Subject: The Noyakin retreats

The Kubalcat camp has been thrown into chaos. The warriors have gathered the women and children and look panicked along the edges of the grasses. Kubalc and a small cadre of warriors are running at full speed toward the trampled grass path the party came down earlier, staying as close together as possible. The rest of the party in the clearing falls into close pursuit.

Holn wonders how much of this reaction is a true belief in the Noyakin, and how much is simply a paranoid reaction after a legendary creature from mythology attacked and killed nearly half their fighting men. Was this tribe that superstitious, or were they just on edge from the giant weasel attack and jumping at shadows? There was no way to tell with tensions running so high.

Erk stepped quickly between the two warriors and Kayla and yells at her to get behind the mule, his hands splayed wide in front of him as nonthreateningly as possible, but with every intention of creating a one-dwarf wall to block their attack. As he does this, Kayla deftly drops off the pack animal and slips into the tall grass, effectively disappearing from sight. [Hide check 24 v. Spot checks 18 and 18]

Her heart pounds in her chest as she crouches ten feet or so in the densest part of the grass. She can't see them, so she assumes they can't see her. Her breath quickened, she wonders why they reacted to her the way they did. Racking her brain, she can't think of anyone she'd ever met that had reacted that way to her or to any halfling, and all the songs she knew about halflings inspiring terror were comedies.

Immediately after Kayla disappears, the two warriors freeze and turn back to back, their battle axes held before them defensively.

"Noyakin tekka loai! Kree bo loai! Kree bo loai!"

The group around Kubalc slows in the grass, and fall into a battle formation guarding against the grass. Holn and Buchek translate for the others as they run.

"Kayla slipped into the grass. They're telling everyone to beware of the grass."

Telwyn had understood it was something about the grass, and now realizes that "kree" must mean "beware"... the tribes to the south used "kuray" - just different enough to cause confusion. He makes a mental note as he rushes on, clearly noticing the increase in panic among the Kubalcat.

Subject: Re: The Noyakin retreats

"Cousins!" Buchek calls [Diplomacy Check] "Cousins! It is safe--there is no Noyakin here. She is...there is no word for it in our tongue, but she is what the Sunset people call a 'halfling'. She is a person, despite what she looks like! I have travelled with her, and she sleeps and eats as we do. She is harmless--she stayed with our beasts because she was afraid of Koftak's avatar!"

As he says this, he slips around the line of warriors and joins Erk between the tribesmen and Kayla. His axe is slung on his back, and he holds his hands outstretched in a calming gesture as he speaks.