[occ] Thanks. Dude, I know I just said that I'm about to be more chill and have more time to play...but now my wife is dragging me to India for a few days. Seriously, life isn't always this busy. I'll be back on Saturday or Sunday. [/occ]
Present. Just waiting on other folks.
Likewise.
I'm active. I've just not decided on what to spend my gold on yet.
I'll just be taking the tome specified and the rest will be GP. I'll be taking another level in sorcerer. I'll get around to updating my googledocs sheet before Monday.
I'm back and active.
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Ok, Lord Illance meets you on the walls and asks what you've found so far.
Right when he does that, the kobold timidly pokes his head out from behind Havelock's cloak and a guard screams, "KOBOLD!!" and fires his crossbow at it before anyone can move.
The young kobold collapses to the ground, hands wrapped around the bolt, his eyes staring in accusation at Havelock. "You gave your word... you and yours would leave us alone..." and passes out.
Havelock, you fall to the ground, overcome by nausea for a round, and sickened for the next 24 hours.
The guard looks at all of you, white-faced. "Um... was I not supposed to shoot the monster?"
"You fool, do you shoot at everything that goes bump in the night without thought? Are you not a trained man? Did that kobold even look like a threat?"
Edmond intends to make this as loud and obvious as possible that he's berating this person, in hopes that the kobolds will hear and realize that it was not one of them.
I rush to the Kobold and cast my last spell of the day to use Cure Light Wounds on him.
"Imbecile. Can someone explain to this dolt what exactly he did wrong? I must take care of this as best possible, it's my responsibility."
Marcus takes a long breath and composes himself. That went about as well as I expected.
"Lord Illace, if I may, the estate is being inhabited by a group of Kobolds. These kobolds seem to have an agreement with your grandfather to stay in the estate and work as artisans. We were attacked by the kobolds when first we arrived, but have since come to an arrangement." He stops, looking back at the kobold for a moment, "Which may or may not be void as of this moment... in addition, we found a troll, trapped underneath a water wheel. We were unable to remove it on our own. It's possible that it may be responsible for the brown and foul contamination of the water."
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The local lord taps his chin thoughtfully.
"Well, that explains the horrible smell in the water supply. I'll shut down the public wells and use some of my resources to bring in water by wagon train. It should be good enough for the short term."
He looks at Havelock critically.
"I will have my guards escort you back to the inn for a night's rest. It doesn't sound like the kobolds are an immediate threat to our city." At this, the city guards chuckle. "Present me with the terms of the agreement. If these kobolds are behaving lawfully and have an arrangement with my ancestor, I will allow them to continue about their business and will draw up and sign a contract to that effect."
As he turns to leave, he looks over his shoulder. "A kobold once saved the throne of Cormyr, you know. We don't talk about it much, but one was a member of an old adventuring company that saved the regent right after the Time of Troubles. I'd be curious to know if they're related to GrkGrk. Farewell, adventurers!"
Edmond frowns as Lord Illance leaves, "Why does that name sound familiar?"
"GrkGrk was also the name of the leader of the kobolds. The artificier." Marcus chimes in.
"That's what I thought, but I wasn't paying attention." Edmond pauses for a moment, thinking, "Does that mean he's over 200 years old..?"
"It could. It could also mean GrkGrk is a common kobold name. I wouldn't know."
I attend to my patient. If everyone else ventured into town I'll assume we do as well.
We may as well. No use sleeping in a dungeon when we can sleep in nice warm beds and pick up where we left off.
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In the middle of the night you hear the sounds of scratching, as if someone was digging wood out of a wall with the edge of a claw hammer, but when you look out your window you see nothing, and realize it must be from further on down the street. It happens several times in the night, but again never within eyeshot of your inn.
You're all healed, up to your new maximum hit points.
Havelock, your nausea ends the next day. The kobold sleeps well, curled up at your feet.
I start preparing to head back to the Kobolds. "I gave my word no harm would come. I must now face judgement." I say to anyone who asks why.
Edmond awakens and follows Havelock after having some inn-provided nourishment. "No sense in going this alone. We, as a group, agreed to the bargain."
In the middle of the night perception: 1d20 ⇒ 17 you hear the sounds of scratching, as if someone was digging wood out of a wall with the edge of a claw hammer, but when you look out your window you see nothing, and realize it must be from further on down the street. It happens several times in the night, but again never within eyeshot of your inn.
Marcus rises with the morning. "The troll problem still needs to be dealt with as well. Should we send for the knight's assistance, given that we couldn't remove it last time? Or do we have another plan?"
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As you head back to the estate, you see wood shavings on the ground and fresh gouges in the wood on a dozen doorways as you walk through town. The city watch tells you that they went crazy last night trying to track down the vandals, but whenever they showed up at one of the buildings the sound was coming from, nothing could be found except some fresh wood shavings.
Marcus takes a mental note of the gouge situation and continues with the group.
Marcus requests the knight's assistance.
I divert my course to meet with the Kobolds, bringing the injured Kobold.
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The kobolds send out the kid's mother, who scoops him up, gives you a dirty look, Havelock, and rushes him back inside. A whispered conversation later, their leader emerges with the signed contract.
"I did not intend for this contract to be signed in the blood of our youth, human," he says, scowling, [b]"But we will still hold to the contract - even though you have already broken it - if you and yours will not shoot one of our children again." He idly touches the wand of disintegration at his hip.
Edmond goes with Havelock. "It is with our most sincerest apologies that the young kobold was injured. Havelock has done his best to take for of the lad. The guard has been thoroughly reprimanded and reminded that his training does not include shooting at children of any specie."
"I've gravely failed you all. I well accept any punishment that any of you ask of me." I say, glancing at the mother.
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The kobold thinks about it a bit, and says, "Very well. If you find any rare crystals on the other side, bring them to me. They're the limiting component of the wands we are crafting."
He looks at the knight you brought with you. "I'd also prefer it if his kind stay on the other side of the barrier."
"That may prove problematic. There is a troll inside the estate that is contaminating the supply of water down stream. WhenN last we attempted, we were unable to remove it. We have asked these knights for their assistance in this task. No more."