"He's no fool," retorts Fíriel to the kobold, "but I'll go have a look." So saying, she turns and quietly makes her way back in the direction whence the party came.
Xiddik's tail droops slightly.
Fíriel cautiously backtracks, looking for Randall. Before long she instead rounds a bend and spots two of the three kobolds making their way quietly toward her.
Fíriel returns half a minute or so later. "The kobolds are following us," she informs the group. "I didn't see Randall."
Jametor looks at Xiddik.
"I know the language, but you probably know nuance better. Spur of the moment plan from them or something else?" Jametor asks.
"Might be just making sure we don't take different route." Xiddik's tail flicks. "Do we have any inv...invisility left? Have an idea."
Jametor thinks for a moment.
"No, I used up all my invisibility spells during the escape. I really don't have much left in the way of spells, a teleport, a burning hands, a sirocco and one greater invisibility, but that really is only useful for a short time. And a few charges left on my staff" Jametor says slowly as he scans his memory for spells.
"I have some scrolls, but to be honest, we haven't had a lot of down time lately."
"I'm pretty short on spells at the moment too," Asht'el concurs. "The more we can just try to make our way out of here the better."
A short time later, past the point where the secret passage joined the main corridor, the group hears a grunt from in front of them. From one of the shadows around a bend, Chakchak pokes her head out and glares at the bear (and the rest of you). Her tail moving quickly back and forth in agitation, she hisses angrily in Draconic.
Jametor glances at Xiddik.
Xiddik rolls her eyes, quickly replying.
That being said, she actually just forgot.
"We best turn back. Wait at secret door for the halfling."
The little kobold gives a twitch of her tail.
Were-Njord huffs and sniffs the kobold again.
Jametor has little patience when fully rested but finally he's reached his limit.
He hisses out words in Draconic.
"Be still and mind your elders, little kobold. We could have left the big monster to eat all of you. We didn't. And why didn't you go with the others?"
He stares at the kobold
Xiddik looks at Jametor and speaks rapidly, then pauses. She continues, tail slowly bobbing up and down in lazy spirals.
The young kobold stares unflinchingly at Njord as he sniffs her, then gives the kobold equivalent of a sigh.
Xiddik's tail forms a loop.
Jametor smirks.
"Listen to this one, young one, this one knows how to fight."
He switches to Undercommon.
"You think those others had bad intentions, Xiddik, maybe that's what's holding the halflings up?"
"No." Xiddik frowns. "Maybe...well, say we say he wasn't a fool. In this story, where is smart—where he is smart, is to say—maybe he follows behind the followers? Otherwise, we may well have lost the reim—er, half—" She pauses, sounding out the word. "Haaaffleen."
Jametor looks at Njord.
"Bear, we are members of your pack, do you have some special connection to us, smell perhaps. Can you smell Randall? Or something? Can you smell the kobold? The others I mean. Should we get ready?" he glances at Xiddik. "No offense but lately I've adopted a everyone but this family is an enemy until they prove otherwise. Seems to keep us alive." he shrugs.
"Hum. Don't worry for it. Keep your family close, Jametor—whatever keeps your milk-leakers from twisting."
Were-Njord stops his inquisitive sniffing of the kobold and cocks his head at Jametor in an expression that suggests he very much understands the request.
Njord can barely make out the smell of a familiar male hobbithalfling coming from the passageway behind the group.
Asht'el sniffs at the air in the tunnel, senses nothing he can makes sense of, and waits for the others to move forward or back.
Xiddik also remains ignorant, as all these mammals stink alike to her.
Were-Njord follows the familiar scent.
As the party turns around, the perceptive among the group can hear slight scratching in the tunnel ahead as the kobolds following them try to hurry back the way they came. There's a similar scratching from the tunnel behind, as the young Chakchak takes the chance to slip away.
3d20
As the party turns around, the perceptive among the group can hear slight scratching in the tunnel ahead as the kobolds following them try to hurry back the way they came. There's a similar scratching from the tunnel behind, as the young Chakchak takes the chance to slip away.
** spoiler omitted **
"Guess we go back now? Okay. Fine."
A few minutes later, the group stumbles upon Randall reclining casually against the cave wall near the secret passage.
Randall smirks, "They went on past. It looked like they were up to no good following the rest of you, so I followed them. They never knew I was here until they turned around. Are we ready to go home yet?"
Were-Njord huffs and grunts in satisfaction when Randall is revealed.
Some combination of boredom and spent energy causes Were-Njord’s furry form to melt away leaving his decidedly less ursine form in its place.
”We’re still underground” he groans. ”Is everyone okay?”
"Fine," Xiddik says, eying Njord curiously. She tends to move around the huge Ulfen like a precariously stacked house of cards. She knows predators. She's been one, though only on occasion. She knows better than to ask questions of them.
Instead, she points down the tunnel. "Since Runtall is done jestering, let we keep moving. And...keep your eye bared for the hatchling, I think." She coughs. "Odds lie in the other bronzes finding her first, 'course, but..."
The kobold doesn't finish her sentence. She just starts walking.
There do not seem to be any traps on the secret door, and the party passes through it without incident. A few hours of travel and one or two tunnel-splits later, the group enters a massive cavern. The ceiling soars forty or more kobold-(or halfling-)lengths overhead, and both floor and ceiling are covered in cave decorations of all shapes and sizes. Across the massive room a glow is visible... an elf-gate, like the one the group used to travel here from Zirnakaynan.
Randall grins and shrugs at Xiddik's remark. He works point with the kobold attempting to find any traps before they can harm the others.