Mankdrake, Kerim and Rolf stand looking at the barrier, from a safe distance. The rest of the party hang a little further back, with Peter holding the mules.

The reptilians still stand by their barrier. There is a hissing of conversation between them and the speaker calls out "Ssssilvr, far oon! Tssss Arrr Rit"

---------------------------------

OOC: Stand Off - your call :)

Let's make a deal

By Brad
who plays Rolf

Rolf's face takes on a puzzled look. "Silver, for one, I make it. But what's the rest, 'tis alright?" He pauses a bit. "You're right Kerim, best to play it safe. You're the trader, you think it's worth haggling?"

Still trying to translate

By lechrist
who plays Elsbeth

"I'd be thinking he means its his right to ask the toll," Elsbeth volunteers again. "To be sure, I'm not looking forward to being thrown willy nilly into that muck, if you take my meaning!"

Decisions

By David
who plays Kerim

"Strikes me, we shouldn't try to bargain the toll down too hard, this time. We don't know how many of those lizard things there are. We're forced to use the causeway and they probably aren't. Finally, we've got mules which could be troublesome, if we all get involved in the fight."

"Only problem is, can we trust them?"

"We really don't want them demanding a toll from everyone, if we're opening the area up, do we!"

"How's your lizard thing negotiation skills? Maybe we can come to an agreement with them?"

"If you've a mind to fight, lets do it now - all out, not one of them should get away. And if you want prisoners, I suggest the one that's talking now, at least we know we can talk with that one."

"Maybe we should let this go, just this once, and see what the people of Mistaton have to say about it, or does someone have fancy skills to get there and back quickly?"

"Well, those are my thoughts - how tough are those things anyway? Anyone know?"

Building bridges

By Daren
who plays Mandrake

Mandrake, who has been quietly thinking for a moment says "I think that we may be coming at this with the wrong ideas.

"They have been questioning and apart from the fact that they carry weapons, they have not appeared threatening. Perhaps they do not know what is a fair toll and if we refuse would not attack anyway.

"Perhaps though, the best thing to do is to encourage the toll, but with the right incentives and at the right price.

"If the roads are to be opened, then they will have to be improved, especially stretches such as this. They would seem to be the ideal people to take care of this stretch and we can encourage them to improve the road with the understanding that they will then get more traffic and so more toll.

"We may even be able to suggest to them the idea that they sell fish or foul to travellers, perhaps a place to stay as well. If they are indeed friendly, then they may make useful allies to your leaders.

"If you have no objections Rolf, I think that perhaps we should talk with them rather than shout."

Mandrake calls out [OOC: unless Rolf says otherwise] "We come to you, talk about toll".

A Nod?

By JohnB

At Mandrake's call the reptillian speaker seems to nod his head and then hiss something to his companions.

Tough choices

By Brad
who plays Rolf

At Mandrake's suggestion, Rolf gives a sigh. "This is not a wise choice." He pauses, "Let's be off then." Rolf keeps his hand near the hilt of his sword as he walks forward with Mandrake, leaving it to the others to decide if they should follow or not.

Deterrent

By malc
who plays Callum

When Rolf and Mandrake move forward, so does Callum - examining the lizards closely, he sees no sign of missile weapons, so he hangs back slightly - but close enough that he can be there in seconds should a fight start.

Business opportunity

By Daren
who plays Mandrake

Mandrake walks towards the lizard man, stopping about five feet from him (OOC: unless anything happens before he gets that close).

"One silver each sounds too much. What you do for toll except live here? If you repair road, keep bandits away or provide place to rest, then humans will pay a toll that is not too much.

"We have seen no bandits in your land, but road is bad and if we want to rest, then it does not look good place for humans.

"We are first of many humans travel all lands. We look for friends and tell other humans which way to go. We pay you toll to travel land. If price good we tell others to come this way, tell them safe and that you friends, then many humans come and you get many tolls.

"But if price bad we tell other humans and they not come this way, you get no more toll. You sell fish and fowl, umm birds, for them to eat, you make dry safe place for them to rest then ask for money for that. You get lots money if price good, but none if price too much.

"If you not friends and attack human travellers, then many, many humans come, bigger than him (Mandrake points at Callum). Come with bows and arrows and swords and clubs and dogs and bad magic."

Arr rit!!

By JohnB

The reptilian listens carefully to Mandrakes speech, going as far as to shush a couple of his compatriots who are pointing to Callum and whispering in the background.

When Mandrake is finished he pulls himself up to his full height and and says loundly,

"Ssssilvr, far oon! Tssss Arrr Rit! Ducsss pappa sssasss ssso! Ooo macsss rod? Oooo macsss ay lanss far umansss? Ooo ficss rod? Ooo ficsss ay lansss? Umanssss, pie toolss, sssilvr far oon! Ducs pappa sssaasss arrr rit!

He stands proudly awaiting your response.

Is it legal?

By Daren
who plays Mandrake

"May I see the Duke's paper, I can read. I can read it and tell others that it is truth you speak."

From the back

By lechrist
who plays Elsbeth

Elsbeth listens and volunteers more. "Mayhap we should meet this 'duke' and see what he is about?" she asks. "I don't be thinking that we'll be around these beasties without problems. Mayhap that fellow is who we need."

Pappa?

By Jim
who plays Smilo Hairfoot

"Maybe the duke's father said it's so? Somebody needs to teach these folk in the proper use o' t' Queen's English."

Ancient Rights?

By David
who plays Kerim

Kerim will join Callum as backup. Listening to the speech he adds "I think he means he has rights to demand a toll, from the time of Kane's invasion. He, or at least their people, have been granted official rights to demand a toll to fix the road? By the ruler at the time, who he thinks is the father of the current ruler?"

"Mandrake is right, we need to see that document. It may even be from earlier invasions, Kanna or Carne."

"If that's right Elsbeth, the 'Duke' has long gone."

New Treaty?

By malc
who plays Callum

"Callums brows knit with the effort of thought. "Rolf, can you speak for your cheiftain, to make a new treaty? If these lizards have this as a gift of a lord, then it is their right - we should not be lightly questioning that - forbye they might think we call them liars!"

Hiss

By JohnB

"Ooo asssc ducsss pappa? Way ooo asssc? Toolssss arrr rit! ducsss sssie ssssooo! "Ssssilvr, far oon! "

He turns and hisses something to one of his group who drops his shield and clun and takes a running dive into the water to the side of the barrier. He seems to merge into the water, and soon becomes indistinguishable from the flotsam and debris floating in the swamp, in much the same way as a crocodile comes to resembles a log.

The others stand watching.

The local bureaucrat speaks

By Brad
who plays Rolf

As the lizard person disappears, Rolf's eyes widen slightly. The demonstration is not lost on him. There could easily be dozens of the creatures lurking about. His eyes track over the muddy water until Callums' comment draws his attention. Facing the warrior, he nods. "In Count Richards absence and as his warden, I will judge on this matter. If they speak true however, I'm inclined to honor their claim. If they have kept faith, then how can we not do likewise?"

Rolf's eyes continue to scan the water, but he seems somewhat more at ease than previously, though he remains ready to respond should the lizard creatures prove false in their dealings.

Waiting?

By JohnB

The reptilians stand post at their barrier, there is some shuffling and hissing and occasionally one approaches the speaker, where he stands solidly by the barrier, and hisses a conversation with him.

One, after talking to some of the others, one approaches the speaker, in what appears to be quite an unusual way, and hisses something at him. The Speaker suddenly turns and hisses something violently and loudly at the petitioner. And the petitioner withdraws, with some backward looks and hissing. There is some general hissing among the reptilians the petitioner visited.

After about 10 minutes a reptilian appears quite suddenly out of the water by the barrier, carrying a water tight scroll case. The speaker takes the case opens it carefully and, almost reverantly, withdraws a very old and stiff parchment.

Again he stands at the barrier proudly waiting ...

Read the deed

By Brad
who plays Rolf

Rolf seems to be catching some idea of how to untangle the lizard man's hissing speech. He nods at Mandrake to look over the proferred document.

The swamp

By Sharon
who plays Madelyn

Madelyn agrees with Mandrake about tying the Dog Heads hands and stays close by in the journey to the swamp. Seeing the Dog Heads reluctance to enter the swamp, she follows the creature as Mandrake continues, so it doesn’t have much option but to go forward. Keldon is a little reluctant, but with a firm kick to his flank soon moves forward.

Madelyn brings up the rear as the party approaches the fallen tree, and when all but Peter step forward in the negotiations, she takes the rope from Mandrake, and waits.

She constantly scans the surrounding swamp, occasionally looking over her shoulder, to confirm there is nothing behind them. They are in a very precarious situation, and it will be difficult for them to move in any direction with the mules. As the lizard man dives into the swamp, her uneasiness is raised even more. She considers saying something to Peter, but decides against it, and continues to keep a close eye on the surrounding area.

The reading

By Daren
who plays Mandrake

Mandrake approaches the creature and with a bow extends his hands to accept the parchment, handling it with at least as much delicacy and reverence as he has observed the lizardman do so.

Only now does mandrake think of what the circumstances could be if he cannot read the language, but decides to behave as if he can do so even if it were otherwise. The least he can do is try to recognise a seal or the name signed at the bottom in that case.

Assuming he can read the item, he reads it through once to get it straight in his mind and then reads it aloud for the benefit of both the lizardmen and the party.

OOC: John, I don’t know what the negatives are, but the straight roll to read was 11.