In the Beginning: Part 2
The Brass and the Green
General Summary
Kail, a tiefling technologist from Irvine was pulled along with the party when Gabe, Snot and Hide were ripped from their previous location to their strange primordial location. Waking a distance away from the other three, he followed at a distance as they were led off by the primitive looking dragonborn and, as the episode begins we pan up on Kail standing outside the dragonborn's cavernous home considering what to do.
Attempting to sneak into the cave and scout the territory, Kail kicked a loose stone in the passageway and the echo in the cavern amplified it. A Draconic speaker, Kail recognized a less developed form of the language being used as a voice called out for "Myal" to go and investigate. Not quick enough to react, Myal caught a glimpse of Kail as he fled back down the tunnel. Desperately searching for a place to hide in the barren terrain, Kail darted behind some scrub, but there simply wasn't enough cover to conceal him and Myal spotted him immediately. Calling on another dragonborn called Kru to come and see the stranger, who they initially took to be a strange form of red dragonborn on account of his horns, never having seen a tiefling before, Kru questioned Kail on his connection to the others and if he could "make fly". Kail communicated that he might be able to make a device to help them fly, and Kru took this to mean that Kail did know the secret of flight.
Meanwhile, in the Red Hole, the others were sealed in when Kral had ordered a boulder rolled across the exit to the side cave, which the party now realized was some sort of shrine/burial chamber also used for ritual sacrifices. Searching for another way out, Hide discovered a rune carved in one corner which she recognized as one often used in tombs to indicate something hidden. Gabe used his Mage Hand ability to explore the corner, finding what appeared to be the outline of a sealed door that was designed to be opened only from the other side.
As they investigated the door, the boulder was rolled back from the entrance by Kru's order as he brought Kail to join the others. Kru seemed indifferent to their anger at being sealed in the Red Hole and completely focused on taking them all to see the "Shaman", who Kral had earlier indicated would come and speak to them when she awoke. Kru, however, seemed to think that they should wake the shaman.
An ensuing argument between Kru and Ashaan, the old shaman of the tribe led to the party telling the dragonborn that they could provide a way to fly with the right resources and a little time. They attempted to get permission to go outside and gather resources, but Kru and Myal insisted on coming along and also indicated that, now night had fallen, it would be safer to wait until morning.
Ashaan declared that, the next day, if Kru could reveal the secret of flying with the help of the strangers, he would be appointed Chieftain of their tribe. If not, then Kral would become Chieftain. Kru led the party to a more private area of the cavern to rest for the night, ejecting Kral from the area which the brass dragonborn had apparently co-opted as his own.
The party, however, wanted to find out more to prepare for the net day rather than immediately settling down, and they called upon Kru, questioning him about their lost power of flight that had apparently died with Kru's father, the former chieftain. Through stilted conversation with Kru they learned that Kru's father had used some form of levitation to monitor the surrounding area and warn the tribe of coming dangers as they hunted and gathered food and materials in their territory. Without these warnings, the tribe had suffered encroachment from beasts and losses that they could ill afford. The party suggested solutions that seemed beyond Kru's grasp, such as watchtowers, but Kru's focus was firmly on the party revealing the secret of magical flight to him.
Switching tactics, the party brought up the secret door in the Red Hole, which Kru was unaware existed. Investigating the side cave once more, they asked Kru where the door might lead to on the exterior. Kru(npc) indicated it would be in the area of a small grove on the hillside with a marker stone. The party, thinking there might be a secret to uncover that would help them the following day, persuaded Kru to lead them to the grove. He said he would since it was close to the safety of the cave, but to stay aware and safe.
The grove consisted of three gnarled and twisted trees, surviving in the hostile environment. At the center was a large boulder marked with Draconic carvings that, in the undeveloped version of the language, Kail was able to translate as either meaning "Tribe Lands" or "Tribe Treasure". Investigating the boulder, they determined that it might be possible to move it by digging around the base and using a spell to dislodge it on the slight slope, allowing it to roll out of the way. More eager to find a secret that might help him than to avoid moving a sacred object to the tribe, Kru was eager to follow this plan and helped the party dig around the base. As they were working, however, Kail caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye, just in time to throw himself flat as a blast of flame engulfed the group. Recovering from the blast, the group turned to see the fleeing figure of a brass dragonborn. While Gabe tended to the wounded, the rest of the party unleashed a devastating volley of ranged weapons and spells at the fleeing figure, with Hide's crossbow bolt striking their attacker in the back and halting his escape.
The blow did not kill the brass dragonborn, quickly recognized by the party as Kral , Kru's leadership rival, but Kru quickly remedied that by driving his spear through Kral's throat, noting that the party could bear witness to Kral having attacked first. Kru proceeded to drag Kral's body back to the tribal cavern.
The party hung back, wishing to investigate the boulder further and finish the job. Dislodging it revealed a tunnel running underneath that emerged under one of the grove trees - presumably how Kral had managed to creep up on them almost unobserved to attack his rival and stop them from revealing the secret of flight. The tunnel ran down to a crude stone door which could be opened by pulling on a hide strap attached to it and it led in to the Red Hole exactly where the party surmised it would. However, the tunnel also ran on past the door to an underground pool.
Using a contraption that Kail manufactured to provide light underwater using his technologist skills, the party discovered that the pool hid an underwater passage that could be swum through and came up in the area of the main tribal cavern that Kral had claimed as his own.
Deciding that the fatigue that some of the party were suffering from needed addressing, the party decided it was time to rest. Taking a brief moment to confirm Kru's story to the tribe, they settled down to rest, unsure of what the next day would bring.
Shortly before dawn, Hide was woken by a tremor coming from her backpack. The cube that had fused to their items had begun to shake and one of the sides was opening slowly, emitting a green light. After a quick debate over whether to flee or stay with the mysterious item, the party watched as the side of the cube opened, emitting a green light and speaking the same words as last time, this time in a whisper, "IRISV WER SJACH. WINID WER CRASCK. HARKT WER XUUTIC" which, Kail was able to translate as "Heal the shadow. Fix the cracks. Right the wrongs."
A butterfly emerged from the box, alighting happily on the Mage Hand that Gabe reached out to grab it. Feeling a strong pull from the box and the whisper becoming louder, the party were suddenly blinded by a green flash. When their vision cleared, they once again found themselves in a new location. The heat and humidity of a new atmosphere hit them and, looking around, they realized they were standing in a clearing of a jungle landscape. The box was closed once more, but on the face that had just opened, a new word had appeared, burned into the cube in the Common Tongue. It simply said "Kru".
Missions/Quests Completed
Influenced the selection of the Green Dragonborn tribe leader.
Kral, Brass Dragonborn Berserker by Rob Taylor
Report Date
20 Feb 2022
Primary Location
Related Plots
Related Characters
Kru, Leader of the Green Dragonborn (The Year of Confusion) by Rob Taylor
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