"Kelemvor's Blessing..." Tibor whispered under his breath, something between an exclamation of exasperation, and invoking the name of his god in place of cursing. In truth, though, it was also the verbal component to one of the minor spells his deity granted him. After putting away his flute, he would turn to the tiefling, with something these ape-creatures would see as a smile on his angular mouth.
"Pizzaz, you say? It sound to Tibor like someone a bit bored wit the travelin'. Eager for some entertainmen', eh friend? Alright, den Tibor, he tell you a story. Tibor tell everyone a story!" It was not often Tibor had spoken on this trip so far. His voice was deep, with a strange, reverberating quality that made it seem like it almost echoed inside his shell before it came out. Along with an accent unique to his species, he would no doubt sound foreign to all but the most well traveled.
"Dis is de tale o' how Tibor got his necklace. Dis here!" He would hold up the large tooth on the cord around his neck. Almost the size of a dagger, it was impossible to imagine the sheer size of any beast that would fit such a thing in its mouth. Then, as he held it aloft, he let the magic he had invoked fill his voice for the last words. Booming out, it would echo across the plains, his words now three times as loud as they were before. Even his faintest whisper would no doubt be heard by the entire group, so enhanced was his voice.
"Tibor, you see, he like to take him long walks tru de jungel. One day, while takin' me a long walk, I hear sometin' strange, come from ova a hill. Some man shout, 'Kelemvor's Blessing!'"He did his best to imitate the voice of a human male, mostly just bringing his own up a few octaves. It was not great, but in the process, he once more invoked the minor spell. Now he'd be allowed more use of its power. This was a story he had practiced, so he knew exactly where to insert that term, to provide the effects he was after.
"Now, back den, young Tibor had never heard o' Kelemvor. So, Tibor go wanderin' over, curious to see who it was, givin' blessings. Crestin' de hill, more voices come, whispers..." Even as he says the word, whispers fill the air. Ominous in their tone, they sound afraid, uncertain. They speak of a mission from their god, how they were fools to take it on, and that they were never prepared for something so massive. Each was worried, would they make it out? Could they handle such a foe? How many of them would die, if even any lived at all? Then, they cut off instantly, as Tibor continues.
"When de group come into view, Tibor sees what got dem so upset. Standin', dey were, round a massive foot print. One o' dere number had fallen in et. Dey were all scared, see, 'cause dey were huntin' deh beast. Not young Tibor, dough! No, what scared Tibor... was how fresh de track was. Before he could warn dem, dough, the beast, it announce itself. Massive et was, with a roar like thundah!"
On queue, a peel of thunder filled the air around them. The sky was clear, barely a cloud in sight, and yet the thunder boomed none the less. It came from seemingly nowhere, sounding both close and far, with no lightning to signal its origin. Either the very roar Tibor spoke of, or the magic of Kelemvor. The tortle never planned to tell.
"'Kelemvor's Blessing!'" He spoke here, with a somewhat feminine voice, denoting a new character while once more invoking his magic. Then, he continued. "One o' dem shouted. Finally, dey knew. Tibor did not even have to tell dem. Deh beast, it was gettin' close now. So close, we could even feel it. When a beast like dat walks, you know. You always know. "
As they walked, he empowered his steps with magic. Around him, the ground would begin to shake, his steps slowed to keep time with the massive stride of the great beast. Smalls stones along the trail would roll and bounce, the cart itself shaking with the harmless tremors his steps issued. Then, abruptly, another peal of thunder would fill the sky as Tibor lifted his staff like it was a spear, taking a combat stance with his shield to defend against a foe that did not exist.
"De beast, it came! Roarin' tru deh trees! Limbs broke as et smashed ets way tru. Dey humans, dey all fall to dere knees, prayin' to dere god! Tibor, he think dey all gonna die, even him. Dis was no small beast, but a great, monsterous lizard dey call T-Rex! Taller den de trees, wit legs thicker den tree men, and eh mouth so big et could swallow a man in one bite! And filled it was, wit teeth!"
To emphasize his point, he dropped his staff, once more holding up the dagger-sized tooth. As hard as such a colossus might be to imagine, the fang he held stood as proof of its sheer size. For all that his magic did to emphasize his words, to carry with it the feeling of his story, the tooth was physical evidence that he was telling the truth. There really were giant lizards in this world, big enough to eat humans whole.
The ground started to tremble once more, another crack of thunder filling the air, as Tibor continued his story. He would snatch up his walking staff, holding it like a spear as he danced around, feigning a combat from his past. "De beast came for us, but lookin' close, Tibor knew it was not so bad as it could be. No, et was worse! You see, where Tibor is from, dere is a plague on de land. Et make creatures dat were dead stand from dere graves, walkin' round deh island once more. De beast, it had been killed before. Half its side was missin' where et had lost to some uttah big beastie. See, a beast like dat, no mattah how big, you can keel by stickin' spears in ets soft parts. A beast dat big, dough, movin' but not alive... Would be impossible to kill. Or, so Tibor thought."
Once more, whispers would fill the area. Ominous, yes, but no longer fearful. They were filled with not the tremors of failing courage, but the fervor of righteous fury. These were prayers to Kelemvor, whispered by half a dozen zealots, calling on their god to smite with magic the beast they had come to kill in his name.
The tremors along the ground would become more erratic, quicker at times and longer at others, as Tibor himself represented the beast stumbling from side to side. Another peal of thunder would echo, this time fading and distant, and the tortle let himself fall to the ground, taking the part of a slaim beast. Then, from on his back, he continued the story.
"De beast had fallen! De men, dey had prayed to dere god, and he had answered! Over and over, light struck de beast! Crashin' into et again and again, each bolt lightin' et up to guide deh next shot! Tibor, he rush forward to congratulate the humans!... But he see it, de beast move!" Another rumble would shake the ground, as Tibor rolled to his feet, an action his people were very practiced in. With his staff on the ground, he would instead pull out his spear, jamming it into the soft earth before him like he were attacking a foe.
"So Tibor run up, and jam his spear in ets heart! All de men, dey cheer for Tibor as the beast collapse! Young Tibor, he walk to de beast mouth, he reach in, and he rip out his prize!" Once more, and for the final time as the magic fades, he would hold up the huge tooth, this time as a trophy for all to see as he took it off to pass among anyone who cared to have a look. It was real, and it was a true story, of how he met the clerics who would teach him to harness the power of Kelemvor.
Dusting himself off, he would look around at the rest, picking up his staff and putting away his spear. Once everyone had had a chance to look, he would cassually return the tooth to around his neck, letting it dangle there once more. A heavy weight, but a constant reminder of the power of Kelemvor. "So, tiefling... How you like dat pizzaz?"
