Seeing that the fighter missed his mark, Milloy hesitates and decides to play it safe, in case the kobold gets lucky.
As Milloy's missile strikes her side, the kobold lets out a little shriek. She drops her bow and falls to her knees, and speaks in passable Common:
"Please, no kill me! My name Sesserak. I tell you about kobold plans if you let me go!"
Kurth stays quiet and lets Alice handle this one, but he keeps his morningstar ready in case of a double-cross.
The kobold stares at Alice a moment, a hint of fear in her eyes.
"Human wizard hired us kobolds to smash tower. He get hit in head by falling beam. Accident, to be sure. Now I caught, kobolds see me as failure. Can't go home to tribe who live in old flooded quarry."
"Hired by the wizard, huh? What'd he pay you with?" Kurth asks. "And why'd he wanna knock down the tower?"
The big man stays quiet while the party members have a chance to ask questions. When they have, he brings up another issue.
"So, if you can't go back to the other lizards, what're you gonna do? We've already got that damn imp flitting around, poking gods-know-what with its poisoned tail. If we let a scaly kobold go runnin' loose, too, we're gonna get a reputation. Who wants to hire trouble-shooters that get all prancy and lady-like about shootin' the trouble? Figgur-tive-like --No offense Alice."
A wizard? ... oh, that wizard! Do you know where he is now?
Sesserak looks at Kurth, then Jalthan.
"He didn't pay yet. He said we get gold once tower destroyed. Said it blocked his view of night sky. Wizard was with us when we sapped tower, but beam fell on his head. He dead. I go find other kobold tribe to live with. I make no trouble here again, I swear it."
The man we found back there, that was the man who hired you? Did he give you his name? Where did he live? Milloy asks, trying to piece together the facts they have.
The kobold responds to Milloy's questions.
"Wizard was called Hunclay. His house near here, great big house. You let me go now? I swear never bother anyone here again!"
She does not seem to understand Milloy's elven tongue, but you can tell she's telling the truth, at least as far as she knows it.
Hmph. Do what you will with the kobold. Seems we have our answers. Milloy goes to turn away and then asks the kobold, How did you get in here, and how, exactly, were you to destroy the tower?
Kurth hands Alice a length of rope.
"Well, is that it? We want to haul everything to the surface then worry about this other hole later?"
Actually yes, including the kobold. This creature needs to restate his story to those in charge in the town. The kobold can explain why there were there, who hired them, meaning Hunclay, and of course the how has yet to be heard. Milloy looks at the kobold as if reminding it that he still has a couple questions that are left unanswered.
Once we do that, our task is complete. If we wish to discover anything more we can do so after we collect payment for the job.
Alice ties up the kobold and fashions a lead out of the end of the rope. Returning to the treasury, the explorers load up their find and return to town. It's early morning by the time the group reaches the Devy manor.
A servant greets the group and fetches the Baroness. She meets you at once and asks to hear of your explorations.
"We probably all need a rest, but we can go check out this Hunclay's house after, if you'd like. Or we can see about exterminatin' the rest of these lizards for ya," Kurth says. "I figure you don't that many of 'em sneaking around near your town."
I would indeed appreciate a good night's rest after all this. I wouldn't say no to a good ale before that, though. I suppose Hunclay's house will have to wait until the morrow.
"Thank you for your efforts, brave explorers. I do appreciate you getting to the bottom of this. As for the rest of the kobolds, I have a proposition for you. They must have a den nearby, probably in the old quarry. Until the events with the Witch Tower, they hadn't bothered us at all. I was content to live and let live. But the situation has clearly changed. I cannot allow them to pose a threat to the people of my town. If you would be willing to drive them out, I'd be prepared to reward you handsomely. And speaking of rewards..."
She gestures to a servant who returns with five large sacks, each containing 100 gold coins.
"If need time to think about the kobold job, please take it. You can let my man here know your decision. Kill their chief, exterminate them, take them prisoner, whatever you decide - just be sure they no longer pose a threat to Belhaim."
"And what are we to do about Hunclay? The rodent's reason can't be why he wanted to destroy the tower. There has to have been more to it than that."
The kobold's show of aggression may be more pressing to the town, Alsterro. We can investigate Hunclay and his part in all of this once we defuse the kobolds, I'd imagine.
"That may be so, but we have no indication that the Kobolds have any further plan of aggression beyond what Hunclay hired them to do. Sesserak has no intentions of making further trouble, and he gave us no reason to believe that his tribe would make trouble unless he returned."
This is possibly true. I suppose taking a look around his home wouldn't be such a bad first step.
I'd like to take a look at his home first as well. After all, his house must be in the village, so it won't take long.
At the mention of Hunclay, the baroness becomes grim.
"I knew Hunclay was behind this! Still, he was an eccentric and rather misanthropic. He always kept to himself and guarded his privacy most vehemently. His manor is certainly filled with traps and other dangers! I can't give you orders, but please avoid his place for now."
Hmmm, a not-so-direct directive seems to be steering us away from the manor. Milloy is curious as to why the baroness would want the party to forgo searching the place. Perhaps one of you that possess a better tongue could ask her why we should do as she would wish?
Lady Devy, surely you're not telling us everything. I agree with your sense of urgency to take care of the kobold problem, but who knows what mischief is hidden in the wizard's estate? Is there anything about it that we ought to know?
Kurth waits as the others question the baroness, thinking only of a bath - and the barmaid back at the inn.
"That Hunclay was bad news. I'd hate for you to suffer unduly becuase of his mischief. I can't say what you might find there, but the rumors of his blacks arts are not promising. And to be fair, I am interested in seeing you remain alive so this kobold threat can be ended. Besides, the estate will be put up for auction eventually and i wouldn't want to get tangled up with the attorneys"
Indeed, my dear Alice, I must agree. I'd rather fight kobolds than attorneys.
We shall do as you say, M'lady. The kobolds are as good as gone!
Then answering Alice:
Agreed. We'd better take care of them as soon as possible. After all Hunclay's dead now and his estate won't budge.
"All sounds good to me," Kurth says, not waiting for an answer before making a beeline for the inn. Once there, he orders up a double-serving of meat and ale and heads for the bath, eager to wash away remnants of the group's earlier exploration.
After a good evening enjoying simple pleasures of life and jesting about in the inn, Jalthan tosses in, eager to get a good night's sleep before heading to the kobolds' den.
Alsterro jaunts around town for a while until he sees a shop displaying fine boots and shoes in the window. He decides to investigate upgrading his footwear.
The shop is called "Gorendel's Fine Footwear". A man looks up as he enters and says:
"Good day, how can I help you?"
Alsterro strolls into the shop. "I thought I might take a look at your wares. One assumes you are Gorendel?"
After a bath and a shave, Kurth gorges himself on meat and ale in the inn's common room before making a surprisingly sincere and coherent pass at the barmaid.
He then retires to his room (perhaps not alone) and soon begins to rattle the rafters with his snores. Waking refreshed, if still a little stiff, he dons his new chainmail, takes up his weapons and prepares to clear Belhaim of the kobold menace.
@Alsterro - "Indeed sir, that I am. I'm a humble cobbler, but I flatter myself to think I can turn out a fine pair of shoes or boots on occasion. Are you looking for anything in particular?"