Chapter 2: A Shining Pillar of Deception

Alterith looks at Krytox, obviously confused. "Me don't know who sea dogs are, but we come from the land so I don't think we are friends of theirs?" He says this quietly to Krytox, keeping his voice low so the swamplord 40' away will have a lot of difficulty hearing them.

Skythar's head is spinning from the loss of blood in battle. While he has staunched the wound and cleaned his wounds, the loss of blood (not to mention the probable numerous broken ribs and other ailments) has him in shock. A few moments ago, he was feeling fine, but as the adrenaline wears off, he finds himself drifting in and out mentally. He vaguely notices that the others are talking to him, but doesn't seem to be able to muster the energy to respond. The lizardfolk on the dune also says something, but Skythar doesn't seem to care. For now, all he wants to do is close his eyes and rest. However, he struggles to stay standing and stoic, as he knows that any sign of weakness may be the catalyst for an attack from the enemy.

ooc: The lizardfolk scout is less than 40 feet away, fyi. In any case, I'll keep the story going.

The group continues glance around suspiciously, hands on the hafts of their weapons, for any sign of other lizardfolk in the area. However, there's no indication that an ambush of any kind is being staged. The reptilian scout, seeing that the group has not yet attacked nor acted aggressively, approaches them slowly, not fully trusting, but not hostile either.

Prolonged interaction with the scout reveals, through her hisses and guttural clicks, that her small tribe has inhabited these portions of the peninsula for many years, well before the Kojars (the lighthouse family) arrived. Despite the general disdain that monstrous humanoids have for the softer humans, the Kojars made every effort to remain in good graces with the lizardfolk, regularly giving them gifts and food and trading with them. They built up a decent relationship with the lizardfolk, which has caused some confusion among the reptilians recently as to what has happened to the family, as they have not been seen for several weeks now.

The lizardfolk scout explains further that foreigners - hostile beings she nor her tribe have seen before - have invaded the peninsula via the water, and have been lurking about the vicinity, around the lighthouse and the peninsula in general. They've done a lot to stir up the various denizens of the swampland, inciting many of the local troglodyte groups and other monsters to increase their raids against the nearby human town (Seawell).

"Youuussa not sssea doggsss..." hisses the lizardfolk scout in conclusion. She reaches into one of the pouches encircling her waist with the calm, deliberate movements of a reptile, and produces paint-dipped fingers. She slowly reaches for them. "Mark of frrriend," she explains, her tongue producing various clicks as she speaks. She places her other hand over her scaly chest. "Frrriennd of triiibe... triiibe no attaack frrriend." Seeing the group's momentary hesitation, the scout bends over to the ground and traces four stick figures in the sandy ground, then dabs her paint-dipped fingers on each of them. "Lighthouuuusee familyyy frrrriends toooo," she explains.

She puts more paint on her fingers, then gestures to them to draw near so that she can mark them as allies. "Quicklyyyyy," she urges.

Sensing no eminent danger at the moment, Squin decides to follow the reptilian instructions and starts to move forward. After a few steps, the aches and pains in his body causes him to pause. Without any detectable threat his injuries start to scream louder. . Pausing to take a deep breath, Squin moves forward again, this time more gingerly hoping his reduced speed does not anger the reptilian.

"Seem ok," Krytox says quietly back to Alterith, his mood noticeably changed since yelling at the halfling. After hearing the reptilian's response regarding the seadogs, he makes up his mind and begins to approach her. His gait was cautious as he was not fully sure what to expect, but this smaller Swamplord seemed to be genuine.

"We were not sure if you could be trusted, sorry for misleading you. We just want to check on the lighthouse. What happened to the family? Who are the seadogs and what is their business here?" He yearns to ask more questions, taking joy in his native language, but he leaves it at that to start. No sense in overwhelming her, nor in revealing too much of their mission here in these obviously less traveled parts.

Seeing that Krytox does not fear the lizard, Alterith steps forward to receive his mark of friendship. He still does not trust her, but at the same time, the closer he is, the more likely he can cut off her head before she can harm him. Hopefully she will be true to her word and perhaps even lead them onward. He leaves the talking to Krytox, though he continues to watch for any sign of betrayal.

Sense Motive:+0

Random number (1,20) :

4

The lizardfolk scout turns her beady eyes on Krytox. "You are here to find the human family as well, then? We do not know what has befallen them. The foreigners' goals are unknown to us, their behavior strange."

As Squin slowly approaches the reptilian, her painted claws deftly grasp for the centaur's shoulders, drawing a simple, yet intricate pattern, a flowing sigil with sharp edges.

"These foreigners dwell off the water's edge, hiding in the brushland near the family's bright beacon home. They create fires, disrupting the ways of the land, and have created a tower. This tower shines with a light that once belonged to the family."

Next is Krytox himself, who notes that the lizardfolk scout is taller than first thought in the distance - she merely reaches straight forward to his shoulders, though his are somewhat broader. However, the underlost knows that the day is coming soon when he will truly become one of his people, tall and powerful in stature. He can feel it in his tingling bones that rest free from the perpetual weariness of his homeland's bleak environs.

"Small bands of foreigners roam throughout these parts, protecting their camp. However," the lizardfolk scout hisses a grin, "these sea dogs cannot tell tooth from claw, and have not been able to stop us from disturbing them as much as they have us, if not more."

Next is Skythar, then Alterith. The lizardfolk scout looks down at the halfling's strong, stern visage, her beady eyes unblinking. As she paints these marks, she continues conversing with Krytox, though anyone versed in the dragon's tongue can understand despite the differences in tone and inflection.

"Recently, the sea dogs have taken seafaring vessels and their spoils. Every day, those of them who remain in their encampment look through the spoils, moving it here and there and back again. That is all I know, as we do not wish to approach the bright beacon home - it is defended by foreign magic."

The lizardfolk scout notes the ominous, black-cloaked one standing before her now - the dracen, Rasa. She hears, not sees, his scowl beneath his hooded cowl, and almost makes out unblinking red eyes. Curious, though unfazed, she shrugs mentally and goes about her business. Rasa tenses slightly as her clawed hands make contact with the folds of his cloak draped over his shoulders, deepening his scowl. But like the shorter barbarian, he allows her to continue her deft motions.

At last, she is done marking the group. Behaving as a true member of her kind, the lizardfolk scout does not bother moving away to a more comfortable distance before continuing interacting with them, addressing to the entire group right in front of Rasa. The dracen growls softly and moves away to a distance he is more comfortable with. She arches her head.

"Neverrrr ssseen youssa kindsss in thisss lannd beforrre...." she hisses at most of the group. "Foreignerrrsss tooo? Travellerrrsss? But..." she points a clawed finger at Krytox, "yousssen speeak our tonnnngue..." She cuts short her confusionwith a quick whip-like snap of her head to the side, as though shaking it off, as if to say, 'no matter.'

"My trrribe continuuesss the hunnnt," she says as a farewell, and then she is off into the yellow grasses and trees.

The sight of his own kind on this plate had startled him, putting him on edge. Now that she left, Skythar visibly relaxes, and with that, almost falls to the ground. The exhaustion has almost gotten the better of him.

"we should sssset camp sssssoon... ssssssun going down..." he manages to say before collapsing on the spot. Clearly, he will not be able to move much farther without treatment or rest.

Krytox grunts in agreement with the smaller lizardman's statement. As battled hardened as he is, he feels very fatigued as well and could use some rest. The healing potion had done the most immediate job, which was to revive him, but it did not rejuvenate him to full capacity. His surface wounds were sealed, but the internal damagel the crocodilians had done was taking its toll on the exhausted Underlost. The trek had been trying at best and near disastrous at worst and as he looked around he could tell at least Squin and Skythar were in the same boat. The deep red hue of the dried blood on the party was telling of their travels through the swamp, though thankfully that appeared to be over for the time being.

"Need rest before more walk," he says to no one in particular. He looks around their immediate area for a suitable place, while saying, "Need spot for camp."

Sluggishly Squin starts looking around for a suitable place to camp. Mind distracted by his limbs still hurting from that one massive hit back in the swamp, he fails to find anything. Rather, he fails to notice any suitable place. Not sure what to do next, he decides to look for a fellow group member and just follow them.

Watching the lizardfolk depart with a shake of his head, Alterith tunes in on what the group is saying. A completely baffled look crosses his face. "Why we need find camping spot? Lighthouse right there." He points to the lighthouse not 200 yards away. "We walk 5 minutes and be there. Not that tired are you? It be easily defended if something hostile comes around. Only 1 door, and unlikely anyone will scale it to come from above."

He turns to Krytox with a questioning look on his face. "She speak your language, she tell you there danger inside lighthouse? If so, we have been seen and there is no time like go time to engage 'em. 1 day for them to get help and prepare for us seems stupid to me." He waits for an answer before assisting the injured members to the lighthouse nearby.

Looking simply to rest, Krytox ponders what the halfling just said. If there was no one at the lighthouse and if they were able to get in easily, it would make their night much easier and likely safer. Though, were the risks of those "ifs" worth the reward?

"She say enemy at edge water. Not say if they in lighthouse." Krytox looks at the rest of the party, trying to determine if they would be up for a conflict, even if it were a mere skirmish. He felt good enough for the time being, but knew his strength wouldn't hold out for long in a battle. "Maybe we try. Should scout first? Make sure no one there?"

Squin stares blankly for a second. "Yeah" he starts slowly, "the lighthouse is a good idea if its unoccupied. Maybe we can find some clues about what happened to the uh .... what's their name ... er. .. the residents. A scout is a good idea too to scope out the situation at the lighthouse without unnecessarily risking the injured. "

"Good, glad we agree. You help 'em I go look around."

After making sure the others are capable of making it, Alterith shoulders his axe and begins the short run to the lighthouse. He doesn't bother concealing himself, but just heads in a direct route to the lighthouse. He is careful to watch the windows and the surrounding land for any signs of watchers. He stays as far from cover as possible to force any assailants into revealing themself. When he arrives at the lighthouse he knocks loudly on the door and hails the inhabitants.

Spot:

Random number (1,20) :

13

Listen:

Random number (1,20) :

6

Little but stout halfling legs carry the barbarian across the sand-coated yellow-green grasses. Alterith surveys his surroundings as he strides - there are many large bushes and clumps of trees that, while they couldn't conceal anything of army proportions, could definitely hide small groups of people. Alterith stops at the grove of trees, if only momentarily, and looks up at the top of the lighthouse peaking up above the treeline, its base and the shoreline beyond it concealed by this wooded area. He glances to his left, and sees that strange structure that the pirates erected, less than a hundred yards from the lighthouse, and a little bit shorter - a hastily-erected scaffolding of wooden planks and bits and pieces of other heres-and-theres.

Proceeding into the small grove to make his way to the lighthouse entrance to determine just what is happening... [See PM, Alterith.]

ooc: Everyone, make a Listen check.

The group rests for a moment, gathering their strength, as Alterith scouts ahead, disappearing into the grove of trees and light wooded areas up ahead. They make sure to find an area that is more sloped so that they won't be so apparent to any patrolling creatures in the area.

ooc: I'm continuing to run things with Alterith in the trees, so roleplay openly here. I'll post back when things develop.

Grateful for the chance to rest, Squin plops down unceremoniously. Closing his eyes, he feels out his various limbs and focuses on the parts that are sore. Carefully he stretches them out into a more comfortable position. As he focuses his attention inwards, he outward perception fades. The noises around him grow silent as the enjoys the feeling of relief slowly creeping up his limbs.

Listen: 1 + 6 = 7

The group continues to rest, as they wait for Alterith. But the moments stretch into seconds, the seconds, into uneasy minutes. A light shadow descends over the land - looking up, they see large blotches in the sky, and know that somewhere above, worlds beyond theirs abound. Each becomes momentarily lost in their own, as they gaze upward. What brought them this far? What have they gotten themselves into? Where is Alterith?

So many questions, so few answers. The land around them seems restless - reeds sway impatiently in the wind that is at once stifling hot but cooled by the shore, and the trees lean to and fro gently. Beyond the grove of trees and the clusters of large wild bushes, the lighthouse and accompanying wooden structure rise above the treeline, as if beckoning to them.

ooc: Everyone who is resting here make Spot checks.

Spot: 17 + 6 = 23

Squin closes his eyes during this chance to rest. Feeling a littler better, he opens his eyes as his curiosity of his surroundings grow. He looks over at the lighthouse and studies it. After a while Squin shifts his attention to the trees and shrubbery as they dance in the wind. Momentarily captivated by the dancing greenery, he starts down memory lane recalling the events that lead them here. It seems like a nice spot for some rest and recreation, but the dangers of the swamp quickly come flooding back. Suddenly, he remembers that they're waiting for the halfling to scout out the lighthouse before they decide where to set up camp. Realizing that it has been a while, he turns and looks back at the lighthouse again. Seeing nothing initially, he glances around in a full circle. He registers nothing yet, but something is bugging him regarding this latest visual scan of his. Maybe its just a figment of his imagination, or maybe there is something out there that he needs to make sense of. Taking a deep breath and summoning more energy trying to force himself into being more alert, he makes another visual scan.

The massive lizardman lets his body thud to the ground as he drops to a sitting position. A small puff of dust is kicked up around him and the grass is immediately flattened under his weight. He keeps his weapons close at hand as he is acutely aware that they stick out like a sore thumb with so little cover. Individually they might be able to hide, but with and Underlost and centaur - among others - they really had no hope of staying well concealed. His aching muscles were thankful for the reprieve. The toll the swamp had taken on the party had been severe, nearly losing multiple party members, not to mention himself.

His mind wanders as exhaustion settles in completely. Visions of the crocodilians' orange-tinged eyes, the mist that enveloped the chasm when facing Holg, haunted his waking visions. Krytox idly stretched, finding a more comfortable position as he pondered the presence of the smaller bodied Swamplord they had just encountered. His hand extended to trace the symbol she had painted on him. For a species not known for their intellect, it was surely an amusing sight to see an Underlost so deep in thought. Eventually the thoughts subsided as he realized how much time had passed. It didn't feel that long, but the ominous breeze and swaying of trees seemed to bring Alterith's absence back to mind. Looking out toward the lighthouse and makeshift tower he tries to spot the Halfling, all the while scanning the perimeter. A sense of worry starts to creep over him in this foreign land.

Spot: 10 + 3 = 13

Even though Alterith has only been gone for a several small minutes, the mounting pressure of each second spent without the barbarian grows on the group, who is well aware of the potential danger they are in. Their still, seemingly peaceful surroundings seem only to accent the mounting tension as the discomfort grows.

Glancing toward the lighthouse and the wooden structure both protruding from the top of the treeline in the distance like two towers*, the group can't make out any movement from the various guard platforms established on the wooden platform - the lighthouse itself features slit-shaped windows that would require one with sharper vision than theirs to penetrate the narrow field of view and the darkness within.

* - I had to. Haha. Everyone but Alterith, make percentile rolls in OOC, please.

"Ah man!" Squin starts aloud for those around him to hear. "Am I dreaming or did the halfling find some trouble again?" He points over towards the lighthouse, "It seems there are some guards around the lighthouse area and they're all pointing down at the base of the lighthouse. Do they know we're here? I'm not sure I'll be able to much in a fight. Hmm ... wonder if Alterith decided to take them on on his own knowing that I..." glancing around quickly before continuing, " and some of us may not be able to do much. Before we reveal positions and wander into the fray, what do you guys make of the situation? Is the halfling on top of things or in hot water?

Unsure of what to do, Skythar pulls out his bow slowly, knowing that in an all out battle, he would surely perish. However, not completely willing to abandon his newfound allies, he waits uncertainly, bow in hand, waiting for someone to make a move.

The thought of shedding his armor crosses his mind, as he would be virtually invisible to the untrained eye. However, he decides against it, if only because it will take too much effort.

Displaying a more human trait, Krytox rolls his eyes as he realizes the potential trouble the halfling had caused. Was it the best idea to have a barbarian do the sneaking? Bah, even the damn elf would have been a better choice and he can't be trusted!

"Maybe we go help. Alterith not need help, but maybe. Can sneak to him? Maybe elf and Skythar sneak behind for help? We go to front? What you think?" Krytox says, as he finds himself in the foreign arena of being the planner. His rambling stops with his last question, waiting for the input of others before proceeding.