Seeing that Hrafen and Vlad are hesitant to cross, I kneel down on the ground and pull out the cloth wrapped statue, I place it gently on the ground in front of me for the Kobold to pick up, making sure that I keep my word. I then turn to face Vorik, "We're just going to explore further in, we won't be long. Please make sure our friends are safe."
With that I turn and jump across the ravine again.
"Shall we continue then?"
Vorik waves to the others. Turning back to Mikmek he nods grimly at the kobolds words. Lowering his own voice he says, "There are many priests and shaman among the human tribes who preach the same thing. My friends and I understand the challenge before us, but it is also why we wish to succeed. If we can break the cycles of war and injustice, then we may be able to bring a larger peace and prosperity to this land and others."
He kneels down next to the kobold, "Is there anyway we can change your shaman's attitude? I do not wish any killing between our people's if it can be avoided."
Hrafen nods to Jaestra.
"Hopefully, we find another way to the surface; not all of us are quite so agile as you!"
He then follows the others in further exploring the tunnels...
Mikmek shrugs with Vorik's question.. He looks pensive for a moment as he translates a kobold proverb along with his thoughts.
"Failure is not worse than not trying. I do not see a way, but a way may come."
The narrower tunnel to the east leads to a common room filled with piles of bedding.
Further east is the escape tunnel, and a winding spiral up to the first floor of the underground nest.
It is soon clear that the place is empty... and all items of value are within the tattered sacks and crates.
"Seems like we have pretty well cleared this place out. Let's move on and get our new friends back to their home."
I look to Vlad and nod, "Sounds like a good idea."
While the others explore the rest of the next Vorik will make his way back to the surface, offering any help to the kobolds if needed.
Hrafen nods.
"Yes, let's conclude our business with them."
With a sigh of relief as he gets back out into the open air, Vorik goes to check on the animals and readies everything for the trip back to Oleg's.
Vladimir stretches out, happy to no longer be in the cramped quarters of the tunnel system. "Much better. Who are our new friends riding with? I would be happy to have one of them ride along with me on Shadow."
The female kobold scowls and eyes Vladimir skeptically "Ri-ding on sha-dow? We kobolds go to Sootscale Cavern. Youmans go where youmans go."
Mikmek shrugs "Come with us now, or come later. Returning with Old Sharptooth will give me weight enough to give you good greeting with Chief Sootscale." he flexes an arm with a balled fist.
He then points south.
"Long way, but we have.. resting caves on the path. We must travel overland... and sleep over land."
Mikmek seems slightly more interested in glory than assisting in any proposed alliance/treaty.
Vladimir makes note of the kobold's motives, but sees no harm in them and chooses not to make a big deal of it for the time being.
Vorik glances longingly back in the direction of Oleg's and then to the group of kobolds. As they start to head south, the big man sighs. "I was hoping to get a little rest at Oleg's. But aye, we should do what we can to improve our relations and perhaps solidify our alliance with these folk." Adding a bit of stress to his last few words, Vorik mounts up and rides to the side of Mikmek.
The kobolds lead you across the plains - dotted with rocky outcroppings.
Mikmek seems to shrug off Vorik's question at first, but then when out of the priestess kobold hearing he responds.
"Will not be easy. Chief Sootscale does see the use of strong allies, but by Shaman Tartuk's words... he thinks Old Sharptooth is ally enough."
After sunset, Mikmek turns back to you. "Another half day of travel. Rest now?"
The priestess sneers "We who are leading, do not need the sun to find our way."
There is hope within Mikmek for the same thing. He might be exaggerating his pessimism out of frustration... he seems pretty weary of the shaman and his followers' effect on the Chief.
Maybe in addition to the glory he fairly openly hungers for, he wishes for such a change in his clan.
Hrafen turns to the others.
"I certainly would not mind a rest; I would like to be fresh when we arrive at our destination..."
Twenty minutes later, Mikmek leads you to a underground chamber hidden under a pile of grey speckled boulders and copse of trees. Past this area you see small scorched craters in the dim moonlight.
"Any further is not as safe."
The female kobold yields, nods. "Nightblind make too much noise."
Hrafen breathes a heart-felt sigh of relief, and prepares to bed-down for the night...
I quietly follow the Kobolds and make sure not to say anything that would upset the female, I kept my word and I don't wish to push my luck any further.
Vorik chuckles quietly at Mikmek's comments. "Nothing worth doing is ever easy friend."
He then follows on quietly with the others trying to keep a watch for any trouble.
Vladimir tries his best to hold his tongue, obviously upset with the female kobold's continued disdain for her rescuers.
You notice a musky scent on the breeze. There seems to be a faint trace somewhere around this outcropping of rock as well.
Vorik stops, rubs his nose and then sniffs the air a few more times. Turning to the others he whispers, "Do you smell that? Something musky, especially near these rocks."
You cannot determine what species marked the area... by the strength of the scent, it could be a large creature marking hunting grounds, or smaller creature's lair.
If it is a lair, there should be more signs of habitation.
"Smell what?" Vladimir asks, taking a deep draw of air through his nose, in hopes of sensing the smell Vorik speaks of.
I look to Vorik, "I can smell it too, I can't identify the source of the smell though. But it does seem to have similarities to a large creature marking their hunting grounds. We should be careful and keep our eyes open."
Vorik nods at Jaestra's advice and readies his hammer just in case something tries to make a meal out of someone in the party.
Hrafen looks around nervously.
"A large creature? Are we talking something like a bear, or a mastodon in size? Do you think it is a predator, or prey animal?"
The kobold priestess snorts. "Chree'er'Gratyl. Old old blind troll. Sleep too deep and stink as you do... mmmhmm ... she will find you."
Mikmek nods, but waves dismissively.
"We leave her alone, and be quiet. If Gratyl does find us, it is not too hard to scare her away."
The kobold priestess gets a slightly crazed eager look in her eyes and fidgeting fingers. "After some die!... some always die."
Hrafen's eyes widen, before his face adopts a thoughtful expression.
"A troll, you say? Hmmm... I think I have exactly what we would need to deal with one of those if we encountered it; they don't like acid, right?", he says, turning to the others.
Mikmek shrugs. "We use fire."
The kobold priestess curls up in a corner. Mikmek rests for a while, then joins Vladimir for the end of his watch, and stays up for the beginning of Hrafen's.
It is a clear night, and you can see the darkened shallow craters in the starlight.
"These fields were filled with mite nests. We burned them out... forced them to face us. There were more than we thought. We lost hundreds, but Shaman Tartuk claimed victory."
Hrafen's eyes widen when he notices the creature digging, but he does not immediately raise the alarm; instead, he keeps a close eye on it, making sure that it does not come any closer.
After watching for some time, Hrafen starts to be able to make out the form of the creature as it moves about. It is tall, lanky, and feral... it is possible it is the troll mentioned. Its features are not discernible at this distance, and it does not have the signature "gunnysack" belly that is seen in storybook depictions... but it could be...
Archibald lets out a few whimpers after sniffing the air, and looks up at Hrafen. There is no visible reaction by the creature to the soft sound.
It has been working on this one nest 100 feet away for 15 minutes now, and appears to be using a spear-like tool in it's work.
FWIW from what you can tell, it has found nothing.
There are two other similar burnt out nests with a couple hundred feet. (one a similar distance from you of ~100feet, one is within 60 feet.)
Hrafen quietly moves over to Jaestra, and gently wakes her, whispering: "We have company - I think it might be the troll. It does not appear hostile at present, but it *is* a little close for comfort; it is only about 100 feet away, after all..."
Finding the half-elf to be deeply asleep, Hrafen (gently) pokes her more urgently.
"Jaestra?"
I open my eyes half way looking up at Hrafen's face very sleepily, "Yes?" I yawn and then rub my eyes, "My turn to watch?"
"Not quite. Do you recall that our new 'friends' mentioned that there was a troll in the area? Well, I believe it is just over there," Hrafen says, nodding in the direction of the troll. "It does not appear to be hostile just yet, but it is only a hundred feet away, which is a little close for comfort; should we chase it off?"
I look in the direction that Hrafen in pointing sleepily, then stand up. I take "GoldFire" and an arrow, nock it to her string and get ready to loose it at the creature. "I say let it be for now, but if it comes over half the distance to us, or comes at us menacingly, then we drive it off. Sound good?"
Hrafen nods.
"That sounds fine to me; I was just concerned that it was getting a tad close..."
Vorik rolls over in his sleep. With his back flat on the ground, his mouth opens and he begins to build into one of his all too common nightly rumbling snoring sessions.
"Huwrack!... Huwrack!" The creature crawls from the shallow charred crater swatting at the ground with frustrated exclamations.
It half-crawls stooped and snarling toward the nearer crater... dragging a crude hook-backed spear along the broken earth to within a range where more features can be visually determined.
Hrafen and Jaestra can make out long claws, and fiercely fanged protruding jaw. Its color is difficult to determine in the moonlight, but appears greyish green and scaly.
Hrafen looks at Jaestra.
"Should we give it a warm welcome, and wake the others"?
I look to Hrafen, "if it comes any closer to us, then we should wake the others. Hopefully it will turn around shortly ... if not it will receive a welcome, just not a warm one."
"Zzzz...Zzzz..."
Jaestra and Hrafen don't notice the female kobold's stirring until she silently slips beside them... out the mouth of the cave, and directly away from the scavenging creature.
Hrafen attempts to grab the kobold, hissing at it through clenched teeth.
"What in the Nine Hells are you doing?"
I don't try to catch as she slips passed, but I do whisper to her as she passes, "Where are you going at such a dangerous time?"
The kobold priestess nearly slips free from Hrafen's grasp, but he locks his grip around her delicate wrist. She rants in her thick guttural accent.
"You disgrace Old Sharptooth with your talk of peace. Chree'er'Gratyl will end this sickening endeavor!"
This wakes the others, and you hear grunt which rises in tone as if the old blind troll heard her name spoken. It is not immediately clear how well the creature is able to determine your location.
Hrafen glares at the Kobold.
"If you don't want peace, I will be happy to oblige, and liquify you; the rest of your tribe, however, may want it, so I will still extend the option to them..."
Vladimir, awakened by the noise, rubs the sleep from his eyes and looks to see what the commotion is about.
"Bloody hell..." the swordsman mutters to himself getting his feet and drawing his trusty blade.