Castle Caldwell and Beyond: (A 5e Campaign) - The Wrecking Crew (Inactive)

Game Master Terquem

When Lilly approaches the small settlement at the base of the cliff, and announces herself with a warm greeting there is a sudden, and unexpected, reaction

Every single kobold within sight, from the young to the old stops whatever they were doing with a uniformity that seems uncanny, and in an instant the little community goes absolutely dead quiet. As if they are all one mind, every head, every eye turns toward the approaching strangers. Then as one, everyone in the small settlement smiles, and then as quickly as it happed, they go back to what they were doing as if nothing special had ever happened.

The kobold woman, the one with the long spear, is the only one that reacts differently. Her head turns slowly from side to side, with a smile still, like all the others, but with eyes that seem keenly looking for signs of trouble from the east or west.

When the casual noises of the other kobolds getting back to work starts up again, she lets out a long relaxed breathe, and raises a hand, still holding the spear straight up with the other hand, and wave’s while walking toward Lilly, and responds

Hey, cool, welcome tall and regular looking people. My name is Danerikka Claymaker, welcome to Jewel Water Hollow. How can we help you folks today?

As the party of five adventures comes closer to the Kob9old “village” and they are greeted by the tall for her kind Kobold, a strange sight comes into their view

Off to the right, what was previously blocked from view by a small brick hut, a human woman of about twenty years, dressed in the garments of a well do to farmer, including stout boots, blue coveralls with wide straps and bright silver buckles over a dark green woolen shirt, is teaching a group of kobolds the art of planting seeds in finely tilled rows in what looks like a small vegetable garden. She is not a particularly attractive woman, but she is certainly not ugly either.

Her limbs are thick, but she is not overweight. Her hair is a dark brown, long and braided down her back. She wears a yellow, woven straw hat and a red cloth tied around her neck.

The kobolds notice the five strangers coming into view and when their heads turn, the woman looks up from her work, sees Isaiah and smiles a huge smile. She drops her tools, and jogged toward the party.

Isaiah, Isaiah La Fontaine, is that really you? I haven’t heard about you being this far south? Last time I saw you it was in the library in Gimean, on the coast of Palicadia. Don’t you remember me, Yvonne. My father was a farmer on your father’s estate. We used to play together, until you left. Then we ran into each other a few more times along the coast as we were both looking for work. Damn it’s so good to see you. What brings you here?

Isaiah smiles. "Hello Yvonne, it has been awhile has it not? I'm glad to see you're doing well. I've been assisting in locating a missing person. A druid that may have come this way not too long ago. How have you been?"

When Isaiah ask the woman how she has been, she blushes, as if he has triggered some memory she is uncomfortable with. She smiles, puts one hand behind her head and seems to fiddle with her thick braid, while she closes her eyes and says.

Oh, fine, I’m fine. You said a druid? There was a druid here, a Maetaur woman I think, a week, maybe two weeks ago. She was here before I arrived but there is a druid here, his name is Greekory, I think I heard him mention her once or twice. She was looking into some stories about a old ruin to the west, but I don’t know where she was headed after she left here. Why don’t you introduce me to your friends.

Her eyes open and she looks at Kerak, and blushes again.
Meanwhile, the kobolds of the village begin to gather in closer to the strangers, and a few of the kobold children take a keen interest in Merrum, as if they have never in their lives met a Halfling before.

I know PbP games are often difficult to keep up with, information wise, but everyone should know that the Kobold warrior introduced herself and stated this was Jewel Water Hollow, not Limecracker Hollow, which was the Kobold Hollow you were trying to find.

Kerak looks about as the kobolds act in unison, all turning their heads to look at them, then returning to going about their business. It made his skin crawl, that weird uniformity. What if the tribe was under some kind of mind control magic, and they had grabbed Caitriann? He loosened his swords in their scabbard as they approached, and spoke with the leader of the kobolds and the lady who apparently knew Isaiah. "Jewel Water Hollow? Dangit. We were looking for the Limecracker Hollow. The person we were looking for left a journal entry that she was going to see them before heading South. You wouldn't be able to direct us to them, would you?"

When Kerak mentions Limecracker Hollow, all the Kobolds stop what they are doing, and turn their eyes toward him, and there is an awkward silence.

The Kobold warrior, takes a cautious step toward Kerak, and lowers her head, before saying quietly

Dude, I’m sorry, but we think the Limecracker Kobolds have been slaughtered, their hollow overrun by a group of Krakodons* from the Misty Lakes, eight miles south of them. We found a girl, like seriously beat up and all, and we brought her here a while ago. She recovered, but she doesn’t like to talk about what happened to her, or her friends at Limecracker. Her name is Marolyn. Like, Greekory and Lauren, our healers, have done everything they can but she’s in a bad way. We found her on the trail between our place and theirs, near Signal Hill. I’m not sure anyone’s been able to understand what really happened there, but see, like, she said a few times something about the green hand, and we only know that name is a group of human slave traders and thieves who are, like, really nasty, and it makes us all a little nervous when folks like you come around and for some reason you act like you’re looking for those green hand dudes. Makes us real nervous. I mean, seriously, dude, if the Krakadon’s are working with the green hand, we all might be in danger all along the river.

And, hey, by the way. Marolyn said something else, something bad, like, real bad. She said that some kobolds from the Misty Lakes were taking orders from the Krakadons. That’s just sad, you know, when our kind turns on each other like that, it’s a really bad sign.

Lots of folks miss the Limecracker Hollow, when they are not familiar with these lands. See, their place is in a forested ravine, between two hills, east of Signal hill. She points to the southeast. The creakbed is dry, and I think those monsters who attacked Limecracker may have dammed up the stream there, but we can show you our trail that will take you there, but we won’t go any further than Signal Hill as long as the Krakadons are anywhere near Limecracker.

Earlier

Well met Danerikka. I am Lilly Wildwood. You seem concerned about things to the East and West. What has you concerned.[/b]

And

When Yvonne mentions that a Maetaur woman had been at the Hollow only a couple weeks back Lilly's spirit is uplifted but then her face grows darker when a second druid is mentioned. She ask What can you tel me about this Greekory? I think I need to seem him, and soon. We have just recently met a man claiming to be a druid who was not.

Now

Danerikka, before we leave I would like to meet this young girl. I too am a healer of no small skill. If this Greekory is truly druid then its likely he had done all I know to do but I would speak with her anyway.

Danerikka smiles at Lilly, and says these are trying times, like, you know. To the west, there is something strange going on. Some kin who travel through here talk of a strange black fortress, and caravans are seen, dark robbed individuals with wagons and mules coming and going from there, up into the mountains of shadows. While to the east, and south, goblins are on the move. Something is pushing them out of the bogs and from the lakes where they live, and they, like are invading our neighbor’s hovels. It’s like all crazy, and I think this green hand bunch might be behind it all. We all are on our toes these days, and it seems like a storm is coming.

As she talks she points to various places in the distance.

She then stops, smiles again, and says, Oh, yeah, Greekory, or Kory, we call him. He is our Scoutmaster, he is a druid. He was taught by a dark skinned elven woman from the southwest. Hahaha, lots of folks are always saying Kory isn’t a druid, more like a timid hare, but that’s not really fair of me to paint him like that, hahaha. If you want to talk to Marolyn, she is probably with Greekory and Lauren right now. Here, I’ll take you to them. See, we started building these buildings outside the Hovel proper with Ximena’s help. She’s really smart. We figure if we can get a village up here, with a wall around it

she points along the outer edge of the structures,

we might have a better chance of getting some help from the Doan nobles and soldiers north of the river, maybe we can keep any goblins from invading our hovel, you know, keep it safer. We’ve learned to make bricks from the clay along the creek, and we’ve built some towers to protect the hovel doors. My sisters and brother stand guard in the towers, and they wouldn’t let folk like you past the doors, unless they knew you. But, I’ll show you to the quiet hall in our hovel, where Kory and Lauren are taking good care of Marolyn.

Kerak pauses, mulling things over for a minute. Still, it seemed like the person they were tracking had been by here. It also looked like the kobolds knew something about the black fortress. They might have the information they needed.

Lilly relaxes some with Danerikka's description of the meek Greekory. What is the likelihood of two false druids. she thinks. Yes Danerikka please do take us to this quiet hall. Thank you. She looks to the others to make sure no one objects.

A strange human woman in the village speaks to Isaiah

Lily carries on a conversation with the Kobold Warrior

Kerak listens to both these conversations and has a few questions of his own.

And yet, the three travelers have absolutely no interest whatsoever of discussing any of this information among themselves, and so…

Danerikka nods enthusiastically, and bows a short little bow, saying

No worries miss, if you want to follow me I’ll take you to Greekory and Lauren. Your traveling companions can get something to drink or eat while they wait for your return. Follow me.

Danerikka walks, casually, not at all in any sort of hurry, toward the hill side at the south edge of the little community. The Kobold whistles when she is close and a few kobolds appear on the tops of each crude stone tower set against the sheer wall of the cliff. These Kobolds wave and whistle back, and a couple of them disappear.

She stops by the heavy wooden door, bound with no less than four iron strips, and says to Lilly

We found this old castle door a few miles south of here, a couple of years ago. There used to be a single tower, on the edge of a lake there, on a high spot overlooking the water, but it is all in ruins now. It took us a week to drag this door all the way back here. Even though it is made of wood, mostly it…

Her talking is interrupted by the movement of the large door, which seems to make hardly a sound. Then you notice the door is set in sturdy, thick metal hinges which look new.

Once the door is open it reveals a partially brick lined tunnel ten feet high with sconces set in the walls burning small clumps of coal giving off a soft reddish glow in the area, and there are kobold masons at work adding bricks to the wall just inside the door on the left.

Danerikka addresses the masons by name, there are six of them, and as she passes them by each one turns toward her and greats her by a slap of the hand high in the air.

You follow Danerikka down this tunnel, which has a slightly downhill feel to it, to a four way intersection, which is surprisingly wide, almost twenty feet from this passage to the other passage across the tee. Danerikka turns right, leading you past two open doors, each on the left, and points at each as she passes

This goes to the main hall, where we serve hot soup if you want some, and this door, she says passing the second is the kitchen

Soon the passageway she is following comes to an end at a small, but not too small for a human sized person, single door made entirely out of what appears to be copper, or possibly brass.

This is a sort of, like, sacred place to Lauren and Greekory, so be nice, and don’t talk too loud.

Danerikka opens the door with a push of her hand, and you notice there appears to be no latch or lock on the door and anyone could open it easily.

The room beyond the metal door is long, narrow and well furnished.

There are six small comfortable beds, with only a simple mattress in each, and only one blanket for bedding, three beds on the left and three on the right. The second bed on the right has a goblin girl, probably not much older than fifteen, sleeping peacefully. Her head is wrapped in brown linen bandages. And then, past the beds there are two long tables, one each on the left and the right, and the tables have a few small bowls, vessels of clay, mortars and pestles, spread out on them along with many roots, plants, and what appears to be dried salamanders.

At the far end of the room is a simple stone altar holding two very small, about half the size of an adult kobold, statues of a robed Kobold woman and an kobold male, wearing only a kilt. The male statue has a fellow with his arms folded across his chest, and in one hand he holds a large headed maul or hammer. His face is serene and pleasant, and his gaze seems to be lifted slightly upward, while the female statue has the arms out slightly at the sides and down with the palms of her hands turned out and forward. Her face is also serine, but her gaze seems to be lowered toward the ground.

Standing to the right of the statues are two kobolds, a tall lanky female and a short pudgy male. The female kobold wears a long blue, wool robe, and the male wears dark green and brown garments of shirt, pants and a light vest. These two are talking to each other and do not notice you have entered.

Before Danerikka introduces you, are there any questions?