Reep nods to the underdweller and settles into a resting place, eager to rest and return to the hunt.
Jeji bows low to the chieftain and says "thank you for your assssistance, and your protection. We are happy to be of ssservice. I wasss wondering if you would tell me more about those that passssed through before usss? How long before did they come through? Do you know where they were going?"
"It is not that long ago that we came up from Nar-Voth, maybe thirty sleeps. We thought we had found unclaimed and forgotten caves, but it was not so for long. First came the strange woman; she resembled a human, but glowing runes moved across her body and she did not need light as the humans do. Her slaves were ratmen and surface orcs. She gave us many silver discs to guard the way behind her and left through the gremlin crawl. Her ratmen drove the vermin before them."
"That was maybe 10 sleeps ago. Next came a small band of surface dwellers and we killed them. Then a more powerful group led by a human named Bane. We fought them, but they were too powerful. They killed our leader and most of our band. Then they helped themselves to our wealth and went beyond the metal gate."
"They returned to the surface and then came back three sleeps ago. We hid and watched this time. They went through the gate again, but have not returned."
Between his pride and suspicion of the others, Drahlneep is unwilling to ask for any help with his wounds. After scratching the floor and sharpening his nails, he settles down on the floor. Before closing his eyes he tells the others, "Just wake me when you want me to keep watch. I don't trust these creatures much, we should be on guard."
A group of sun children, following this Bane, three days ahead of us...and they were able to defeat these creatures. We will have to be careful. I wonder if they are friend or foe to the woman with the glowing runes. I guess we will find out. Jeji is stirred from her own thoughts at Drahlneep's suggestion of keeping watch. He makes a good point. We don't know these creatures, although they haven't shown us any aggression. Jeji curls up on the floor. "Wake me for the middle watch.
Sa'rah'then'al nodded and coaxed his clan into the hut as he laid himself down at the front door and took his turn. He would not argue with the others for taking the watches that he wasn't fond of to begin with. Once the others had bedded down he took a look over them all seeing how bad their wounds had been. Jeji's wounds were minor as much as his own after he managed to heal himself but it seemed that Drahl was hiding much blood if his sense of smell was as good as he thought it was.
He shook his head as he thought about that. He should confront him but he would leave it alone as he wasn't sure how much pride went into that kobold. He yawned a bit and after a while began to the change out at which point he pushed his way into the center of the pile of kobolds to try and get as much warmth from his brethren as he could.
Having spent so much time of late on the surface, the kobolds can almost sense the blinding orb rising somewhere above as they huddle together to sleep. The guards keep watch, but all is quite and no one approached until it is quite obvious that the kobolds have risen and prepared themselves.
The first Hidden One you spotted, Leupel approaches with a heavy sack. Inside, you find 49 silver discs somewhat thicker and heavier than standard silver coins. There are also 5 smooth flat rectangles about the size of a claw with a brown stripe down the center. With Jeji translating from Undercommon, Leupel explains that these items come from the strange caves beyond the metal door and that the woman and other surface dwellers find them quite valuable though her tribe doesn't really understand what they mean.
Reep examines all the metal bits with great interest. "Yess... these will do very nicely indeed."
Jeji looks at the flat rectangles, flips one over and over in her hands, sniffs it, even tastes it. "I have no idea what these are. And these sssilver coinsss, they're not like the coinsss the humans use. I think these are sssignsss we are on the right path though. I believe these will lead usss to an ancient artifact of sssome kind."
Jeji will prepare one cure light wounds extract in the morning before heading out and leave her second extract open.
"You would like to see the metal door now?" Leupel asks Jeji in Undercommon.
Jeji nods excitedly with anticipation. Turning to the kobold tribe, she asks in draconic "are we ready to proceed onward? They are ready to ssshow usss the door." Jeji cannot help but quietly giggle to herself. These were the types of discoveries that could change situations, maybe even the world, or at least so she thought. Besides, if other groups were heading this way, something of power must be down here.
Drahlneep checks under his bandages. Some of the wounds are pretty deep, but none appear to be infected.
"I am ready enough. Metal doors. Must be protecting something important."
Leupel leads the kobolds to the eastern end of the great cave. A smooth wall of dark gray metal bisects the cavern here, its expanse pitted and scorched but quite solid looking. A strange, circular opening pierces the wall five feet off the ground, allowing access to some sort of hallway on the other side.
The Hidden One takes notice of Drahlneep's limp and speaks to Jeji again.
Sa'rah'then'al followed along not saying a word only nodding when Jeji had asked if they were ready. He did however keep looking at Drahlneep from behind wondering just how bad they really were.
He shook his head and stared at the door, this looked quite odd to say the least. He put a claw to wall and scratched at it in contemplation.
Reep's eyes go wide at the strange metal doors. "Thisss place is... Sspecial. I feel it in my scales."
Jeji nods at Leupel's words and turns to look at Drahlneep. She spends a moment looking him over before addressing the tribe. "They want to warn usss that beyond the door issss very dangeroussss. They offer ussss to sssstay longer to make certain we are fully ready for the journey. Perhapssss we sssshould tend to Drahlneep's woundssss before preceeding."
Thank you Leupel. Thossse are wise wordsss.
"I would...appreciate that. I'm eager to see what's behind that door, I'm not eager to die." Drahlneep sits and unwraps his makeshift bandages, revealing the deep stab wounds below. This may mean they're starting to accept me. I miss my clutch. I miss my mate. I can't get revenge by myself, at least I am among my own kind.
"I would offer you one of my extractsss, but it doesn't seem to work on othersss quite yet. What I mean is, I haven't quite mastered the formulasss yet. I think I'm close, but I need a little more experimentation to finalize them. They seem to become unstable soon after I set them down. Itsss the strangest thing really. You think it would be easier to mix a few thingsss together to get a desired response, but even the sssmallest pinch can ssspoil the batch and even mean disaster on occasion." You can tell Jeji would yammer on and on for hours if left to discuss her extracts or potions or magic in general.
"You talk like a gnome," Drahlneep chuckles, "Do you at least have some fresh bandages?"
Sa'rah'then'al shook his head as it seems that Drahl's pride didn't run extremely deep. He come to kneel beside the kobold's leg. "It ssseemsss that while you are prideful...you are at leassst not an idiot. Next time, ssshow your woundsss at leassst to your tribe. If you cannot trussst usss, then we cannot trussst you." he said as he examined the wounds.
He began to mutter softly as he spoke his praising to his father, the great and powerful dragon himself. The smell of blightburn seeped from his breath as he began to trace his claws over the wound.
Surely Drahlneep is favored by Gakzara for the kobold is filled with vitality and health nearly to bursting by the radiant touch of the inquisitor. Leupel watches with interest and then wishes Jeji good luck in the language of the underworld. Although no color is seen in the darkness, darkvision reveals interesting textures that race across the nearly naked humanoid's skin which you take as a communication of good will.
The band is about to move forward when Olp suddenly balks. The strange silent kobold looks at Sarahthenal with sad and hurt eyes and then back toward the main caves before skittering away quickly without explanation. The others wait a while, but Olp doesn't return. Growing impatient for answers, the band looks through the strange circular doorway in the weird metal wall.
Beyond, the walls, floor and ceiling of a perpendicular intersecting and slightly curved hallway are made of the same smooth dark gray metal. Panels of lighter material run along the ceiling eight feet above. To the north and south the tunnel is blocked by walls of metal junk and rubble, while another open doorways yawns ahead.
"Thank you. I have been on my own for some time now. It is hard to know who to trust. I will learn to be more open with my...new tribe in the future."
Jeji stands there with her head cocked to the side staring off in the direction the Olp ran in. "Well that was rather odd." She looks at the others briefly, but noticing the strange metal causes her to quickly dismiss his departure and focus on the task at hand. She enters the door way and cautiously approaches the next open doorway. She mutters to herself in spurts, more enamored with the structure than concerned with being hidden.
Jeji leads the way to find a short hall that ends in another circular opening. The rubble is lighter here, but a strange feature stands midway down the passage. It appears to be a statue about 5 feet tall and made of a gray and white metal. It has three spider-like legs below a vaguely humanoid torso with two arms and a head with only one blazing “eye” in the center.
Sa'rah'then'al pauses as he comes upon the statue. This was a curiosity to say the least. He certainly had never seen anything of the sort before.
He clacked his claws as he looked it over, his fingers trailing over the legs.
Sarahthenal peers at the statue closely, but is unable to explain the thing or what alien form it might depict. The 'artwork' doesn't seem so appreciative of the inquisitive inquisitor running claws over its limbs however and comes to life with an angry buzzing sound!
Olp:
Reep:
Sahrahthenal:
Drahlneep:
wall-e:
A little door opens in the statue's shoulder and a net flies out ensnaring the kobold inquisitor in strong stretchy fibers.
Sa'rah'then'al hisses angrily as his little legs and arms are tied up. He stares at the Statue hoping to unnerve it.
Drahlneep readies his spear as he charges at the moving statue, lunging into a stab.
Jeji moves around the sides of the apparatus to flank it with her companions while clutching her spear with both hands.
Jeji moves around the sides of the apparatus to flank it ...
Jeji slips behind the thing and stabs at it with her spear leaving a small dent. Drahlneep charges forward, but has to maneuver around the tangled inquisitor and misses. Sarahthenal gives his most venomous stare, but the construct is quite unmoved. Likely, its inorganic mind doesn't even register the foul look.
Reep shoulders his boom stick and fires! for damage!
Reep's gun explodes! Literally, as it cracks from a load of old and unstable black powder. The creature spins 180 degrees at the waist to face Jeji. Another little door opens in its chest and a net flies out ensnaring a second kobold. The dent in its metal armor pops back out leaving only a scratch to mark the spear puncture.
Does what little he could in the situation and proceeds to bite into the statue him.
[Dice=Bite Attack]1d20+5-2+2
Drahlneep curses under his breath and stabs at the strange creature again.
Despite being caught in a net like a fish, Jeji continues to stab at the robotic fisherman.
Jeji thrashes around in the net, but is unable to aim his spear properly in the confines of the netting. Drahlneep is foiled again as Sarahthenal leaps in front of his spear to bite at the metal man. The inquisitor's teeth do nothing against the metal body, but the acid burns and melts a bite-sized hole.
Reep curses as his boom stick cracks, but still clutching it, he moves into position to hit the metal enemy with a burning hands spell! , Reflex DC 14 for half.
Reep aims over his companions and catches the thing's head in flames. The thing hardly seems affected and strangely, a small swarm of maybe tiny ants or mist covers the acid burns seeming to repair some of the damage. The thing spins back to face Drahlneep and yet another net pops out of a tiny door catching up the savage.
Drahlneep curses loudly as the netting ensnares him. He takes a deep breath and explodes with anger.
Jeji fights on in a paniced state of jabs and thrusts. Her spear stabs out quickly, but the net limits her already meager strength. "Maybe we should fall back. Our attacksss are futile."
Sa'rah'then'al watched with a bit of curiosity as the ants began to repair it. He hissed angrily as what he had done is negated. He looked to the others. "We mussst esscape and regroup. Ssstay at ranged perhapsss." he said as he began to roll about trying to get free.
The trio of trapped kobolds struggle in the nets.
Reep hisses, his purple scales flushing with color. His musket broken, his spells useless, his eggmates trapped. He makes a quick decision and rushes forward, grabbing the net around Jeji and dragging her backwards as fast and as far as he can.