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The party heads towards the chief. Along the way, you face two kobolds with a slurk (hand-waved) and alchemical inferno trap (Nighttail deactivates).
Eventually you arrive a room B20. At the top of the rough-hewn steps is a large cave, the floor strewn with fresh straw. The bones of many different creatures, animal and humanoid both, hang on the walls. Two boulders bisect the cave, obscuring what the other half holds.
The chief and 4 kobold bodyguards are here. As soon as Ethendril reaches the toip of the stairs, the chief speaks: "You think you can trespass in the lair of the Blood Vow Tribe with impunity? I am Roaghaz, and I serve the great Lord Aeteperax! He rewards his supplicants for ferocity and faithfulness. We shall add your bones to those hanging on these walls, and our great lord shall sup on your flesh!"
The party is up, first!
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With his greatsword held firmly in front of him, Ethendril moves to engage the chieftain.
"Your lord has failed you, chieftain! Even your own tribe turns against you. Lay down your arms and we will help you regain your tribe from this Aeteperax, who only leads you to ruin!" the paladin offers, always loathe to shed blood.
Even so, the paladin readies a strike should the chieftain or any other creature move to attack him.
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Indeed, the kobolds will disperse, for now. Those that remain will follow Nighttail. She will be true to her word and keep the tribe way from Belhaim. Combat over!
Treasure: The western section of the cave is Roaghaz’s sleeping quarters. A large, soft pallet lies here, along with two locked chests, which can be opened with a successful DC 15 Disable Device check, or with the key the chief carries. One chest holds 1,895 gp, and the other holds six large green scales and an even larger black scale. A successful DC 14 Knowledge (nature) check reveals all seven to be dragon scales.
Everyone please level up! You are now level 2.
As with PFS, you turn in everything that you did not consume during your adventure. In this case to the Baroness, instead of your venture captain. You all gain 1000 GP to spend as you please.
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Ethendril smiles as he realizes everyone is okay.
"Well done, everyone! I had wished to negotiate, and I suppose we did to some extent by befriending Nighttail. Hopefully she and the rest of her tribe will remember that. For now, we should head back and report what we found. I imagine that this Aeteperax fellow will not be pleased."
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Harlis thanks Nighttail as they leave and wishes her the best with her tribe. Returning to the town and receiving the reward from the Baroness he turns to the smithy, commissioning new masterwork armor for both himself and Daylight. He sells the old armor back and replaces the scroll and holy water he used before seeking more of the end of season apples to reward his steed.
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Once you have dealt with the kobolds, you go back to town and report everything. Since you left most of the kobolds alive in Highttail's leadership, and the humans and kobolds have only had strained relations in the past, Lady Origena seems worried. She indicates that if the kobolds don't keep their promise, the consequences will be on your heads.
Now that you've had the opportunity to mull over recent events, those who have it may make a Knowledge History check.
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Ethendril thoughtfully explains to Lady Origena that he was employed to investigate the cave and not engage in kobold genocide. Even so, they did kill a substantial number of the tribe and replace the tribe's leadership with one more inclined to peace with the tribe.
After purchasing a finely-crafted greatsword and some new armor, the paladin appears ready to investigate the name of the kobold leader.
Though he hasn't heard of the name, he's happy to ask around.
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Etherndril asks around about the name. But the holy man doesn't relate well with the common folk. However, his banter triggers something, and Agnes snaps her fingers as it comes back to her in a rush.
Aeteperax was the name of a great dragon slain more than a thousand years ago by Belhaim’s founder, Lady Tula Belhaim.
For her service, the Taldan emperor awarded Tula the title of Baroness and the stewardship of the Verduran Fork region, including all of Dragonfen. Her legions of admirers soon founded a town bearing her name, its buildings built of limestone quarried nearby.
In 3676 AR, as Belhaim was still finding its place in the world, a band of Iroran priests presented themselves before the Baroness of Belhaim and asked her permission to build a monastery east of the town, overlooking Dragonfen. Lady Tula graciously granted their wish, and soon thereafter, the monks built a fine monastery on the far side of the swamp.
Lady Tula eventually married one of her fellow Slayers, Arturic Canteclure, and built a castle atop one of the town's hills. The couple had four children, but each one died of accident or misadventure before the age of 9, leaving the new barony with no heirs. Tula and Arturic’s relationship grew strained as the baroness grew morbid and obsessed with building a grand tomb for herself and her family...
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Ethendril strokes his beard thoughtfully as Agnes explains what she knows about the area.
"It seems that someone or something is taking upon themselves the name of this dead dragon. But for what reason? We have a few leads we could pursue. Perhaps we could visit this grand tomb or the monastery for more clues."
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The day after Hunclay perished, word was sent via raven to his only living relative, a cousin in Yanmass. Just this morning, her reply arrived—she doesn't seem all that distraught at his death, and has no interest in coming to Belhaim to claim his estate and belongings. Instead, she has requested that the baroness auction off all of Hunclay's property and possessions so that the proceeds (minus expenses) can be sent to her. This leaves the baroness with a daunting task—cataloguing the contents of Hunclay's manor home means entering the place and exploring its interior, an enterprise that could entail considerable danger. Hunclay was something of a foul-tempered recluse, and word around town is that his manor was warded by magical traps and guarded by monsters. The fate of the kobold who burned to death on the manor’s front porch has only added to locals' fears.
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Baroness Origena approaches the party. She takes a deep breath, then asks: "You already done so much for us. Would you be interesting in taking on another job for Belhaim? We need you to inventory the wizard's estate. Exploring Hunclay's manor and identifying any unusual or magical items there while simultaneously deactivating traps and dealing with any monstrous guardians seem to be tasks tailor-made for adventurers, after all!"
"Excellent! I shall have an assistant draft a contract outlining your fee and the expectation that you will exercise every possible caution to leave items inside intact and undamaged. Thank you again--both for dealing with the kobolds and for taking on this new responsibility. I wish you luck exploring Hunclay Manor."
Origena's assistant mutters: "They'll need it! Lots and lots of luck!"
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Hunclay Manor is the newest building in Belhaim, built of heavy blocks of stone 2-1/2 feet thick.
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Nodding in agreement with Ethendril Harlis adds. "Remember to ask for Iomedae's Guidance and I shall grant it each time to give you an edge.". He then turns to address the whole group but also addresses the Mayor. "We should also be on alert for things of a foul manner that should not be sold, else they spread dire influence. Those same should be destroyed or made safe as their value is less than zero for any sane society and would be considered part of removing the danger. Agreed?"
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Wayreth sighs deeply at the prospect.
"I have some skill with finding and disabling traps, but my skills really lie more in stealth. I'll do what I can I suppose... If I run into any sort of mishap, however, I'll be looking to the two of you to patch me up..."
He grimaces as he says this. Nobody likes being stuck with a poisoned needle or having a boulder dropped on his head... much less having all sorts of magic used on him.
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The party heads towards Hunclay Manor.
Area C1 (The Front Door): The grisly remains of a kobold, the flesh charred badly and limbs contorted by fire, still lie on the doorstep of the manor house.