Chapter 4 - The Plight of the Refugees
"There are children here, you fool!" Zevlor shouted in Aradin's face as the party approached. He had obviously rushed down off the wall to confront the adventurers before they could retreat too far into the grove.
Aradin was equally outraged. "We was runnin' for our lives."
"You led them straight to us. And you let them take the druid, too. Unbelievable!" Zevlor was obviously about to tear Aradin apart with his hands.
Kaedyn quickly rushed forward to try to defuse the situation. "One fight just ended, and now you're picking another? Relax," he said, wedging himself between the two. He rolled an 18+3=21 for Persuasion and succeeded. He gained 1 relationship with Gale. No one else seemed to care whether the two fought or not.
Zevlor did seem to calm when Kaedyn stepped in, but he said, "Tell that to the dead at the gate." It was clear that Kanon's loss weighed heavily upon him.
Aradin, however, was callous. "Shut it, horns. I'd be lying dead next to the goblins if you'd stalled any longer. Fortunately, this group of adventurers arrived when they did."
Zevlor's anger raised again, but it was at least restrained. "My duty is to this camp."
Aradin continued his vicious tirade. "Oh! God forbid you risk your precious tail. But I shouldn't be surprised. Foulbloods ain't known for courage."
Kaedyn positioned himself so that his back was to Aradin as he looked Zevlor in the eyes. "More violence won't bring back the dead. Stop and think."
At last, Zevlor's anger drained away, replaced by grief. "You're right. There's too much at stake."
"Worried about your precious hides, the both of you," Aradin quipped.
Kaedyn turned on him, expression hard. "Enough! Squabbling is pointless. Why don't you and your companions move on."
"Besides, what's done is done," said Zevlor. "The goblins have found us. We need to focus now on getting out of here."
Aradin spat on the ground. "At least we agree on that." Then he led his companions away deeper into the grove.
Ryth-Shan then approached. "Excuse me," he said to Zevlor. "I couldn't help but notice. Did you say that the goblins found you here? But we killed them all. What makes you think you have to leave?"
Zevlor sighed. "You couldn't see from where you were, but I saw a few goblins heading back west towards their main camp at the old temple ruins. It was pretty clear. They found the grove. They've been looking for it for days now, even before we got here. Not sure why they want to destroy it."
Astarion then turned to the others. He spoke in more hushed tones. "Well. You heard him. More goblins could be on their way. I know we need to find a healer, but staying here is risky."
"We'll have to take the risk," said Gale. "We need to get these things out of our heads."
Lae'zel contributed to the conversation for once. "I agree. I'm not turning into a Ghaik. Besides, this is the red hunter's camp. Zorru must be near."
"This might be our best chance to fix whatever those creatures did to us," said Shadowheart.
"Sounds like everyone is in agreement, then," said Gale with a grin. "Let's go find us that healer."
Astarion rolled his eyes. "Not everyone," he muttered to himself.
Then Zevlor continued, interrupting their private conversation. "Forgive that display. Aradin's a blowhard, but that's no cause for me to join him. I wouldn't have looked to a Drow for help, but I'm grateful all the same. I'm Zevlor."
"Do you have something against Drow?" asked Vexir, brandishing her greataxe now. She eyed Zevlor with a cold and harsh expression.
"I meant no insult," said Zevlor quickly. "It's simply that yours are a people at war with themselves. I've never known them to care for outsiders. Whatever your business, I'd see to it quickly. The druids are forcing everyone out. This attack will only strengthen their resolve."
"Why are they forcing you out?" asked Kaedyn.
"There have been several attacks by different monsters. The druids blame us 'outsiders' for drawing them here. Nobody's welcome anymore."
"Several attacks by different monsters? So the goblins aren't the first attack?" asked Ryth-Shan.
Zevlor shook his head. "Not sure what other attacks they're referring to, but it sounds like there have been others that have somehow invaded this area recently. There is a village to the west before you reach the temple further west where the goblins have established their camp. The village has been gutted. No one survived whatever attack there was there. A bog to the south has the druids concerned as well. There are Gnolls on the road to the north. I can only assume these are all the things they are referring to."
"So they've started a ritual to cut the grove off from the world outside," Zevlor continued. "We can't stay, but we'll be slaughtered if we leave. We're no fighters. We have a few who can defend themselves and others, but that's it."
"This ritual," said Ryth-Shan, "is there no way to convince the druids to stop it?"
Zevlor shook his head again. "I've tried. Kagha, their new First Druid, won't even see me. Hah! She was awfully quick to assume the position. Their former First Druid's only been gone a few days. It's been since that ship crashed. The former First Druid went with Aradin and his crew to explore the ruins where the goblins are set up. He thought, perhaps, all the events were connected somehow; the ship, the monsters in the area..."
Then he paused as a thought struck him. "You know. You... I mean. I know it's none of your business, but Kagha now owes you for saving this place. If you hadn't shown up, there's a good chance they would have, at the very least, smashed through the gate or climbed up the vines to get to the wall here. They could have caused a lot of trouble for the entire grove. As it stands now, the goblins may take some time to reorganize before they send an assault here. You bought Kagha time for her ritual. Maybe she'll listen to you. Perhaps you could persuade her for more time to prepare, if nothing else."
"I'll see what I can do," said Kaedyn." This time, he gained 1 relationship with Ryth-Shan and Gale, for Ryth-Shan had a bad feeling that something was not quite right in the grove. He wanted to see if they could figure out what it was and see if they could fix it. Speaking with Kagha was something he wanted to do. He lost a point with Vexir and Lae'zel. Vexir didn't like Zevlor and considered him a fool. She didn't care two copper pennies for the Tieflings.
Lae'zel also didn't approve, and she let him know. "Bah! We've no time to offer aid to every whimpering pup."
"We'd owe you a great debt," said Zevlor, as if that was somehow worth something to the Gith. "If we're forced to leave now, we won't make it to the city."
"City? What city?" asked Vexir. Now THIS was something that interested everyone.
"Baldur's Gate," said Zevlor. "It's days away from here, along the road to the west. Do you... Do you not know where you are?"
"It's been a rough couple of days," explained Kaedyn. "So we're days east of Baldur's Gate. That is great news indeed."
"You'll find the druids at the heart of the grove," said Zevlor, returning to the matter that concerned him most. "Please, make them see sense. Oh, and if it's of any concern... You're brave to walk around without hiding your heritage. I'll make sure everyone knows that you helped us at the gate. That way, everyone will welcome you. Well, I hope anyway."
"Thanks," said Kaedyn. "That would be very much appreciated. If you don't mind, I'll head up to the wall first to give you time to spread the word. Maybe I can do something for your friend, Kanon. It might not be too late to revivify him. It's a long shot, but I figure it's worth trying."
Zevlor was truly touched by this. "I seriously doubt it. I checked him shortly after the battle ended. It's been longer than a minute, I'm sure, since he died. The Revivify only works if you can make it within a minute after death. His soul has probably already moved on to the afterlife."
Kaedyn nodded. "Like I said. I'll see if there's anything I can do. You never know."
"Thank you," said Zevlor, and with that, he bid them farewell and left. Kaedyn's relationship went up by 1 with Gale.
