without whom Sharseya would pass from memory and whose seas add beauty to our entire plane of existence." A new idea seems to strike him.

"Hmm. Oreleth of the Forest Eternal?" he asks for everyone's favorite Arcane Archer. Again, he takes on the tone of one only collecting facts instead of fabrications. "As the leader and highest voice of your party, the Wayward Wanderers, what solid proof have you that these kobolds - to a reptilian - are indeed not vile, malicious, and murderous creatures filled with evil intent?"

As the greatest of Highwind's sages waits patiently for an answer (and hopes for as much evidence in your favor as possible), those little black red panda eyes settle on Kaerri - or rather... something about Kaerri. "Miss Elvenheart," he attempts a joke. "Your hair and eyes are... exceptionally pleasing to gaze upon! Is that a new in-fashion cream you have applied to your entire being... or..." he grins, "have you run afoul of a complication involving a Shapeshift potion, scroll, or the like?"

 

[Psychie]

Hmm. Oreleth of the Forest Eternal?" he asks for everyone's favorite Arcane Archer. Again, he takes on the tone of one only collecting facts instead of fabrications. "As the leader and highest voice of your party, the Wayward Wanderers, what solid proof have you that these kobolds - to a reptilian - are indeed not vile, malicious, and murderous creatures filled with evil intent?"

Oreleth is somewhat taken aback by Oscar's question, but after a moment of reflection, she must confess to herself it is a fair question to ask. She pauses for another moment, trying to think of an answer that is both truthful and will satisfy the wise sage. Finally, she says, "Other than the divine powers of the paladin Alisa to sense evil that we have mentioned to you, I must confess that I have no such proof. I just have a feeling that while some of this bunch of kobolds may not be ready for sainthood, they are not evil to their core or we would not have risked life and limb to save them. I know that this is little to go on, and if in your wisdom you decide it is best for the greater good to turn them away, we will work on our own to try and aid them in finding a new place to call home."

 

[Dannigan]

Psychie

I know that this is little to go on, and if in your wisdom you decide it is best for the greater good to turn them away, we will work on our own to try and aid them in finding a new place to call home."

"Child of Corellon Larethian, it is precisely because it is not my decision that I ask. I can neither take them in nor deny them entry." Oscar takes a paw and pushes back a few whiskers on his face. "I am a sage - I observe, I learn, I question, and I advise. I did not create the laws of my war-torn homeland; I am simply one of many who must abide by them for the good of all within Her walls."

 

[Psychie]

Nodding as if she had expected this, Oreleth says, "I understand that you do not make the laws, but unlike the rest of us, you have a grasp of the laws of the city in such a manner to be able to advise us. What can be done to find these lost souls a home in Highwind? If it cannot be done, do you know a better place that they can go? Somewhere that they will not feel abandoned by us?"

 

[Dannigan]

Somewhere that they will not feel abandoned by us?"

Oscar becomes silent, his soft black eyes blinking as his mind reaches into depths unknown to most with an efficiency and accuracy unknown to nearly all. When he speaks again, it is with overtones of factful hopefulness.

"The one thing I am certain of is I cannot say if my advice will make them feel one way or the other. That is solely for them to decide, and later, act upon. But as for your prior questions, do pardon me if I answer them in reverse order.

"Historically, kobolds run in tribes. If indeed this kobold tribe is diametrically-opposed to the rest of their kind, I believe there are a great many places they cannot go - likely including whence they came. With the war raging on north of Highwind, the long-staying Lizard folk claiming their magicked swamps to Highwind's west, the sinister and remorseless tribes of Erythnul's gnolls south of the city, and the east where Shalin tells me you are is fraught with all manner of danger, including this band of despicable Storm Lord Giants..." his hopeful tones fade. "... I must conclude that there is no place near Highwind that appears safe for them.

Looking past the crystal ball, the tiny furball of a sage begins to ponder aloud. "Returning to your first question, under present circumstances, they cannot be allowed into Highwind proper. Any more than a handful will cause violence in the streets - and why not? Would not the trees of your own Forest Eternal tremble with trouble were the likes of goblins or hobgoblins suddenly seen running through their midst? Good-hearted or not, proof must be found of this claim - just as it was for all of Highwind's non-human residents.

"The wemic tribes, the Highwind minotaurs, the hobbits, the few dwarves and gnomes - all had to provide proof of their love of the city, their willingness to follow its laws, add to its prosperity and defense, and respect for all things inside whether or not they found them to their tastes. And this was during peace-time. With war against Arumgorath's hordes of evil creatures and Highwind's own families, friends, and allies suffering and dying, what sane city could take in creatures widely known for their maliciousness and hate?

"Thus, it appears you have three options at the moment - or more if you can create them.

"The first? Allow me time to look further into this matter. The wisdom and knowledge inside the volumes I keep memorized are sometimes updated or changed without my knowledge. If I can find a suitable solution, I will. But - as a matter of courtesy and foundation - you must ask this of me or someone else who has my trust.

"This second possibility may be of some inconvenience. Keep the kobold tribe with you in your magical wagon until such a time that you can find them a suitable realm to live.

"This third option, I imagine, is far more daunting. Find them a safe home somewhere in Shandra's Evergreen - some place either abandoned, forgotten, or somehow undiscovered by the eyes and ears of the majority of forest-dwellers both sentient and primal." Oscar stands up on his hind legs. He places his paws on the glass and inquisitively peers into the crystal ball, his red, black, and white fur making him look ridiculously bowl-shaped, but this in no way "pawses" his efforts. He nods politely to Mamapaw, the massive Felane Druidess being easy to spot. He continues looking. "That you have this particular Mielikkian with you is to your benefit, except... hold! What is this before me? Or rather... whom?

Oscar's beady bear-eyes stop and stare at one in your company. His whiskers move this way and that as he fidgets in thought. With great curiosity, he bows to Alisa, his words marching along slowly and clearly. jaydude "Pardon me, miss. But might you be... Lady Paladin Alisa Virtanen of Highwind, sole daughter of Emilia the Gem-cutter and Jarmo the Provider? The one-woman force that the Highwind Rangers say relentlessly hounds Loviatar's foul ilk and who is currently in the good graces of the Maiden of the Forest?

"If so," he glances to Oreleth and adds with hope, "the circumstances surrounding your third option have altered considerably for the better!"

 

[jaydude]

Oscar's beady bear-eyes stop and stare at one in your company. His whiskers move this way and that as he fidgets in thought. With great curiosity, he bows to Alisa, his words marching along slowly and clearly. jaydude "Pardon me, miss. But might you be... Lady Paladin Alisa Virtanen of Highwind, sole daughter of Emilia the Gem-cutter and Jarmo the Provider? The one-woman force that the Highwind Rangers say relentlessly hounds Loviatar's foul ilk and who is currently in the good graces of the Maiden of the Forest?

"If so," he glances to Oreleth and adds with hope, "the circumstances surrounding your third option have altered considerably for the better!"

"I am indeed the daughter of Emilia and Jarmo," Alisa replied, bowing her head towards Oscar in a gesture of respect. "And I have indeed worked with the Highwind Rangers against the agents of Lovitair in the past, and I like to believe I do Mielikki justice with my service to her."

 

[Dannigan]

"Divine providence," he murmurs. Oscar becomes lost in thought, his furry paws crossed, his big fluffy tail hardly moving from side to side. When he breaks from his reverie, you can see a smile on his fuzzy face as he switches tones to speak more from his heart than his mind.

"Ah, of all of the gem and glass-cutters in our mountain city, I trust only your mother with my array of crystalline objects. Indeed, it was her hands that restored and polished these very crystal globes from which we communicate. Magical item care for gem and jewels often requires a precise eye and highly-skilled hands to ensure proper angles and the like; I enjoy sending my colleagues directly to your mother when their own gem-cutters fail to, ah, hmm, 'make the grade,' shall we say."

"As for your third option. Oreleth?" the red panda looks in her direction and begins to pantomime. "There is only one 'treestump on the path' in my plan. You will require a drinking vessel, the more rare the design the better, preferably crafted of some material meant to ward off evil. You will need this for a certain... collector not far from your 'neck of the woods' of Shandra's Evergreen. Have you such?"

While you are talking, Bria giggles quietly as she stares at Oscar - or rather, his cute and soft fur. "Fuzzy belly!" she whispers. "He is so cuuute!" Her hands begin to twitch in the desire to pet the owner of the greatest analytical mind in all of Highwind. Your Healer may have a medical condition - in her own brain.

 

[Silanon]

Aldrin, the halfling seer, observes - quietly, he watches the scene unfold both in this room and the one seen through highly advanced magic. He pays attention to his new companions as they speak, react, and ponder; and he does his best to pick up on any detail that he can notice of both Oscar and the other man. One does not ignore the hunches of fate; not if one is blessed with the gifts to act upon them, like he is.

But there is also more to be done than to simply observe - he speak up before the talk can change its course completely away from where his words might matter. "One more thing should be mentioned to do the kobolds justice - I can vouch for their willingness to help a lost stranger, and offer hospitality with no ill intents. That alone will not suffice to make them welcome anywhere; but it might make any efforts feel more worthwhile. As for a 'drinking vessel' - I'm not sure if my hjosts here have such a thing. But if not, I'm certain we'll manage to find one."