Majet and Queslin quickly find the trail Xanda has left, crawling on the ground.
Together you easily follow the tracks for a bit over an hour to a crack in the cliff the half-elf entered. Around the opening you also find a number of Kobold-footprints, leading in and out of the cave beyond.
One such footprint is inside and over a footprint of Xanda, so the Kobold in question left the cave after the the half-elf entered it.
There are no tracks of her leaving the crack.
Inside, on the stone floor, you have a hard time finding traces of Xandas route.
-----------
Having had time and opportunity to get herself clean and fresh, Xanda is left with rocks and stones to pry open the door.
Trying to get bolts and stones under the heavy rock closing her off is hard work and met with little gain, and gets her sweaty all over again.
Survival
Survival
Big Ern shrugs and strolls along after Queslin et al., still with no clue who the deranged woman is.
Agerron falls in behind Queslin. "I suppose she's another one of the boy prince's subjects," he quietly comments to Ern, indicating Michael as he walks.
Walking around in the cave, searching for clues on where Xanda went, Queslin and Majet are a bit out of luck on the stone floor.
Branomonrik has a far easier time finding something: He locates a big boulder that looks to him like it would block some way.
Investigating the rock the dwarf finds the secret mechanism that held the big rock in place before it got triggered to let it fall down.
As there are only the two ways out of the cave (one out in the open, the other now blocked with the rock), Xanda most probably is behind the large rock.
Getting the boulder away from where he rests probably involved a set of pulleys, which are not present now.
Queslin looks to Bran for any ideas on how to move the rock.
"We could try using a controlled explosion and blow it up?" Majet suggests
Big Ern smiles with guileless delight. "Stumpy, that's the best idea I've heard in a long time! At least, the best idea that didn't come from yours truly."
Branomonrik looks around the Large rock for ways to remove it.
Perception with stonecutting
Craft Stone masonry
"That doesn't sound very... safe."
Devlin hops down from the cart and says, "Why yes, my oldest and dearest of friends and I do share a bond that breaches the boundaries of the planes themselves. Delfey has yet to truly let me down, though he has fallen a time or two, but only in my defense." He looks around at Vasily and his group.
The man stare a bit at Delfey, but don't seem too concerned. Vasily asks, curiously: "It's... He's from another plane? What is it then? Some sort of Demon in disguise?
And what's that mission you talk bout?"
--------------
Looking around to find a way out, she hears the group entering the cave beyond the rock.
Branomonrik thinks the easiest way to remove the boulder would be lifting it. It would be no task at all, if they had pulleys (like the Kobolds surely have), but it should be possible for two people to push together, if only they are strong enough.
Crafting a bomb to blow the boulder would be easy, would it not create the possibility to cave in the room you are standing in now. Also, you don't yet know how to delay the explosion of a bomb, so at least one of you would be in the cave during the blast.
You could try it still, crafting something that hopefully might just break the rock, or its brackets holding it in place, but just a little error in the process might be fatal.
"So do we ask the Kobolds for help tracking down what they shall most likely see as a trespasser or do one of you strong types want to move the rock?"
"Let's try pushing it first. Agerron, would you give me a hand?"
Str
"Outta my way, twig boy," Big Ern scoffs at Queslin's pitiful effort. "Let the real men give it a try. Ready, Killer?"
Big Ern drinks something from a flask that makes his already porcine features look downright bestial, then works himself up into a purple-faced fury on top of that.
Str check:
Whilst the others go about trying to force the rock away Majet goes about brewing something up to help in the boulders removal
Craft Alchamey
Branomonrik chuckles "If that is a real man, Thank Adabar I was born a Dwarf!"
"I will be happy to give it a go."
"You guys may want to move." Majet suggests
Big Ern's fingers crawl into the rock, leaving marks like claws, but fail to lift it up with Queslin's help.
While Agerron takes over and tries again with Big Ern, Majet quickly crafts some sort of bomb specific for the situation.
The gnome's finger move fast, and she manages to get it just right in an amazing time.
The entry-cave gets abandoned shortly, Majet places the bomb and shouts a warning to the half-elf on the other side of the boulder, then ignites the improvised fuse and rushes away.
For a moment, it seems as like nothing is going to happen, then a loud bang rings in everyone's ear and dust and smoke billow out of the opening.
It takes half a minute to settle down just enough for the dwarf to enter the cave again.
The boulder closing of the cavern to Xanda is still mostly intact, but it's holdings are blown away now, making it much easier to get the rock out of the way.
Xanda pushing from the inside and Agerron and Big Ern pulling quickly manage to topple it, allowing Xanda to leave her imprisonment.
Xanda steps forth and looks suitable abashed.
"Thank you." She says quietly.
"I never think a Kobold could create such a trap." She tries to explain.
Queslin is stunned into silence by the explosion. He looks upon the soft spoken gnome with new respect.
Once Xanda comes out. "If you are well, it is time for us to return to Olegs to recuperate."
"Demon? Far from it! I'm not certain, but I believe Delfey's existence began in the realm of the fey, The First World. He has a will of his own, and can do as he wishes, unless I require something specific of him."
Devlin pauses for a moment.
"As for the mission Taras and I are on, we'll talk of it after I have determined you and your men would be of use." He winks good naturedly and grins at Vasily. "Please, each of you tell me a little about yourselves, and where you'd like to see yourselves in a few years time."
Queslin is stunned into silence by the explosion. He looks upon the soft spoken gnome with new respect.
Once Xanda comes out. "If you are well, it is time for us to return to Olegs to recuperate."
"I agree with the elf, for once. We need to get out of here, before our new 'not-enemies' decide we're trespassing and get rid of the 'not'. After spending all that effort not to fight, it would be a colossal waste. Fun, but a colossal waste anyway." Looking to Queslin, he asks, "care to lead the way, Master Scout?" Surprisingly, it seems to the others that he says the last part without sarcasm.
-----------
Having found Xanda alive and unharmed, the group circles around the Kobolds home and rides out to go back north again.
The rest of the day and the following night go by without much action, but the weather turns increasingly worse by the hour.
Pharast 13th greets the group with a strong wind and many clouds that look heavy of rain.
-----------
Even though the bandits are a suspicious lot, they agree to share a bit of their past. Their stories are pretty much alike, being outcasts from any direction and finding themself in the River Kingdoms, fleeing the law.
Two tried to live the life of a hunter before they turned into bandits, being recruited by one of the Stag Lords bandits. Their life didn't change all that much, they have to go hunting when no one is there to rob, but they feel stronger with the other bandits around.
They don't really have much ambitions, one jokingly saying he wants to still be alive in 3 years time. Only Vasily (going last) has a plan for the future saying: "I'll be a lieutenant of the Stag Lord in a few years. And I'm going to prove myself by burning down that settler Oleg up north, and by killing those mercers who killed Kressle and her troupe."
"So, you know of us now. We don't know you. Who're you? What's that secret mission of yours?" Vasily then asks in return.
"Who am I? As I've already said, I'm Devlin Medvyed, bastard son of one of Brevoy's ruling families. They tossed me out, so I find myself here. I wear the family name to that I may sully it, dragging it through the dirt they tossed me to."
"In truth, I am currently acting as if I am a member of a group granted a charter by the swordlords of Restov to explore this region. I am doing so on the orders of the Stag Lord himself, handed down during one of the rare moments he wasn't drunk off his ass." Devlin grins a little after saying this, and then continues, "Sadly, I was unable to prevent the rest of the explorer's from tracking Kressle's band back to her camp, and slaughtering most of them. Taras here attempted a tactical retreat, all the better to spread warning about the presence of a somewhat formidable new force here. He was chased down by an elf who is faster than he looks. They also captured Dimitry, but the boy was all to happy to be 'rescued'. We can take care of him at a later date."
"I'm sure some of you are possibly wondering as to how Taras her is still alive, and in good health, yes? That would be because I was able to sway the group into letting Taras and Dimitry spend five years, effectively, as slaves."
"In short, my mission is to use the resources of the swordlords of Restov to consolidate power for the Stag Lord. But," Devlin gives a quick wink to Taras, "I plan on consolidating power for myself, and using the resources of the swordlords, and that drunken fool to build something that would give us all what we want. Freedom, and enough coin to enjoy it." Devlin pauses and looks in the eyes of all the bandits. He then asks, "So, who here would be interested in having enough gold to build a mansion out of it?"
While the three other bandits believe your words, smiling at the outlook of riches and the other promises, Vasily keeps sceptical. He looks at Taras who already told a practical lie about the events at Kressle's camp, a lie that's contradicting Devlin's words to some extend.
And while the other bandits don't think about that contradiciton, already dreaming of their fortune, Vasily thinks hard about what's being said and done so far.
Devlin's words are convincing and well said, but why would Taras not tell them what happened up front? Why tell such a believable lie and then let Devlin say something else, possibly even the truth, that he ran away?
And why would some nobody he didn't hear of have such an important mission?
Sure, if Devlin is really a bastard of House Medvyed, he'd be the perfect suit, but his friends at the Stag Lords fort would have told him.
There's something fishy, but being unable to put his finger on it, Vasily plays along for now.
Grinning, Vasily speaks up again: "Now, that makes for an interesting situation. Where are those chartered now? Can we still repay Oleg's? I guess we can't kill your 'friends' as that would interfere your mission to undermine them..."
...<scratches ass>...
Bran could preach to him of Adabars glory, but only direct influence of the god himself could save that one. So he just spends time trying not to fall off the Horse who he knows is trying to kill him.
Xanda rides along quietly and contritely. Knowing that her actions in following the strange, purple Kobold were not the best over all...
Agerron rides near the front (just behind Queslin). As he goes, he tries to remember the route, so if he needs to return ever to renegotiate with the lizards ...
Bran looks over to Xanda as they ride, him trying to hold on the the horse. "Have I told you about Adabars Glory? It is his work we do here you know." He says sweeping him arm out to cover the land "All of this is chaotic and untamed, wild and not fit for civilized folk. But there is greatness here. I can feel it. In me bones I can." He says seeing what no one else does.
"I see great cities raising from this land, wealth, power sites of learning, art and magic. I see a great temple to Adabar at its center. Bringing civilization to this wild and untamed land." He says with a smile.
To Xanda
In response to Bran's vision: "I see smaller, self sufficient enclaves. Each with it's own unique quality that adds to the greatness of this land."
Xanda smiles at Branomonrik's words, listening intently but keeping her opinions about what the lands around them may or may not become to herself.
At Queslin's words, she lowers her head and accept the comment.
"Aye, but the pupple Kobold? It was up to something..something same as the weird colour." She replies, not as justification for her actions, more as a simple explanation.
"That rock at front? It was set as trap. How such a little lizard make such use of such large rock?" She asks.
Bran looks over to Xanda as they ride, him trying to hold on the the horse. "Have I told you about Adabars Glory? It is his work we do here you know." He says sweeping him arm out to cover the land "All of this is chaotic and untamed, wild and not fit for civilized folk. But there is greatness here. I can feel it. In me bones I can." He says seeing what no one else does.
"I see great cities raising from this land, wealth, power sites of learning, art and magic. I see a great temple to Adabar at its center. Bringing civilization to this wild and untamed land." He says with a smile.
Agerron turns a bit at the dwarf's words. "And I see a great army, surging from that city to expand the empire and turn back those who would try and take it away." He smiles, a glint in his eye.
"Indeed! Civilization must be maintained, an army is the arm of a civilization. It is the sword that vanquishes barbarism and protects from invasion and brigands. " He says for once in full agreement with Agerron.
"Friends?! Ha! The only one that I actually half-way got along with was the paladin, surprising as that may be." Devlin laughs some more.
"As for where they are? I have an idea. They headed off to fight some mites, to get some statue back that has some importance to a tribe of kobolds in the area. I imagine that if they survived the mites, they went to the kobolds, assuming they found whatever statue the kobolds want. I'm hoping they used the statue to get past any guards the rats have, and slaughter them from within. Kobolds are nasty little creatures."
"As for undermining them, I'm okay with that, just not yet. I hope to use them to soften the drunkard before I end him myself. We have a....history between us. He's forgotten, but I haven't."