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"SO cool!" Hood yells. "I wish I had three tentacles! Let me see if I can throw food at all three at the same time!"
He removes some jerky from his pack and tries to hit them all. In his excitement, the halfling's aim is not very good.
"AGAIN!" he says before tossing more, this time to better effect.
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You leave the Otyugh alone and follow the tunnels to the east and up the stiars to the north. The tunnels here are even more cramped than above in the sewers. They are rough cut but well maintained and, like the stair steps, are short, as if they were constructed for Small creatures. From the top of the stairs a small sliver of light is visible underneath the door at the end of the hallway. Suddenly you hear a guttural reptilian voice. "You are entering the Dragon’s territory and are not welcome. Leave now and live; you will not be warned again." It's easy to find the hidden door to the west. The door has a string attached to it.
The voice comes from a Magic Mouth spell.
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"That voice was kind of scary sounding," Hood says, though he hardly appears to care.
He seems more interested in a past conversation with Dylara.
"Thinking about what you said before, I really really want to get an egg. I have worked with animals a lot, and this flying thing seems like the best idea ever. But when I get my egg, I'm going to train it to like fire from the moment it's born. That way, we can fly through fiery explosions together. Oh, oh! And we can get together for family reunions, too!" he exclaims, almost jumping up and down on Melon.
Whether the creature or Dylara are as excited by the prospect as Hood, it remains unclear.
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Vanya disconnects the string from the door carefully.
Ancient sconces with everburning torches cast an odd blue light on this old shop. More light streams in through dirty windows in the front of the shop on either side of the wide double doors on the west side of the room. In the back end of the shop, a small, more recent entranceway has been carved out of the surrounding soil. The walls are decorated with red wallpaper that is falling off due to mold and mildew. Originally this was a retail shop; now every available surface is covered in alchemical supplies and half-built traps. Shelves that once held candy and gifts have been repurposed to hold a massive collection of well used books. A pair of dilapidated stairs on either side of the room leads up to a loft overlooking the first floor. A large steaming cauldron and trapmaking equipment are visible on the second floor, as is a small writing desk. On either side of the second floor, large bay windows look out onto a lit, indoor chamber beyond. The room is occupied by a kobold alchemist.
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"Just promise me you won't let it catch on fire, 'kay...?" Dylara hesitantly replies to Theadric.
Dylara moves into the new space. Melon, and thus Theadric as well, immediately follows after her.
"We do not wish to harm you," Dylara tells the kobold. "Can we talk?"
Meanwhile, Dylara looks around for traps or anything else of interest.
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Vailis retrieves the resist energy scroll quietly and calmly approach the shelve of books looking for anything of interest.
"These books are a sign of knowledge, you must be the clever among the witty kobolds, aren't you? I believe that is exactly the person we need to talk with." says Vailis with charming voice.
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"I have no idea what you could offer us, but I don't really care. Pass that door and get up the stairs." he says while pointing at the double door on the other side of the room. "And get your hands off my alchemics, child! You will hurt yourself!" he shouts at the halfling to shoo him off.
Vanya sees a lot of chemicals, alchemic weapons and bombs, but no traps.
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Vailis places a respectful vow to the alchemist, forcing himself to not show up his feeling of superiority against the creature.
He barely inspects the stairs pointed out by the creature I know they are trapped child
"May I ask a question Tok? Why the best trapmaster in kobold history would not place a trap in his own lab? I am a bit deceived that you have set nothing for us. But it is clear you have nothing set up. What a shame. No traps. What a trapmaster would do that?" attempts Vailis to get him out of mind and make an error that unveils the trap in the stairs.
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You cross the room and the double door. Behind the doors is a big theater. This underground theater was once a grand Taldan opera house that drew crowds from throughout Absalom. But as the city grew, new streets atop old roads and grander buildings over old, crumbling structures eventually relegated the theater to its current position two stories beneath the Ivy District streets above. Now the theater has been adopted as the home of the Sewer Dragons, who use the large room for any number of tribal functions.
The gold railings still gleam despite years of sitting unpolished, and plush red velvet covers the walls and cushioned furniture. The cushions are mostly brown now, covered with mold and dirt. The damp, pervasive scent of moldy fabric and rot fills the air. There are two large balconies on each side of the theater about twenty feet above the orchestra level. The floor slopes down slightly, ending at a theater pit at the base of the stage. The stage itself is empty save a large, comfortable-looking chair in the center, illuminated with an ingenious system of magical lighting and mirrors.
The grizzled old form of Chief Kibizax sits on a plush chair at center stage. Next to him rests the illusory form of a large blue dragon, seemingly lounging and awaiting orders from its master. The balconies are filled with anxious-looking kobolds but the seats at stage level are empty.
The dragon behind the chieftain stands up and stretches its wings as if about to take flight. The chieftain holds up a single hand to halt you. "Where is my tribute?" he demands to know.
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Vailis looks at the dragon and grasps with strength the scroll in his left hand.
When the chieftain demands tribute, he looks a bit confused to the rest of the party "We are here to negotiate a profitable business between the Sewer Dragons and the Pathfinder Society. You want to reign here unharmed and we want to use the tunnels for fast communication under Absalom. We are your tribute, we can offer you protection."
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Hood looks eager to please as his mount flies into the air.
"A fitting tribute to your Excellency would be a majestic aerial performance fitting of this arena!" the halfling shouts, hoping to make a halfling stunt show the tribute.
He urges Melon, the beast seeming fairly comfortable with the halfling now, into a series of stomach-churning spins.
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"As my fellow companions have said, we are representatives of the Pathfinder Society sent to broker a peace between you and our organization. We have overcome your cunning traps and dangerous guards and merely wish a civilized conversation with this tribe's great chief. If it would please you, Theadric and Melon will entertain you with an aerial show."
(+1 if he's hostile)
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"What do I do with entertainment? I want jewels, slaves, money and things like that. Something useful for me if you want to use my tunnels." Chief Kibizax answers and sends his dragon towards Melon and Theadric. "Are you sure it's an illusion? Stop there or my pet will burn you." The dragon launches from its perch and circles overhead as if to attack.
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Hood looks at the dragon first with alarm, then with skepticism. If the kobolds didn't think they wanted a show for tribute, they had yet to see the halfling stuntman's act.
"Showtime!" he yells. He urges Melon into a series of feints and parries against the dragon, doing things like getting as close as he can to the dragon's jaws or circling it in tight spirals. He puts on a good show of aerial acrobatics.